Place it in church history
- Era
- The Global Church Today
- Key dates
- 2000 through November 2026
- Location
- Worldwide
Find The Global Church Today on the interactive timeline.
Published by Vince Baker Ministries ·
Where do Christians live?
Pew Research Center estimated that about 2.3 billion people identified as Christian in 2020, or about 29% of the world’s population. Its findings were published in 2025 and describe the 2010–2020 period. Sub-Saharan Africa surpassed Europe as the region with the largest number of Christians in that dataset. Changes varied by region, and national averages can obscure differences among cities, rural areas, generations, and traditions.
Who carries the Gospel today?
Local pastors, church planters, evangelists, translators, chaplains, and volunteers lead much of the Church’s daily work. Migration has helped create congregations in cities far from their members’ places of birth. Local believers and diaspora communities often sustain language-specific worship and practical care for newcomers. Digital teaching makes it easier to hear from another country while leaving the ordinary work of gathering, mentoring, and serving in place.
What do recent milestones show?
At Asbury University in February 2023, students continued praying after a chapel service. The university’s account describes how sustained prayer and worship drew visitors to Wilmore, Kentucky. The Fourth Lausanne Congress in 2024 brought evangelical participants to South Korea and produced the Seoul Statement. Churches marked 1,700 years since Nicaea in 2025 through gatherings and reflection on the confession of Christ. In November 2026 the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation reported launching the Lund Thread, a project tracing a century of ecumenical activity in Sweden. These events illustrate different ways communities are reflecting on Christian witness and cooperation today.
How does this history shape discipleship?
The long story includes courage, reform, spiritual renewal, and real conflicts. The history of a church can be read alongside the people it sends, the languages it speaks, and the neighbors it serves. Read Revelation 7:9–12 and consider one way your congregation can listen to Christians from another tradition or country and pray for their work.
Scripture to read alongside the history
- Matthew 28:18-20 · KJV
- Acts 1:8 · KJV
- Revelation 7:9-12 · KJV
