The Atlas of Religion. Joanne O'Brien

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      There are 1.6 million Christian missionaries, 99 percent of them working among existing Christians, and 70 percent in their home country. The 419,500 Christians working as foreign missionaries are managed by 4,100 mission boards and agencies. The annual cost of this work is $15 billion, provided largely by Church members. Just over 5 percent of Christian giving is for foreign mission work. As well as evangelization and Christian renewal, missionary work includes education, the provision of health programmes, partnership in development programmes including agricultural and environment projects, and work with communities on justice and peace issues. The largest numbers of missionaries still come from the traditional mission-sending countries in Europe and the Americas but, increasingly, former ‘mission field’ countries, such as South Africa, Nigeria and the Philippines, are sending missionaries to work abroad – sometimes back to the old, mission-sending countries themselves. In countries where foreign missionary activity is restricted or prohibited for religious or political reasons, internal missionary activity may not necessarily be banned. Where there is state opposition or community hostility towards Christianity and the sending and receiving of missionaries, in practice small numbers of missionaries may be sent or received, usually serving as chaplains or in secular occupations.

      Christian Missionaries

      The majority of Christian missionary work is among existing Christians. Most missionaries work in their country of origin.