If the Cause of Christ Is Failing, Does It Matter to You?

Today, you can have more of an impact than you will ever know for me personally, as well as Back to the Bible, if you will take this one-minute survey https://bttb.org/globalstatistics.

You see, our research team has reason to believe that some of the most important statistics about global Christianity have been overstated or flat-out misunderstood. And if that's true, the cause of Christ may be failing worldwide far more than any of us realize. How much does that matter to you? If you value Christ's mission like I do, we need to know where things really stand. Please take one minute to answer this seven-question survey https://bttb.org/globalstatistics.

This is my life's work, and a huge part of what we do at Back to the Bible is figuring out how to motivate you and me to jump into discipleship on a daily basis. But here's the thing—all these success stories I hear from so many ministries? They tend to demotivate me. They make me think that what I do doesn't matter, especially when it comes to reaching beyond my own family; they’ve already got that covered. But if their numbers are way overstated …  Well, it drives me absolutely crazy.

Fewer Christians Than We Thought

One commonly quoted figure is that there are 2.6 billion Christians in the world (about one-third of the world's population). But what if that number is wrong? In fact, the real number of Christ-followers is likely only half that, around 1.3 billion. That means billions fewer souls know Jesus than we assumed.

Knowing this truth, I ask myself and I ask you: Would you be motivated to help solve the problem of reaching those unreached people? Would it stir you to support efforts to get accurate numbers and then act on them? It certainly stirs me. Knowing the true scope of how many remain unreached makes the mission field look bigger—and more urgent—than ever.

Millions of Pastors Lack Training

Consider another overlooked reality: millions of pastors worldwide have never had any formal Bible or theological training. The problem is no one knows for sure how many, where they live, or if their congregation is being taught about the Jesus of the Bible. Current estimates range anywhere from 3.7 million to 6.5 million untrained pastors leading congregations. Many of these pastors serve in regions that range from open to the Gospel to outright opposed. If we understood and identified the true number of pastors and the scope of training needs for each region, would you be more motivated to do something to address it?

Would knowing this make you more likely to support training for these pastors or give toward equipping them and then following up to see if the training had an impact on their congregation? It did for me. When I discovered this huge training gap, I felt convicted that we must do more to equip these leaders and serve their congregations.

Inflated Reports of Salvations

We also hear amazing reports from some evangelistic organizations—claims that add up to something like “1.2 billion people saved” over the last 15 years. But what if I told you that number is highly overstated—possibly by 80–90%? If those reports are focused on checked boxes, online campaigns, and all kinds of things that aren’t indications of life transformation, the actual impact is far smaller than we thought.

Would you be more likely to be evangelistic in your own daily interactions with people around you, knowing the need is greater? Would you be motivated to give to or support ministries that verify true impact? I know these realizations challenge me deeply. They remind me not to grow complacent or blindly trust optimistic figures. There is still so much work to do, one soul at a time.

Why It Matters and How You Can Help

These aren't just statistics. They're a reality check on the cause of Christ worldwide. If the cause of Christ is failing, it absolutely matters to me. I have dedicated myself to uncovering these truths because accurate research leads to effective ministry. That's why we at BTTB are developing the SALT Index (Scripture Absorption Life Transformation Index ). This is a comprehensive research initiative to measure these kinds of issues (from openness to Christianity, to pastoral training, to discipleship needs, and the validity of evangelism reports). This massive project will help us identify where the greatest needs are and how we can truly make a difference.

But we can't do it alone. I’m reaching out to you—everyday believers who care about the Great Commission—to ask for your input and support. If you value this mission, we need to know. Please, take a few minutes to fill out our brief survey and let us know how these facts affect you. Your anonymous responses will guide our team as we press forward. It will tell us whether knowing the truth behind these numbers motivates you to pray, to give, or to step up in new ways. https://bttb.org/globalstatistics

This is an urgent request. I truly believe God has placed this calling on my heart for a reason. Now I’m asking: Will you stand with me? If we face the truth together, we can respond together—and that could change the course of ministries worldwide. Thank you for being a part of this effort through your prayers, your honest feedback, and your partnership in the Gospel. 

In Christ,

Arnie Cole 

Spiritual Fitness Researcher & Coach

P.S. If you have a comment or prayer request, call me and leave a message at 1-800-811-2387. And be sure to join me tomorrow through Friday on our new podcast Spiritually Fit Today. This week I’ll be talking with CJ, a sports and fitness expert. We’ll examine the question “What if we expected the coach to play the game for us?” and be challenged to take a more active role in sharing the Gospel.