Pop Quiz: The Great Commission
Hey Difference Maker—are you up for a pop quiz?
(Don’t worry, we won’t grade these.)
A leading research firm called Barna Group recently released data on the views U.S. Christians hold around global missions. We were shocked by the results! So, we wanted to invite you into the conversation. See if you can answer the questions below and then find out how your results compare to the research!
Ready?
Here are your questions:
- What is the Great Commission?
- There are 7 billion people in the world. How many are unreached by the Gospel?
- Do you think missions is: a) A calling for some Christians, b) A Mandate for all Christians, or c) Neither a calling nor a mandate?
Got your answers written down?
If you’re ready to turn in your pop quiz and compare answers, let’s get started.
Q: What is the Great Commission?
A: The Great Commission is Jesus’ final command on earth, shared with His disciples before ascending into Heaven. It’s found in Matthew 28:19 and says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
How’d you do on Question 1? Were you able to get the general idea down?
In 2017, Barna Group found that only 37% of U.S. believers could accurately identify the Great Commission. But these were Jesus’ final words on earth—they must be important! If we want to be effective Difference Makers for the Kingdom, we need the body of Christ to know Jesus’ final command to His people.
Q: There are 7 billion people in the world. How many are unreached by the Gospel?
A: More than 3 billion people are considered “unreached.” This means they live in areas of the world where there are not enough Christians or resources to spread the Gospel or sustain Christian growth within the community. They have no access to a believer, the Gospel message, or a church.
When Barna asked this question, only 12% of U.S. Christians estimated correctly. Another 35% selected “not sure.” If the body of Christ is unaware of the world’s need for the Gospel, we’re missing why the Great Commission is so urgent right now!
But let’s imagine that all Christians read this statistic and have a new understanding of the vast number of unreached people in the world. Would they take action?
That leads us into Question 3.
Q: Do you think missions is: a) A calling for some Christians, b) A mandate for all Christians, or c) Neither a calling nor a mandate?
A: If you selected “a mandate for all Christians,” we’d agree with you! At Mission India, we believe Jesus calls all Christians to follow the Great Commission—or in other words, to be active in missions.
Here’s what surprised us about Barna’s findings: Only 25% of Christians selected “mandate,” compared to 85% of U.S. pastors! If you are someone who values the Great Commission and global missions work, how can you help bridge this gap?
You can probably see by now that Barna discovered quite a few disconnects in the Church when it comes to believers’ views on missions.
So, bonus question on the pop quiz: What’s the solution here?
The answer is YOU! You have the opportunity to be a Difference Maker in a big way by advocating for the Great Commission among fellow believers. Will you be a part of this movement with us? Download Barna’s full report, The Great Disconnect, to learn more and see how you can be a Difference Maker for the world’s unreached!
Then, check out the prayer needs and action steps below.
PRAY
- Pray for the U.S. Church’s eyes to be opened to the urgency of the Great Commission.
- Pray that God would make a way for the world’s 3 billion unreached people to gain access to the Good News!
TAKE ACTION
- Advocate for the Great Commission! Share Matthew 28:19 with a fellow believer and talk through what it means to each of you.
- Download Barna’s new report, The Great Disconnect, to learn more about the U.S. Church’s views on global missions.
