America Marcet

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             What has caused this major shift in the makeup of the global evangelical church? It has not necessarily been a decrease in church members in the evangelical churches of North America and Europe. These churches have actually grown during this period. Rather, this dramatic shift is attributed to the explosive growth of the church all over the wide span of the two-thirds world. .
             It is remarkable how the makeup of the Church has changed from being nearly 60 percent western in 1960 to a diminished 30 percent in 1998, caused by unabated church growth across the two-thirds world. Today we are hard pressed to find a country where the Church is not found. It is indeed global. .
             The Church Is Now Globalized .
             Not only has the Church finally become fully global after two millenniums, but it has also become globalized. (By globalization ,it is meant that the worldwide Church is becoming increasingly interdependent.) .
             The cross-cultural sharing of resources, ideas, personnel and spiritual life is causing the Church to become more and more interconnected. In this ever-increasing globalized age, the American church can ill afford to stand alone, or in a position of superiority. The parochialism and isolationism of our past is being shed and giving way to increased international partnerships. .
             One-time competitors in the work are now collaborators in ministry. These partnerships are being realized in several notable ways: American local churches directly adopting sister churches overseas, American missions working with and even under overseas national churches, and formal partnerships between American mission agencies with two-thirds world and European mission agencies. It's an inter-active church after all! .
             Mission Is Now International .
             Corresponding with the worldwide growth of the church has been an increasing participation of that global Church to engage itself in mission.