What involves mind once you consider the standard human being? Whose face do you imagine? What language do they speak? How old are they?
To accurately picture the “average” human being when it comes to the worldwide population, it’s essential to think about population sizes across the globe. Easily, the 2 most populous countries on this planet are India (with a population of around 1.45 billion) and China (around 1.42 billion). These countries far outpace the United States, which is available in third place with around 345 million. While essentially the most commonly spoken language around the globe is unsurprisingly English, the language with essentially the most native speakers is Mandarin, which is nearly double those of the second-highest natively spoken language, Spanish.
Massive economic surges have contributed to China and India becoming the giants they’re today. Now experts predict one other surge: Africa. Although Africa made up just one-tenth of the world’s population in 1950, it is anticipated to make up one-quarter by 2025, with one-third of its people between the ages of 15 and 24.
While birthrates plummet to historic lows elsewhere, bringing the challenges of aging and shrinking societies, Africa is anticipated to almost double its population of 1.22 billion in the following 25 years. The median age of your complete continent is just 19, a long time younger than the median ages in Italy (47), Germany (48), Japan (48) and Monaco (55), and far younger than even those of India (28) and China (38).
If projections bear out, the implications shall be major and far-reaching. Africa is the world’s most rapidly urbanizing continent, with tens of thousands and thousands of latest consumers every year, most with cell phones and the economic flexibility they supply. Meanwhile, because the United States has proven, Africa’s skyrocketing cultural influence is likely to be just as consequential as its increasing economic and political power. For example, West African ‘afrobeats’ songs were streamed greater than fourteen billion times on Spotify in 2023, with London and Paris among the many top five cities listening.
Alongside this sociopolitical growth, Africa is on the forefront of a worldwide religious shift. According to recent research, the most important Anglican community on this planet by population is in Nigeria, with “more Anglicans in church on Sunday morning in Nigeria than in all of the British Isles and North America combined,” in response to The Future of Orthodox Anglicanism, by Gerald McDermott. Looking far beyond just Anglicanism, Gina Zurlo, an American researcher into global Christianity, reports in World Christianity and Mission 2020: Ongoing Shift to the Global South, that two-thirds of all Christians live in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania, a gaggle that, combined, made up only 18% of the world’s Christians in 1900.
Influential and traditionally Christian nations (sometimes known as the ‘global North’) cannot ignore this transformation. Approaching the longer term with wisdom and integrity means acknowledging the church’s movement southward and the corresponding way forward for young believers. Christians should take note when Zurlo says in The World as 100 Christians that the standard Christian today is a young, non-white woman within the Global South.
This also means accepting the southward movement of the worldwide population on the whole, especially given the youth of the Global South. Effective communication with the burgeoning Southern demographic shall be crucial for Christianity, a faith with evangelism at its core. Effective evangelistic content should be presented in recent ways in which appeal to the collective personality of growing populations like Africa.
Every region is complex, and Africa’s immensity, history, and variety make it especially so. Sadly, while endowed with diverse natural resources, the continent’s industrialization has not followed its population growth. While Africa makes up 18% of the worldwide population, it only makes up 3% of trade. Access to education and the web outpaces access to jobs. One-third of South Africa is unemployed, with youth unemployment at 45%.
Predictably, tensions are rising between young populations and their leaders. These ongoing struggles produce unrest, often expressed through protesting, violence and asylum-seeking. The Sahel region of Africa leads the world in two things: birthrates and extreme violence. Countless teenagers join militant groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and in response to a United Nations study, the first reason many join is solely for employment. In groups like ‘Anger Without Limits,’ disillusioned youths engage in street battles and support populist military coups.
The result? Millions of young people worldwide are desperate for change, discouraged by their options and looking forward to a cause. What they desperately need is peace, hope, and salvation. It is as much as Christians to enter this space, offering the excellent news and hope they carry in ways in which speak to those diverse and growing cultures.
An immense opportunity lies within the upcoming animated JESUSÂ film, which is currently in production by the identical ministry that released the 1979 film, JESUS. Effectively releasing this recent film will mean presenting the story of Jesus in over two thousand native languages, as they’ve done with the unique film, and in a format that appeals to those blossoming young populations.
This recent film, produced by industry-leading animators, will enable much more people to experience the gospel story in a way that shall be relevant for ages to return. Like the unique film, which over three billion people have seen across almost every country, its storyline comes directly from the New Testament gospels. Whether within the established global North or the emerging Global South, this animated film will present the story of Jesus to recent generations of their native tongues.
The opportunities for impact have never been greater. The query is: What will the worldwide church offer to Africa and other exploding populations of young people? Jesus Film Project, with a history of delivering the Christian story faithfully and powerfully to a worldwide audience, is as much as the challenge, and this animated film is likely to be the proper medium for young audiences desperate for a greater story.
David Wataba is Africa Regional Strategy Leader for the Jesus Film Project. To discover more in regards to the JESUS film, visit jesus.film.
