80% of the world’s evangelical Christians live in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Over the last 50 years, God’s church has grown exponentially in these areas.

These regions have tremendous mission sending potential to help bring the gospel to unreached peoples, but they currently send only 20% of the world’s cross-cultural missionaries!

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Total Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges to UPGs

Regional Access to UPGs

Religious Freedom

Prosperity

Current Sending Abroad

Mobilization Potential

Custom Mobilization Potential

Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges

Strategic Access

Religious Freedoms

Current Sending

This infographic provides a visual score for seven data points ranked on a 0 to 100 scale. Faded icons show scores for other countries on the mobilization index. See below for actual scores and country-specific insights.

ADDITION

FINANCIAL DEPENDENCY

INACCESSIBLE

LIMITED MISSION FORCE

DISTANT AND FOREIGN MISSION FIELD

THE WORLD IS THE MISSION FIELD

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A Rich Religious Dynamic in a Secular Nation

The Burkinabe church dates back to the 16th century, with the arrival of French Catholic missionaries. Shortly after, Catholicism took root, and the first Burkinabe seminary was opened in 1962. Burkina Faso's economy is deeply intertwined with the Catholic faith, as the nation has received visits from the Pope in 1990 and 2000 and received his support in their political endeavors to have the national debt forgiven in an effort to save a quickly falling economy. [[2]]
&nbsp;It was not until the end of the 1900s that evangelicalism began to take root, as U.S. influences began to make themselves known in the country. The first evangelical church in Burkina Faso was the Assemblies of God, and it remains the main Protestant denomination in the country to this day. Burkina Faso quickly became one of the main destinations for U.S. evangelization in West Africa. [[3]]&nbsp;
Today, Burkina Faso is a Presidential Republic and labels itself as a secular nation that is made up of many religions. Therefore, believers are granted freedom to worship. [[4]]&nbsp;
Evangelical numbers in Burkina Faso are steadily growing at a rate double the world average, with 1,913,241 evangelicals making up almost 9% of the total population! [[5]]

Bridged to the Muslim Unreached

With an average Median Cultural Distance of 13.4, Burkina Faso shares many cultural similarities with the 30 UPG nations on our list. Their closest cultural neighbors are Senegal (2), Ethiopia (5), Bangladesh (5), and Sierra Leone (5). Burkina Faso has five more countries (Syria, Indonesia, Thailand, Lebanon, and Morocco) less than ten median distance points away. Praise God for culturally connecting Burkina Faso to so many unreached!&nbsp;
The countries closest in culture share similar views on societal power and its hierarchical structures, collectivism rather than individualism, and a preference for structured consistency and stability. [[6]] The majority of these countries are also dominated by Islam as the prevailing religion. All of these factors are important to consider with mobilization efforts in Burkina Faso. Through the many cultural similarities of these diverse countries, Burkina Faso has great potential to mobilize and pave the way in a mission to the unreached.

Blessed with High Access to Unreached Neighbors

With unreached populations of 4.98 million in the country and 158,380,000 regionally, Burkina Faso is ranked high in strategic access. There are still 494 unreached people groups in West and Central Africa, within traveling distance from Burkinabe evangelicals. [[7]] Although Burkina Faso is in the West Africa region, its high cultural bridge with Muslim-dominated countries, both in and outside of its region, could contribute to even greater potential for mission and mobilization than current regional numbers show.

Great Religious Freedoms with Increasing Persecution

According to Pew Research, Burkina Faso is ranked moderate regarding religious freedom. [[8]] Though the nation proclaims itself as a secular state, there is a general harmony and peaceful dynamic between the many different religions. This peace is promoted by the government, which states all citizens are welcome to believe and practice whatever religion they so choose.&nbsp;
With a score of 1.4 in governmental restrictions and 2.8 in social hostilities, Burkinabe are twice as likely to experience familial pressure, communal guilt, or outcasting for their religious beliefs than they are to experience legal trouble or governmental persecution.&nbsp;
Alongside increased religious freedom, there has recently been an increase in violent terrorist attacks against many different religious groups. This has widened the divide between Christians and Muslims in the nation and has only increased in violence and occasion in the later years. [[4]] As religious tensions increase, the Burkinabe church will experience increasing difficulty in its mission efforts. Pray that the Lord would ease tensions and give courage to our Burkinabe brothers and sister!

Low Rankings Could Pose as a Barrier

With a ranking of 135 out of 167, Burkina Faso scores low on the Legatum Prosperity Index when compared to the other countries on the Mobilization Index. Regionally, the country scores moderate, at 25th, when compared to other Sub-Saharan African countries. Two of the country's lowest sub-category rankings are education and market infrastructure, and highest in personal freedom and natural environment.&nbsp;
The nation's overall economic prosperity has stayed relatively steady over the past ten years, as they have raised three ranks in prosperity in the last decade. While the economy has much room to grow, its consistent scores can be a blessing to the Burkinabe church.&nbsp;
The nation's overall prosperity ranking could pose a major barrier to mission and mobilization efforts when it comes to mobilizers launching inside of Burkina Faso, as well as funding and sending out workers from within the nation. The number of people living in poverty is a major factor to consider in mobilizing the church.

Low Numbers with Room for Increased Sending

Burkina Faso currently sends 140 missionaries in-country and 30 abroad. [[8]] The Mobilization Index's prayer goal is to see 0.1%, or 1 in every 1,000, of a nation's evangelicals sent out to the unreached. With their current 30 missionaries sent out of the country, Burkina Faso sends 0.00001% of their evangelical church. If that 0.1% prayer goal were to be sent out, the world would see an increase of almost 2 thousand missionaries going to unreached corners of the world!&nbsp;
Ask the Lord to provide ways for the Burkinabe church to raise up, support, and send missionaries into the unreached harvest so that His name might be known in every tribe, tongue, and nation!

Moderate Mobilization Potential Despite Barriers

If just 0.1%, or 1 in every 1,000 Burkinabe evangelicals, were mobilized, the country could send out 65 times the number of missionaries they are now! There is great potential for Burkinabe believers to take the gospel to UPGs in their own country, as well as many other countries throughout West and Central Africa.&nbsp;
While poverty continues to burden the country, many Burkinabe believers are already pursuing mission and mobilization efforts, recognizing the great need in their country. Burkina Faso's generosity score ranks at 4%, which is extremely low. [[9]] A healthy and strong culture of generosity is vital for any mission movement. If the church does not recognize its role in raising up and supporting those willing to go to the unreached, their ability to act on the Lord's calling will be greatly hindered. Pray that the Burkinabe church would see the joy in kingdom giving and support those willing to go.&nbsp;
It is important to note that 45% of Burkina Faso's population is under the age of 15. [[5]] This large percentage is encouraging for the Burkinabe church, as almost half of their population is in the up-and-coming generation. This 45% can be taught while still young God's heart for the nations, the importance and joy of kingdom giving, and how strategically they are placed to reach millions of unreached Muslims.&nbsp;
Though Burkina Faso has a low prosperity ranking and a low sending score, they have access to millions of unreached, is culturally bridged to the Islamic world, and have great religious freedoms. Because of this, we rank Burkina Faso's mobilization potential as "moderate"

Obstacles: &nbsp;
<ul>
<li>The growth of Islam is an increasing challenge, as more than 50% of the nation is Muslim. Christians should prayerfully consider how to respond to these tensions and share the love of Christ in the midst of violence.</li>
<li>One of the greatest challenges that lie ahead for mission and mobilization in Burkina Faso is a lack of resources and low prosperity. This will be a big hurdle for the Burkinabe church in sending missionaries and establishing theological training.</li>
</ul>
Opportunities:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>With almost half of their population being under the age of 15, Burkina Faso has the incredible challenge and potential to mobilize and raise up the next generation of Christians.</li>
<li>The Burkinabe church has more cultural bridges with the Islamic world than most countries in the world. Praise God for their great opportunity to love the unreached Islamic world!</li>
</ul>

Prayer:
<ul>
<li>Pray for the existing evangelization efforts to reach the least reached in Burkina Faso and that more Christians would be burdened to take the gospel to the unreached.</li>
<li>Pray that the Burkinabe church would have an eternal perspective of giving and sending missionaries out and that there would be an effective means for financially sustaining those missionaries. &nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Praises:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Praise God for the cultural bridges that Burkina Faso is blessed with and the opportunity the church has to share the word through those bridges.</li>
<li>Praise the Lord for the upcoming generation of young people that can come to know His heart for the nations!</li>
</ul>

Burkina Faso Religious constitutional freedom

PEW religious restriction numbers Myanmar

Official Country Name:Burkina Faso

Population:20,321,000

Region:West and Central Africa

Government:Presidential Republic

Official Languages:French

Religious Demographics:Christian ±20%, Evangelical ±8%, Muslim ±52%, Ethnoreligious ±23%, Unevangelized ±31%

Burkina Faso