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.

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FINANCIAL DEPENDENCY

INACCESSIBLE

LIMITED MISSION FORCE

DISTANT AND FOREIGN MISSION FIELD

THE WORLD IS THE MISSION FIELD

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A Strategically Placed West African Church

SIgnificant Growth in a Church Surrounded by Unreached

Cameroon is home to 2,450,183 million evangelicals, making up 9% of the total population. [[2]] With a growth rate of 4.3% annually, the Cameroonian evangelical church is growing at almost twice the rate of average evangelical increase. Praise God for this church's growth! &nbsp;
The gospel was first brought to Cameroon by Jamaican missionaries, who joined the Baptist Missionary Society in 1845. The church in Cameroon began to grow and withstood rule under Germany, the splitting of their territory, and the gaining of the nation's independence. The evangelical church has grown significantly in the last few decades! Praise God for the growth of His church! [[3]]&nbsp;
The Cameroonian evangelical church is unique in that it has great access to the large Muslim population, both in and outside of their borders. Ask that the Lord would raise up evangelicals that are burdened for the hearts of the unreached and take His good news to their neighbors.

No Cultural Bridges Data

Cameroon is not ranked on the Geert Hofstede cultural value index; therefore, we have no score to offer. However, when considering the region in which Cameroon lies and its geographic neighbors that share their borders, we can make educated assumptions as to how their culture might connect with those of the unreached world.&nbsp;
Cameroon borders the country of Nigeria, which has cultural bridges connecting it to the unreached Arab world. [[4]] With nine countries within ten median points of cultural distance away, Nigeria is bridged to many majority Muslim countries. While we have no data on Cameroon, the nation might share many of the cultural qualities that Nigeria embodies because of its proximity.

Easy Access to Millions of Unreached Muslims

Cameroon evangelicals have access to nearly 3.430,000 million UPGs in-country and almost 160 million regionally. This ranks Cameroon at moderate for strategic access to the unreached. There are still 3 million unreached people within Cameroonian borders. This is a great opportunity for evangelicals to learn about, love, and serve the unreached without having to even leave their hometown!&nbsp;
Cameroon's location in West Africa gives it ample advantage to reach the Muslim-dominated Western half of the continent that other African countries are not privileged with. Pray that God would show the Cameroonian evangelical church their strategic position in his divine plan to reach all of Muslim-dominated West Africa and every tribe, tongue, and nation beyond that.

Increasing Hostilities Outweigh Governmental Freedom

According to Pew Research, Cameroon is ranked high in terms of religious freedoms, with a score of 3.3. [[5]] Though the Cameroonian constitution states that there is no religion of the state, and bars all religious persecution, there have been increasing events of persecution against Christians in the most recent years. &nbsp;
Social tensions increase across the nation as acts of violence become more obvious and public. A pastor was shot in the street in early 2020, multiple church leaders have been seized, and their churches shut down due to claims of "inciting violent religious messages in their sermons." [[6]]&nbsp;
Cameroon scores a 2.9 in governmental restrictions and a 4.2 in social hostilities, meaning that a Cameroonian evangelical is nearly 1.5 times more likely to experience shunning, familial guilt, or communal pressure for their religious choices than they are to be confronted by the government or legal system. If events of violence and bold persecution continue to increase, this could be a barrier to mission mobilization efforts in Cameroon.
Pray that the Lord would ease tensions and give courage to our Cameroonian brothers and sisters!

Decreasing Prosperity as a Mobilization Barrier

With a ranking of 151, Cameroon scores low in overall prosperity on the Legatum Prosperity Index, especially when compared to the other countries on the Mobilization Index and other countries in the Sub-Saharan African region. A few of the country's highest-scoring categories are natural environment and social capital. Their lowest scores are in health and safety, and security. [[7]]
The overall prosperity of the nation is on a downward trend, as it dropped 14 ranks in 8 years. If this trajectory continues, low prosperity could pose a barrier to mission mobilization efforts in the future when looking to launch to Cameroon, as well as those trying to launch from Cameroon.&nbsp;
The high percentage of people living in poverty is a major factor to remember as we prayerfully consider mobilizing the Cameroonian church.

Opportunity to Reach 3.8 Million Unreached in Country

The Cameroonian Evangelical church is currently sending 400 in the country and 70 abroad. A prayer goal of the Mobilization Index is to see 0.1% of a country's evangelicals mobilized to the unreached. Cameroon currently sends .00002% to the unreached. If this prayer goal were to happen, Cameroon would send roughly 2,400 evangelicals to the unreached. Pray that the Lord of the harvest would raise workers to go out into the harvest!&nbsp;
The country is home to roughly 3.8 million unreached people, making it an extremely strategic place for missionaries and mobilizers. Praise the King for the movement already happening and that He would continue to break down barriers and fears that the church might be up against.

Great Hope in the Future Generation of Mobilization

If 0.1%, or 1 in 1000, Cameroonian evangelicals were mobilized, the nation could send out over 2,000 more missionaries! There is a phenomenal opportunity for Cameroonian believers to take the gospel to UPGs in their own country, as well as many other countries throughout West Africa. While poverty continues to be a burden throughout the country, many believers are already pursuing mission and mobilization efforts, recognizing the great need that still exists in their country. &nbsp;&nbsp;
With financial burdens and high percentages of poverty, Cameroon's generosity score ranks low at 18%. [[8]] A sense of selfless generosity could be extremely beneficial in increasing the number of missionaries and mobilizers sent to the unreached but is difficult to attain in a nation stricken by poverty. &nbsp;
It is important to note that 42% of Cameroon's population is under the age of 30. [[2]] There is a great need for discipleship of the younger generation within the local churches, as this younger generation could grow to join a world mission-sending movement! There are incredible opportunities to mobilize these young people, especially with further training and education. Cameroon would highly benefit from children and family mobilization, as there is great potential to mobilize these young believers to reach the millions of UPGs within their borders. Pray that the Lord would raise up leaders and mobilizers for and out of the younger generation of the Cameroonian church!&nbsp;
When we consider Cameroon's access to the unreached, their religious freedom, prosperity, and sending, we rank their mobilization potential at moderate.

Obstacles:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>A great challenge and barrier to future mobilization in Cameroon is extreme poverty and social hostilities regarding religion. These are both big challenges for the church in sending missionaries and establishing bases of support.</li>
<li>The increase of social hostilities is an increasing challenge for the church. Ask that the church learn to prayerfully consider how to deal with these tensions and be missional in the midst of social persecution and violence. &nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Opportunities:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>With a significant population of young people, Cameroon has great potential to mobilize and raise up the next generation of Christians through mentorship and sharing God's clear heart for the nations laid out in scripture.</li>
<li>Thanks to its religiously free nation, the Cameroonian church has a great opportunity to increase its sending and reach the 0.1% prayer goal!</li>
</ul>

Prayer: &nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Ask the Lord that Cameroonian Christians would be burdened to take the gospel to the unreached and would send out .1% of their numbers!</li>
<li>Pray that the Cameroonian church would have the strength and wisdom to endure any social persecution for their faith and continue their ministry.</li>
</ul>
Praises:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Praise God for the religious freedom that Cameroon has as a nation. Though not without any hostilities, the church does not have to hide underground and worship in secret, as many nations do.</li>
<li>Praise God for the great number of young people in Cameroon. The evangelical church has a great opportunity to disciple and raise go-ers with a heart for God's children.</li>
</ul>

PEW religious restriction numbers Myanmar

Official Country Name:The Republic of Cameroon

Population:25,876,000

Region:West and Central Africa

Government:Presidential Republic

Official Languages:French

Religious Demographics:Christian ±53%, Evangelical ±9%, Muslim ±24%, Unevangelized ±16%

Cameroon