Articles

Authors

Schedule

Your partnership will help us reach the nations through the nations.

Partner with our staff

Give to a Training

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.

Show Notes

Formats

Available Languages

About the Author

Filter

Tools

Team Profile

More Evangelicals than Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria Combined

Despite nearly 2,000 years of persecution, Egypt has the largest population of evangelicals in the Middle East/North Africa region. With almost 4 million evangelicals, there are more evangelicals in Egypt than in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria combined. The evangelical church in Egypt is growing at a rate of 4.6% per year&ndash; almost twice the global average [[3]]. At the current growth rate, the evangelical population in Egypt could double within the next 15 years.
Although the church in Egypt may seem small compared to other countries on the Mobilization Index, it plays a pivotal role in the missions movement in the Middle East. Since no other country in the region has as many believers as Egypt, the Egyptian church is poised to become a hub of mission mobilization for training and equipping believers to reach the Middle East/North Africa region.

Cultural Values Divinely Structured to Reach UPGs

With an average Median Cultural Distance of 15.6 (13 being the best average Median Cultural Distance score on the Mobilization Index), Egypt shares many cultural similarities with the 30 UPG nations on the Mobilization Index [[2]]. Egypt's closest cultural neighbors are Jordan (7), Turkey (8.5), and Morocco (10). Four other countries (Kuwait, the UAE, Sierra Leone, and Nepal) also have close cultural similarities to Egypt, but all four are missing two data points which make conclusions harder to draw.&nbsp;
These shared values aid Egyptian evangelicals in being able to relate, empathize, and communicate effectively with those they reach. For example, Egyptian culture values the welfare of the group before that of the individual [[6]]. Egyptians also tend to value hospitality and reciprocity more than other cultures [[5]]. Both of these characteristics are traits with which many UPG cultures tend to identify. Praise God for setting up Egyptian believers with cultural convenience as they mobilize!

The Egyptian Church is Receiving Thousands of UPGs

Egypt has access to 25 unreached people groups in-country, making up nearly 16 million people in total. [[2]] Egypt also has access to more than 261 million UPGs regionally, most of which are in the 10/40 window. [[7]] Further, Egypt is home to a growing population of foreign migrants and refugees. In 2015 alone, just over 500,000 migrants entered the country. In 2016, 210,000 asylum-seekers entered Egypt, most of whom were refugees coming from Middle Eastern countries. [[8]] Receiving both migrants and refugees who are fleeing dangerous situations provides a strategic opportunity for Egyptian believers to display the love of Jesus to other cultures and spread the gospel to the unreached within their borders.

Persisting Discrimination Despite Constitutional Religious Freedom

Out of all the countries on the Mobilization Index, Egypt has the second highest level of restrictions on religious freedom. Christianity is one of three religions permitted by the Egyptian constitution, though that does not prevent religious discrimination and hate crimes against Christians from taking place.&nbsp;
Though the government occasionally steps in to form councils or apprehend criminals, there are also many instances when the government confiscates materials that challenge or contradict Islamic law [[9]]. Because of this, some Christians are cautious about revealing their faith. Pray that the Lord would lead our Egyptian brothers and sisters through times of persecution.

A Growing Economy to Support a Growing Church

With a Legatum Prosperity Index ranking of 121, Egypt scores fairly low when compared to the other Mobilization Index countries; in recent years, however, the Egyptian economy has begun to grow, reaching an all-time high GDP in 2016. This figure is triple the national GDP from just 10 years prior [[10]]. Other promising indicators of a future prosperous economy and society include a reduction in carbon emissions on a national level and a rapid increase in school enrollment!
If these high economic growth rates continue, the Egyptian church could reap great benefits. If more resources reach churches, this will allow the Egyptian church to send out and finance mission movements in the near future. Please pray that our Egyptian brothers and sisters will take advantage of their economic status in order to launch sustainable mission movements.

A Large Opportunity for Strategic Sending Growth

The current sending estimate for Egypt is around 100, and the vast majority (&plusmn;80) of them are workers sent cross-culturally in-country. The Egyptian church has a huge opportunity to grow its mobilization force. If only 1 in every 1,000 Egyptian evangelicals were mobilized for cross-cultural mission work, the church would be sending 4,000 missionaries to the unreached! Currently, the church is growing at a rapid pace, even without many full-time missionaries. With a national population that is so condensed around the Nile, the gospel could quickly spread throughout the entire nation with strategic mobilization efforts.

A Pivotal Country for Missions in the Region

Since Egypt holds the largest number of evangelicals in the Middle East/North Africa region, its potential for mobilization is currently Moderate, though rapidly growing. There are many obstacles that stand in the way of believers desiring to go, such as high rates of discrimination and the threat of persecution; however, this should not be a deterrent to missions in Egypt but rather lead to more discreet and cautious efforts.
With 25 UPGs [[2]] currently in Egypt, there are roughly 131,280 evangelical believers for every UPG. If just 4,000 of those people became missionaries, they could make a drastic impact on sharing the gospel with the unreached. Pray that we will see the day when there are no more UPGs in Egypt!

Obstacles:
<ul>
<li>Religious persecution is at a high within the country, making it difficult for the gospel to spread freely.</li>
<li>Egypt&rsquo;s education and legal systems remain somewhat opposed to Christianity since Islam is the official state religion, keeping Christianity largely out of the public sphere.</li>
<li>There has been political turmoil in Egypt, especially since the 2011 revolution. This has been made worse by an increase in terrorist attacks.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Opportunities:
<ul>
<li>There are large populations of UPGs [[2]] within the region; the mobilization of the largest church in the Middle East is vital to reach them.</li>
<li>95% of the population lives within 20 kilometers of the Nile River, meaning that a movement of God could very easily spread up and down the Nile.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Egypt shares many cultural connections with other nearby countries that have high populations of UPGs. This could be crucial for Egyptian missionaries carrying the gospel to new places.</li>
</ul>

Pray:
<ul>
<li>For the ongoing efforts of the various mobilization ministries in Egypt.</li>
<li>For believers to find their most strategic role in seeing Christ proclaimed among the nations.</li>
<li>For gospel renewal among the Coptic church in Egypt. As one of the oldest churches in the world, it has great importance, but many in the church are nominal. &nbsp;</li>
<li>For the persecution of our siblings-in-Christ in Egypt; for them to endure hard days and to be bold when it is necessary to do so.</li>
<li>For the growth of the evangelical church to continue at such an astonishing and encouraging rate.</li>
</ul>
Praises:
<ul>
<li>Praise God for the incredible growth of the evangelical church in Egypt.</li>
<li>Praise God that the nations are coming to the doorstep of the largest church in the Middle East.</li>
<li>Praise God for the rapid economic growth and for the encouraging signs of prosperous times to come for Egypt.</li>
<li>Praise God that Egypt shares so many cultural connections with the other countries in the region.</li>
</ul>

Unreached people groups are ethnic groups that have little to no access to the gospel including to believers, churches, or Christian resources. People in unreached populations have no way of hearing the gospel barring someone crossing cultures and languages to share with them. A working definition for unreached people groups is peoples who have an evangelical population of 2% or less

The 10/40 window represents the highest population of the world with least access to the gospel. 97% of the world’s unreached (people with little to no access to the gospel) is housed within the 10/40 window, an imaginary area called such because of its position between 10° N Latitude and 40° N Latitude. This area stretches from North Africa to East Asia, creating a rectangle, or a window. In a sentence: 97% of the world’s unreached population is housed within the 10/40 Window.

State Department International Religious Freedoms Report

Official Country Name:Arab Republic of Egypt

Population:100,388,000

Region:North and Middle East Africa

Government:Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic

Official Languages:Arabic, Standard

Religious Demographics:Muslim ±86%, Christian ±12% (Evangelicals ±4%), Non-religious <1%

Egypt