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

<span data-sheets-userformat="{&quot;2&quot;:2881,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;9&quot;:0,&quot;11&quot;:4,&quot;12&quot;:0,&quot;14&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:0}}" data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Poised to Further the Kingdom &quot;}">Poised to Further the Kingdom

A Small Church Neighboring the World's Largest Church

Hong Kong is home to roughly 460 thousand evangelicals.&nbsp; Much like their Chinese neighbors, determining the actual size of the Hong Kongese evangelical church can be difficult at times, as many believers live or practice their faith with extreme discretion. Persecution, hostilities, and government restrictions on religion only add to the difficulty of counting Hong Kong's Christian and evangelical populations.&nbsp;
It is encouraging, regardless, that the Hong Kong evangelical church is next door to the Chinese church, which is currently the world's largest evangelical body. Though much of the practicing of faith must be done with discretion or in secret, it is a blessing that the Hong Kongese church has the companionship and encouragement of the world's largest church right next door! Pray that the Lord would build a relationship between these two churches to bolster and encourage each other through difficult times.

Cultural Values of Community as Bridges to the Unreached

With an average Median Cultural Distance of 15.3, Hong Kong shares multiple similarities with many of the 30 UPG nations on the Mobilization Index. Hong Kong's closest cultural neighbors are the Philippines and Indonesia. [[2]]
Because Hong Kong culture emphasizes collective identity, understands the self through the lens of community, and places a low emphasis on individualism, Hong Kongese evangelicals are well primed to understand how they are part of and operate inside the body of Christ. What a blessing and a connection of simiarity that the Hong Kongese church shares with many UPGs. Both Islam and Buddhism place a large emphasis on the collective community as well, giving them a shared value that can allow evangelicals to show the power and love in the community of Christ to those who have never heard His name.&nbsp;

Incredible Access to Millions of Unreached

With unreached numbers of 207,000 in-country and 340.9 million regionally, Hong Kong scores very high in strategic access to unreached people groups. According to the Joshua Project, there are 10 unreached people groups in Hong Kong that total approximately 41% of the total population. [[3]] This means with such high numbers of unreached in country, Hong Kongese evangelicals can easily have meaningful relationships with unreached every day, through their employment, neighborhoods and communities. The evangelical church has even greater access to millions of unreached in their area, requiring leaving home but not having to go to the opposite side of the globe.&nbsp;
Praise God for positioning the Hong Kongese church in such a way that they have incredible opportunity to take the gospel to the unreached in their own communities!

Providence through Low Restrictions and Peace

Of the countries on the Mobilization Index, Hong Kong has the 3rd lowest level of restrictions on religious freedoms, with a score of 1.3.&nbsp; Despite Hong Kong's governmental claim that freedom of religion will remain intact, recent years have shown ideals and powers of communist China infiltrating and affecting religious freedoms within Hong Kong. With a possible increase of oppression in the future, Hong Kongese churches have been preparing themselves to split into small numbers and meet in secret. [[4]]
Though there is extremely little persecution now, much of this fear stems from Hong Kongese seeing the state of Christianity in China. The Chinese government has been constantly surveilling and breaking up religious groups in order to ""keep the peace."" Though the Chinese government recognizes Christianity as an official religion of China, they require members of the church to register their religious affiliation with the government. This puts individuals at risk of surveillance and governmental church control. Because of this, a large percentage of the Chinese evangelical church has gone underground, which is now what the Hong Kongese church fears for themselves. &nbsp;
Despite all of this, the Lord in His mercy and protection has allowed for Hong Kong to experience little religious restriction, as well as for the Chinese church to grow rapidly under even the harshest conditions.

Providence through a Booming Economy

Hong Kong, in comparison with the rest of the countries on the Mobilization Index, falls near the very top of the Legatum Prosperity Index with a ranking of 17. Boasting the highest score on the index in Enterprise Conditions, the Hong Kongese economy has proven itself immensely impressive over the past decade. Hong Kong also keeps a 3rd place rank in Market Infrastructure and Investment Environment as they have for the past 5 years. [[5]] This economic state is not just impressive for country itself but proves exciting and providential for the Hong Kongese evangelical church, however, in light of the recent restrictions in power and tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China, this will be and probably already has been, subject to change.&nbsp;
With numbers like these in various aspects of the economy, Hong Kong is so clearly and divinely set up to be senders and supporters of missions. Were the heart of Hong Kong to be turned toward mission mobilization and sending, this nation has great potential to support and send hundreds more missionaries to the unreached! Of course, with current Chinese relations, the Hong Kongese economy and the effect it will have on sending is quickly fluctuating. As things are changing so rapidly, there is no way to know exactly in what ways or when their economy and freedoms will be altered. We pray that the Lord would provide for and protect Hong Kong, their economic prosperity and their freedom and ability to send to the unreached.

Low Sending but Great Potential for Improvement

The Hong Kongese evangelical church currently sends 250 missionaries in-country and 500 missionaries cross culturally out of country.&nbsp; A prayer goal of the mobilization index is to see 1 in 1,000 or 0.1% of an evangelical church mobilized to the unreached. With 500 missionaries being sent abroad, Hong Kong currently sends .001%. If the Hong Kong church were to double or triple this number, the world would see hundreds more people sent to those who do not know the name of Jesus!&nbsp; Of course, a nation's sending ability is drastically affected by its religious freedom, economic prosperity and legal framework. Hong Kong is undergoing such surprising and rapid changes via their relationship with mainland China that their sending ability will be also affected.&nbsp;
Pray that Matthew 24:14 could be achieved in our lifetime. Pray that &ldquo;this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come&rdquo; will come to fruition through the Hong Kongese church.

High Mobilization Potential Through His Providence

Not long ago the Hong Kongese church was in an extremely strategic position, as a small and growing church in the midst of a booming and impressive economy with drastically low religious restrictions. This stood in stark juxtaposition with their Chinese neighbors, who have the world's largest church but are severely persecuted and restricted. Because of the ample economic and religious opportunities the Hong Kongese church had just a few years ago, their mobilization potential was ranked as high. However, Hong Kong is quickly losing freedoms, Christians are beginning to live in fear, the legal framework of the nation is shifting drastically, and religious freedoms are decreasing. Now, we are unable to say with certainty exactly how the nation ranks in its mobilization potential.&nbsp;
Having already mobilized their 1 in 1,000 believers, Hong Kong has the potential to surpass that prayer goal and send hundreds more to the unreached! In close proximity to the largest evangelical church in the world, Hong Kongese evangelicals could have a front row seat and partnership to the next missions movement of our age! Ask that the lord would unite the underground Chinese church with the Hong Kongese church for the advancement of His kingdom, regardless of political, legal or religious tensions between the nations. May His name be made great through the chaos and the change.

Obstacles:
<ul>
<li>Hong Kong has a relatively small number of evangelicals, meaning that their supporting and sending numbers will naturally be limited.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Mainland China is increasing their control over Hong Kong, meaning that restrictions on religion, freedom, politics and their economy already have begun and will continue to change drastically over the next few years. This uncertainty and decreasing freedom is a huge barrier to mission mobilization.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Opportunities:
<ul>
<li>The Hong Kongese economy is so prosperous that it has the potential to support a massive wave of missionaries!</li>
<li>Hong Kong has drastically low religious restrictions, resulting in open worship and religious actions all around the country.</li>
</ul>

Official Country Name:Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Population:7,436,000

Region:Northeast Asia

Government:Autonomous Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

Official Languages:Chinese, Mandarin

Religious Demographics:Ethnic Religions ±59%, Chinese Religion ±28.5%, Christian ±12%, Evangelical ±6%, Unevangelized ±17%

Hong Kong