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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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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The World's Newest Country Could Be Awakened to God's Heart for the Unreached

An Evangelical Church Healing from War and Violence

South Sudan has a large percentage of evangelicals per capita, as 29% of the country's population identifies as evangelical, and over 60% of the population identifies with Christianity. [[1]] The nation is home to approximately 3,414,413 evangelicals today!&nbsp;
South Sudanese evangelicals are slowly recovering from decades of civil war that has ravaged the country. The nation was engulfed in a war to win its independence from Sudan, which lasted almost 22 years. Throughout that time and the death of millions, Christians were displaced, killed, and fought for their lives as they sought independence from the Muslim-dominated north. [[2]]&nbsp;
Shortly after gaining their independence, the South Sudanese evangelicals went through another civil war between the government and various religious groups. South Sudanese evangelicals are living in extreme poverty, recovering from multiple decades of war, and just now beginning to rest in their religious freedom and peaceful land. &nbsp;Pray that the Lord would heal the wounds of a young country, establish churches that teach and exemplify the gospel, and raise up a culture of sending among South Sudanese evangelicals.

No Cultural Bridges Data

The country of Uganda is not ranked on the Geert Hofstede cultural value index, therefore we have no score to offer.

High Access to the 10/40 Window

South Sudanese evangelicals have access to 589,000 unreached in-country and 76,200,000 regionally. [[3]] Not only is about 5% of the country still unreached, but South Sudan is a neighbor to the 10/40 window [[4]] and has high access regionally. High strategic access could boost mission mobilization efforts significantly! South Sudanese evangelicals live next to and have the opportunity to have meaningful relationships with the unreached every day.&nbsp;
Though South Sudan is only made up of 8% Muslims, evangelicals in the country have access to 865 Muslims in the 10/40 window! Ask that the Lord would burden the evangelical church with the Muslims in their borders and the 865 million Muslims in the largest window of unreached people on the globe.

Increasing Persecution by Enemy Groups

According to Pew Research, South Sudan has a moderate level of religious restrictions and hostilities. [[5]] The nation's constitution promotes the separation of church and state and allows for religious freedom, including teaching, public worship, and congregational meetings of all denominations. [[6]]&nbsp;
Despite this constitutional freedom, the nation still experiences religious persecution, typically in the form of barbaric attacks from organized militant groups. A church was attacked in May of 2021 by a Sudanese militant group that killed 13 people and wounded many others. [[7]]&nbsp; The growing level of persecution of Christians by extremist groups could hinder mission mobilization efforts in South Sudan. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Even in the midst of persecution, praise God that mission mobilization and other Christian ministries are free to promote and carry out their work as they see fit. Please pray that South Sudanese church members would be able to see the Sudanese through the eyes of Christ rather than the enemies they fear.

Economic Growth Could Mean Increased Missionary Sending

Ranked at 167th out of 167, South Sudan scores extremely low on the Legatum Prosperity Index when compared to other Mobilization Index countries. [[8]] The lowest score and greatest challenge South Sudan faces is the lack of Safety and Security and Education, both the two lowest scoring categories on the index. The country scores highest in the categories of Natural Environment and Market Infrastructure. This low prosperity seriously impacts the church's ability to send missionaries. &nbsp;
South Sudan has consistently ranked, as they have kept the 167th position for the past seven years. Even if the church's heart were turned toward the unreached, their ability to raise support and be launched by their church would be drastically hindered by this low and consistent score. If the country raises its economic prosperity score, its ability to raise up and launch missionaries to the unreached will significantly increase.
 &nbsp;Pray that the Lord would provide for their evangelical church and that He be glorified through the generosity of and sent by the South Sudanese church despite economic growth or decline

Potential for a Mission Sending Increase

South Sudan has around 130 missionaries, 90 serving cross-culturally in-country and 40 serving cross-culturally outside of the country. It's a goal of the mobilization index to see 0.1%, or 1 in 1,000, of every nation's evangelicals sent to the unreached. With 40 missionaries abroad, only 0.00001% of the South Sudanese evangelical church has been mobilized. If that number grew to 0.1% or more, that would be 3,414 missionaries launched the unreached! With over 3 million evangelical believers, the country has immense potential for a mission-sending explosion. Imagine a worldwide movement of believers going to the unreached that is joined by our South Sudanese brothers and sisters!

Moderate Mobilization Potential Despite Low Scores and Tensions

South Sudan's church has gone through decades of war, political strife, and extreme violence. Praise God for His provision over our South Sudanese brothers and sisters during so many years of extreme trial! With current cross-cultural sending only about 40 missionaries, South Sudan has a great untapped potential for mobilization. However, this potential could often be hindered by the nation's low prosperity score. With such low education and safety scores, the church is financially hindered in its sending ability. There is a need to improve the sending and supporting of missionaries within the church infrastructure. List this concern up to the Lord and ask for wisdom and biblical guidance on how to best send and support missionaries through the church.&nbsp;
There are growing concerns with the overall Safety and Security of South Sudan, as there is still remaining violence between religious groups. These tensions could greatly impact South Sudan's mobilization potential were they to worsen.&nbsp;
It is exciting that South Sudan has high regional in-country access to UPGs and very close cultural connections to nearly a dozen different nations. When considering the nation's access to unreached, sending, and prosperity scores, we rank their mobilization potential at moderate.

Obstacles:
<ul>
<li>South Sudan is just now recovering from decades of war and strife, but still experiences moderate levels of persecution and social tensions between religious groups. This may serve as a barrier to the church as they begin to look towards the nations.</li>
<li>Low prosperity in the countries is a huge hindrance to sending. The heart of the church could be turned toward the unreached, but with low safety, bad living conditions, and a week economic infrastructure, people will have a financially hard time supporting missionaries.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Opportunities:
<ul>
<li>South Sudan has great access to the 10/40 window which houses the largest population of unreached in the world! Praise God for placing the South Sudanese church next to so many that have yet to hear His name.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Though there are still religious tensions in the nation, the constitution grants religious freedom to all religious groups. Where many churches have to hide underground, the South Sudanese church and publically worship and raise up missionaries.</li>
</ul>

Pray:
<ul>
<li>For believers in-country to embrace their role as mobilizers and senders; that they would find the role God has prepared them for in the Great Commission.</li>
<li>Pray for religious tensions between Sudan and South Sudan to settle, that the relationship between the two countries might glorify the Lord and speak to His grace and forgiveness.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Praise:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Praise God that the church has such access to billions of unreached in the 10/40 window.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Praise the Lord that 60% of the nation knows Christ, and that they have such great opportunity to make His name known elsewhere through their religious freedom.</li>
</ul>

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.

PEW religious restriction numbers Myanmar

Official Country Name:Republic of South Sudan

Population:11,062,000

Region:East and Southern Africa

Government:Presidential Constitutional Republic

Official Languages:English

Religious Demographics:Christian ±62%, Evangelical 29%, Muslim ±5%, Ethnoreligious ±34%

South Sudan