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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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A Nation Divinely Placed to Lead Eastern Europe

An Evangelical Hub of Eastern Europe

Out of Ukraine's 43,466,822 Christians, approximately 1,651,739 of those believers are evangelical protestants. In a predominantly Eastern Orthodox nation, protestant Christians are in the minority, making up under 4% of the population. [[1]]&nbsp;
Today, Ukraine is an evangelical hub in its region. The nation supplies most missionaries from the region; they offer centers of evangelical training and press printing for all the countries of the former Soviet Union, where the legal environment is not so favorable. &nbsp;
The earliest Protestant evangelicals appeared in Ukraine in the mid-16th century and, from then on, have lived conservative, frugal lifestyles that value self-denial and purity.&nbsp;
Now home to nearly 10,000 protestant churches, the Ukrainian evangelical church is growing at an annual rate of 3.2%, higher than the global average. [[2]]

Bridged with Islam, Despite a Small Islamic Population

With an average Median Cultural Distance of 20.1, Ukraine shares moderate cultural similarities with the 30 UPG nations on our list. [[3]]
As a collectivistic society, Ukraine values the benefit of the group above individual preference. Loyalty is a cultural pillar, and one that beautifully mirrors the body of Christ. This cultural value is one shared by many of the UPG nations on our list, offering a cultural bridge that can be used to explain the universal church and family of God. The nation also has an extremely high value for uncertainty avoidance, meaning that as a culture they prioritize planning and solidifying future plans. On a personal level, the members of a society can often feel threatened by unknown or ambiguous situations, and have set in place belief systems and institutions that try to avoid uncertainty.
 Ukraine's closest cultural neighbors are Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, and Bangladesh. These four countries, among many of their other cultural neighbors, are either located in the Middle East or have significant Muslim populations. Ukraine, though it has a very small Muslim population itself, is culturally bridged to the largest unreached people group in the world!&nbsp; Ukrainian evangelicals are well set up to take the gospel to the 5 billion unreached Muslims in the Arab world! Ask the Lord to prepare the hearts of the Ukrainian church to recognize and capitalize upon their cultural similarities with these predominantly Islamic nations.

Access to Millions, with Opportunity to Reach The Arab World

<span data-sheets-userformat="{&quot;2&quot;:2817,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&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;Ukrainian evangelicals are divinely and strategically placed in a region with millions of people who do not know the name of the Lord. Though Ukrainian evangelicals have access to 457,000 unreached in-country, they have access to almost 20 million UPGs regionally! [[290]] Ukraine offers a great opportunity for indigenous missions to take place, with 27 different unreached people groups and 72 different languages. Many of these languages do not have Bible translations. \n\nUkrainian evangelicals have access to thousands of unreached within their borders but have dramatically expanded opportunities if they visit neighboring countries, such as Romania and Russia. Pray that the Ukrainian evangelicals feel burdened to take the gospel to the 17 million Muslims living in their region, as well as other people groups such as Jews and Ruska Roma. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers in the rice fields that surround Ukraine. &quot;}">Ukrainian evangelicals are divinely and strategically placed in a region with millions of people who do not know the name of the Lord. Though Ukrainian evangelicals have access to 457,000 unreached in-country, they have access to almost 20 million UPGs regionally! [[2]] Ukraine offers a great opportunity for indigenous missions to take place, with 27 different unreached people groups and 72 different languages. Many of these languages do not have Bible translations. Ukrainian evangelicals have access to thousands of unreached within their borders but have dramatically expanded opportunities if they visit neighboring countries, such as Romania and Russia. Pray that the Ukrainian evangelicals feel burdened to take the gospel to the 17 million Muslims living in their region, as well as other people groups such as Jews and Ruska Roma. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers in the rice fields that surround Ukraine.

Increasing Social Hostilities Toward Religious Groups

According to Pew Research, Ukraine has a moderate level of religious restrictions and social hostilities, with a score of 5.2. [[4]] With a 4.8 in Governmental Regulations and 5.9 in Social Hostilities, Ukrainian evangelicals are more likely to experience backlash in the form of social shunning, familial tensions, guilt, or peer pressure for their religious beliefs, than they are to experience governmental persecution.
The Ukrainian constitution promotes the separation of church and state and prohibits restrictions on freedom of belief and conscience. [[5]] While this is great news, it does not mean that the nation is without any religious strife or violence. The last few years have seen an increase in hate crimes and legal accusations of inefficient investigating of these hate crimes by law officials. Minority religious groups, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, continue to report social persecution and vandalism of property. [[5]]&nbsp;
Ask the Lord to raise up an outlook of peace between varying religious groups and to spur the evangelical church to capitalize on low religious restrictions, taking the gospel to the unreached!

Moderate Prosperity but Significant Growth in Recent Years

With a ranking of 92 on the Legatum Prosperity Index, Ukraine scores on the high side of moderate compared to other Mobilization Index countries. In its region of Eastern Europe, Ukraine has the lowest prosperity score. [[6]] With its lowest score in social capital and safety and security and its highest score, 109, ranks above in education, Ukraine has an overall consistent and impressive prosperous economy.&nbsp;
Most of Ukraine's scores in individual categories have fluctuated between 10 and 50 ranks over the past ten years. As a whole, the nation's stability has risen to 11 ranks in the past five years. This track record speaks to the stability and consistency of the country and its various infrastructures. [[6]]&nbsp;
Though Ukraine does not have record-breaking scores in any category, its ability to maintain its stable economy and grow in prosperity over the past five years is great news for those considering launching to or from Ukraine.

Increased Sending Hindered by Low Generosity

Currently, Ukraine sends approximately 600 missionaries in the country and 800 missionaries abroad to the unreached. One prayer goal of the Mobilization Index is to see 0.1%, or 1 in 1000, of a nation's evangelical church mobilized for missions. That means that with around 800 missionaries, only 0.0004% of the Ukrainian evangelical church has been mobilized. If 0.1% of their evangelical church were to send to the unreached, there would be an increase of around 1,600 people sent out!&nbsp;
Ukraine's generosity score is extremely low, ranking at 5%, which is the lowest generosity score on the mobilization index. [136]] This could play a major role in the challenges for mobilization and mission within the Ukrainian evangelical church. While many evangelicals may have the desire to go to the unreached, finances and support for sending may pose a large barrier.&nbsp; Growth toward understanding the ministry of giving and biblical sending would be an incredible paradigm shift for the Ukrainian church. Pray that the Lord puts the unreached on the hearts of those able to support and send.

Moderate Mobilization Potential but Great Opportunity for Growth

The Ukrainian evangelical church has great access to millions of unreached in their region, have moderate religious freedoms, and is culturally bridged to many countries with significant Islamic populations. &nbsp;
&nbsp;Despite great access to the unreached and increasing prosperity score, Ukraine's mobilization potential is ranked as moderate due to its small number of evangelicals, small sending numbers, and low generosity score. Further, only 15% of the population is under the age of 15. This could pose a hindrance in raising up and mobilizing the next generation to have eyes and hearts for the unreached. &nbsp;
&nbsp;Ukraine is divinely set up in many ways to be used powerfully for missions to the unreached! Pray that the Lord would raise up senders and goers that recognize their strategic access to the millions of unreached in their nation and region.

Obstacles:
<ul>
<li>Though the nation's prosperity is slowly growing, many of its individual scores rank extremely low and could hinder mission mobilization.&nbsp;</li>
<li>A Low generosity score and small percentage of people under the age of 15 could pose a barrier to mobilizing Ukraine.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Opportunities:
<ul>
<li>Ukraine is culturally bridged to many Islamic nations, granting phenomenal opportunity to the evangelical church to share the gospel with the Islamic world!</li>
<li>Though Ukraine is not without social hostilities and persecutions, they have constitutional freedom to practice all religions. While this can be met with social hostilities, it will not be met with governmental persecution, like it would be in many other countries. Praise God that the Ukrainian church does not have to hide underground like many churches do.</li>
</ul>

Pray:
<ul>
<li>Pray for peance and an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Pray for the millions who ahve been impacted by the war.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Ask that the Lord would raise up a generation of senders with a Biblical understanding of giving, making Ukraine a place of biblical generosity and support.</li>
<li>Pray that the Ukrainian church would be burdened for the unreached both in and surrounding their borders.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Praises:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Praise God for the economic prosperity growth that Ukraine has seen in the last 6 years!&nbsp;</li>
<li>Praise the Lord for culturally connecting the Ukrainian church and Arab world. What a blessing that they can &nbsp;reach of millions of peoples who have yet to hear the name of Jesus!</li>
</ul>

PEW religious restriction numbers Myanmar

Official Country Name:Ukraine

Population:43,994,000

Region:Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Government:Unitary Semi-Presidential Constitutional Republic

Official Languages:Ukrainian

Religious Demographics:Christian ±79%, Evangelical ±3%, Islam ±%2

Ukraine