Foreign Missionaries now evangelizing the U.S.?

Not too long ago, I read somewhere on the web that developing countries we had sent missionaries to, were now reciprocating the favor. That America had become the third largest mission field.

Does anyone know if this is true?

Has America descended to the point that Christians from less-than-priviledged nations have taken it upon themselves to engage in the Great Commission in our backyard? If this is true, what does it say about the state of the Church in America?

hi, this has happened for the time we have been a nation.it is a good thing to have people from all over obeying Gods call.jimp

The United States has over 300 million people. Only about a third claim to be born-again evangelical Christians. Meaning, at absolute best, we have 100 million people who are saved in the nation. And that would be a very "high" estimate. It would be my contention that the idea we have over 200 million people in our nation that are destined for hell, we should begin to look at the United States as a great mission field.

I live in North Carolina, which is part of the so-called "Bible belt." At work, there are about 40 people in my department that I work with. There are a few who claim to be Christians, but, clearly are not. I don't know for sure, but, I may just be the person who is saved in the entire department. There is perhaps one or two other people who might be. But, because of the nature of my work, I don't get a lot of opportunity to mingle with my co-workers, except for those who sit immediately around me.

And having worked at several places in the last decade, this has been very typical. If I work at a place with 100 people, there might be 3 or 4 truly saved Christians. And then, they are usually pretty spiritually immature. If things are like this in North Carolina, I can only imagine what it is like in the rest of the country.

Instead of churches sending people overseas for mission trips, we need to start looking at our own back yard as a mission trip. But, many Christians who are willing to go overseas and share their faith are paralyzed with fear with sharing their faith in their own backyard.

I believe God has one day called me to be a "missionary" to Greensboro, NC. Me going forward to do that work is still years away. But notice I said the word "missionary." And that's the word God used when he called me for that task. When he finally sends me, I will operate out of that understanding.

*edited*

To further illustrate: One year around Christmas, I went door knocking with a former church I was a part of. I walked down the street from my church, and less than a mile away I knocked on the door of one man. He invited me and my door knocking buddy into his house. As we sat there and talked, I noticed the Christmas tree he had. I asked him what that tree represented to him, and if he knew the gospel story.

Amazingly enough, here I sat with a man in his late 40's or early 50's, who lived less than a mile from my church, and had lived for dozens of years. Here this man had a Christmas tree in his very house. Yet for all these things, he was still unable to tell me the basic Christmas story. All again, in North Carolina.

And if it is this way in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina region, where we have a major highway named after the evangelist Billy Graham, what is it like in the rest of this country?

I spent several hours each of the last 3 days at UNC Charlotte preaching the gospel message in the heart of the campus. And while it was great to run into Christians on campus who stopped to encourage me, tell me how they were blessed, and even pray for me, I still couldn't help but see the darkness that hung over the masses. And Charlotte is home to no shortage of very large churches. In the northern part of the county where I live, I know of at least half a dozen churches with thousands of members. The church I am a part of runs over 3,000 people every weekend. It's amazing, for all the churches in the area, some of who are doing a very good work, there still remains such a great darkness over this part of the world.

I blame it on everybody that moved here from New York. And of course, the devil...

Good points Jesus-is-God and KingJimmy.

Would it be feasible to say we need to consider the "Church" as a part of that mission field?

KingJimmy, I too live in the south (Bible Belt). Actually not too far from your location. (Chester, South Carolina) There are churches on every street corner.

However, I can always depend on the Jehovah's Witnesses to ring my doorbell every few months but I have yet for an evangelical to do the same.

Dan 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
Dan 11:34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
Dan 11:35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

There are many well meaning people out in most communities trying to be faithful to the commission that we have to spread the word of God. However, including myself, how many have truly counted the true cost of this undertaking. There is truly a great time of evangelizing coming, however there is an ultimate cost to the evangelist that spreads this message, and if a person is not 100% "SOLD OUT" to this calling, they will be drawn back into the snare that is the WORLD, and fall short.

Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
Joe 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Be faithful to do what you know to do, pray for the filling of Holy Spirit, prepare for wonders that you can not begin to believe. Blessings Greg

I have seen gifted preachers who plant Church in India with genuine motive to serve God but later these TV preachers of US join hands with them and resulting in spreading all prosperity messages. In recent time US has succeeded in spreading its false teachings to developing countries.

In US there is a freedom to practice Christianity which is not there is many parts of World. That does not make it a Christian Nation.

I remember yrs back, when the Charlotte Rescue Mission couldn't get enough donations - when I had heard that Charlotte had 1000 churches. Are there really 1000?
I've wondered how things are going there now, since this economic decline has caused more homeless folks.

I'm not sure the exact number of churches in the greater Charlotte area. But it wouldn't shock me if there were this many, if not considerably more. There are over a million people in the greater Charlotte area. I think I remember reading that just under 50% attend church on a regular basis.

In the past 10-15 years, there has been a huge church planting effort in the area, most notably, Steven Furtick's "Elevation" church, which has grown to thousands of members in only 5 years. Charlotte is somewhat known as "The City of Churches," and has been for many many years.

For an interesting perspective to see how many churches are in this area, see: http://g.co/maps/t7z5x Be sure to zoom out once or twice for a real perspective.

My thinking is that an area can become Gospel-hardened after a while.

Possibly. Or as I think Paul Washer pointed out, many have never truly heard the gospel to begin with. But they've accepted the watered down copy cat version.

hi, there will never be enough money to feed and clothe and house the homeless... i have been ministering to the homeless on and OFF for 30 years and have seen this to be true. in the 60s we had thousands of runaway young people in new orleans and went broke trying with them. we then later tried to minister to the real down and out homeless and got a school bus running to get some to church on sunday for a service and an after church picnic. we ended up pushing the bus a lot and ran into a waning enthusiasm to give and help,somewhat failed after a few years. some of these people had real serious problems and were very difficult to deal with. one of our successes who got saved and changed and helped ended up killing a homeless guy who stole from him. do not use things you think you know about to say something that proves that you really do not know. Jesus is the head of the church and if He believes in easy believism we were a successful.jimp

Well, there are small clusters of house church types in the area. I've known a few people involved with one. But, such seem to be pretty rare in this area. Espcially when you have so many churches which feed the consumerism assocaited with a banking town.

And the town, while it did take a hit during the crash of 2008, is still doing quite well. A lot of financial jobs were lost. But, Bank of America still calls Charlotte her headquarters, and after the merger of Wachovia/Wells Fargo, while Charlotte is no longer HQ to the bank, the offices around town are still of major importance to the bank. Some people who I knew in the banking world that were laid off eventually found other financial jobs in town. Indeed, I was able to find employment with Wells Fargo as a loss-mitigation mortgage underwriter.

Things will probably never be the same as they once were in Charlotte. The real estate boom we've experienced in the past 15 years is definitely over. But other than that, you still have a lot going on around here.