JACKSON, Tenn. — Feb. 8, 2024 — Lostness in the world is the greatest problem Christians face, Victor Hou told a 51社区 audience Feb. 1 as part of the annual W.D. Powell Missions Lecture.
鈥淒espite wars, despite human trafficking, despite homelessness, crime, lots of other things, lostness is the only problem that will stay with us for eternity,鈥� said Hou, who serves as associate vice president for global advance at the International Mission Board.
Named after a Union alumnus and a pioneer Southern Baptist missionary to Mexico in the late 1800s, the W.D. Powell Missions Lecture Series is co-sponsored by Union鈥檚 School of Theology and Missions and the IMB to honor Union alumni who have served in international missions.
Ray Van Neste, dean of Union鈥檚 School of Theology and Missions, said such a lecture series is fitting for the university.
鈥淭he task of world missions is central to who we are and what we鈥檙e doing,鈥� Van Neste said. 鈥淲e want to continue to hold these ideas before us as a community and to encourage that.鈥�
Andy Pettigrew, IMB team leader for NextGen mobilization and a 2000 Union graduate, in introductory comments said 51社区 loves missions.
鈥�51社区 is about carrying out the gospel to advance the work among the nations so that God is worshiped as he deserves among every nation, tribe, people and language,鈥� Pettigrew said. 鈥淯nion has always believed in that. This lecture is a testimony to that."
Hou said in November 2022, the eight billionth child was born. Of the world鈥檚 population, at least 6.5 billion are lost and don鈥檛 know Jesus, according to IMB estimates.
Living in such a time is a privilege but also carries a responsibility for Christians to do all they can to take the gospel to those 6.5 billion people, he said.
Hou addressed five seeming contradictions about the world鈥檚 population and the opportunities they present to believers to engage in mission work. First, the world is getting older, and it鈥檚 getting younger. Hou pointed to parts of the world, such as Japan and some European countries, where the aging population is growing and the median age continues to increase.
That increasing age presents a huge missional issue, Hou said, because it means the good news of the gospel may not arrive in time.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a sense of urgency for the gospel,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here must always be a sense of urgency, but for some of these countries, that urgency is even greater, and that urgency is real.鈥�
At the same time, Hou said Africa鈥檚 population is incredibly young, with a median age of 19 and 700 million people on the continent who are teenagers or younger. By the end of the century, 40 percent of the world鈥檚 population will be in Africa.
That creates a different sense of urgency, Hou said, because it means if Christians can get the gospel to the African continent now, it can influence a sizeable percentage of the world鈥檚 population in the coming decades.
The second seeming contradiction Hou addressed is that the world is more interconnected than ever before but is becoming more fractured than it鈥檚 been in a long time. This has implications for how Christians use technology to communicate the gospel and build relationships with others.
Thirdly, Hou said cities are becoming homes to more people, even while many more are being forced from their homes. About 57 percent of the world鈥檚 population lives in urban centers, and that number is expected to continue to rise.
Hou also cited United Nations statistics of 110 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced because of war, famine and terrorism, among other reasons. This results in millions of children lacking access to education and presents opportunities for Christians to address those needs.
Fourth, while this generation seems to be the wealthiest in history, more people today are mentally and emotionally distressed than ever, Hou said. More than half of the world鈥檚 population lives on less than $7.50 per day, and even among the world鈥檚 wealthiest segments, people are generally unhappy despite their resources.
Finally, while the Bible is available in more languages today, Hou said more people are dying without Christ than ever before 鈥� about 173,000 per day.
Despite the challenges and the sobering trends, Hou said God is at work. People are more open to talking about eternity as they come to the end of their lives, and the growing uncertainty and chaos around the world leads people to ask questions about God and the Christian faith.
At the same time, God seems to be moving people from places with lesser access to the gospel to places where the gospel can be communicated more freely, Hou said, and local Christian leaders are emerging.
鈥淕od is doing amazing work as he raises up leadership from the global church to join the work that he has called us to do,鈥� he said.