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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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

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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.

ADDITION

FINANCIAL DEPENDENCY

INACCESSIBLE

LIMITED MISSION FORCE

DISTANT AND FOREIGN MISSION FIELD

THE WORLD IS THE MISSION FIELD

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During my senior year of college, as I was preparing to graduate with a finance degree and planning to work at a bank in a small town in Georgia, I had a pivotal conversation with my campus minister. He had been a mentor to me for years, and in that meeting, he pointed out gifts in my life that I hadn&rsquo;t fully recognized. He encouraged me to consider a path in ministry, specifically college ministry. This conversation opened up possibilities I had never contemplated and ultimately changed the trajectory of my life. After graduating, I moved to North Carolina to attend seminary and eventually began leading a college ministry that I&rsquo;m still passionate about today.
Many of us have had similar experiences where a mentor or respected figure saw potential in us and cast a vision for our future. Such intentional conversations can shape our paths, helping us align our lives with our gifts and calling. In their book,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765" rel="follow">The Power of Moments</a>, Chip and Dan Heath emphasize that memorable moments often stem from meaningful interactions rather than grand experiences. For many of us, these moments come from mentors who engage in intentional conversations, highlighting our strengths and potential.

The Role of College Ministry Leaders

As college ministry leaders, we have the unique privilege to guide students in leveraging their lives for the glory of God. This may involve encouraging them to pursue vocational ministry, overseas missions, or using their careers&mdash;such as engineering, nursing, or teaching&mdash;to fulfill God's mission. To ensure these impactful conversations happen, we&rsquo;ve structured our ministry to include two key initiatives:

Every October and November, we sit down with each student to help them intentionally plan their summers. With 3-4 summers available during college, we encourage students to think critically about how to use this time. Our goal is to guide them in making decisions based on God, his Word, and prayer. While not every student will participate in our summer mission projects, we want each one to make a deliberate choice for their summer that aligns with their calling.

We also sit down with every senior to celebrate them and how God worked in their life during college, as well as help them discern how they can leverage their lives after graduation. As a ministry we encourage them to consider committing two years to mission work&mdash;whether in college ministry, church planting, or international missions. Again, not every senior will feel called to this path, but our aim is to help them make intentional, gospel-centered decisions as they transition from college life.&nbsp;

Through these conversations, we&rsquo;ve witnessed transformative changes in students&rsquo; trajectories. Some have engaged in summer projects, moved overseas, joined ministry staff, or planted churches&mdash;all because someone took the time to cast a vision for their lives. Even those who chose different paths benefited from the reflection and intentionality these conversations fostered.
 I encourage you to consider how you can integrate intentional conversations into your ministry. By doing so, you can help students make decisions rooted in God&rsquo;s Word and mission, empowering them to shape their futures and others.

Power of Intentional Conversations

Wes Smith

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