Pew Research Center released The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050 in 2015.

Based on demographic trends — especially fertility and age distribution — the report predicted the rapid growth of Islam. In 2010, Muslims accounted for 1.6 billion people, 23% of the global population. The comparable numbers for Christianity were 2.2 billion and 31%. By 2050, the report predicted that Muslim numbers will be 2.76 billion and 30%, while Christian numbers will be 2.92 billion and 31%.

Islam is currently America’s fourth largest religious grouping, after Christianity, the religiously unaffiliated, and Judaism. By 2050, Pew predicted Christians will decline from 75% of the U.S. population to 66%. Islam and Judaism will switch places, in terms of size.

As Pentecostals, we don’t believe that demography is destiny. Current trends don’t always continue into the future, after all. Choices made today can affect what happens tomorrow. And in revival conditions, the rate of new spiritual births can outstrip the birth rate. The choice that will make the biggest impact on the world’s religious future is thus our commitment to reaching Muslim peoples for Jesus today.

Too often, we think of Muslims as rivals to Christians and Islam as a threat to Christianity. The reality is that God loves all people, including Muslims, and sent His Son into the world to rescue them from sin and death. It is our privilege and opportunity to share that good news with them.

Unfortunately, many Pentecostals feel poorly equipped to share the faith with their Muslim neighbors. That’s where Global Initiative comes in. It was founded in 1982 and is part of Assemblies of God World Missions. Led by veteran missionary Mark Brink, its mission is to equip and mobilize the Church to reach Muslims everywhere with the good news of Jesus Christ.

The choice that will make the biggest impact on the world’s religious future is thus our commitment to reaching Muslim peoples for Jesus today.

The gateway to Global Initative’s resources is its website: ReachingMuslimPeoples.com.

The Jumaa Prayer Network is the core of Global Initiative’s ministry. (Jumaa is the Arabic word for the Friday noon service at a mosque.) Every Friday at noon, as Muslims head to mosques to pray, over 60,000 believers unite in prayer for spiritual breakthroughs in the Islamic world.

You can join the Jumaa Prayer Network three ways: (1) Sign up to receive a weekly email with prayer requests. (2) Subscribe to Intercede, a bimonthly digital magazine. And (3) download the prayer app.

Say Hello provides resources for Christian women to form Christ-like friendships with Muslim women. Those resources include print and digital publications, videos, and free downloadable training curriculum. Say Hello’s Forever Friends curriculum helps Christian kids share the gospel with their Muslim friends.

Global Initiative also offers other free or low-cost print resources. These include Journey to Understanding, which equips believers to share the faith with Muslims; and Journey to Maturity, a discipleship resource to use with new converts from Muslim backgrounds.

Free downloadable booklets include What Christians Need to Know about Muslims, Sharing Your Faith with Muslims, Questions Muslims Ask that Need to Be Answered, and Building Christlike Friendships with Muslim Women.

Additional online resources include audio and video teachings, a monthly blog, and links to affiliated ministries.

All the resources mentioned above are available at the touch of a keyboard. Global Initiative also provides in-depth, in-person training about how to share the gospel with Muslims. If your church is interested in having a Global Initiatives speaker come to you, simply click on the Contact tab of the website.

In his vision of heaven, John the Revelator saw “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). The word every includes Muslim-background converts from around the world.

Will you join Global Initiative in praying and preparing to reach Muslim peoples for Jesus Christ?

This profile first appeared in the fall 2022 issue of Called to Serve.