It would probably not be disputed that nearly everyone in the world has heard of New York City. It is the most popular city in the United States and one of the most popular cities in the world. It is the hub of trade and commerce for most of the economies on our planet. It is known for its size, grandeur, population, and history. Many around the world recognize New York City as a symbol of hope, prosperity, and an opportunity for success when they see our beloved Lady Liberty standing in her harbor. But there is something grim and far more important that Christians should see New York City as: a 304 square mile mission field within our own borders.
According to city-data.com, the current population of New York City is just over 8.5 million people, 48% of which say they haven’t been to church in the last six months as reported by the Barna group. That means that there are 4.1 million people in New York City who do not go to a church of any kind on a regular basis. Of the 8.5 million people in New York City, approximately 20% of them live in poverty. Out of the 4.4 million people who do go to church on a regular basis, 40% of them adhere to Catholicism. Other religions with large numbers of followers are: Islam, Mormonism, Buddhism and Mainline Protestants.
Continue to help us here at Vision pray that God will send us men who are willing to let us help them and send them to these large cities within our own borders that need churches planted and the Gospel preached. We are committed to seeing the evangelism of the world in this generation. We need men to plant churches here in our own country as well to make that happen.