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The gospel among the nations

Africa

Christian growth. Very different realities.

Africa has active churches and great diversity. The demographic figures below cover sub-Saharan Africa, rather than the entire continent.

Geographic outline of Africa
Regional representation · Cross-cultural missions
Religious context

A closer look at the numbers

1 in 5

Christians faces persecution

Africa · Open Doors estimate 2026

Open Doors
Share of population

Christian presence in sub-Saharan Africa

62%

Around 62% identify as Christian. The 31% numerical increase coincides with strong population growth; it is not a conversion rate.

Pew Research Center · 2020

Religious affiliation does not measure who has heard the gospel, conversions or missionary activity. Population growth also influences the numbers. Coverage and years differ; these figures should not be used to rank need.

Mission perspective

Challenges for mission

01

Different contexts

The sub-Saharan scope does not describe North Africa. Christian presence varies even within countries.

02

Pressure and insecurity

Open Doors estimates persecution and discrimination against 1 in 5 Christians in Africa. Conditions must be assessed by country.

03

Strengthening local churches

The mission perspective is to walk with existing Christian communities and prepare for each local context.

Start Resgate

Why Start Resgate matters

Start Resgate can connect Brazilian mobilisation with cross-cultural service, valuing African church leadership and people’s safety.

Cross-cultural mission connects people, cultures and the message of Jesus. Start Resgate matters through its commitment to respectful service, missionary preparation and lasting relationships with communities.

Cross-cultural preparation

Learn the language, listen to the community and understand its history before taking action.

Partnership with local leaders

Walk alongside local churches, recognising their knowledge, priorities and leadership.

Presence and continuity

Bring together sharing the gospel, caring for people and ongoing accompaniment.

Impact to be tracked

People accompanied, missionaries prepared, local partnerships and sustained activities offer ways to assess mission. These indicators describe the regions; Start Resgate’s own results will be published with records and reporting periods once validated by the team.

Be part of this mission

Pray, learn about the project and talk with the team about contributing to mission among the nations.

Support the projectTalk with the team

Sources and how to read the data

Research reviewed on 7 October 2026. Figures show the available reference year.

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