A Word from Dr. D. James Kennedy
Dr. D. James Kennedy, founder of Evangelism Explosion, once told me:
“John, this is when the Dark Ages began. And with a few brief sparks of light throughout the centuries, we’ve continued in that state to this very day.”
Dr. Kennedy deeply believed the Church had moved away from the biblical model of every-believer evangelism. Together, we wrote about this in Chapter 9 of our book Well Done, which is available at www.ad33.world. That chapter outlines Dr. Kennedy’s vision for a day when the Church of Jesus Christ would wake up and return to the actions and model of the first-century Church.
Why I Believe That Day Is Near
I’ve shared a high-level overview of the development of evangelism and Church growth over the centuries.
The reality is: the Church largely returned to addition-mode growth—and stayed there for centuries.
But God is on the move. Jesus is building His Church all over the world. And in the last century especially, the pace has accelerated:
The Acceleration of Global Conversions
| Year | Estimated New Converts per Day (Worldwide) |
| 1900 | 943 |
| 1950 | 4,500 |
| 1980 | 20,000 |
| 1994 | 92,000 |
| Mid-1990s | ~100,000 |
| Late 2010s–2020s | ~150,000 |
These are staggering numbers—and a clear sign that God is doing something extraordinary in our generation.
The Ratio of Christians to the Global Population
Dr. Ralph Winter, Chancellor of William Carey International University and past General Director of the U.S. Center for World Mission, published some astounding statistics on global Church growth:
- AD 100: 1 Christian for every 360 people on Earth
- 1900: 1 Christian for every 21 people
- 2010: 1 Christian for every 7.3 people
This is spiritual multiplication at a scale the early Church would recognize—millions of believers reaching millions more.
An Evangelism Explosion
In 1960, Dr. D. James Kennedy stood before about fifteen faithful members of his congregation in a Fort Lauderdale schoolroom during a Sunday evening service.
He opened his Bible and read God’s promise to the prophet:
“Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
Then he closed the Bible, looked out over the small group, and, full of faith and enthusiasm, declared:
“You know what? I believe we can change the world!”
A Vision Without Borders
Years later, an unbelieving—and rather sarcastic—secular reporter said to Dr. Kennedy:
“It sounds to me like you aim to Christianize America!”
Dr. Kennedy smiled and replied:
“No sir, I’m not aiming to Christianize America.
I’m aiming to Christianize the world.”
EE’s Vision Statement
Evangelism Explosion’s vision statement captures this global calling:
“Every nation equipping every people group and every age group to witness to every person.”
Our goal is that every person on earth will have the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. We believe the Church is the primary vehicle God will use to accomplish this.
In short:
- Our vision is to be a catalyst for Christ’s Church.
- We want to see the Church become a witnessing, multiplying movement.