Customer Reviews

Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation

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This book is packed with information about every country in the world. If you want a snapshot of the religious, social, political, and economic lay of the land for every country, you'll want this book.

This book is simply the best quick reference for anyone who longs to see all of mankind know Jesus Christ. Without the burden of political jargon or denominational theology, this book efficiently informs the readers about the needs of the people and how the reader can focus their prayers in support of seeing the Great Commission fulfilled in their lifetime.

Operation World has become an indispensable guide for those seeking to track the work of God around the world. The newest edition continues the basic format and information styles, and for those familiar with OW, there will not be too many surprises. The information is extensive, though not exhaustive, and some may wonder where their favorite missionary or work is--some agencies and works are not cataloged. One quibble I have: the picture of God's work may be a bit optimistic in some places. For example, personal time spent in Africa has shown numerous denominations of local origin are so syncretistic as to obscure the gospel, yet these groups are counted among churches. This does not take away from the value of the resource, however.

The size and scope of the work make it not very mobile, but perhaps it will be carried forward through ebook formats.

Thank you, Jason Mandryk, for continuing this vital work.

This book is virtually unique in that Operation World 2010 (OW) is one of the very few global statistical surveys of Christianity available. The World Christian Database (see [...] )and the "World Christian Encyclopedia" edited by David Barrett and Todd Johnson(Oxford Universtity Press, 2001)would be the only other two sources for world Christianity. The statistics for Evangelicals in the "World Christian Encyclopedia" are considerably lower than those found in OW, though the statistics found in the World Christian Database are much more closely aligned given the cooperation between these two groups and the agreement in terminology. The method for acquiring the statistics in OW was done in the most scrupulous and thorough manner possible, though sometimes the compilers have had to resort to mathematical extrapolation.

Operation World 2010 (OW) presents every nation of the world beginning in alphabetical order and then offers statistics regarding its geography, population, population growth, ethnicities, languages spoken, economics, political status, and finally religion. Religion is broken down further into the major religions such as Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, etc. and then a more detailed breakdown of the Christian denominations of each country. And so if you were curious about the number of Christians in the up and coming economic superpower, BRIC, you'd find: Brazil is 72 % Roman Catholic and 26 % Evangelical. Russia is over 50 % Russian Orthodox and 1.2 % Evangelical. India is 74 % Hindu, 14 % Muslim, and 2 % Evangelical. China is 44 % Non-religious and 5 % Evangelical. The top 20 denominations of each country are then listed showing the number of congregations, number of members and number of members and the total number affiliated with each denomination. And so the second largest denomination in the USA, The Southern Baptist Convention, has 45,000 congregations, 16 million members and a total of 20 million affiliates. Since Operation World is Evangelical in focus it then gives the percentage of the population that is Evangelical, the actual number of Evangelicals, and the annual growth rate. OW then offers the same statistics for Charismatics and Pentecostals, though the number of Pentecostals is also included in the number of Charismatics. This subsequent breakdown of Charismatics and Pentecostals can be confusing because Pentecostals are simultaneously counted as a subset of Evangelicals as well. Charismatics, to complicate the overlap even further, are SOMETIMES considered Evangelicals and SOMETIMES not considered Evangelicals. So there is a significant degree of overlap in the statistics for these three key groups and the vast majority of readers of OW are either Evangelical, Charismatic or Pentecostal. And so for the USA Evangelicals make up 28.9 % of the US population with over 91,000,000 people. Charismatics make up 19.8 % of the US population with over 62,000,000 while Pentecostals make up 6.8 % of the US population with 21,000,000. Finally the number of missionaries from each country is shown and so we find the USA sends out 93,500 long term missionaries and there are 700 US mission agencies that send Americans to 211 countries. OW 2010 then outlines Answers to Prayer and Challenges for Prayer for each country ranging from a single page for Iceland to ten pages for the USA. I myself am acquainted with a number of European countries and can verify that the statistics regarding the number of Evangelicals along with the overall assesment of the situation in those countries is relatively accurate, though not without biases. Also, OW concedes that labeling someone Evangelical can be quite challenging at times given that certain denominations are thoroughly Evangelical whereas other institutions such as the State churches of Germany and Scandinavia and Britain contain an Evangelical population that is difficult to count. Also, certain types of Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox might be considered Evangelical if they meet the following criteria: 1) Christians who believe in Christ as the sole source of their salvation through faith in Him. 2) Christians who evince a personal faith in Christ stemming from a conversion exerience. 3) Christians who consider the Bible the inspired Word of God. 4) Christians committed to evangelism in their home country and mission work abroad that leads others to faith in Christ. (The author here relies closely on David Bebbington's famous fourfold definition of Evangelicals.)

OW also offers important info about world Christianity in general. Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox are declining as a percentage of the world's population, but Protestants and Anglicans are slowly growing. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses grew from less than 1 million in 1900 to over 45 million in 2000. Post-denominational churches and networks (often Charismatic) have exploded worldwide with a bewildering variety of Christian beliefs and practices. This Independent bloc of Christians grew from 7 million in 1900 to over 250 million in 2010. Evangelicals were only 80 million in 1960, exploded, numbered 420 million in 2000 and are now at 545 million worldwide. Pentecostals and Charismatics (beginning in the 1960s) went from zero in 1900 to over 300 million in 2000 and now number 426 million worldwide. More ancient forms of Christianity such as Eastern Orthodoxy declined significantly in the 20th century such that there are now less than 245 million affiliates worldwide and while Roman Catholicism claims 1.2 billion adherents, it might be closer to just a little over 1 billion affiliates at present given the mass conversion of Latin Americans to Pentecostalism. (The Catholic Church often counts Latinos who become practicing Pentecostals as still part of the RC Church.)

Given the paradigm shift that has taken place since the end of WW II, the success of Evangelical missions worldwide over the past two centuries, the decline of European Christianity, and the explosion of Christianity in the global south (Africa, Asia and Latin America) where various forms of Evangelical and Neo-Pentecostal Christianity continue to grow, often exponentially, this is an extremely helpful resource to have. This book confirms Philip Jenkins' assertion in "The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity" that Christianity is indeed no longer a northern, western, white or European religion. It is now a global phenomenon and is going to be as significant a factor for the world in the 21st century as re-energized Islam. Prognostications in the 20th century that Christianity and religion in general were going to fade into obsolescence have proved wrong. The vast majority of the world chooses to remain religious.

To be honest, I have not read Operation World (2010) cover to cover. However, I believe that I have read enough of it to write a review for this very useful book.

Operation World is the definitive prayer guide to every nation (it says so right on the cover) and is now in its 7th edition (first published in 1974). The book highlights every country in the world over 977 pages. Introductory content includes basic geographic, cultural, and economic statistics for each country. The remaining content for each country provides details concerning answers to prayer and challenges for prayer.

In addition to listing each country alphabetically, the book is divided into 365 days, so an individual and/or family can pray for the entire world over the course of a year. While not in the habit of doing so daily quite yet, I have been working on incorporating reading and praying for the daily country into my devotional times.

I cannot recommend this book more highly and believe that the most current edition should be located on every Christian's shelf. In addition to incorporating into personal/family devotions, it would also be useful in small group or Sunday school settings, and incorporated into homework/homeschool geography assignments. There is so much to learn about the world and the church around the world; this book is a fantastic resource.

I decided to write a review for this book because I have been surprised recently with how many people are not familiar with this book when I mention it to them. I would suggest spending a few dollars extra and purchasing the book along with the CD. The CD contains all of the country information from the book in pdf format.

I have been encouraged and challenged by this book, I hope that you will be as well.

Kudos to the writers of the enticing, hard-hitting research detailed in this terrific resource book. Spin the globe and pick a country or choose a favorite to study. This fantastic book is crammed full of information on everything from gross national product to the percentage of the population that might follow a certain religion, such as Christianity, etc. Difficulties the country may be facing such as political upheavals, economic downturns, or even topographical problems are outlined with pinpoint accuracy. More pressing problems have their own section and allow one to be completely informed before praying or sharing information in a classroom. As a medical missionary to Haiti, I can vouch for the accuracy of the sections describing the conflicts a country might be facing. The country summaries are "just like being there" and reads like a insiders travel guide. As a former home school teacher, I can recommend that its contents would be perfect for 6th grade and up and would be an excellent reference for reports. Younger children could have the parts categorized by a teacher and read outloud. And, as a parent and daughter of school teachers, I would suggest the book be used to launch group projects or to begin or end the classroom period by discussing the people and problems of the nations of the world. I have used other editions of this book in the past and its high quality has not wavered.

This book has it all. Everything you want to know about a country from almost any perspective. This book is full of valuable information and will show you how to pray for the countries of the world. This is a must have book.

Honestly, as a Christian there is much room for improvement in my life, but since March 23 of this year when I recieved this book "Operation World" I've experienced God working in my life in a greater way. It has been said that prayer is Love on its Knees, if this is true let us be the people we were born-again to be.

An extremely comprehensive review of mission needs in the world. It is a little overwhelming and it would be helpful to provide a written guide on how to use the resource. I purchased the book after reading "Radical" and this book was a recommended resource on how to pray for the world. Well, that's fine, but have some type of organization or reading calendar that is more easy to use on how to do that. The Yearly Bible is much more clear on how to accomplish this. Perhaps they should have two versions of this book...one for "casual" reading (that would be like reading the encyclopedia) and one as an annual prayer guide on praying for the world.

The book is a great resource for anyone with a keen interest in Christianity beyond their backyard. The author does an excellent job bringing statistical data, spiritual information, and strategic prayer points into focus for each country. This is a book to expand your world view and see the Body of Christ from a Kingdom perspective.