The 10/40 Window: What Is It?

The 10/40 Window is a rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia between approximately 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. The term was coined by the Argentine-born evangelist Luis Bush in 1989, and it refers to the area where about two-thirds of the world’s total population live, including most of the world’s Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, as well as those who identify as non-religious. Christians there are very much in the minority.

It is important to understand the 10/40 Window in light of our calling to reach those who don’t know Christ as well as those Christians who are suffering for the sake of Christ. Here are two vital facts:

1. The majority of unreached people groups in the world live in the 10/40 Window. About 3.3 billion people are considered “unreached”––that is, those among whom Christ is largely unknown or whose local community of Christians is so small that it is unable to make Christ known without outside help. (Visit joshuaproject.net for more information about unreached people groups.)

2. Most of the Christians with high levels of persecution live in the 10/40 window.

The Open Doors World Watch List ranks annually the 50 countries that are most resistant and hostile to those who follow Christ, and the majority of these countries fall within the 10/40 Window.

Did you know that St. Philip’s is sending support both to ministries that send workers to the unreached (Anglican Frontier Missions) as well as ministries that work to support those persecuted for their faith? This is made possible through our tithes and gifts to the church and made available to the World Missions Team to send. We need to pray earnestly for the work of these ministries and for our brothers and sisters in the 10/40 Window.