African Churches Send Missionaries to Europe, America
Christian missionaries from Africa are increasingly serving congregations in Europe and North America as Christianity declines in parts of the West.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Christianity
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African churches are sending preachers to Europe and North America, with a 2024 Lausanne Movement report estimating Nigeria alone may have sent around 20,000 missionaries abroad in 2020. Many African Christians there arrived as workers and students and began their own congregations.
Why it matters
African church leaders say the West now needs spiritual support, a reversal of the historic flow of missionaries from Europe and North America to Africa. The shift is reshaping church life in cities such as London, where African congregations draw large crowds.
A 2008 estimate placed about 18,400 African missionaries outside the continent, and a 2024 Lausanne Movement report put Nigeria's 2020 figure near 20,000. The current total remains unclear, as the sources offer estimates rather than a verified global count.
The players
Lausanne Movement
An international evangelical missions network that publishes research on global missionary sending patterns.
CAPRO
A Nigerian mission organization that has deployed more than 800 missionaries from over 27 countries to serve in 46 nations.
The details
Organizations such as Nigeria's CAPRO now field more than 800 missionaries from over 27 countries serving in 46 nations, including Indigenous communities in Canada. In London, black African Pentecostal churches account for over 60% of churchgoers on a given Sunday, and a recent prayer conference at Twickenham filled its 82,000-seat arena.
Timeline
2008: Estimate of about 18,400 African missionaries abroad.
2010 to 2020: Christian share of Europe's population fell from 75% to 67%.
2020: Nigeria estimated to have sent about 20,000 missionaries abroad.
2024: Lausanne Movement report on Nigerian missionary numbers.
Big Picture
The reversal of missionary flows traces back to the historic sending of Western missionaries to Africa, now being matched by African churches reaching Europe and North America. Research from the Lausanne Movement documents this growing pattern of missionary outreach.
Readers in Europe and North America may find more African-led congregations in their own cities and neighborhoods. Those interested in joining or supporting these churches can look for local congregations as the trend grows.
The takeaway
The growth of African missionary sending shows that Christianity's center of gravity is shifting, and congregations in the West are increasingly shaped by believers from the Global South.
Further reading
Explore more on Christianity to see how faith communities are reshaping their global reach.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 2oceansvibe News | South African and international news.
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