History of the World Christian Encylopedia

The first edition of the World Christian Encyclopedia (1982) was one of Oxford University Press’ best-selling reference books. The book was immediately praised as the authoritative, definitive work in the field of international religious demography. Its oversized 1,000 pages embody the most extensive survey of Christianity and world religions ever attempted.

The second edition (2001) consisted of two volumes, with extensive coverage of the world’s peoples, cities, and languages.

World Christian Encylopedia (3rd Edition)

The CSGC is planning to produce a 3rd edition of the World Christian Encyclopedia, updating the demographic analysis to 2020 and adding new details on the recent history of Christianity, world religions, mission, religious freedom, and contemporary developments in every country.

As with the first and second editions, we anticipate the text to have an impact in a variety of disciplines, including history, sociology, and mission studies.