| Posted May 23, 2018 | By Gina A. Zurlo, Ph.D. | Categorized under Missiology and Media |

Insights into Global Christianity from the World Christian Database

Did you know that Christianity became a majority-global-South faith in 1981?

Did you know that, in 2018, Africa surpassed Latin America as the continent with the most Christians (631 million)?

Did you know that, despite roughly 400 years of Christian stability in the Middle East, the region has dropped from 12.7% Christian in 1900 to 4.0% Christian in 2015?

This is the kind of information you can get from the World Christian Database, published by Brill and edited by Dr. Todd M. Johnson and Dr. Gina A. Zurlo of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (South Hamilton, MA, USA). The Center has been tracking trends like this for over 50 years, from our humble beginnings in Nairobi, Kenya to our current home at Gordon-Conwell.

Perhaps you've seen the World Christian Database before... and the promptly ran in the opposite direction. Run no further! The WCD has been completed upgraded and represents an enhanced user experience both functionally and visually.

Overall, the WCD is, simply, much easier to use than it was before. The system to design searches is much more straightforward and user-friendly: you can search for a variable, add it to your query, rearrange variables, and change properties of a query all on one page. No more toggling between pages or guessing where variables are going to show up! The ease of query design allows users to customize their dataset to exactly what they need, without having to contact a researcher (though we're still always happily available to help!).

Queries, records, and bookmarks can also be saved in custom-made folders and workspaces to allow collaboration between users. Users can attach notes to queries and thus use the WCD as a functional workspace for research projects. You can also simply save frequently-used queries so you don't have to re-create them each time you log in. Users can still export datasets to Excel, but now the datasets it produces are formatted much better and are far easier to use.

The "look" and "feel" of the updated WCD is completely different with new colors, fonts, logos, and photos. It's brighter, cleaner, and more contemporary.

The navigation is also significantly improved. The Launchpad tool gives users immediate access to the different homepages so there is less clicking to access the data. There is a history button (just like a web browser) that tells you where you've been so you can get back there quickly.

The WCD team can customize what appears on every homepage, so we can switch out links according to user feedback. 

Overall, the data in the WCD is now organized in a more logical way that makes sense to the user. Users will be able to find what they're looking for more quickly, without having to wander around. Though wandering around is always permitted! You might discover something about world Christianity you never knew.

To find out more, contact Dr. Gina Zurlo, co-editor of the World Christian Database at [email protected]. Also check out the free resources available for download at the Center's website: www.globalchristianity.org. We can also be reached by phone: 978-468-2750.