These apostles are the only plan God has. Furthermore, they are the only plan He needs. But somehow, no generation in 2,000 years of Church history has produced the task force necessary to reach the world. The evangelical churches of the United States now have about 37,000 career foreign missionaries. About 9,000 of these are engaged in full-time evangelism, some in church starting evangelism.
Estimates range from five to ten times that number.
Before the days of William Carey, the father of the modern Protestant missionary movement, the Moravians from Herrnhut considered a support base of four adequate to keep one missionary at the front. But perhaps this is unrealistic. In World War II it was said that fifteen personnel were needed to keep one man at the front. In point of fact, we are told there are not three but forty million evangelicals in the United States. We know that this support base is fully adequate, even at present levels of providing workers and finance.