Backdating the implications of this administrative measure, the total TED membership has grown from about 82,768 to 87,936, suggesting an actual growth rate of about 6 percent. This trend could have been further increased had we known the exact membership figures in the fastest growing area of the TED, namely in southern Sudan. Because of the war and the absence of roads and means of communication, the church is at present unable to maintain contact with the members, many of whom are displaced and some living in refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda. Reports tell us, however, that God is using lay evangelists who move around in the villages teaching the truth. When an ordained minister arrives, he often finds hundreds of people ready for baptism.
Many fields report significant growth.
For the first time, the British Union now exceeds 20,000 members, growing from 18,565 to 20,110, and the Middle East Union Mission exceeds 10,000 members, going up from 8,839 to 10,276. Good growth is also reported by the unions in the Balkans, especially the South-East European Union, where despite war, destroyed churches, and many members inevitably emigrating to other countries, membership increased from 7,463 to 8,138. Growth is also evident in the Adriatic, the Baltic, the Polish, and Netherlands unions. After a period of reformation and reorganization in 1996-1998, the Pakistan Union shows an encouraging development, with 767 baptisms in 1999 and notable growth in tithe. Significant trend shifts have occurred in some of the small attached fields.