Data source: Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2025).
| Glossary item | Definition |
|---|---|
| witness | The normal term used for the informal, spontaneous, unorganized sharing of their faith, by presence, word, or deed, by individual Christians in circumstances they do not control; as contrasted with organized evangelism. |
| Witness, a witness | A member of Jehovah’s Witnesses (qv). |
| wizard | One devoted to black magic and the black arts in order deliberately to harm others; sorcerer, sorceress magician. |
| women lay workers | See under personnel. |
| women religious | Nuns, sisters, and other full-time female religious personnel. World total: 828,660 (1996). |
| women, ordained | Organizations relating to women in the ordained ministry number over 200. |
| women’s organizations | Christian organizations serving lay women and girls, and significant at the national or wider levels number over 500. |
| worker-priest | French Catholic priest who for missionary purposes spends part of each weekday as a worker in a secular job. |
| workers, church | See personnel. |
| workers’ organizations | Christian organizations for workers or professionals, significant at the national or wider levels, number over 400. |
| workforce | Collective term for the whole body of all Christian workers, clergy, and other personnel. |
| Workforce for the Apostolate | Apostolatus Copiae (qv). |
| working-age population | All persons of 15 years of age and older, up to 65 years. |
| World A | In the 3-tier schema or representation of the Earth, the Unevangelized World, i.e. the world of all unevangelized individuals. |
| World A countries | Countries in which evangelized individuals number under 50% of the population. |
| World A individuals | All unevangelized individuals unaware of Christianity, Christ, or the gospel. |
| World A peoples | Ethnolinguistic peoples each with over 50% of population unevangelized. |
| World Alliance of Reformed Churches | (Presbyterian and Congregational) (WARC). The major Reformed world communion. |
| World B | In the 3-tier schema or representation of the Earth, the Evangelized Non-Christian World, i.e. all non-Christians who have nevertheless become evangelized. |
| World B countries | Countries in which evangelized persons number over 50% but Christians number less than 60%. |
| World B individuals | Non-Christians who have nevertheless become evangelized. |
| World B peoples | Ethnolinguistic peoples among whom evangelized persons number over 50% but Christians under 60%. |
| World C | In the 3-tier schema or representation of the Earth, the Christian World, i.e. the world of all who individually are Christians. |
| World C countries | Countries in which Christians number 60% or more of the population. |
| World C individuals | Persons who are Christians. |
Data on 18 categories of religion, including non-religious, by country, province, and people.
Data on all religions, Christian activities, and trends.
Membership data, year begun, and rates of change.
Population and religion data on all major cities & provinces.
Detailed information covering religion, culture, and geography.
A repository of historical data, including a chronology of Christianity from the 1st to 21st centuries.