Data source: Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2024).
| Glossary item | Definition |
|---|---|
| First-Wavers | Denominational Pentecostals (Classical Pentecostals), members of mainline USA churches and their worldwide constituencies. |
| fishing | A term used in evangelistic circles for street evangelism among passers-by. |
| fission | Splitting, breaking-up into pieces, schism, secession. |
| focused interview | In sociological research, an interview with a key individual, at a late stage in the research, in which key questions are asked focused on the origins and causes of phenomena under study. |
| folk media | Small-scale or local media, indigenous media, alternative media, participatory media, group media: traditional story-telling, wandering minstrels/storytellers, drama, traditional performing arts, live theatre, dance, poetry, recitation, mime, song, et al. |
| folk religion | Popular religion, popular religiosity (qv). |
| folk-Catholicism | Catholic popular piety, religion, or religiosity (qv). |
| folk-religionists | Followers of traditional religion (qv), popular religion or religiosity (qv), or local or folk religion. |
| folk-religionists | Adherents of local cults or religions, often rural, in which elements of major world religions are blended with folk beliefs and customs. |
| follower | A believer in a particular religion, also synonymously termed an adherent, practitioner, disciple, religionist. In Christianity, follower is the preferred translation used by the Contemporary English Version for the NT Greek word mathetes (Latin, discipulus), synonym for ‘disciple’; an adherent with a personal, devoted relationship to Christ. |
| followers | Persons following a great leader’s religious teachings; adherents, disciples, members, et alia. |
| follow-through evangelism | Mass evangelistic campaigns in which converts or enquirers are systematically followed up, taught and trained in discipleship within local churches. |
| follow-up | A system of pursuing an initial evangelistic effort by following enquirers or converts to assist them joining churches. |
| force for evangelism | The total of all evangelizing persons and influences available in a given situation; the effective evangelizing nucleus, or the total community of all evangelizing Christians as measured by the total practicing Christians. |
| force for evangelization | The total of all practicing church members, whose practice has various direct and indirect influences on evangelization. |
| foreign | Alien; situated outside a place or country. |
| foreign chaplaincy | A chaplaincy, parish or mission ministering in a foreign country to expatriate residents who are members of the home church in its own land. |
| foreign evangelization | Evangelization by foreign persons outside a particular group, people or area. |
| foreign forces | Resident military forces from outside of a country. |
| foreign missionaries | Full-time long-term Christian workers sent abroad by parent foreign missionary societies, and regularly termed and terming themselves missionaries. |
| foreign missionaries and personnel | Full-time long-term foreign missionaries and similar personnel of all churches and from all countries now serving abroad. |
| foreign missionary | A full-time Christian worker who works in a country in which he or she is not a citizen but an alien. |
| foreign missionary councils | Consultative or executive councils of foreign mission organizations in sending countries, to facilitate co-operation and liaison. Over 60 such councils at the national level exist. |
| foreign missionary societies | Organizations founded for and dedicated to the purpose of extending Christianity to foreign countries and their populations. Total for all traditions: (2000) about 5,000. |
| foreign missionary training centers | These number over 500 worldwide. |
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.