Sample Presentation for the World Death Counter

Although there are many ways of presenting the World Death Counter, a common way is show below. Start the counter at the beginning of the service, but don’t say anything about it. You can either keep the counter displayed during the whole service or show it intermittently. Part way through the service you will point to the counter and say:

"You are probably wondering about the counter over there. I’ll tell you about it in a couple minutes. First, I would like to ask you a question. How many people, world-wide, do you think die on an average day? If you are like most people, you will probably say a few hundred or even a couple thousand. Some people will even venture as high as ten thousand. In reality, however, over 150,000 people die every day. One out of every 113 people in the world will die this year. These are some pretty staggering statistics.   That counter over there shows how many people have died since this service has started.

Of all the people who will die today, how many do you think will go to Heaven? How many will go to Hell? Well, obviously, only God knows the answer. We can, however, obtain a ballpark estimate. There are many comprehensive studies that break down the world’s population by religion. With these studies, we can compare these belief systems with the Biblical plan of salvation.

Based on this comparison, it has been estimated that only 7% of the world’s population believes in the Biblical plan of salvation.  Even if  this research is wrong and 75% of the world is going to Heaven; we still have 38,000 people going to Hell every day.

I realize that some of you are thinking that it is morbid and inappropriate to talk about this. You’re thinking that talking about this topic in public shows a lack of sensitivity. Yes, in a sense I guess it does appear morbid. It is, however, necessary. It serves a very important purpose.

The Cancer Society tells us that over 160,000 Americans will die this year from lung cancer and 40,000 will die from breast cancer. We are also told that almost 3 million people worldwide will die from AIDS this year.

Are these pronouncements morbid or inappropriate? No, of course not. They serve a valid purpose. They inform us of a serious problem that needs to be addressed. It tells us that millions of people are dying needlessly. These pronouncements are intended to bring a serious problem to our attention. They are intended to challenge us to action.

Likewise, this counter over there tells us about a serious problem; a problem that many of us would like to forget. People are needlessly dying and going to Hell. Although curing people of diseases is important, isn’t being concerned about a person’s eternal destiny even more important? Yes, this counter may make us feel uncomfortable, but hopefully it will challenge us into action."