Data source: Gina A. Zurlo and Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2024).
| Glossary item | Definition |
|---|---|
| Synod of Bishops | Since 1965 a permanent, central ecclesiastical institution assisting the Roman pope in the governing of the universal church. By AD 2000, 14 formal assemblies had been held. |
| Synodus Episcoporum | Synod of Bishops (qv). |
| synthesist, synthesizer | One who employs synthesis or follows synthetic methods with varying religious traditions. |
| Syriac | Oriental Orthodox liturgical tradition, dating back to New Testament era (Syrian Orthodox, West Syrian, Jacobite). |
| Syriac/Malayalam | Oriental Orthodox liturgical tradition, using both languages in its liturgy, Syro-Malabarese (qv). |
| Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch | Oriental Orthodox (Jacobite). |
| Syrians | Catholics using Antiochian rite. |
| Syrians, Eastern | See Eastern Syrians. |
| Syrians,Western | See Western Syrians. |
| Syro-Chaldeans | Assyrians (qv). |
| Syro-Malabarese | (1) Orthodox St Thomas Christians of India who have remained independent of Rome but in communion with Jacobite Church (Damascus): global membership (1995) 2,197,000. (2) Catholic St Thomas Christians who submitted to Rome in 1599 and still use the East Syrian rite, with Malayalam; global membership (1995) 3,155,000. |
| Syro-Malankarese | Catholic St Thomas Christians who submitted to Rome in 1930, and who use the West Syrian rite. |
| Syro-Oriental | A Catholic rite (see Chaldean). |
| systematic theology | Constructive theology; a branch of theology that attempts to reduce all religious truth to statements forming a self-consistent and organized whole. |
| systems analysis | That approach which seeks to explain a situation or to solve a problem within the totality of its environment, seeing the situation and understanding how all of its parts are interrelated or affect one another. |
| tactics | In war, the science of disposing local resources to fight particular battles. In mission, the science or art of using available resources for the immediate evangelization of a people or territory. |
| Tai | An Asian ethnolinguistic family. |
| Tantrayana | Tantrism, Vajrayana, Mantrayana, Esoteric Vehicle, or Lamaism; a school of Buddhists (qv), including Shingon in Japan. |
| target people | An ethnolinguistic people which is the evangelistic focus of a Christian worker, missionary, couple, or small team seeking to benefit that people in measurable ways. |
| targeting | In religious and missionary usage, the establishing of goals followed by implementation of ministries and resources directly intending to benefit non-Christian populations. |
| targeting variable | Term from United Nations’ usage denoting priority of measurable benefits: literacy, health care, famine or disaster relief (1-10, with 1=top priority). |
| tariqa | (Arabic). (1) A Muslim religious brotherhood or fraternity of mystics. (2) The Sufi path of spiritual development. |
| teacher | In Christian Science usage, one authorized to teach a class of not more than 30 pupils each calendar year. |
| telecast | A broadcast program over television. |
| telecenter | A church center equipped with a television receiver for use with classes and educational programs. |
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.