By AJ, Creative Access Missionary

I once heard it explained that there were four major areas of foreign missions. Some of these are planting national language churches in a foreign country, helping locals plant churches in their country by providing pastoral and leadership training, etc. Another area, the one I will focus on, is planting churches among unreached and unengaged people groups. Let’s break down what an “unreached people group” really is and how you can play a part in reaching the unreached.

An unreached people group (UPG) is defined as a group of people who share the same language and culture whose population is less than 2% evangelical Christian. Unengaged UPGs are those of the previous definition who have no clear access or resources to hear the gospel, as well as no active church planting efforts happening among them.

Important Statistics*

• There are around 3 billion people in the world living in UPGs.
• This makes up about 40% of the world’s population.
• Almost 3 million of those people live in Unengaged UPGs.
• Around 95% of these people live in an area called the 10/40 window. This area stretches
  from West Africa through the Middle East to Asia between approximately 10 degrees
  latitude north to 40 degrees north.
• The major world religions in this area include Animism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and
  Unreligious/Atheism.
• There are about 1.5 billion people in the world, covering over 6,000 languages that
  don’t even have a full Bible translation in their heart language.

*photo of 10/40 window from lightsys.org
*Statistics from The Traveling Team and peoplegroups.org

Unreached and unengaged peoples are some of the last to truly hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. You might be asking the question, “It is 2024, why are there still people who have never heard the gospel?” This is a question many are asking. These last peoples to be reached have difficult languages to learn, they have difficult terrain and climate, and the governments are hostile to missionaries and therefore require creative access to live there. Moreso, the resources needed to get there are great. If we want to train and equip missionaries to share the gospel message
with these people, avoid syncretism, and see a healthy reproducing church among them, it will take time. The gospel is urgent but is not to be rushed. Should these be reasons to simply turn a blind eye to these people groups? Of course, the answer is no.

I would challenge you with four reasons we must partake in this mission and four ways to do so.

Why must we go to the unreached?

• God commands us to do so

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).

“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:13-14).

• Even though they have never heard, they are dying and going to hell. (Blunt, I know, but it is the truth)

”For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:20-21).

• The gospel of God is powerful enough to save them

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

• Jesus deserves worship from all peoples

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).

“Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
(Philippians 2:9-11).

How can we reach the unreached?

• Go

Of course, the most obvious way to fulfill the Great Commission is to obey its first word. GO. Pray about the possibility that God may ask you to move overseas to participate this way. Pray specifically that God would give you the faith to obey him. Make your local church a priority. Get involved, talk with your church leadership, and seek wise counsel.

• Welcome

Another way to reach the unreached is through international student ministry. Every year there are thousands of international students that come to study at US colleges and universities. According to The Traveling Team, around 60% of those students are from 10/40 window
countries.

As someone who has experience working in the Office of International Engagement at my local university, I can account for the truth behind this statistic. I know for a fact that within 30 minutes of my hometown live students from China, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Thailand, and so many more.

Other statistics show that 80% of these students will return to their home countries having never been invited into an American home. Almost half of the world’s 220 Heads of State once studied as an international student in the US. Let’s not pass up the opportunity to reach the unreached as they study here in the US.

• Pray

Prayer, as most of us know, is so important and powerful. Participate in the mission by praying for missionaries and the unreached world. Sign up to get information from places like Operation World, Joshua Project, or peoplegroups.org. Get more involved in praying for BMA missionaries throughout the world. Sign up for missionary newsletters, mission:world News, and other communications so you can be up to date with the latest prayer requests from missionaries across the globe.

• Give

Another way to participate in the mission is to be a giver. Use your finances, resources, and your time to support and send missionaries. There are several ways to do that including giving finances to your church to support missionaries, giving to individual missionaries, and giving to The Jerry Kidd Missions Offering. You can also offer up resources such as places to stay, transportation, and other physical needs of missionaries on stateside assignment (furlough). Offer your time by reaching out and spending quality time with missionaries while they are on stateside assignment, take time to respond to missionary newsletters when you receive them, use your vacation time to visit the missionary on their field if you have a chance. There are many more ways to participate in reaching the nations by giving.

My challenge to you is to ask yourself what role you are currently playing in reaching the unreached. If you realize that you are not, ask God to open your eyes to opportunities to do so and the ability to obey his commands. Until all have heard.

Resources:
Radius International
The Traveling Team
Peoplegroups.org
Joshua Project
Desiring God