Reaching the unreached

Definitions Source: Joshua Project What is a ‘people group’? - the largest group within which the gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance What is an ‘unreached people group’? - a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelise this people group

Definitions Source: Joshua Project What is the 10/40 Window? Often called ‘the resistant belt’, it includes the majority of the world’s Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists An estimated 4.01 billion individuals reside in approximately 6,769 distinct people groups Home to 73.5 per cent of the world’s unreached people groups

There are 15,967 people groups in the world 6,434 of these people groups are unreached That’s 2.62 billion unreached people!

Region focus: Europe Europe has fewer evangelical Christians than any other continent of the world. Secularisation The chequered history of Christianity in Europe

People focus: women 80 per cent of unreached individuals in the world are women and children Gender-based discrimination prevents societies as a whole, women and men, from reaching their full potential (World Economic Forum) Over two-thirds of the world’s 860 million illiterates are women

Work: Bible translation “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” (Nelson Mandela) Translation has been happening ever since the first major effort to write the New Testament gospels

Work: Bible translation “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” (Nelson Mandela) Prior to 1800, there were only 68 translations of the Bible; by 1900 the number reached 522; and the current number lies at 2,426

Work: Bible translation “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” (Nelson Mandela) Translation work still needs to begin in over 2,200 languages (covering 196 million people who speak these languages)

What is BMS World Mission doing? Reaching the unreached is not marginal work. BMS’ history tells otherwise: –BMS started work in unreached China in the 1860s – it is now a land with 80 million Christians.

What is BMS World Mission doing? Reaching the unreached is not marginal work. BMS’ history tells otherwise: –BMS were reaching the unreached head-hunters of Mizoram, NE India, in 1903 – now they are one of the strongest mission forces in Asia.

What is BMS World Mission doing? Reaching the unreached is not marginal work. BMS’ history tells otherwise: –Missionaries went to Brazil in 1953 – now Brazilian missionaries are spreading the good news throughout the world.

What is BMS World Mission doing? How is BMS reaching the unreached today? People need access to the gospel, which means overcoming cultural or language barriers By being there! – BMS works in ten countries within the 10/40 window – that’s 144 personnel and partner workers BMS personnel in the 10/40 window work in many roles: physiotherapist, doctor, teacher, computer programmer, consultant, PA

Reflection Heaven will be a well-populated place as God’s plan is to have people from all parts of this earth with him for eternity: “…a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb”. (Rev 7: 9) But we have a part in this: “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” (Rom 10: 14)

Reflection Questions to think about and discuss: 1)Are there people near you who are unreached? 2)What motivates you to tell/show others God’s great message? 3)How can you reach the unreached?

Useful resources BMS World Mission opportunities Joshua Project World Missions Atlas Project Greater Europe Mission Unicef Wycliffe UK Operation World (Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk)