Cast Vision for Unreached People Groups (UPGs), Sponsoring UPG Adoptions, and Supporting Indigenous Field Workers Through Holistic Projects
Nearly 60,000 people die every day around the world without hearing name of Jesus, having had any contact with any Christian, or seeing a Christian church. They have never had the opportunity to choose Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
- Try to visualize: what would it be like to live all your life and never have contact with a Christian?
- Try to visualize: what if it was me who died without having the choice to make Jesus my personal Lord and Savior?
- The global population is growing hundreds of thousands of people every day (over 1.5 million every week). Every one of these people has a personal right to hear the gospel and make a salvation choice!
Let’s define and review a few key terms:
- Nations (Ethne) – A group of people who may vary in size or geographic location but are the same ethnically, socially, culturally, and linguistically.
- People Group – A group of individuals who share a common history and heritage as well as ethnic, linguistic, and cultural traits.
- Reached People Groups – A people group is considered “reached” if it has a viable, indigenous, reproducing church movement in its midst. This includes strong churches pastored by indigenous leaders, in their own language, actively evangelizing their own people, and planting churches within their community or region.
- Unreached People Groups (UPGs) – People group within which there is no viable indigenous church that can disciple and reach its own people and no real access to hear about Jesus. They have never had the opportunity to make a choice to make Jesus their Lord and Savior!
Where Are UPGs Located?
- Believers, pastors, and church congregations must recognize there are UPGs everywhere.
- According to the Joshua Project website, there are UPGs located in virtually every country on earth, with rare exceptions.
- Check out some typical examples:
Where do most of the UPGs live?
- Approximately 90-95% of unreached people live in a region called the 10/40 Window.
- This is a geographical region between 10 degrees and 40 degrees north latitude and extending from the eastern edge of Japan to the western edge of North Africa.
- In this regional window, the vast majority of the people and cultures are dominated by one of the following religions or government systems, which are aggressively opposed to Christianity:
- Tribal and Folk Religionists (witch doctors, animists, etc.)
- Hindus
- Unreligious (socialists, communists, secular humanists, agnostics, and atheists)
- Muslims
- Buddhists
- This represents the majority, though not all, of the remaining final frontiers of Great Commission missions work for the Global Church.
- In this region live over 80 percent of the world’s “poorest of the poor” and 82 percent of those with the lowest quality of life.
- Unfortunately, this region is also where less than .05% of missions-designated funds are given to reach the unreached and only 2-5% of Christian workers minister among unreached people groups. This is a travesty!
What Is Sponsoring a UPG Adoption or Supporting a Holistic Project?
- A heart connection to an Unreached People Group marked by focused prayer and genuine concern for their eternal destiny.
- A financial commitment to the UPG – a commitment to see native missionaries sent and sustained until new churches planted that are multiplying on their own.
Why should all church ministries be passionate and focused on reaching out to Unreached People Groups (UPGs)?
- In His final words on Earth, Jesus gave his disciples (including us) the Great Commission, instructing us to: “Go and make disciples of all nations [ethne]” Matthew 28:19
- Jesus was not referring to our modern political nation-states, but the Greek translation, “panta ta ethne,” indicates people groups.
- In Matthew 24:14, he uses the same terminology, declaring: “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations [ethne], and then the end will come.”
- Jesus gave us the finish line for the Great Commission!
- The Global Church (including all born-again Believers) exists to get the message of Jesus to those who have no access because we are disciples of Jesus and want to fulfill the words of Christ.
- With the body of Christ working together, all 7,400+ Unreached People Groups can be reached with the gospel – making the Great Commission into the Great Completion.
- RDIM and AIMS are committed to sending local (indigenous) missionaries who already know the language, culture, and lifestyle of an unreached tribe to share God’s love and plant churches among them.
- This process is far more effective and efficient than the traditional concept of missionary work by the western church!
- When you sponsor a UPG Adoption or a Holistic Project, YOU will be personally involved in this Great Commission process! Praise God!
For more comprehensive information, please contact AIMS directly.