Key 1: The commitment is to plant churches.
There are many missionary activities that help the advancement of the kingdom of God but it is important to clearly define that for a group to be recognized as “reached” we must develop the necessary work until reaching the final goal that is to plant a church into that “unreached” ethnic group.
Humanitarian aid, short-term trips, educational materials, construction of buildings, health programs and the like are excellent means of serving “unreached” ethnic groups but must be part of a broad strategy that includes the ultimate goal to “Plant a church” that will allow reaching these groups. All missionary efforts must be accompanied by a strategy to help long-term workers to work in the planting of local churches.
For these projects, we require both “SENDERS” and long-term “SENDED” workers or teams. The objective is only reached when within the ethnic group there is a group of Christians with: Self-support Self-government Self-reproduction Adaptation to the culture of the ethnic group A translation of the New Testament A minimum of 2 to 5% of believers.
These local churches will function as seeds that can grow and spread the gospel to the rest of the “unreached” ethnic group. If we want to reach the “unreached” ethnic groups to the emphasis on prayer, adoration, awareness, and mobilization that we carry out in our churches we must add:
1) concrete commitments of people who are willing to respond to the “GO” missionary call and
2) commited people to sustain with prayer, support and finances to those called out. When we make the decision to “work together”, “invest in the long term”, “to send a worker or team” to “start a church planting strategy” in an “unreached ethnic group” we are taking a step forward in God’s kingdom.
This decision requires serious churches working towards “long-term commitments” and “relationships of trust” between the “SENDERS” and the worker or team. These processes will require important investments to prayer, work, human resources, and finances. The challenge is great but God is GREATER, we must act by faith towards the opening of new projects.
To get involved in real projects to reach unreached ethnic groups, visit www.iglesiasenmision.org Church Team in Mision