Defining the objective – unreached ethnic groups

The words of Jesus leave no doubt. Reaching the unreached ethnic groups is not only the task that we still have to complete, but it is our final task before we see HIS return.

This gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world, as a testimony to all ethnic groups; And then the end will come. Matthew 24:14

The ethnic groups are at the center of the heart of God and are HIS priority.

An ethnic group is a group of people who share the same language, culture, history and group identity.

An unreached ethnic group is a group of people who do not have access to the gospel: the only message that can save them. It is an ethnic group that requires an effort by the church to reach it.

We can include:
• Ethnic groups that have no knowledge of the gospel. There is no person who has heard the gospel.
• Ethnic groups that have received Christian witness, but it has not been permanent.
• Ethnic groups with some converts and some churches in formation. They are considered “unreached” because less than 2 percent of the population is evangelical and the work requires non-native help to continue.

How many unreached ethnic groups are there in the world? There are more than 6,400 unreached ethnic groups in the world. 3,100 of these ethnic groups have no access to the gospel.

Where are they? The vast majority is in areas of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Why have not they been reached as yet? Due to…
• Cultural barriers: persecution, fear of change, seen Christianity as a “foreign” religion.
• Geographical barriers: remote locations, severe weather, difficult access, or nomads.
• Language barriers: they are illiterate, there is no Bible in their language, unwritten language.
• Political barriers: restricted access, evangelism is prohibited, conflictive environment.
• Religious barriers: restrictive religious climate, no freedom of expression, persecution.
• Prejudice barriers: they are few in number, they are isolated from the society where they live in.
• Barriers of ignorance: believers are not informed of the needs of this group.
• Spiritual Barriers: Satan uses spiritual warfare to stop the advance of the gospel

The great filmmakers point out that the first key step to achieving a dream is to define its objective, and to make sure it is simple to understand, measurable and relevant.
Our goal as Christians is to “reach unreached ethnic groups”, that should be our focus, that should be our priority, towards that goal we should be spending our highest percentage of time, effort and money.

To get involved in real projects to reach unreached ethnic groups, visit www.iglesiasenmision.org

Team Iglesias in mission