Reaching the World’s Most Reached People Groups 7

What would happen if a mission agency started advertising their mission statement as: to plant churches among the world’s most reached people groups?

Would you lead your church to other countries to pour the overwhelming majority of your evangelistic efforts into serving reached people groups, knowing 6800 unreached people groups remain?

Forty years ago, Ralph Winter told us to stop doing such things and go to the unreached people groups. It took a while, but many denominations, agencies, and churches shifted their approaches to disciple making and church planting among unreached people groups.

Did spiritual needs exist among reached people groups? Yes. Were lost people still among them? Absolutely. But in 1974 the world was a big place and resources were limited. The Father called His people to be wise stewards. He called them to remember and respond in light of the eschatological reality connected to their global witness (Matt 24:14).

And so, evangelicals changed and went to the upgs. And rightly so, we are still going.

We are still going. . . as long as missions still means “overseas.”

If we would not spend the majority of our disciple making resources, energies, and efforts for church planting among reached people groups elsewhere, then why do we continue to do it in North America? Why are denominations and churches still talking about planting churches among reached people groups? Why is it when the few challenge the status quo that we still get the deer in the headlights looking back at us?

While we may not be aware of agencies whose slogans are to plant churches among the world’s most reached people groups, do we know of any that reflect this in their actions?

I wonder what Winter would say. . . . Because I think we know what Jesus would say.