Missions

THE STATE OF WORLD MISSIONS

In Jesus' final command before ascending to Heaven, He commissioned the church to go and make disciples of all nations. All nations most likely refers to all people groups, rather than just all countries. A people group is often defined as a group with a shared language, culture, and self-identity.  It is the largest group within which the gospel can spread without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance.

As of 2025, the IMB reports that there are about 12,300 distinct people groups around the world. Of those, about 7300 (roughly 60%) are considered unreached. An unreached people group is one where less than 2% of the population are Biblical Christians, meaning there are too few believers to effectively share the gospel and disciple others. To put that in perspective, imagine a room filled with 100 people and less than 2 of them believe the gospel. That room would be considered unreached.

Even more concerning, IMB reports that 3,100 of those unreached people groups remain completely unengaged. An unengaged people group is one where there are currently no known efforts to reach them—no missionaries, no church planting strategy, and no access to the gospel.

A large number of unreached and unengaged groups are found in what mission strategists call the 10/40 Window—a vast region of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude. Mission strategists emphasize the 10/40 Window because it represents the greatest concentration of people with the least access to the gospel. It’s the least reached and least resourced, making it a top priority for global missions.