Plain Speak for “Unreached”

Beyond the words and numbers, just what does the concept “unreached” actually look like? A missionary working in an Asian country stood before a large gathering and explained it this way:

“Unreached?” she said, “I’ll define what unreached is in my country.”  “It’s when my friend walks out her front door and turns right and continues walking as far as the road will take her but there is no one to tell her about Jesus.  The next day that same friend turns left and continues as far as the road will take her, and she still has no one to tell her about Jesus.  That is unreached” 

You could have heard a pin drop.  Imagine living where there are no known Christians.  You have no reasonable access to the gospel or God’s people in your heart language.  Roughly a third of the world is in this sense unreached - no choice, no access and no opportunity. 

For the purpose of comparison, let’s say you’re living in a typical NZ city like Hamilton.  On Monday you tell your Facebook friends about the church conference last weekend. On Tuesday you shop at Manna Bookstore.  On Wednesday you to go to a small group Bible study.  On Thursday you’re listening to LifeFM on the drive home. Early Friday morning you meet with another believer to pray for each other. On Saturday you play in the Christian sports league.  You go to church on Sunday, passing numerous other ones on the way.  Remember, all of this is in an English speaking culture you know well.  You are essentially “reached.”  You have reasonable access to the gospel.

If this huge imbalance has got to you, and you’re sensing that divine nudge, we’d love to talk with you or your church about how Kiwis are getting involved.  It’s not an easy path, but as many have discovered, it’s so worth it!

Recommendations for Research  
For those wanting to explore the stats, terms and definitions more, we recommend sites such as Joshua Project, Operation World and U.S. Centre for World Mission.