__Most of us know people who don’t believe in Jesus. That’s one reason churches exist and why we share our faith with friends. But there’s a second group of people who have never heard of Jesus, and neither has anyone they know. The first group has countless opportunities to hear the gospel. Unless something changes, the second never will.__

Missions organizations call this second group “unreached people.” These are people living in communities with no churches nearby, very few or no native believers near where they live, and no access to God’s Word.

While some Christian churches are passionate about supporting missions to the unreached, sadly, the majority are doing virtually nothing. According to a study from the [Lake Institute on Faith and Giving](https://www.nscep.org/finding/), the average American church spends 72 percent of its budget on personnel and facilities. And while budget estimates for foreign missions range anywhere from five to 12 percent, it’s estimated that only 1.7 percent of that budget is spent on unreached peoples.

This translates to each Christian spending [$1.70 out of every $100,000 they earn.](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/4f661fde24ac1097e013deea/t/61fad19d0bbaad2bcc465978/1643827613106/WCT_Table20-3.pdf)

In church budgets across our country, reaching those who will never otherwise hear the gospel is taking second place to ministering to those who already have.

Unreached people aren’t separated from Christ and the good news of his salvation by choice. They’ve never been given an opportunity to respond to the gospel. There is no church they can attend to find out. There are no friends nearby who will tell them. There is no Scripture in a form they can understand (at least not yet).

Apart from divine intervention, there is no way that a person in one of these people groups will ever come to know Christ unless a Christian from outside their community goes to them.

How can this be?
#### 
__Maybe Christians just don’t know?__

It’s very possible that most Christians in America are unaware of how many people in the world are unreached or haven’t given it much thought. And as [ignorance of Scripture (and, hence, theology) is on the rise](https://thestateoftheology.com/), it follows that a lack of knowledge about biblical mandates to reach those who have never heard is also increasing.

In March of 2017, [Barna Group](https://www.barna.com/) conducted a [study of the U.S. Church’s ideas](https://www.barna.com/research/half-churchgoers-not-heard-great-commission/) about missions, social justice, Bible translation, and spreading the gospel around the world. When asked if they had heard of the Great Commission, about half of U.S. churchgoers (51 percent) responded that they hadn’t. Of those who knew the term, only 17 percent could also say they knew what it meant.

There’s more. Another study from Barna shows the results of a recent cultural shift that is leading younger generations of Christians to believe that any kind of [evangelism is wrong](https://www.barna.com/research/millennials-oppose-evangelism/). Talk to them about foreign missions, and you may find yourself in a [conversation about colonialism.](https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/evangelization-is-colonialism-are-we-sure-about-that/)

But this is not what we’re talking about when we discuss evangelism among unreached people. We’re talking about millions of people who have never had an opportunity to choose Jesus. These two reports from Barna beg the question:____ How can we carry out the greatest task Jesus has given us if we don’t even know what it is and some among our fellow Christians even believe evangelism is wrong?


![](https://www.ncfgiving.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/20170326India302-1-1920x1280.jpg)

#### 
__What does the Bible say?__

The best-known passage about missions – the one we call The Great Commission – is found at the end of Matthew:

*Jesus came to them and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”*
– Matthew 28:18-20

Though this is the passage we point to most often, Jesus delivered this message on a number of occasions with varying details to various individuals and groups of people.

Luke 24 tells us that, after his resurrection, a few people were blessed with a close, in-person encounter with Jesus. Two of them spoke with him along the road to Emmaus. He taught them what was written about his suffering, death, and resurrection in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms and said:

*“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”*
– Luke 24:44-49

And he told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would provide them with power to bear witness to his resurrection:

*But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”*
– Acts 1:8

These and [many other passages](https://biblereasons.com/sharing-faith/) seem to convey a clear message that it is the responsibility of the Church to spread the gospel as far as there are people to receive it.
#### 
__Does everyone have to go?__

John Piper makes a [great case for reaching the unreached](https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/holy-ambition--2), and he’s become well-known for a hard statement. If you seek God’s glory and you love people, he says, you have three choices: *“*Give, go, or disobey.” While this may motivate some people and is mostly true, it’s incomplete.

The body of Christ is made of different parts – unique believers with distinct gifts. And more than money and missionaries goes into getting the gospel to the ends of the earth. When Paul left a city where he had preached, he sent someone to disciple the new believers. And the Antioch church that launched him was a hub of spiritual activity, including evangelism and prayer for missionaries. It also served as a landing pad for Paul and his missionary companions.

Reaching the ends of the earth isn’t the mission of super-believers unafraid of extreme travel. It’s the mission of the whole church.

If you would like to learn more about how you can participate in getting the gospel to the unreached, here are some things you can do:

- [Learn the history of unreached people groups](https://blog.eastwest.org/the-history-of-unreached-people-groups)
- [Read the stats about unreached people](https://www.thetravelingteam.org/stats)
- [Find out how unreached people groups are identified](https://e360bible.org/blog/unreached-people-groups/)
- [Watch or share this video with a friend](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIDraNUGerE)
- [Discover more about the groups ](https://joshuaproject.net/)[who haven’t heard the gospel](https://joshuaproject.net/)
- [Have a movie night with family to learn about missions to the unreached](https://maf.org/endsoftheearth/#:~:text=The%20documentary%20explores%20stories%20of,and%20inaccessible%20places%20on%20earth.)
- [Bring this message to your church](https://athirdofus.com/)

And please pray. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). Missionaries need strong support through prayer for this great and holy task. Consider offering to pray for a specific group.

__[Images](https://www.ncfgiving.com/stories/the-ends-of-the-earth-what-the-bible-says/)__ used with permission

NCF helps people create a giving strategy based on biblical principles, so they can be wise stewards of all they have and experience the joy of greater generosity.

National Christian Foundation

Biblical Foundation for Giving

Most of us know people who don’t believe in Jesus. But there’s a second group of people who have never heard of Jesus.

GIVING | Jul 31, 2023

The Great Commission, the unreached, and the ends of the earth

By: Jill Foley Turner

NCF helps people create a giving strategy based on biblical principles, so they can be wise stewards of all they have and experience the joy of greater generosity.

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