IJFM (ISSN # 0743-2529) was estab- INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF lished in 1984 by the International Student Leaders Coalition for Frontier FRONTIER MISSIONS Missions. Published quarterly for $15.00 in Jan.- April-June 1996 March., April-June, July-Sept. and Oct.- Volume 13 Number 2 Dec., by the International Journal of Frontier Missions, 7665 Wenda Way, Contents El Paso TX 79915.

Editor: 53 Editorial: Completing the Task that Remains Hans M. Weerstra Hans M. Weerstra Associate Editors: Richard A. Cotton 55 The Unfinished Task D. Bruce Graham Luis Bush Managing Editor: Judy L. Weerstra 59 Unreached Peoples: How Many Are There? IJFM Secretary: Patrick Johnstone Barbara R. Pitts Publisher: 61 The Danuwar Rai of Nepal Bradley Gill Bethany World Prayer Center The IJFM promotes the investigation of frontier mission issues, including plans 63 Thy Kingdom Come and coordination for world evangeliza- Ralph D. Winter tion, measuring and monitoring its progress, defining, publishing and profiling unreached peoples, and the 71 Measured by the Master’s Piece promotion of biblical mission theology. David J. Hesselgrave The Journal advocates completion of world evangelization by AD 2000. 75 The Chitwan Tharu of Nepal The IJFM also seeks to promote inter- Bethany World Prayer Center generational dialogue between senior and junior mission leaders, cultivate an 77 To the Final Frontiers international fraternity of thought in the development of frontier missiology. Scott Grandi Address all editorial correspondence 81 The Joshua Project Research Survey and manuscripts, to 7665 Wenda Way, El Paso Texas, 79915 USA. Phone: John Robb (915) 779-5655 Fax: (915) 778-6440. E-mail address: 103121,2610. 87 Joshua Project 2000: Research, Profiles, Prayer and Church Planting for Unreached Peoples Subscription Information: One year (four issues) $15.00, two years (eight David Hargrove issues) $28.00, three years (twelve issues) $40.00. Single copies $5.00. 93 The Unreached Peoples List Payment must be enclosed with orders. Joshua Project 2000 Note: Subscriptions are automatically renewed and billed for year by year unless we receive other instructions. When changing your address, please supply both old and new addresses. IJFM Editorial Committee Cover Photo: Photo of a Danuwar Rai young man, used with permission from Gary R. Corwin, SIM/EMIS, USA Bethany World Prayer Center.

Paul Filidis, YWAM Research Center, USA Copyright: © 1996 by the International Student Leaders Coalition for Frontier Todd M. Johnson, World Evangelization Research Center, USA Missions. Patrick J. Johnstone, WEC International, UK PRINTED IN THE USA Bill O’Brien, Global Center, Samford University, USA Edison Queiroz, COMIBAM, Brazil Editorial: Completing the Task that Remains

ne of the most profound passages remains the god of the age. But we end? When the world has been evan- O of Scripture is found in Mat- must strongly emphasize that God has gelized. The disciples asked:“What thew 24:14, with its parallel passage in not abandoned this age to the Evil One. will be the sign of your coming and of In fact, the Kingdom of God has the close of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). Mark 10:13. Speaking about the signs entered into this evil age; Satan has “This gospel of the kingdom will be of the end of the age, Jesus said, “And been defeated. The Kingdom of God, preached throughout the whole world this gospel of the kingdom will be in Christ, has created the Church, and as a testimony to all nations; and then, preached in the whole world as a testi- the Kingdom of God works in the AND THEN, the end will come.” mony to all nations, and then the end world through the Church to accom- When? Then; when the Church has ful- will come.” The Markan version, with the plish God’s purpose of extending His filled its divinely appointed mission... same focus on the end of the age, sim- Kingdom in the world. We are caught When we have accomplished our mis- up in a great struggle—the conflict of ply states: “And the gospel must first be sion, He will return and establish His the ages. God’s Kingdom works in this preached to all nations.” (NIV) Kingdom in glory. To us it is given not world through the power of the Gospel. This passage is so profound because only to wait for but also to hasten the ‘And this gospel of the kingdom will coming of the day of God (II Peter it clearly links the preaching of the be preached throughout the whole 3:12). This is the mission of the Gospel gospel with the end of this present age world, as a testimony unto all nations, of the Kingdom, and this is our mis- and the ushering in of the new. No and then the end will come.’ sion.” (Quotes taken from Dr George where in all of Scripture is any event so ... What this verse of Scripture firmly Eldon Ladd’s article “The Gospel of clearly linked with the statement con- establishes is that the Good News of the Kingdom” in Perspectives on the cerning when the end will come. I want to the Kingdom of God, or the rule and World Christian Movement, A Reader, reign of God in Christ, must first be remind our readers of the powerful Revised Edition, eds. Ralph D. Winter communicated to the whole world, to commentary of the late Dr. George Eldon and Steven C. Hawthorne.) all the nations, tribes and peoples of Ladd on this important passage of the earth—they must all have the Gos- Matthew 24:14 gives us a clear Scripture. I will quote Dr. Ladd at length pel as a testimony unto them, that is to biblical precedent and a strong impulse to since it is worth its every line. As I say, they must all know its deepest consider completion of the task that see it, it directly speaks to the theme of message—before this age comes to an remains—looking at the main dimensions this issue on completing the task of end and the new age, of a new heaven of the task with its goal to start a and a new earth, is ushered in. This world evangelization with the biblical church movement for Christ in every peo- must happen before Christ returns or impulse underlying it. before His second coming. ple group among whom that still Dr. Ladd, author and scholar of the ... Let this verse burn in our hearts. hasn’t occurred. This is the focus and pur- Word—especially on the Kingdom of God has said this about no other group pose of this special issue of the Jour- God—says: of people. This Good News of the nal, dedicated in its entirety to completing Perhaps the most important single Kingdom of God must be preached, if the task of world evangelization. verse in the Word of God for God’s you please, by the Church, in all the Every article in this special edition people today is the text: Matthew world for a witness to all the nations. deals with that focus. The goal is that 24:14. This of course refers to the man- This is God’s program... every tribe, tongue and nation will have ifestation of God’s Kingdom in power This means that for the ultimate mean- the Church planted among them, so and glory when the Lord Jesus returns. ing of modern civilization and the des- There is wide interest among God’s tiny of human history, you and I are that all will have the Gospel “as a testi- people as to the time of Christ’s return. more important that the United mony unto them”, so that all will Will it be soon, or late? Many pro- Nations...the mission of the Church is have adequate access to the Gospel thus phetic Bible conferences offer mes- more important than the march of making the Good News available to sages which search the Bible and scan armies or the actions of the world’s the newspapers to understand the every person on planet earth. Finally, this capitals, because it is in the accom- will make it possible for all to be able prophecies and the signs of the times to plishment of this mission that the to call upon the Lord and be saved. try to determine how near to the end divine purpose for human history is we may be. Our text (Matthew 24:14) accomplished. No less than this is our (Romans 10:13-15) May it be soon, is the clearest statement in God’s Word mission! even by AD 2000, to the glory of our about the time of our Lord’s second ... Here is the motive of our mission: Lord and God! coming. There is no verse which The final victory awaits the completion speaks as concisely and distinctly as of our task. “And then the end will this verse about the time when the come.” There is no other verse in the Kingdom will come. Dr. Hans M. Weerstra, Word of God which says: “And then ... The Word of God does indeed teach the end will come.” When is Christ IJFM Editor that there will be an intensification of coming again? When the Church has July 1996, evil at the end of the age, for Satan finished its task. When will This Age El Paso, TX USA

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 13:2 APRIL-JUNE 1996 The Unfinished Task

God is on the move! He is superintending the events of our time. He is the source of the world’s growing spiritual thirst. That means that now is the time to act! by Luis Bush t was nearly two thousand years ago ted themselves in writing to the goal of a planting movement in their midst! Be- I that Jesus challenged His Church church for every people and the Gos- cause of God’s power and faithful- with the Great Commission to make disci- pel for every person by the year 2000. ness, His many servants have prepared the ples of all nations. Today, as we rap- With that common goal in sight, they way for this great moment in history. idly approach the 21st century, we are gathered in May of 1995 for the Global “The Gospel for every person” is en- nearing a milestone that Christians Consultation on World Evangeliza- tirely possible as well. We have long once only dreamed of reaching. Within tion (GCOWE ‘95) in Seoul, Korea, been told that by the year 2000, over 95% sight for the first time ever is a goal which Ralph Winter—founder of the of the world’s population—people that for centuries has ignited the hearts of U.S. Center for World Mission—said may from every culture, language and coun- missionaries: “A church for every have been “the most strategic Chris- try—will have access to the Good people and the Gospel for every person.” tian gathering in history.” News of Jesus Christ through a portion of This great “Unfinished Task” is It is apparent, then, that many Scripture in their own language, liter- the motivational goal of the AD2000 & Christian leaders from around the world ature distribution, radio transmission, au- Beyond Movement—not only that it believe “The Unfinished Task” can dio recordings, the “Jesus” film or be done, but that it be done by the end of indeed be finished. They have committed public evangelism. In fact, it is no longer the millennium—by December 31, themselves and their resources to the a case of one means or another in 2000! effort, joining hands to seek completion terms of access to the Gospel, but one Perhaps this overwhelming goal of the task in this century. Embracing means and others. By the end of the sounds too ambitious, too far-reaching. the conviction of D. L. Moody, they have century, experts now tell us that 95% of But consider for a moment Coca- accepted even more strongly that, “It the world’s population will have ac- Cola’s well-publicized goal to place “a can be done; it ought to be done; it must cess not only to some portion of Scripture Coke in the hand of every person on be done.” in their own language, but also to earth by the year 2000.” If reaching the Christian radio broadcasts...and audio re- It Can Be Done! entire world with a soft drink is not cordings...and the Jesus film! too ambitious for a business corporation, The first thing we must under- Throughout the world we see much how much more should Christ’s own stand about the goal of “a church for eve- evidence of a rapid acceleration in di- Church be committed to reaching that ry people and the Gospel for every vine activity toward the fulfillment of the same world, in the same time frame, person” is that the greatest portion of the goal. God is moving as never before! with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ? task has already been done. As Opera- tion World author Patrick Johnstone God’s Word promises that He an- A hundred years ago, evangelist (Chairman of the AD2000 Unreached swers the prayers of His people when D. L. Moody said concerning the spread Peoples Network) has observed, “There is they pray according to His will. These of the Gospel to the whole world by cause for much praise to God in the promises underscore the pivotal role the end of 1900, “It can be done; it ought progress over the past 200 years, and of a growing prayer movement focused on to be done; it must be done.” Howev- more especially in the past 30, and world evangelization. Revival expert er, five years before the end of the centu- cautious hope for the initial attainment of and scholar J. Edwin Orr once wrote, ry, his colleague, A.T. Pierson, con- our goals.” “When God is about to do something ceded, “We despaired of hope.” Planting “a church for every people” new He sets His people a-praying.” This Today, a few years before the is a task that is already well underway is already happening in churches end of our century and millennium, hope and entirely within reach. Of 12,000 around the world. and anticipation have regained the known ethno-linguistic peoples in the In 1994 an article in Christianity upper hand over despair and pessimism. world (distinct cultures with their own Today asked, “Is a Global Great Awaken- More than 4,000 Christian leaders ing Just Around the Corner?” The ar- representing 186 countries have commit- ethnicity and/or language), an esti- mated 10,000 already have a church- ticle answered, “With millions of Chris- INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 13:2 APRIL-JUNE 1996 56 TheThe Unfinished Unfinished Task Task

First, the Gospel 2000, eight out of every ten people will for every person have access to the entire Bible in their by the year 2000 can own language. Nine out of ten will have become reality access to a New Testament. Today, because of the tech- the acceleration in Bible translation is so nology available remarkable that more than 18 differ- today. Consider the ent language portions per year are being ministry of one translated, compared to just over evangelist who is three per year in 1900. honorary co- Third, the Gospel for every per- chairman of the son by the year 2000 can become a reality AD2000 & Be- because of massive literature distribu- yond Movement— tion, which is occurring systematically as Billy Graham. well as randomly throughout the Since 1949, Graham world. The AD2000 God’s Word and Lit- tian believers holding mass prayer rallies has preached to more than 180 mil- erature Network, for example, is sys- worldwide, scholars and prayer move- lion people in more than 180 countries tematically distributing Christian litera- ment leaders are asking whether this de- and territories. Yet the impact of just ture to every home in the world. In In- velopment foreshadows church re- one day—April 14, 1996, newal on a global scale.” It went on to dwarfed even that cite prayer initiatives like the “Day to lifetime exposure. The Change the World”, held June 25, 1994, global broadcast of and the AD2000 Prayer Mobilization Graham’s 1996 World Network’s “Praying Through the Win- Television Special dow” of October, 1993. The article that day to nearly every then proposed that “a prayer movement country in the world that greatly surpasses anything, per- exposed more people to haps in all of Christian history, is rapidly the Gospel than all gaining momentum.” his combined audiences This momentum of prayer is still in 45 years of minis- growing. “Praying Through the Win- try! Never before in his- dow II,” held in October of 1995, focused tory have so many on the influential “Gateway” cities of people heard the Gospel message in a sin- dia, whose population will reach nearly the “10/40 Window.” A “Praying gle day. one billion by the year 2000, Final Through the Window III” scheduled If the combination of today’s technol- Thrust 5000 and other agencies are work- for October of 1997 will focus on the ogy and one evangelist can expose so ing to distribute Christian literature to least-evangelized peoples targeted by much of the world’s population to the every home in the more than 600,000 Joshua Project 2000. Add to this the thou- message of Jesus sands of churches and small groups Christ in such a short who have committed themselves to adopt- time, just imagine ing and praying for specific un- what great things—by reached people groups and the evidence is God’s grace and overwhelming: God’s people are power—are possible! praying as never before for the evangeli- Second, the zation of the world! Gospel for every person “The Gospel for every person” means by the year 2000 can that every person on earth will have become a reality because access to the Good News of Jesus Christ. the Scriptures are But how can we know for sure that available in the languag- worldwide access to the Gospel can be ac- es of the world’s complished? people. By the year

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS Luis Bush 57

this stirring film, looked and there before me was a great with 42 million multitude that no one could count, known decisions for from every nation, tribe, people and lan- Christ. With 445 guage, standing before the throne and churches and mission in front of the Lamb.” Scripture not only agencies in- stresses the need to reach all people volved, a new trans- groups, it also emphasizes that every per- lation is being son should hear the Gospel message. completed every 10 When Jesus commissioned His disciples days. The goal is He said, “Go into all the world and that by the year 2000, preach the good news to all creation” the “Jesus” film (Mark 16:15). Based on these verses, will be available in the AD2000 & Beyond Movement is mo- languages known bilizing Christians worldwide to plant by 99% of the in each ethno-linguistic people a church villages by century’s end, with an average world’s population. (church movement) and to provide of seventeen new churches per day It Ought to be Done! emerging. A close look at Fourth, the Gospel for every per- each person access to the the Bible tells us that son by the year 2000 can become a reality “The Unfinished because of audio communications. Task” of “a church for This includes all radio and recorded Gos- every people and the pel messages as well as other media Gospel for every person” that do not require reading skills for the ought to be done. hearer. Jesus said, “If you Because of a dramatic rise in illitera- love me, you will cy, the United Nations has called the obey what I command” 1980s “the lost decade.” Audio technolo- Gospel. (John 14:15).1 When gy has emerged as the obvious and vi- Jesus gave the Great tal mass medium for reaching these esti- Commission to His mated two billion non-literate people. followers, He commanded them, “Go and In less than ten years, the number of It Must Be Done! make disciples of all the nations” languages within evangelistic broad- Knowing that “The Unfinished (Matthew 28:19). The word He used for casting has increased from 170 to 249. By Task” can be done and ought to be done, “nations” was/is ethne, which can eas- the year 2000, radio broadcasts are we also acknowledge it must be done. ily be translated “ethno-linguistic peoples” expected to cover an estimated 99% of the But what has to happen before we can instead of “nations” in the sense of world’s population. The AD2000 Au- countries with politically drawn boundar- realize the vision of “a church for dio Communications Network, with the ies. In reaching the involvement of more than 20 agen- world for Christ, believ- cies, seeks—through a plan called “Target ers should take the 4000” to recruit at least 70 recording Good News of Jesus teams to finish the cassette recording Christ to all the un- work that began in 1940. By the year reached ethno-linguistic 2000, audio Gospel recordings will be peoples of the earth.! available to 96% of the world’s popu- The Bible tells us lation.2 that people from eve- Fifth, the Gospel for every per- ry ethno-linguistic group son by the year 2000 can become a reality will be in heaven. because of the “Jesus” film. As of John wrote in Revelation January, 1996, over 730 million people in 7:9, “After this I 217 countries of the world have seen 58 The Unfinished Task every people and the Gospel for every events of our time. He is the source of the researchers and will be used to produce person by the year 2000?” world’s growing spiritual thirst. That people profiles for prayer and strate- Through the AD2000 & Beyond means that now is the time. Let us go for- gic planning. Movement process, we believe God ward with God’s help and work to- You can explore joining a long- has raised up a number of specific, effec- gether in harmony toward the year 2000 term church-planting team. Your church tive strategies for completing the and beyond to complete “The Unfin- or fellowship can link with an agency task—country-wide efforts, denomina- ished Task” that lies before us. or denomination sending church planters tional initiatives, region-wide pro- It can be done! to one of the Joshua Project 2000 peo- jects, city-wide programs, networks of It ought to be done! ples and support them financially and in agencies and partnerships between It must be done! prayer. many organizations who labor together to- What You Can Do! For more resources, referrals and spe- ward the year 2000. “The Unfinished The data shows that the Gospel cifics on how you can be involved, Task” among unreached peoples is a com- will soon be available to almost every hu- contact: mon focus for all of them. man being alive today. What can be AD2000 & Beyond Movement, 2860 Over several years, more than 2,000 done to assure that people respond and S. Circle Drive, Suite 2112, Colorado plans which target the year 2000 have churches are planted, especially in the Springs, CO 80906 USA emerged independently, in country after remaining least-evangelized peoples who Telephone: (719) 576-2000 country around the world. Together are without a church? Joshua Project Fax: (719) 576-2685 they are a very strong indicator of what 2000 has been launched to give you a way E-mail:[email protected] we must do now. We must acknowl- to contribute to the completion of the Web page: http://www.ad2000.org edge, support and encourage them, filling task. The goal of Joshua Project 2000 is to any gaps that emerge and enriching pioneer a church-planting movement Footnotes them any way we can! among each of the approximately 2,000 1. Scripture taken from the Holy The Apostle Paul admonished all least-evangelized peoples through Bible, New International Version, Copy- believers to run the race to obtain the prayer, research and mobilizing church- right 1973, 1978, 1984 International prize. By God’s grace and provision, planting teams targeting the remain- Bible Society. Used by permission of we have come a long way. But as we ap- ing unreached peoples of the world. Zondervan Bible Publishers. proach the end of the race, it is time You can pray for the least- 2. The number of languages varies on to quicken our pace. It is time to begin our evangelized peoples. The Joshua Project the charts due to differences in defini- sprint. Paul wrote to the Romans, 2000 list is available (see article by tion. For instance, the Bible Translation “The hour has come for you to wake up David Hargrove in this issue of the IJFM). chart reflects the known languages from your slumber, because our sal- Encourage your church, Bible study definitely requiring translation. The Chris- vation is nearer now then when we first group or prayer circle to adopt an un- tian Radio Broadcasting chart uses believed. The night is nearly over; the reached people group for prayer and the language indicator to designate a day is almost here” (Romans 13:11-12). support. Make plans to participate in the broadcasted language understood We acknowledge “The Unfin- October 1997 “Praying Through the across various dialects. ished Task” includes several serious con- Window III” which will focus on the cerns. We must not oversimplify the least-evangelized peoples of the scope and nature of the task. We must world. guard against a failure to cooperate You can form or join a research within the Body of Christ. We should not team to visit one of the Joshua Project Luis Bush is the International Director underestimate the human, spiritual 2000 peoples. A Joshua Project 2000 of AD2000 &Beyond Movement. and financial costs of reaching the world’s video and a training manual prepared es- He and his wife live in Colorado remaining unreached peoples. pecially for short-term research teams Springs, Colorado, USA.. But we must remember that God is are available. The research data that you on the move! He is superintending the collect will be shared with missions

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS Unreached Peoples: How Many Are There? Understanding the complexity of cultural barriers allows us to see distinct groupings of people who consider themselves quite distinct from others, even from their near neighbors. One of the best known missiologists attempts to quantify the number of these biblically defined groups and describes the challenge involved in trying to compute the number of these groups existing in our world today.

by Patrick Johnstone he very term “unreached” is a chal- world evangelization it is important that ognized languages! Tlenge! Unreached peoples must we define what we mean by a people So much, therefore, depends on be reached as soon as possible. The group or people in this more limited our definitions and classifications. So any Church of the Lord Jesus must be sense. Revelation 7:9 gives us a good one who propose a number for peo- mobilized to reach them. For this, we guide: these terms are predominantly eth- ples and unreached peoples for the world must know who they are, where they nic and linguistic. This narrows down must also give their parameters. live, and how to reach them effectively. the number of peoples in the world to For this we need to know how many between 7,000 and 30,000, depending Differing Cut-off Points unreached people groups (UPs) there are. on the distinctions one makes. What is the minimal size of peo- Yet after 13 years of talk and ple that can qualify for inclusion in a Differing Definitions research, there is often more heat than world list? For instance: light, more confusion than clarity. So much depends on the ministry of Small tribes: At what size is a tribal Why? I see three basic reasons: an agency as to what definition is best group viable? Many of the Amerin- for the chosen medium of outreach. Take Differing Goals dian, Pacific, and African tribes are so language, for example. Christian small that they are unlikely to survive Christian anthropologists and sociolo- radio strategists tend to think in terms of as a separate entity for long. Should they gists are especially interested in defin- using major languages, and covering be included? ing our complex society. By this means, small minorities in commonly understood Migrant communities: At what size help can be given to churches strug- “trade” languages. The world could or level of integration should the gling to find keys for evangelizing every be 99 percent covered by broadcasting in many thousands of immigrant or refugee section of the society in which they 400-500 such major languages. live. To such researchers, the actual num- communities be recognized as unas- Bible translators on the other hand ber of people groups is not important, similated, viable, countable entities? have a stiffer criterion. Languages nor is the fact that in highly developed Would, for instance, 15 migrant that already have some Scriptures or that societies, any one person may be clas- Uzbeks from the U.S.S.R. in Canada con- might warrant a translation program sified in a number of professional, occu- stitute a separate people? The total for may number 5,455 or more (the latest pational, residential, and sociological Canada could be anything from 50 to 500 Wycliffe Bible Translators’ Ethno- groups. Such a classification could mean migrant ethnic communities. logue figure). an open ended total of millions of Criteria for a Suggested Model people groups in the world. Audio-Gospel organizations like Gospel Recordings, Inc., prepares tape The following is the model I used Missionaries on the other hand and disk evangelistic messages and for my book Operation World: are primarily concerned for the fulfillment can refine the program to dialects. Dia- of the Abrahamic covenant or prom- First, every indigenous people lects vary from a moderate change in ise that all the families of the earth within a country for which a separate accentuation to a high degree of mutual in (implying peoples) might be blessed cross-cultural discipling and church comprehension. Who could ever in the gospel, and that the vision of Reve- planting ministry is required was the stan- define every dialect in the world, 20,000 lation 7:9 might become reality that dard. This would generally mean that there might be those redeemed of every or 40,000? dialect and class distinctions are not made race, tribe, people, and tongue. The Social systems can be rigid. Many unless local knowledge justifies this. command of the Lord Jesus that disciples advocate that Hindu caste systems It may prove wise for separate and spe- be made of all the nations or peoples should be classified as ethnolinguistic cific evangelistic and early discipling must be bounded and completable. For peoples—there are over 3,000 castes strategies to be developed for these, but in India speaking 14 major officially rec- an integrated church to be the goal. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 13:2 APRIL-JUNE 1996 60 Unreached Peoples: How Many Are There?

Second, all immigrant communities been a rallying cry that was used for more Patrick Johnstone has served as a that retain a cultural and geographical than 13 years. I see it as a conceptual missionary to Southern Africa. He cohesion requiring a church planting strat- total based on theoretical assumptions is presently the Director of Research egy in their own language. I have which now needs updating and refin- for WEC International in England. taken 3,000 migrants as a general lower ing in the light of the more complete data limit for this second criteria. becoming available currently. This [Editor’s Note: This article is a Third, the total of each country gives larger number can only be justified if all reprint from World Mission, Part 2 Sec- the number of “peoples within the dialects, castes, etc. are included in ond Edition (1994) by Jonathan country.” The world total is derived by the definition. To me, this makes the Lewis, Editor. Reprinted with permission adding the totals for each country church planting task unnecessarily from William Carey Library, Pasa- (i.e., any ethno-linguistic group found in a complex. Let us not assume this larger dena, California.] multiple number of countries will be number until more detailed research included multiple times). obliges us to do so! [Additional follow-up note from World David Barrett’s peoples database Mission on Patrick Johnstone’s arti- Reachedness of Peoples already had nearly 11,000 entries when I cle: There are unreached peoples of the Using the above criteria, the results world all around us. We find them in last heard of it. His cut-off points are from the information that we have in ethnic and social enclaves in cities and in higher than mine in large countries— the isolated countryside. These people our files are as follows: possibly explaining some of the have been “hidden” from the Gospel —Total number of peoples within minor discrepancies with my world total because churches have not known country boundaries ...... 12,017 number. Bob Waymire’s (Global about them or perhaps have not wanted to —Total number of peoples with over Mapping Project) total of 11,600 is very look for them. The Church has often assumed that, as long as she keeps her 50% Christian ...... 6,000 close to mine—but we have shared doors open, it is the unreached who much of the definitions and data we both —Peoples with some viable indigenous are at fault if they don’t choose to walk churches ...... 3,000 use. through those doors. The “stained —Peoples with missionary outreach; I believe that the figure of a maxi- glass” barrier is a very real one, and it will continue to prevent the evangelization but no viabIe churches ...... 1,800 mum total 12,000 unreached peoples of these peoples all around us unless the is very close to the final total of peoples —Peoples with neither missionaries nor Church is cured of her “peoples for which specific cross-cultural dis- indigenous churches ...... 1,200 blindness” and takes the initiative to cipling in our generation may be required “go... and make disciples of all Compared to Other Estimates or has already minimally been nations” beginning with those right at our In the past the famous 17,000 achieved. This is a measurable and doorsteps.] unreached people groups out of a achievable goal. Let’s go for it, and total of 24,000 used by Ralph Winter has finish the task even by AD 2000!

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS The Danuwar Rai of Nepal A people in Eastern Nepal without the Scriptures, without the Gospel, and currently without any mission activity—an unreached people waiting for the Gospel.

by Bethany World Prayer Center epal is a small mountainous king- els of productivity. It is the men’s job of enduring economic hardship, and it N dom lying sheltered at the to plow the fields, while the women also brings respect and honor espe- foot of the Himalayan mountains, sand- plant the seeds. Harvesting is done by cially for those of high military rank. wiched between India to the South both, and often families will unite Marriages are facilitated by and Tibet to the north. It is home to to help each other at this special time. kongpi (middlemen) who are used by approximately 110 different ethnic Most farms produce barely the families to work out the details groups who speak many different lan- enough to support one family. Farmers of the marriage. Gifts are presented and guages and dialects, and have many trade any surplus crops they may if accepted, a marriage date will be different religious beliefs. have for such important items as kero- set. Some marriages are still facilitated The Danuwar Rai are part of a sene and salt. Others supplement by the pre-arranged kidnapping of cluster of people known as the Rais— their income through craftwork and the girl of one’s choice, as it is believed the largest group in eastern Nepal. tailoring. A beverage is made from that these bring about good results. The numerous groups in the cluster all barley and potato, and this is used on speak various dialects (from which festive occasions and marriage cer- Gifts are still presented to the respec- most take their name), of the same lan- emonies. tive families. The sacrifice of an guage family. Though they have Like other Rai groups, the Dan- animal (usually a pig or rooster) is pronounced Mongoloid features they uwar Rai live in one or two claim their origin to Marema, the storied wooden or daughter of Nina (who was the daugh- stone houses with thatched ter of the earth); and Mahadeva—a gabled roofs. The wanderer in the jungle of Simrangarh houses usually have and Tehrathum. wooden verandas Nepal is predominantly an agricul- Traditionally, the men tural country with more than 90% wear a daura (cloak) of the population dependent on agricul- and a surrwal ( a kind of ture for their livelihood, yet it is pajama). Women wear poor and undeveloped. The Danuwar a fariya (a type of sari), Rai subsist primarily as rice agri- and a cholo (blouse). culturists, but many of the men do Collectively, the Rai migrate to the cities for work. are known as very brave, courageous, daring What are their lives like? and fearless people. In As agriculturists, the Danuwar Rai recent history they have have been limited by insufficient won worldwide reputa- knowledge of technology. While they tion for their bravery as grow rice in the low lying areas and Gurkhas in the Royal potatoes, maize, wheat and barley at Nepalese army. Joining the higher altitudes, they have poor lev- army is often a way out

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 13:2 APRIL-JUNE1996 62 The Danuwar Rai of Nepal often performed at this time. Marriages believers, but they still need the support Bethany World Prayer Center are very festive occasions and meat of mission efforts from the outside. 13855 Plank Road and drinks are served in abundance. For information on Unreached Peoples Baker, LA 70714 Gifts are made to the parents of the Prayer Profiles please contact: bride and groom as well as to a long line of family members and village elders. Often the whole night is spent in singing and celebration.

What are their beliefs? Although the royal family of Nepal is Hindu (as is about 90% of the population of Nepal), Hinduism and Buddhism exist side by side and are intermingled. The majority of Danuwar Rai are Hindu’s but there are a number of Buddhists and some animis- tic worshipers. As a result, there is a wide variety of deities and worship practices among the people, most evident at celebrations of birth, mar- riage and death. While they wor- ship the various Hindu gods, they also follow a Buddhist way of life and obey the teachings of the Lamas. How- ever, at the same time they have faith in the various local spirits and supernatural forces. Due to Hindu influence many of the dead are being cremated instead of being buried.

What are their needs? Nepal has long been hidden away and forgotten by most of the world. Fiercely opposed to any form of evan- gelism (proselytism), government restrictions and subsequent penalties on Christian witness have been harsh. Many believers have spent significant periods in prison for their beliefs. The Danuwar Rai do not have the Scriptures or the “Jesus Film” in their own language. Currently no mis- sions agencies are working among them. There is a small number of

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS “Thy Kingdom Come” An Analysis of a Vision The AD2000 Movement has a profound mission statement, and it is more profound than meets the eye: “A Church for Every People, and the Gospel for Every Person by the Year 2000.”

by Ralph D.Winter

o the three phrases in the above What CAN be done by the year wipe away every tear...” Dmission statement give us a 2000? What is it that we can all pray Is it possible that the essence of crystal clear mandate? The Bible says “if for? Well, what did Jesus tell us to pray the return of Christ will inevitably be a the trumpet gives an uncertain for? He said that we must pray “Thy moment when “measurable” evangel- sound...” Especially note the final phrase: Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth istic goals will be overwhelmed by a total “By the year 2000.” It is the most as it is in heaven.” newness of God’s own design? electrifying phrase in the statement; it also What this means is that our concept Certainly we should take our evangel- causes the most hesitation. No one of God’s desire to reach all peoples istic measurements seriously, but not objects to the idea of goals for the year and persons must some how be part of His as ultimate parameters of God’s purpose 2000, but here we see “every people” desire for His Kingdom to come on and plan. We must look forward to and “every person.” Doesn’t the presence earth. Other verses say that He looks the year 2000, knowing that He may eval- (twice) of the word “every” make toward the time when all the nations uate things by measures we cannot these goals for AD 2000 seem audacious of the world will declare His glory. fully comprehend. His thoughts are higher and perhaps even foolish? What does it really mean for His than ours. Meanwhile, with regard to Suppose we could arrive at the place Kingdom to come? Jesus once said, “If I His known will, we can and must do all! where we were absolutely confident with the finger of God cast out devils, Can we be overly concerned about that every person on earth has heard the then the Kingdom of God has come upon bookkeeping tallies in heaven and less Gospel and understood it; that is, eve- you” (Luke 11:20). Is this what it concerned about declaring His glory ryone who is over 2 years old, say, and means for the Kingdom of God to come? on earth? Can souls get saved without His also not so old as to be unable to hear, Is it possible that we have become so name being glorified? I actually or so sick as to be unable to think. In any tied up with our measurements of evan- believe that brilliant evangelical thinkers case, suppose we could come to the gelism, social reform, and economic who are wrestling with front-line sci- place where every “hearing” person has growth that we have forgotten that God is ence are part and parcel of the global heard. At midnight on a certain night primarily in the business of conquer- struggle to glorify His name. we would have finished the job! ing Satan? And, this is why breaking through One day later, over a million We look forward toward the time into every people has got to be a pre- more tiny tots have arrived at the age of when “the Kingdoms of this world are cursor to reaching every person Satan two, and over a million more people become the kingdoms of our Lord, holds whole peoples in bondage. We have plunged beyond a condition of intel- ligibility. Note that God must know and of His Christ, and He shall reign for- can’t wrestle a single soul out of his hand what to do with all such people. There are ever and ever” (Rev 11:15). Surely without challenging his authority in probably 500 million children in the He seeks to vanquish the “rulers of the that particular people group. world at any given time under the age of darkness of this earth” (Ephesians In those groups where Satan’s two. Who knows how many older or 6:1)? hold has already been broken, it is well sick folks there are? But this is not simply a case of understood how to win souls. But, in But this is the point: is God political or military conquest. Jesus made groups where no real breakthrough has really playing with statistics...watching that plain when He said, “My king- occurred, the contest is still a “power curves on a computer graph? Is He dom is not of this world.” So we are not encounter” between the Spirit of God and mechanically waiting for a certain number looking for a Christianized United the powers of darkness. This is why of souls to be saved? Is counting peo- Nations any more than we are looking for- the front line of missions must be prayer! ples and persons the name of the game? Is ward to every human being converted This is why Asian evangelists say that all He expects us to shoot for by to Christ, or even all social wrongs they must first “bind the strong man” AD 2000? righted. Indeed, in Revelation 21 we before entering a village that sits in note that AFTER He returns “He shall darkness waiting for the great light to

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 13:2 APRIL-JUNE 1996 64 Thy Kingdom Come appear. We must remember that taking the and pioneer penetration and just pray that for one symbolic congregation to be light into dark places will meet fierce God will go out and do His thing. planted within every group by the resistance. In the Bible the concept of What it does mean is that “We fight year 2000. I was at that meeting and know darkness is not merely the absence of not against flesh and blood but that what was meant by this simple light but the presence of a malignant, against principalities, against powers, phrase was essentially “a church move- destroying evil person. That is why against the rulers of the darkness of ment.” the kingdoms of this world will not easily this world, against the spiritual forces of The phrase “A Church for Every Peo- yield. evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. ple” was actually based on a concept 6:12). of Donald McGavran’s made famous Kingdoms of Darkness And we know that it is our fight, almost thirty years earlier when he The phrase “Every People” refers not just His, and that He is fighting with spoke of “a people movement to Christ.” to these kingdoms of darkness. This is us. We do not need to worry about He was there with us when a small why this phrase comes first in the slo- losing. We know that in every place on group of people met in a private home a gan. Only when the gates of those king- earth the key effort is not going to be few months before the 1980 meeting doms are broken down can the Gos- our wisdom or even our hard work. It will and hammered out this new “watch- pel be available “for every person.” be all of that plus His sovereign word.” Dr. McGavran’s conviction What does a darkened kingdom power breaking down the very gates of which had influenced so many others was look like? How can we tell when a king- hell. We know that He is still doing that we cannot say that we have evan- dom has been brought under God’s miracles. gelized a person unless that person has way? Isn’t this the definition of spiritual All of this cannot be brought been given a chance to unite with an mapping? together into a single human plan; yet it indigenous movement within his or her Satan wields his control over individ- calls upon every planning effort, all own society. Note that if we take this uals by dominating their groups. creative approaches, and all the sacrifice seriously we cannot even speak of the Most people follow the lead of their own we can muster. We do know that our Gospel for Every Person without group. Very few individuals are per- measurements of our peoples and persons planning to achieve an indigenous “peo- fectly unrestricted free thinkers for them- are merely concrete goals. We know ple movement to Christ” in every selves. Sometimes it is baffling to also that He is with us and we are acting people group. missionaries to know how to penetrate a in obedience to the call. His concern for converts was that people group. Often the break We can be embarrassed by the out- they ought to be encouraged to reach their through comes through a miraculous heal- come in the year 2000. But we will be own people rather than separate from ing or the unaccountable conversion embarrassed only if when that day comes them, and to do that he felt that they of a key per-son, not through normal we cannot say we have done every- should stay within the social sphere evangelism. Yes, normal evangelism thing in our power to find and approach of their own people. At this point we need only becomes possible after that break- and reach every people and every to quote some of McGavran’s “little through occurs. person on earth! letter.” Here are two of the seven princi- Back to our point: It may be therefore ples in McGavran’s short essay: A Church for Every People somewhat artificial to try to figure out (One)... principle is to encourage con- how many individuals are, or aren’t, won But what does “A Church for Every verts to remain thoroughly one with to Christ. Maybe what we face is a people” really mean? In the five-word their own people in most matters. They should continue to eat what much more direct question: are there still phrase, “A Church for Every People,” the their people eat. They should not say, kingdoms of this world where His word “church” means much more “My people are vegetarians but now name is not glorified? Every people and than an empty building or even a small that I have become a Christian, I’m every person are stepping stones in congregation. going to eat meat.” After they become Christians they should be that direction and are the result of the The first five words of the AD 2000 more rigidly vegetarian than they invasion of God’s glory among them. Movement slogan were launched in were before. In the matter of clothing, they should continue to look precisely But the conquering of the