Until All Have Heard...

3.3 billion people live without access to the Gospel. Learn what defines unreached people groups and how you can help fulfill the Great Commission.

We often take for granted the fact that we can easily access Scripture. Not only do we have God’s Word in our language, but we have multiple translations, and easy, immediate access at all times. Yet so much of the world still has no copy of God’s Word in their own language. With over 7,000 languages spoken around the world, it’s shocking to think that only 733 of them have the complete Bible translated into their language. The impact of Bible translation is profound. Having access to the Bible in one's own language allows people to connect more deeply with God and understand His Word. The translation process is complex, though, and involves not only linguistic skill but also deep understanding of theology, culture, and historical context. The History of Bible Translation The history of Bible translation stretches back to ancient times. One of the earliest and most well-known translations is the Septuagint , a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures created around the 3rd century BCE. As Christianity spread across different regions of the world, the Bible needed to be translated into new languages to make it accessible to people of various cultures. One of the most famous translations was St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate in the 4th century, which became the standard Bible for the Western Church for many centuries. As time progressed, more translations followed, particularly during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, when Martin Luther’s German Bible and William Tyndale’s English Bible made the Scriptures available to the common people. Today, at least parts of the Bible have been translated into over 3,000 languages, making it the most translated book in history. However, there are still thousands of languages without a complete translation of the Bible, so the work continues. The Translation Team: Collaboration and Expertise Bible translation is not a solo endeavor. It typically involves a team of people with different expertise. Translators must be fluent in both the original biblical languages (primarily Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and the target language. They also need to have a deep understanding of the culture and worldview of the people they are translating for. Cultural understanding is critical because languages are not just about words—they carry with them cultural nuances and meanings that must be conveyed accurately. The team often includes linguists, theologians, Bible scholars, and community members. Theologians ensure that the translation is doctrinally sound and faithful to the original text, while linguists focus on the grammatical and syntactical challenges. The involvement of the local community is also essential to ensure that the translation resonates with the everyday experiences and idiomatic expressions of the target language speakers.

Praying for the unreached is powerful, aligning our hearts with God's heart for all people. While it may seem that these distant communities are unreachable, prayer can move mountains, open doors, and soften hearts. As we lift up the unreached people groups of the world, we can trust that God hears our prayers and is at work in ways we may never fully see. Not sure how to pray for these unreached people groups? To get you started, let’s take a look at some specific people groups that need our prayers. This list is by no means exhaustive but provides a snapshot of areas where there is significant need for evangelistic work. 1. The Fulani (West Africa) Population : 25 million Location : Predominantly in West and Central Africa (Nigeria, Mali, Niger, and others) Religion : Islam Challenges : The Fulani people are primarily nomadic herders with a strong Islamic tradition. Access to the Gospel is limited, and there are few local believers among them. Political unrest and conflict in many of their regions further complicate outreach efforts. Prayer Points : Pray for open hearts to the Gospel, for peace in regions of conflict, and for effective strategies to engage the Fulani people with the message of Christ. 2. The Yadav (India) Population : Over 30 million Location : Primarily in northern and central India Religion : Hinduism Challenges : The Yadav people are a large ethnic group in India, mostly involved in farming and herding. They follow Hindu traditions and have very little exposure to Christianity. Social pressures and caste discrimination can make it difficult for Yadav individuals to explore new faiths. Prayer Points : Pray for breakthroughs in the form of indigenous believers, culturally-relevant evangelism, and the spread of Gospel-centered resources for the Yadav. 3. The Berbers (North Africa) Population : Over 30 million Location : Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya Religion : Islam Challenges : The Berber people have a rich cultural history but are largely unreached with the Gospel. With strong Islamic traditions, Berbers face religious persecution if they convert to Christianity. Their isolated rural communities make outreach particularly difficult. Prayer Points : Pray for courage for Berbers who are secretly seeking truth, for the protection of believers, and for open doors for missionaries to enter their regions.

Through the Agriculture Program at Missionary Training School, participants learn best practices for sustainable agriculture while also learning how to teach those principles to others. In the "most diverse square mile in America", with over 13,000 refugees from 60+ nations, time dedicated to cross-cultural evangelism to diaspora populations within the GFM Community Garden is rich.

Welcoming the nations plays an increasingly effective role in fulfilling the Great Commission, to see every tribe, tongue, people, and nation delighting in and worshiping the Lord. What if followers of Jesus all over the world welcomed, loved, and showed hospitality to refugees, immigrants, and international students? What if the influx of nations coming to America is a blessing and opportunity, orchestrated by God, to fulfill the Great Commission?

Missionary Work in the 10/40 can be really challenging but provides unqiue opportunities as well.

GFM's hub in Richmond has done a great job engaging the international community there.

Local and global missions are both necessary. It's not an either/or but a both/and.

How can you give financially to unreached people groups in the 10/40 window during covid?

Learn 5 steps to pray for the unreached and then apply them!

How to connect with the nations that are near you helps us better understand diaspora missions.

Find out about unengaged, unreached and frontier people groups.

Hear how Christ is leading thousands of Muslims to Himself.

Read this story about a terrorist encountering Jesus.

How many missionaries and money is going to unreached people groups?