Top 20 Unreached People Groups

Top 20Unreached People GroupsAdapted from a presentation by Doug Lucas at Heartland MissionFest, Tulsa, OK

1) Geographical challenge–The 10/40 Windowcontains: 35% of global land mass 65% of world population 95% of those who have neverheard the gospel 90% of world’s poorestpeople

The geographical challenge:Overwhelming!

The geographical challenge:Unreached countries 23 countries with 10-50% professingChristians35 countries with 1-10% Christian(including China and India)29 countries (all within the 10/40window) with less than 1% Christian

2) Urban Challenge Growth of cities––– 1800: 4% urban1900: 14% urban2000: 51% urbanGrowth of slums––1 billion people live in squattersettlementsOf the 2 billion people living in3rd world cities, 40% are the“very poor”

3) Ideological challenge Islam -- 1.1 billionHinduism -- 800 millionBuddhism -- 700 ismAnimism

4) Social challenge Child issues––––––Abortion: 40 million per yearChild prostitution: 10 millioncurrently, 1 million new/yearMalnutrition kills 35,000children per dayStreet children: 100 millionVictims of war: 1.5 millionchildren killed in a recentdecade; 4 million disabled, 12million lost homesMore than 1.5 million AIDSinfected children Slavery: 100 to 200 millionchildrenDrug addictionDisease–– TB - 30 million in 90s, 70% ofprisoners in Russia have TBMalaria - 3 million died inrecent year, including 1 millionchildrenAIDS–unknown in 1980, more than6.5 million dead (25% childrenof HIV carriers), 2.3 milliondeaths in a recent year; 20million known infected inAfrica

5) The “People Challenge”Joshua Project list of Unreached Peoples Our filter:–– More than 10,000 pop.Less than 5% Christianor 2% evangelical1610 people groups fit thatcriteria240 are “untargeted”624 no church planting team1152 have no reportedchurch of at least 100believers

#20 Kurds 25 millionHigh profile in the newsTurkey, Iran, Iraq, SyriaOne worker wrote, "In Turkey, where the largestcontingent (40 percent) of Kurds live, the Kurdishare seen as a threat by the Turkish government.They have sought to assimilate the Kurds intoTurkish society through forced resettlement. Untilrecently, it was a crime to speak Kurdish inpublic."

#19 Shuwa Arabs 1.5 to 2 million Sunni Muslims livingmainly in central Chad (Africa)Comprise one-third of the population ofChadLess than 10 known believers among themOnly one missionary family working amongthem

#18 Baloch 6 million speakersIran and Pakistan (Balochistan)About 100 scattered believers among them6 missionary couples are working amongthemNo established and continuing Christianfellowship

#17 Bengali Nearly 200,000,000 inBangladesh and the Indian state of WestBengal 6th largest people group in the world One of largest Muslim people groups Seemingly always suffering. The largest, least evangelized people groupin the world.

#16: Gujarati Population: 45 million (mostly in westernIndia)Less than one-half of 1% are Christian7th largest language group on earth (spokenby 100 million people)Only 1 adopting church

#15: Wolof 3 millionVery influential group in SenegalFollow Muslim-African religionsOnly 10-40 known believers worldwideNo known Wolof Christian fellowshipanywhere in the world.

#14: Turkmen Location: AfghanistanPopulation: 1 millionNomads by history; refugees by warMuslim in religion

#13: Iraqi Arabs 17-18 millionOne of the most misunderstoodand hated groups on earth

#12: Luri of Iran Hostile to outsidersTurkic, semi-nomadic, and therefore aminority group that is elusive and veryinaccessible.

#11: Indonesian Groups Staunchly Muslim people groupPopulation of 8 million4th largest ethnic group in IndonesiaHomeland: Sumatra, "least evanglizedisland in the world"According to Patrick Johnstone, “the moststrategic unreached people in the IndoMalay world.”

#10: Bambara 3.9 million people in Burkina Faso, Coted'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania,SenegalMuslim and ethnic religions4% ChristianAbout half never heard the gospel

#9: Southern Shilha Berbersof Morocco Population: 3 millionMuslimOne of largest unreached groupsNo church gatherings meeting in nativetongueOnly handful of missionaries speak theirlanguage

#8: Kazaks in China 1.1 millionNominally MuslimVery few have ever heard the GospelOnly a handful have come to believe inChrist.

#7: Tajakant Bedouins of Algeria RemoteResources lacking–– No ScriptureNo Christian recordingsNo “tent-maker”missionaries workingamong themNo known believers

#6: Danakil of the Horn of Africa(Afar) 1.6 million scatteredacross 3 countries3 organizationsworking among them

#5: Maldives Small country with small population99.9% MuslimChristian activity is expressly forbiddenNo Bible in their language, Divehi50 or so believers in a country of 270,000

#4: Hazara of Afghanistan Population: 2 million100% MuslimMake up 20% of AfghanistanNo scripture, but there areradio broadcasts

#3: Muslims of Bosnia 1.3 Million MuslimsVictims of war, injustice,ethnic cleansing–– 200,000 dead100,000 were childrenLittle or no hopeHigh unemployment

#2: The Lao of Laos 3 million Buddhists andanimistsMaybe 3% ChristianOver 1 million have neverheard the gospel for the firsttime

#1: Riffi Berber of Morocco 1.5 million99.99% MuslimMaybe 30 believers

Isaiah 54:3 - A promise to claim“For you will spreadabroad to the right andto the left, and yourdescendants willpossess the peoplesand will people thedesolate cities.”(RSV)

No valley is too isolated.like the remote,unevangelizedKingdom ofMustang onNepal’s northernborder

No island is too distant.like the yetunreached MaldiveIslands in the IndianOcean

No forest is too dense. . . like the Congojungles where thePygmy people live

No mountain is too inaccessible. . . like the remoteand harsh Tibetanplateau of centralAsia

No city is too fortified. . . like Mecca whereno Christian isallowed to set foot

No desert is too hostile.like the Saharanoases in Algeriawhere the MzabBerber peoples live

We won’t reach them by accidentWe must intentionally . . . Pray Give Go– Short-term– Long-term

This PowerPoint presentation is available along with related materials and other PowerPointpresentations at http://home.snu.edu/ hculbert/ppt.htm

More than 1.5 million AIDS infected children Slavery: 100 to 200 million children Drug addiction Disease – TB - 30 million in 90s, 70% of prisoners in Russia have TB – Malaria - 3 million died in recent year, including 1 million children AIDS – unknown in 1980, more than 6.5 million dead (25% children of HIV carriers), 2.3 million deaths .