Taking the gospel to the nations
By BSCNC Communications
GREENSBORO (BSCNC Communications) - Visit the Joshua Project Web site and learn about the Hui in China. Or the Aimaq in Afghanistan or the Sanaani in Yemen. Each of these people groups is one of the more than 6,000 unreached people groups in the world. The Joshua Project reports that of the 6.7 billion people on the planet, 2.7 billion belong to an unreached people group. NC Baptist Men recognize the desperate need to get the Gospel to these unreached people groups, and they are encouraging North Carolina Baptist churches to get involved by adopting an unreached people group.
Richard Brunson, executive director of NC Baptist Men, led a break out session on this topic during the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina annual session. Brunson walked through frequently asked questions about unreached people groups, such as what exactly defines a people group as unreached. “Unreached people groups are ethnic groups that do not have in their midst churches capable of evangelizing their own people,” Brunson said. Brunson asked attendees to consider what they are doing to educate people in their church about the religion and culture of people around the world.
North Carolina Baptist churches that adopt an unreached people group are committing to making a “long-term impact” among the people in that group and “sticking with them,” Brunson said. Numerous opportunities exist to make such an impact, including praying for the people group, sponsoring a church planter, partnering with International Mission Board missionaries and helping meet physical needs. Adopting a people group means caring about these people and serving them until people come to faith in Jesus Christ and they are able to begin starting churches and multiplying on their own.
NC Baptist Men created a Web site to help connect churches with unreached people groups. The newly launched site is still in the initial stages of development and will continue to be updated in months to come. India is now the featured country on the Web site, with a specific focus on Bihar. Bihar is the third most populated state of India, with 82,988,509 people. Hinduism is the religion of more than 80 percent in Bihar. Churches adopting a people group in Bihar can help sponsor wells to provide clean drinking water, provide Bibles and hymnals, sponsor a church planter or sponsor medical clinics.
The next country to be added to the Web site is Thailand. Earlier this year Mark Harris, newly elected BSCNC first vice president and pastor of First Baptist Church in Charlotte, and Todd Brady, BSCNC Executive Committee member and pastor of The River Community Church in Fayetteville, joined Brunson for a vision trip to Thailand. “From far away we just see them as mass numbers of people,” Harris said. “But when you get on the ground it’s personal – they become someone’s mother, father, son, daughter.” Thailand is home to 112 unreached people groups, representing 66,255,000 people.
To learn more about how to adopt an unreached people group, call (800) 395-5102
