How to Pray for Unreached People Groups

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Aug 01, 2021

What pops into your mind when you read the words “unreached people groups”?

Simple, tribal living or high-tech, city life? Intense religiosity or no religion at all? Commitment to community or extreme individualism? Hard-to-reach or just a plane ride away?

Actually, any of those answers could be correct .

Ask TEAM missionary Eric Kroner about the unreached people group (UPG) he serves in Chad , and he’ll share about farmers who live without electricity or running water.

“They are very much aware that their livelihood is dependent upon rains, at the whim of disease, and with the very rhythms of day and night,” Eric says. “Because of this, … spirituality is inseparable from who they are.”

WATCH: See what it’s like to live and serve among the unreached people of Chad.

But ask Kelly Baughn about the UPG she serves, and you’ll get a completely different answer: “Japanese are generally materialistic and apathetic toward spiritual things.”

The people of Tokyo have every convenience they could desire. Their local airport is one of the busiest in the world. Yet, Japan is the second largest unreached people group in the world.

As we pray for unreached people groups , we are lifting up communities that can look vastly different from each other . Still, their core needs are the same. They need messengers of Christ in their communities. They need the Holy Spirit to open their eyes.

Will you pray for unreached people groups?

1. Ask God to break down spiritual and cultural strongholds.

As a culture waits to hear the Gospel, spiritual powers build up strongholds. False religions are created, and their practices permeate daily living. Religious leaders gain power they are loathe to give up.

Missionaries in these parts of the world work hard to show that they are friends, not enemies. Sometimes that means building up the community through medical aid , education, infrastructure and other resources. Other times, it’s as simple as visiting with people in the local tea shop.

As missionaries do earn local trust, they have to figure out how to explain the Gospel in a culturally understandable way .

“In the States, everyone is familiar with Jesus. … The people I work with have never seen a cross,” says Willow, a missionary to Asia. “There is nothing in their culture that provides a clear bridge for the Good News. Having our words backed up through action is the only way to reach them.”

Ask God to help missionaries think strategically and to open doors for deep, meaningful relationships. Pray as Paul did in Ephesians 1:18 , that the eyes of their hearts will be enlightened in order that they may know the hope to which God is calling them .

2. Pray for strong first- and second-generation churches.

Aidan* has served indigenous people in the Middle East for decades. He says, “While it is still very slow going among these very, very unreached people groups in our area, I think it will only take a few of their own people coming to the Lord and being bold witnesses to open these UPGs to the Lord on a large scale.”

However, without a strong church, even the most powerful Gospel movement will come to an end. New believers need to be discipled so they can follow God’s commands and teach them to others. And non-believers need to see that following Christ doesn’t have to mean giving up everything about your culture or relationships.

“We don’t want to extract the new believers so they lose their relationships and impact among their community,” says Genevieve, a missionary to Asia. “We pray for the Holy Spirit to grow the church in a way that is sound and maturing while maintaining the beauty of the culture of the unreached people group.”

Pray that new believers will grow deep in their faith . Pray that they will know how to show Christ’s relevancy to their friends and neighbors. And pray that they will know how to support one another as they face opposition, that they will stand firm together.

3. Ask God to send more workers and equip local believers in ministry.

Serving an unreached people group requires a unique type of endurance. “Some countries have astonishing response to the Gospel. Japan does not,” Kelly says. “Sometimes missionaries have a difficult time just being patient and faithful.”

Japanese people walk on a busy sidewalk

It’s not enough to pray for more workers; we need to pray for the right kind. We need to ask God to prepare people, teaching them patience, diligence, sacrifice and, above all, true faith in God . Pray that people will be willing to serve in difficult areas, trusting God to provide the growth.

Missionaries also request prayer for local siblings in Christ. Being one of the first followers of Christ in your community can be frightening. “We pray for courage and the ability to respectfully communicate the Gospel in holistic and loving ways,” Genevieve says. “We pray for believers to not grow weary or despair.”

As you pray broadly for unreached people groups, we also ask you to lift up these specific requests from missionaries serving them:

The president of Chad was recently killed , thrusting the nation into a state of upheaval. Eric asks for prayer that the country will have a just transition of power, with a government committed to serving the poorest of the poor. “Pray that recent events will lead to an openness to the Kingdom of God, which brings enduring justice and peace to the land,” Eric says.
Kelly’s family is preparing to move into a new community in Tokyo. Pray for them as they seek to use their home as a base for community outreach. Pray that they will be able to develop relationships quickly and host Bible studies in their home.
Due to new travel restrictions, missionaries are struggling to get in or out of the region Genevieve serves. Please ask God to open doors for His work to be done and His people to find rest as needed.
Much of Aidan’s ministry happens by meeting with people face-to-face, which has been challenging during the pandemic. He asks, “Pray for divine encounters, with the Lord brining us across the paths of those who are wanting to know the truth and also may be influencers among their own people.”

*Some names in this article have been changed to protect missionaries’ privacy.

Click here to download a printable copy of this month’s Prayer Focus, with additional prayer requests from the field!

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Loving Like Jesus Cross-Culturally (Part 1)

By Megan Lunsford • 23 Apr, 2024

When seeking to serve cross-culturally with an authentic love for others, there’s no better example for us than Jesus. If we sat around a table and threw out the question, “How do we love like Jesus?” I think we would have several commonalities as we respond. For example, Jesus loved all people right where they were. He loved those who were deemed the least, those hardest to love, or those who were His enemies. These are all beautiful realities of the heart of Jesus. When we step into relationships, it can be easier to take on the warmer, more gracious gestures of Jesus’ love, especially in cross-cultural relationships. Think about it––when doing life with those who look and act differently than us, we are already out of our comfort zones and would rather keep things as simple and familiar as possible. But there are other facets of Jesus’ heart we often overlook that can transform us and others even more into His likeness. Jesus is love because God is love. Everything Jesus did was out of love; it’s the mere definition of who He is. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to the same: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John:7-12) Every display of love we offer to others is an opportunity for them to encounter the ultimate love of the Father. That’s a pretty big deal! In this article, we’ll look at three expressions of Jesus’ love that we tend to overlook when engaging others cross-culturally. (Next month, we’ll look at three more.) 1. Jesus loved sacrificially. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed Him. We even see times in Scripture where Jesus had plans to step away for time alone but those who were hurting found Him and He had compassion on them and stayed with them. Can you imagine rarely having any time to yourself but, instead, constantly being surrounded by crowds of people wanting help from you? Jesus loved sacrificially. He welcomed all who came to Him with love and compassion, never turning anyone away. “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) In the same way, we can make room in our lives for Jesus to bring sacrificial interruptions which, in His eyes, are orchestrated encounters to transfer His love to others. It can be tempting to be so “on mission” that we are full steam ahead and find ourselves frustrated when the Holy Spirit sends an interruption into our path that we feel we don’t have time for. Or, perhaps, we have scheduled a meet-up but it’s the norm in another culture to be 30 minutes or an hour late. We anxiously think through how it will affect whatever we have planned next. While it’s normal to feel a little stressed, what if the very "interruption” standing in front of you was really a divine appointment sent by God? Or what if that person running late experiences how peaceful and gracious you are in adapting to their culture and therefore, they can encounter a beautiful display of Jesus’ love? To truly represent Christ, we should remain ready and willing for each assignment the Lord sends into our path, no matter the cost or how much we will have to re-route our day. He is always a hundred steps ahead and will work all things for His glory and our good. 2. Jesus loved by discerning each situation well. Think about how many situations Jesus had to respond to on a daily basis. We read in Scripture that there were lines of people waiting to be healed by Him, talk to Him, hear His teachings, or simply touch the hem of His robe. Jesus was fully dependent on His Father to discern each situation before addressing it. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) Another temptation we can have when in a relationship with those God has sent us to is to think we already know the solution or what God wants to do before we’ve even asked Him. We believe we are full of knowledge, so we just pull from the bank we have stored within and go with it. However, when we access what is familiar to us as our default, we risk missing out on a God-given solution that might truly be the key to unlocking whatever challenge is in front of us. What does this look like when interacting with others? We can simply ask, “God, what is on Your heart for the person standing in front of me?” Then we listen and respond as He speaks. When we make it a daily habit to pause and hear God’s heart for each situation before responding, we are guaranteed to be effective in loving those around us. He knows the heart of every person that will cross our paths. Imagine how impactful we can be if we first lean on His wisdom and discernment before moving forward. 3. Jesus loved by speaking truth. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If we are honest, this conversation makes us a bit nervous as none of us would be comfortable with Jesus calling out intimate details of our lives that we would prefer to hide. But Jesus went further than just airing her dirty laundry. He offered her the hope of the Gospel and a relationship with Him - a divine fulfillment that could never be found in an earthly relationship. Jesus modeled a powerful example of loving others well cross-culturally. He took the low place and spoke truth, truly out of love––speaking to her heart from His. Like Jesus, our goal in sharing the truths about Him and His Word is to bring hope and satisfaction through Him alone. When we speak truth from Scripture, we are calling others higher into all God has for them. The tricky part here is we should avoid speaking truth if it isn’t first fueled by compassion. If it merely comes from a place of judgment, condemnation, or self-righteousness, it will fall flat 100% of the time. But if it truly comes from love, you are likely to not only win a heart back to the Father but, like the story of the Samaritan woman, even an entire village! If you see someone living outside of God’s best for their lives, ask God to show you your heart before engaging theirs. Once your heart is properly postured, you can speak truth out of an overflow of God’s love and trust Him for a transformation in their lives.

Hospitality, Help, and the Hope of the Gospel

By Suzanne Pearson • 16 Apr, 2024

TEAM Canada provides warm welcome and trusted friendships for diaspora populations living far from their native countries. As TEAM Canada workers Peter and Ruth (names changed) drive from their home to a nearby community center, they pass numerous apartment buildings and townhouses. Most of the families who live there are immigrants. They’ve left their countries of origin due to political unrest, trauma, and other difficulties. They’ve left family, friends, homes, jobs, and personal wealth behind. They search for peace, justice for the oppressed, and rest from fear and weariness. And as they adjust to a new country and a new language, they are often very isolated from others around them. “The sad reality is most immigrants are never even invited inside a Canadian home,” says Ruth. Peter and Ruth and their team try to change that reality. For the last nine years, the team, which includes workers from partner organizations as well as volunteers, has held English classes at the community center. Three days a week, over 60 students from more than 20 countries come together to learn English as well as to fellowship together and receive practical help in assimilating to a new normal. Meeting Needs and Building Trust That practical help may come in the form of procuring furniture, clothes, or dishes for newcomers, assistance with creating a resume and finding a job, or teaching people how to navigate Canadian laws and the medical system. As these tangible needs are met, relationships are built. “We invite them into our homes for meals and games,” Ruth shares. “We take them on hiking trips, picnics, outings, and out for coffee.” This is particularly important in this type of ministry because most immigrants come to Canada from cultures that value hospitality. Conversely, Canadians do not typically prioritize hospitality and consequently many newcomers feel lonely and isolated. Inviting folks to various gatherings and outings allows the team to spend extended time hearing people’s stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. When she speaks about building friendships, Ruth’s heart for the people she serves is evident. “Hearing their stories, it’s easy to love them, and many have become close friends,” Ruth says. “We recognize the value of steady one-on-one relationships.”