What Will It Take to Engage More People Groups?

We’ve seen God do amazing things in the world these last 40-50 years.  Many doors that were closed to the gospel have opened. Groups that were once unreached have heard, responded and even sent missionaries to their neighbors.  (Read Celebrating Breakthrough in Indonesia). As we celebrate what God has done, it gives us courage to dream big for the future.

“If the Great Commission is true, our plans are not too big; they are too small.” – Pat Morley

Pioneers has set a big goal for the next decade: to engage 250 more people groups.

Embark250: five overlapping strategies for a 10-year vision

Members of our whole Pioneers family are asking God to expand our impact by raising up new workers, providing fresh ideas and strengthening our resolve to reach those who still haven’t heard.

Here are five ways we believe this could happen.

• 50 people groups engaged by expanding existing work to nearby groups
• 50 groups engaged by sending workers to new people groups and places
• 50 groups engaged by churches that adopt unreached people groups
• 50 groups engaged by partnering with other agencies and the Global South
• 50 groups engaged through intentional media outreach and other creative strategies

Some of these approaches may be more fruitful than others. We plan to try them all. In the months and years ahead, we look forward to sharing what God does. We also remain dedicated to continuing our ministry among people groups and in places where mission efforts have been happening for generations, yet they still have significant gospel needs. Japan, for example.

What exactly does it mean to engage a people group?

Wonder what it really means when we talk about a people group being engaged? Is a group engaged if…

• Someone “claims” them on a list?
• A missionary goes to work among them?
• A church is planted in their area?

Those may be good next steps. But they’re not enough. The true goal of “engaging” a people group is to see them “reached” with the gospel. Picture each people group—every human community—having enough followers of Jesus so that everyone can hear the gospel and see it lived out by people they relate to. That’s a bigger vision, and it’s what we understand the Bible to mean by making disciples of all nations.

Good intentions, boots on the ground or even starting new churches won’t necessarily accomplish this. We need to keep persisting and think and work strategically.

Who are the unengaged?

In 2025, Joshua Project leaders, mission agency representatives and stakeholders in several international ministry networks agreed on an updated and shared definition.

An unengaged people group is one where there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. See: definitions, unengaged (Joshua Project)

They went on to say that a people group becomes engaged when:

• There is sustained activity to share Christ and make disciples
• There are efforts to establish self-sustaining churches
• The work occurs in culturally appropriate and locally relevant ways

Those points raise the bar. They remind us of the distance between starting and finishing. They also bring us back to reliance on God to do what only He can do and dependence on each other as we gather around His purposes. Please join us in praying for this bold goal. He is worthy.