The Lausanne Global Conversation is on the World Wide Open Network
Author: Various
Date: 24.09.2010
Category: Unreached People Groups
Directions: Click the play button in the video window above to watch all videos from the session in order. Alternatively, you may advance to a specific part of the session by using the next arrow or by clicking the playlist icon once the video is playing and selecting one of the video segments shown.
This video by Asia Link graphically makes the case that unengaged and unreached peoples need to become a priority in evangelization.
Dr. Paul Eshleman focuses the need to engage with all unreached people groups. He discusses the magnitude of the task and some possible approaches.
Dr Alex Abraham speaks about evangelizing India’s 310 unreached peoples groups, the largest number of unreached groups in any one country. He discusses how prayer, research, equipping and mobilizing are helping to reach the unreached in India.
Keywords: full session, 21st century, priorities, India, evangelization, Paul Eshleman, Alex Abraham, Cape Town 2010
Views: 10638
Comments: 16
Recommendations: 1
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United States
A group from my church watched this presentation. Some of us had also read the corresponding advance paper. While we generally agree that the things mentioned are priorities and are thankful that they have been emphasized, we had a couple questions.
First, we would like some clarification on the chart. We did not how the chart was organized. To give a few of our specific questions: What is meant by the division between evangelism and discipleship? Why are items 1-7 in one row and in the order that they are? (Do they correspond to the row above? Are they meant to be sequential?) How were 1-7 determined to be “currently very strategic” whereas 8 -10 are not (and what does "currently very strategic" really mean)?
Secondly, we were wondering how diaspora-ized UPGs fit in with the statistics presented. According to findings by JD Payne, a person from a UPG who moves to another country may lose the UPG status in the databases because either the percentage of Christians in the people group already in the new country is above a certain threshold or the researchers do not have enough information to classify the group as “unreached” or not. We are not sure if this classification approach is appropriate. In any case, the very fact that there often is not enough information to classify diaspora groups seems to support that, especially for countries receiving diaspora groups, research, mapping and reporting are priorities.
Below is the link to those findings:
http://conversation.lausanne.org/en/conversations/detail/10262
27.10.2010
United States
@ Katherine_Lorance:
My name is Rick Dunn and I work with Paul on the Finishing the Task network and would like to respond to your questions. First, the 10 Elements are not necessarily in priority order, they are all significant. Numbers 8-10 could also be added to the list of 7. They were articulated in this format because they were felt to underly or support the 7 strategic priorities. However prayer and unity and prayer and compassion are also fundamental to 1-5.
On the issue of Diaspora groups, the current criteria for a group being on the Unengaged, unreached people group list is if they are an ethno-liguistic people group existing within a country and there are no known full-time workers attempting to do evangelism and church planting among the group. The fact that there may be churches and workers among the same people group in the country of origin does not negate the fact that there is no worshiping church in their language and culture in the new country. 1/3 of the remaining UUPG’s are Diaspora groups.
I hope this helps clarify a few things for you.
Thanks for your comments
05.11.2010
United States
@ Katherine_Lorance:
My name is Rick Dunn and I work with Paul on the Finishing the Task network and would like to respond to your questions. Numbers 1-7 are not in any sequential order of importance, they are all important on the Essential Elements chart. Numbers 8-10 could also be listed with numbers 1-7, but we choose to put them below because they seem to support all of the 7 elements.
In regards to Diaspora Groups, they are included on our list if they exist in a country where there is no full-time worker attempting to do evangelism and church planting. Even when there may be workers or churches in the country of origin.
I hope this helps.
05.11.2010
United States
@ GFPdiscuss:
Thanks for your reply. Could you also clarify if/how the row of priorities 1-7 relate to the rows above it (truth and love; scripture, evangelism, etc.)?
09.11.2010
United States
Our table group found that the focus on UUPG’s, and the statement from the speaker that his heart sank when someone announced they were going as a missionary to Latin America, a bit manipulative. Everyone has a different gifting and calling, and while we can and should send workers to every nation, we do not believe we should privilege a call to UUPG’s over other legitimate ministries and callings.
The table of UPG’s, with statistics and targets, does not really capture the importance of quality over quantity, of passion over strategy, nor does it capture the unique calling to work in such a context (not everyone should go; in some cases it causes more damage when the unequipped or culturally distant are sent).
We also felt that there are many hundreds of millions of unreached (ie who have not heard the gospel and have almost no exposure to Christianity) in the secular world and in countries like Japan - and these should be included in our definition of the unreached.
23.10.2010
United States
@ csl211:
The hope with this presentation was not to say that everyone must go to these groups, but to allow God’s Holy Spirit to Call some to go to the places where there are no workers.
Please remember that the focus of this list is not the unreached, but it is the unengaged, people groups who have no workers, no church and no one trying to bring them the Good New of Christ. Japan is unreached, but it is not unengaged.
05.11.2010
Sweden
I am a Scandinavian mission leader, and would like to express our concern
about the UPG-session on Friday and on the credibility of the Lausanne
Movement. I have discussed the session with a co-worker and collegues, and also with friends at the table. I see that we all recognize the concern and importance of reaching the UPG
as a heart issue of our God and Saviour. But the presentation and
especially the Questionaire distributed and the statistics presented
leave many questions. We felt that the approach was patronizing and
are afraid that this management spirit was counter productive.
The Questionaire
Our concern:
The personal questions: 1) it is not responsible to demand questions
of personal commitment be filled in in 4 minutes. 2) What is the
mandate behind these personal questions? Is this approach really
approved by the Lausanne leadership?
The question put to agency/missions rises our concern: No one serving
a serious and organized mission or ministry has a mandate to assign
the irganization/mission to a specific task during a brief session at
a conference.
These kind of questions take neither God’s calling nor the Christian
leaders gathered seriously enough. This questionaire is at the risk of
encouraging individual entrepreneurship instead of responsible
sustainable mission endeavors.
The Statistics
Unfortunately (?) the inaccuracy and errors are notorious. Only at two
tables and in some brief discussions we found unsatisfactory
information on more than 20 UPG:s. Examples only are Eritrea where
there are Lutheran congregations among the mensas and kunamas since a
hundred years. Or Moldavians in Russia where there are Lutheran
Congregations with an evangelistic and social zeal. In Ethiopia the
dorzes are listed as an UPG while there are congregations among them
and the leader of the recently founded International Mission Society
of the EECMY is a dorze. Deaf are listed in several countries where
churches have schools for deaf children. There are several
congregations among the vietnam Community in Germany.
We also ask about the category "other religions". It seems that in
several countries historical mainline churches might be included here.
We hope this not the case.
It is remarkable with all these errors and in makes us very uncertain
of the validity of the research presented. We can only hope that this
kind of approach and attitudes is an exemption. We ask the leadership
to sincerely rethink the methods and approach and pray that the love
that God has to the nations will be honoured and shared to his glory.
Stefan Holmström
Swedish Evangelical Mission
Sweden
23.10.2010
United States
@ Holmstrom_Karl_Stefa:
Statistics on the list are the most current and up to date information held by global research organizations. Of course that data needs constant updating and revision based on those working in the field.
One value of distributing the current research data is the opportunity to update that information. We are not sure why current data bases didn’t include the work of the Lutheran Denominations in these countries. Can we connect you with the researches who prepared the list so you can give them the accurate information?
05.11.2010
Canada
Four minutes for making a decision to commit to a UPG, most of whom we had no idea who they were, where in the countries they are, what their contexts are, etc ... not sure what that was about. It felt very forced and coercive, like it was one of those weird altar calls that you had to respond to immediately without having time to consider the consequences of those kinds of decisions. I could not allow my group to give me their "commitment" forms so quickly and in fact, told them not to.
23.10.2010
United States
@ Julia_L:
The groups had 25 minutes to look at the list before the commitment time and suggest what they could do to help reach the groups. In addition the speaker acknowledged that time was short to make this commitment and if more time was needed feel free to turn in your form later during the conference. No intent of desire to be coercive.
05.11.2010
Russia
I was not AT this session. But I am a worker among unreached peoples in Russia. (Yes there are over 100 unreached people groups in Russia, a country that is largely forgotten in today’s missions planning- contrary to the thinking of the 90s flash in the pan, Russia is not reached.)
Please try to take the content of this talk in the spirit it was delivered. There was no condemnation or manipulation. Be reminded that we have been told there are many unreached peoples who can not even issue an invitation in the first place.
Let us also be reminded that Jesus said that we should love the "least of these." Unreached peoples are unreached *because* they are the poorest and most marginalised peoples in the world. This should be enough reason to go to them. While we beat our heads against the walls at home where people seem to be too proud to receive the gospel, we should instead go to peoples who *will* receive the gospel if they only had the chance.
I remember speaking at a church a couple years ago. There were 200 people in the young adults service. We sat through a sermon on recycling gargbage. After the service people were invited back to a pizza night in an adjoining room to hear about missions. 10 young adults came to the pizza mission night (10 out of 200). At the end of the presentation we gave, in which we challenged the young adults from scripture that we are called to go, we were give a retort by the leader of the group "but we can’t all go!" We never actually said such a thing, but the guilt of this woman who perhaps knew she should be going had to pour water on our challenge. How sad it is that *so few* actually go in the first place.
It is only reasonable that those of us working among unreached people groups would extend an invitation on behalf of the UPGs. As we live here we constantly see such a large need and so few workers committed to the task.
I wouldn’t ask you to make a commitment in 4 minutes. But I would say that something big has to change. We can’t go back and bury our heads in the sand, or we will be back at another congress in 36 years hearing that still so little has changed.
Please also take this in grace.
All any of us is asked is to honest before the Lord. "Lord, what would you have me do? I will go where ever you send me."
Then we need to wait for the Lord’s response and *be obedient* to what he asks us.
23.10.2010
China
My table found the discussion of Unreached people groups to be very problematic. The pressure to "commit" to a particular people group seemed dangerous, especially in light of he heavy emphasis placed on numbers throughout the session. We found the statistics on Internet evangelism disable. The entire session treated the lost as boxes to be checked, while at the same time treating some of he lost as more valuable han others. As one simple example, one table member mourned the idea that a young person committed to engaging the medical system in her community is somehow a loss, because she has not gone to a statistically strategic group. Finally, the table saw he whole thing as American, or so imbued with American values and priorities (triumphalism, success, size, business, quantifiable) as to be paternalistic in it’s approach to global missions. We were grateful for the information, but did no share the assumptions and priorities that seem to lurk behind.
23.10.2010
Canada
@ Swells_in_the_Middle:
You wrote "Finally, the table saw he whole thing as American, or so imbued with American values and priorities (triumphalism, success, size, business, quantifiable) as to be paternalistic in it’s approach to global missions. We were grateful for the information, but did no share the assumptions and priorities that seem to lurk behind."
I am interested in the basic statistics of this gathering. how many attendees are from USA? How many speakers are from the USA? likewise from the west?
has the question of american values come up in other sessions?
thanks
23.10.2010
Australia
It is so easy to focus on your own people and faith group, but the sessions on world evangelism challenged me to go home and reach out to people of other faiths and people groups -- whatever the cost!
23.10.2010
Canada
speaker’s message||I would like to have had more time to think about the type of commitment I/we were being called to make. Four minutes was too short of a time period for this type of decision for us. As well, I perceive that the "unreached world" is not a static entity as it can be understood through a document like the one we reviewed. Several "unreached groups" have not been with us for the past 2000 years and are quite recent in their existence. How many more, new unreached groups will appear in the next 200 years making our goal of "complete penetration" difficult to attain.
22.10.2010
United States
Table Discussion||For the most part, our discussion and the fruit thereof may be discerned from the commitment forms submitted. However, I want to note here that the UUPG topic, list, and commitment form did create tension in our group. Questions about how the list was arrived at (especially with regard to diaspora and deaf groups) were raised. Also, it was felt that the commitment forms, while perhaps helpful to many, seemed to produce unnecesary pressure on others. It wasn’t clear as to why such a process was necessary. If it is just to be able to announce a number at the end of the Congress, this seems rather trivial. I believe that for people at my table, it would be helpful to address from the platform, "Why do we want commitment forms?"
Despite the tension, some additional, post plenary conversation and prayer happened in our group as we considered what the Lord might have in mind in terms of global partnership for our table. One of our members (from Germany) had been praying for a woman from India to be in our group. Well, we have a woman from India in our group. I feel impressed to look at a couple UUPGs in India. The three of us especially enjoyed a time of prayer together.
22.10.2010
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