Engaging the Unengaged and Finishing The Task

FinishingTheTask2014For eight years now, a growing network of mission leaders, agencies and churches have been drawing attention to those least-reached people groups who have no known churches, pastors or mission workers. The missiological title for these people groups are “unengaged”—meaning no one is engaging them for the sake of the Gospel. The Finishing the Task network has purposed to count down to ZERO people groups who have no workers engaging them.

Encompass World Partners has been participating over the years and contributing to taking people groups off the list as we send workers to engaging these “unengaged” people groups! The annual working meeting for Finishing The Task was attended this week by our own Ed Trenner and Mike Jentes at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA.

Last year, Encompass mobilized students at Momentum and Grace College to pray for these people groups through the 533 Challenge. Mike-praying533It was exciting to see answered prayer this year as we were able to contribute one more people group taken off the list through the Encompass family! Over the course of the working meeting more than 70 people groups were taken off as we count down to zero!

Finishing The Task logoFinishing The Task is coordinated by long time Cru and Jesus Film Project leader Paul Eshleman(pictured). We encourage you and your church to check out their website and resources as you seek to reach the least reached for the sake of the Gospel.

It’s Not Fair! by Paul Eshleman about Unreached, Unengaged People Groups

pauleshlemanI had the privilege to interview Paul Eshleman, director of Finishing The Task last week.  I got to ask him when God grabbed his heart about Unreached, Unengaged People Groups…you should listen int to what he says:

Podcast: This is Not Fair by PaulEshleman-Encompass (click link to open and play)

MP3: This is Not Fair by PaulEshleman-Encompass (click link to open and play)

 

(See also  Paul’s Article on the Unreached)

UNREACHED People Groups and our rationalization…

Almost every time I speak about unreached people groups, I hear a comment like, “We’ve got plenty of unreached people right here where we live, without worrying about groups halfway across the world.” And that’s true. There are more individuals living within already “reached” people groups, than there are in all the unreached people groups of the world. However, there is one major difference. Most people in the West have great access to the message of Christ through media, local churches, and believers. For 300 million people in the unengaged, unreached people groups of the world, there is no way, outside of divine revelation, to hear the message of Christ. There is no church, no missionary, and not one verse of Scripture translated into their language. How much longer will we wait until we go to these groups, and put them on our priority list for funding and manpower?

pauleshlemanBy Paul Eshelman // Director of Finishing The Task)

Read the rest of Paul’s article  in Mission Frontiers

 

Hear Paul tell the story of when God grabbed his heart for the unreached