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!

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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