International Day for the Unreached to Focus on Billions Who Have Never Heard the Gospel

International Day for the Unreached to Focus on Billions Who Have Never Heard the Gospel

Alliance of Evangelistic Ministries Calls on Churches, Other Faith-based Organizations and Individuals to Pray, Advocate, Serve and Share for Sake of the Unreached

By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST News Service

NASHVILLE, TN (ANS – May 5, 2016) -- An alliance of globally focused ministries has designated Sunday, May 15, 2016, as the International Day for the Unreached, a one-day event intended to inspire and mobilize Christians to reach out to more than 2 billion people around the world who have yet to hear the gospel.

The event, initially announced earlier this year during a press conference I attended at the annual National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, is sponsored by the Alliance for the Unreached, a group that includes Reach Beyond, Bibles For The World, Operation Mobilization, The Seed Company and Missio Nexus.

“In America, it’s easy to get comfortable and complacent. But we want to remind people that there are literally billions of people around the globe in desperate need of the good news of Jesus, but have never heard His name or story. We’re called to bring it to them,” said Wayne Pederson, Reach Beyond president.

According to a news release sent to the ASSIST News Service, scores of Christian leaders are urging people to get involved. One was Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren, who made this direct appeal to all Christians: “With more than 2 billion people who haven’t had a chance to meet Jesus, it’s time for the Body of Christ to take a radical stand and say, ‘This has to end in our generation.’ Join me in committing to pray, give, go, and advocate for those who need to know Christ by participating in the International Day for the Unreached.”

The release goes on to say that “evangelism has fallen on hard times in North America.”

Barna Group examined evangelism habits over two decades and found a disturbing trend. In a summary titled “Is Evangelism Going Out of Style?,” Barna President David Kinnaman concluded: “Evangelism is on the decline among key demographics, especially among ‘Busters’ and ‘Boomers’ who make up nearly two out of three active Christians today.”

It isn’t just evangelism at home that is suffering.

“As many believers in North America have lost concern about their neighbors who don’t know Christ, it's becoming even harder to be concerned about people around the world who they will never meet,” said Marv Newell, senior vice president of Missio Nexus.

Some American churches are losing their zeal for foreign missions. At the same time, these trends are cultivating a fresh sense of urgency for Christian leaders who are promoting the International Day for the Unreached as an event to raise awareness of the dilemma and search for solutions.

George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization said, “The birth of OM in the late 1950s stemmed from the lack of the gospel in places like Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan and other unreached nations. Today, we have yet to meet our goal to spread the gospel to all nations and peoples, but I pray the next generation will do better. This event is a mega step in the right direction.”

“Part of our role in the Bible translation movement is to help the church understand the tremendous need for Scripture among so many language groups and communities,” said Rev. Samuel Chiang, president and CEO of the Seed Company. “There is a historic opportunity with efforts such as the International Day for the Unreached to bring awareness to the worldwide church to finish the work together, in this generation.”

The Day for the Unreached will include a variety of efforts to raise awareness.

Many major radio networks and stations around the country will promote the event for weeks leading up to May 15. Pastors around the country are urged to preach sermons on the topic, while small groups focus on Jesus’ command to go to the nations. Individuals will also be called to join a 30-day prayer movement, interceding for the salvation of the unreached.

People interested in learning more about the unreached or to get involved can download a free Great Commission Action Guide from the website, http://dayfortheunreached.org. An abundance of other resources will soon be available at the site, including bulletin inserts, sermon outlines, promotional posters, web banners, videos and radio spots.

Information is also available on the International Day for the Unreached Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/dayfortheunreached.

The news release added, “Perhaps it’s fitting that The International Day for the Unreached falls on Pentecost Sunday, the day the Holy Spirit came upon the first followers of Jesus, empowering and charging them to share the gospel with people from all over the world.”

This renewed emphasis on world evangelism has some looking forward as well. “Let’s not forget that the return of Christ is tied to every nation hearing the good news,” said John L Pudaite, president of Bibles For The World. “We’re not saying we can usher in the Second Coming. But we can be a part of a last days move of God that is foretold in scripture. And that’s both a privilege and a profound responsibility.”

Individuals, churches and media outlets can learn about creative ways to participate in the International

Day for the Unreached by visiting http://dayfortheunreached.org.

Note: The Day for the Unreached is an initiative of the Alliance for the Unreached, a group of evangelistic ministries including Reach Beyond (www.reachbeyond.org), Missio Nexus (www.missionexus.org), Bibles For the World (www.biblesfortheworld.org), the Seed Company (www.theseedcompany.org) and Operation Mobilization (www.omusa.org).

Link to audio interview: https://soundcloud.com/inchristcomm/international-day-for-the-unreached-nrb-interview/s-3amH4.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Marge Densley at 704-999-4964 or mdensley@inchristcommunications.com .

Press kit available at http://www.inchristcommunications.com/dayfortheunreached. 

Note: I would like to thank Adam McManus at InventivePromo@gmail.com  for his invaluable help in preparing this story.

Photo captions: 1) Many residents in Central Asia are able to listen to Christian broadcasts on their radios. For some, it’s the only way they will hear the gospel message.2) This filthy waterhole is the main source of water for the remote village of Doglokpo in Volta, Ghana. 3) Geroge Verwer speaking at Urbana 2000. 4) Hindu women in Nepal, a country that is just 2.8 percent evangelical. 5) Local residents in a remote community of Central Asia prepare to see a doctor during a medical caravan trip. 6) Dan Wooding with Rick Warren at a previous NRB convention in Nashville.

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for nearly 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and is the author or co-author of some 45 books. Dan has a radio show and two TV shows, all based in Southern California, and has reported from around the world for ANS, including from inside of North Korea.

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