Resource: Joshua Project

Much of the talk in missions (not among Independent Baptists though) over the last several decades has been about people groups, especially unreached people groups (who they are, how to reach them, etc.). As this discussion has been taking place, several related resources have been developed to help reach them. Perhaps the most well-known and valuable of these resources is Joshua Project.

"Joshua Project is a research initiative seeking to highlight the ethnic people groups of the world

with the least followers of Jesus Christ." They have broken the people in the world up into people groups and have used various criteria to classify them as reached or unreached. The tools that they have available can be used to make our missionary work more strategic, and to ensure that no people groups are ignored. Here are some things that are available to you:

1. Resource Page - PDF's, Powerpoints, and beyond are available for download on this page. Browse through the downloads, do some reading, and you will find yourself understanding the remaining world task that much better.
2. Countries - Click a country on the map or choose one from the drop-down list on the upper right to view extensive people group info for each nation. Clicking on the column titles will allow you to arrange the information in the way you wish.
3. People Selector - By entering the information you want here, you can get a people group table taylored to your specific needs.

There are many other ways to utilize Joshua Project's resources, but these will get you started. This is an amazing strategic resource. The benefit of viewing the world in people groups (as opposed to mere political nations) can hardly be overstated. Joshua Project is sure to be referenced frequently on this blog in the future.

What peoples are unreached? Is anyone trying to reach them? Go to Joshua Project to get an idea. But do note that this doesn't tell you where Independent Fundamental Baptists are working, and who we're reaching. So what are the implications for us?