Remaining Mission Challenge

The Unfinished Task: A Global Snapshot of Mission Today

Have you ever looked at a world map and wondered, “Is the Great Commission almost complete?” The truth is both thrilling and sobering. While God is moving in powerful ways, the task before us is larger and more urgent than we often realize.

In a recent camp meeting message, a mission leader laid out a macro-level view of the global mission field. The presentation wasn’t about local church repairs but about the eternal destiny of billions. He framed the discussion around five reasons for celebration and five sobering challenges, painting a picture of a race between gospel advancement and population growth.

The Biblical Mandate: It’s All About Disciples

The mission is anchored in Christ’s command in Matthew 28:18-20. The central imperative isn’t just to “go,” but to “make disciples.” This happens through going, baptizing, and teaching. Furthermore, Jesus stated that the end will come only after “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14).

But what does “all nations” mean? The Greek word is ethne—where we get “ethnic.” It refers to people groups, not just political countries. For example, while Nigeria is one nation at the UN, it contains over 500 distinct people groups.

Is mission like a pancake or a waffle?

Pancake Mission: Pour syrup (the gospel) and it spreads evenly without resistance.
Waffle Mission: The syrup gets caught in little squares, requiring intentional effort to reach every compartment.

Mission, the speaker argued, is a waffle. Language, culture, history, and hatred create barriers that the gospel doesn’t automatically cross. It requires targeted, prayerful effort.

The Stark Reality:

There are approximately 17,500 people groups in the world.
Of these, about 7,400 are considered “unreached”—meaning they have no viable, indigenous Christian community to evangelize their own people.
This represents 3.1 billion people who have little to no access to the gospel.
For the Adventist message, the gap is even wider. While we celebrate presence in about 200 countries, we likely only have a witness in 300-400 of the over 17,000 language groups.

These unreached people groups represent empty seats at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). The task is far from over.

Five Reasons for Celebration: Where God is Moving

Despite the challenges, there is incredible news from the global church.

Explosive Growth of Christ-Followers: While nominal Christianity grows slowly, born-again Protestants are the fastest-growing major religious group at 2.6% annually. This growth is exploding in unexpected places:
- China: From less than 1 million believers in 1949 to an estimated 80-100 million today.
- Iran: From 500 known Protestants in 1979 to over 1 million now, with thousands of underground house churches.
- Mongolia: From almost zero believers after communism to a vibrant, missionary-sending church today.
Accelerated Bible Translation: Collaborative efforts by organizations like Wycliffe and SIL are rapidly translating Scripture. With the aid of technology and AI, the Bible is now available in more languages than ever, including audio and video formats like the Jesus Film (based on the Gospel of Luke), which is translated into over 2,000 languages.
The Rise of the Global South: The center of Christianity has shifted. In 1800, 99% of Protestants lived in Europe and North America. By 2050, 85% will live in the southern hemisphere. The “typical” Seventh-day Adventist today is a semi-literate, subsaharan African woman.
The Harvest Field is the Harvest Force: Missionaries are no longer primarily from the West. The fastest-growing source of cross-cultural missionaries today is the Global South—from countries like Brazil, Nigeria, India, and the Philippines.
Church Planting Movements (CPMs): The fastest method of growth is through decentralized, reproducing house churches. This model of disciples making disciples is taking off globally, especially in resistant areas, and mirrors the New Testament pattern.

Five Sobering Challenges: The Work That Remains

For all the progress, significant hurdles remain, especially for the Western church.

A Loss of Mission Focus: A startling 51% of churchgoers in the West have not heard of the Great Commission, and many who have can’t recall what it is. The term “unreached” has lost its urgency for many.
The Numbers Gap is Growing: While 50,000 people become Protestants every day, 158 people are born every minute. We are not keeping pace with global population growth. There are more non-Christians alive today than at any point in history.
Declining Growth Rates: The growth rate of evangelical Christianity, while positive, is slowing down globally.
A Crisis in Leadership Training: There is a desperate need for trained, spiritually mature pastors and elders, especially in the Global South. Training often focuses on functional roles rather than Christ-like character (peacemaking, hospitality, caring for the lost).
Minimal Resources for the Unreached: A heartbreakingly small fraction of Christian giving—less than one penny of every dollar—goes to reach unreached people groups. For comparison, Americans spend more on Halloween costumes for their pets. Most mission budgets are consumed by administration and education, though leadership is fighting to refocus these funds.

How to Respond: A Personal Call to Action

The message concluded not with despair, but with a clear, three-fold call to action for every believer.

PRAY. Jesus told us to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers.” Pray by name for missionaries you know. Pray for laborers, and ask God if you are to be one.
GIVE. Give financially, but also give:
- Hospitality to missionaries on furlough.
- Encouragement through letters and words.
- Practical help like a loaned car or a place to stay.
  Be intentional and sacrificial in your giving.
GO. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few—both in far-off countries and in your local community.
- Use your spiritual gifts.
- Pray for one divine appointment each day.
- Carry a tool like Steps to Christ to share.
- Be a “boot on the ground.” Satellite TV is not enough; people need to see a living Christian who can explain the gospel.

The mission field is not a distant concept. It is the call of every disciple of Jesus Christ. The promise of Revelation 7:9—a multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language—is what we labor for. Let us be found faithful, so that when Jesus returns, we will hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

What is one step you can take this week to PRAY, GIVE, or GO?