Identifying People Groups

We began with the goal to work among unengaged people groups that are still without access to the Gospel. As we started researching, it became clear that there was a gap in focusing on groups that lived in remote areas within closed borders. As we looked at the historical spread of the gospel, many coastline regions and large cities saw churches planted, however, the farther inland you looked, the gospel witness got smaller and smaller. We know that God wants “all nations” to know Him, so we intentionally focused our attention on these complicated areas.

So, how do we identify an unreached people group?

STEP 1 – RESEARCH

To determine which people groups remain unreached and where they potentially live is a crucial first step for all our field workers. The tool that we use is the Joshua Project. The field workers gather data based on what country they reside in and ascertain which people groups fit into the next step.

STEP 2 – SURVEY TRIP

A survey trip is used to take any initial research and verify actual realties that are present in the community where an unengaged people group reside. This requires multiple in person trips to talk with people, ask questions, and gather data so that the fieldworker, their sending church, and GSI leadership can make a cooperative decision to engage a particular people group.

STEP 3 – PEOPLE GROUP ASSESSMENT

The People Group Assessment criteria is a baseline tool that analyzes language vitality, church presence, economic stability, Gospel access, and many more factors that help give us a clear picture of whether we should send workers into a people group.