Christian organizations are calling believers worldwide to pray, share and mobilize for the roughly 3.2 billion people who have no access to the gospel, as the International Day for the Unreached returns on Pentecost Sunday, May 24.
The observance, now in its 10th year, centers on an estimated 7,000 unreached people groups — communities where no indigenous church exists with the resources to evangelize the wider population without outside assistance. Missio Nexus and partners in the Third of Us Alliance have released a range of resources ahead of the day.
Among the new tools is a digital prayer map called Light the Nations, developed by the Joshua Project at the request of the Third of Us Alliance. Available at prayermap.joshuaproject.net, the map allows users to select an unreached people group and pray for them; each prayer lights up that group's location on the map.
A seven-day prayer guide walks participants through the world's major religious blocs and can be used at any point during the year. On May 24 itself, organizers are encouraging congregations to hold "concerts of prayer" focused on the least-reached populations. Missio Nexus will host its own online concert of prayer that evening via Zoom. Supporting materials include a PowerPoint guide and selected PrayerCast videos.
For churches and small groups looking for teaching content, available resources include a sermon outline for Pentecost Sunday, a seven-day devotional called Journey to Pentecost, a PowerPoint overview of what organizers call the "Unfinished Task," a small group discussion guide and an activity guide for youth programs.
To mark the day publicly, organizers are encouraging participants to post on social media using the Third of Us symbol — three lines separated by a space — along with downloadable graphics. Some participants have adopted the practice of drawing the symbol on their hand and posting a photo online. A downloadable poster and branded merchandise are also available.
As a follow-up to May 24, Missio Nexus is encouraging churches to formally adopt Frontier People Groups — defined as the highest-priority unreached peoples with the least known evangelical presence. Adoptions are being facilitated through the Joshua Project. Churches are also being invited to join the Third of Us Alliance, which connects congregations with mission agencies working in areas where the gospel has the least reach.
Further information and access to all resources is available at athirdofus.org/day-for-the-unreached.
