Areas of Outreach

“Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the message of God’s good news to one and all.” (Mark 16:15) God is at work all over the world. He continues to call His people to His work. As each day passes, Messiah Missions has the privilege of assisting those who are willing to answer the call to go or to assist those already serving as indigenious pastors.

If the command given by Jesus is to make disciples of all nations (or ethnic groups), then it becomes our duty by His leading, to find those nations that have not been discipled (taught to be followers of Christ). People desiring to fulfill the Great Commission need to know where these “unreached” groups of people are, so that our efforts in completing the task will not just be busy but ordained.

While Messiah Missions does not represent each of these locations presently, we are incrementally expanding into the below listed areas as the Lord opens the doors. We choose to “expect big” because our God is not small.

Most of the people groups still unreached by the gospel live in places stretching across the maps of northern Africa and Asia. Christian missions strategist Luis Bush started calling this rectangular area or band: “the 10/40 window.” He used that easy-to-remember name because it lies across Africa and Asia from 10 degrees latitude north of the equator to 40 degrees latitude north of the equator.

The 10/40 Window has several important considerations: first, the historical and Biblical significance; second, the least evangelized countries; third, the unreached people groups and cities; fourth, the dominance of three religious blocs; fifth, the preponderance of the poor; sixth, the strongholds of Satan within the 10/40 Window.

• There are 62 nations within the 10/40 Window.
• 4.1 billion of the world’s 5.6 billion people live here.
• There are more than 1.2 billion people under the influence of communism.
• It contains over 1 billion Muslims, nearly 1 billion Hindus and 600 million Buddhists.
• 97% of the un-reached people groups are located here.
• The top 50 least evangelized cities of the world are all in this window.
• Most of the 10/40 Window nations are closed to western missionaries.
• It is an area of great spiritual darkness known as the “Resistance Belt”.
• It contains over 70% of the world’s people but only 8% of the missionary efforts.
• Less than 1% of the mission budget of churches goes to reach the 10/40 Window.
• Many in the 10/40 Window have never heard the Name of Jesus – even one time!

Sadly, there is sometimes an over-emphasis on the 10/40 window. Certain areas of the world have seen drastic reductions or even elimination of missionary presence due to this focus. It is an effect called “mission elitists.” There is a mentality that real missionaries serve in the 10/40 window and those who can’t cope with peril and conflict, serve in Europe or South America. Areas deemed outside of the 10/40 window, have been crossed off the list because they don’t seem to warrant evangelism efforts. Because of this, Europe has seen a drastic reduction in the size of its missionary force while at the same time the culture has moved to be increasingly post-Christian and even more Muslim in certain countries. Messiah Missions is led to stay proactive in any area the Lord may choose to send us.