A few months ago I visited Tokyo, one of the most populous cities in the world. While walking the streets, I considered the fact that most of the millions of people living in that metropolis had no concept of Jesus.

It grieved me to think those I passed were navigating moments of fear, anger, and sorrow without the peace that comes from knowing Christ. It was staggering to stand in the middle of this lostness, to sense the density of people but scarcity of hope.

This situation is not unique to Japan.

Around the world, billions of people cling to false hope, or have no hope at all, because they have never heard the gospel.

Across the Amazon Basin, which covers some of the most remote parts of Latin America, generations live and die with no knowledge of our loving God.

In Africa, entire communities rely on inherited spiritual traditions and remain isolated from any Christian witness.

Throughout Southern Asia, millions gather in temples to worship but never encounter the one true God.

And in parts of Europe that were once Christian, increasing secularism is leaving young people largely cut off from the gospel.

Some of these places are geographically difficult to access. Many are spiritually hard to reach. But all of them represent an urgent need for Jesus, and we have an obligation to respond.

God sees these people, loves them, and desires a relationship with them. That’s why God is calling us to do something.

The gospel changes lives, but many people never encounter it.

For 400 years, Japan’s population has remained less than 1% Christian. However, the nation is now experiencing church growth like never before. As our missionaries faithfully share the gospel in Japan, people are walking into churches and feeling a sense of peace and hope. They are turning to Jesus as they hear His good news for the first time, and revival is spreading.

Our world’s story does not end with its lostness. We stand at a pivotal moment in God’s redemptive plan.

The task is indeed great, and there are physical and spiritual barriers we must overcome. Yet nothing is too difficult for God (Luke 18:27). God enables us not only to climb mountains, but to move them.

After telling His disciples to have faith in God, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them” (Mark 11:23).

The barriers separating large swaths of the global population from the gospel may seem like impenetrable walls of stone. But I believe the Spirit is calling us to have faith in God and start moving mountains.

The Unengaged

Today, 49% of our world — more than 4 billion people — is considered unreached by the gospel. Within these populations, there are two or fewer Christians for every 100 people.

Unreached people groups lack an adequate gospel witness. Without external intervention, many will live and die without ever meeting a believer or encountering the hope of Christ.

Amid this spiritual lostness, another demographic is even further removed: unengaged unreached people groups.

The unengaged have no missionaries or churches among them. They represent the most urgent need for gospel access in our world.

There are currently 2,074 unengaged people groups, comprising 203 million people with no gospel witness.

The unengaged have not rejected the gospel; they simply have never heard it. No one has given them an opportunity to respond to Jesus.

Though the Assemblies of God has always cared deeply about evangelizing the lost, the unengaged remain isolated. Two years ago, God gave me an unmistakable burden to change this situation.

Called to More

I was elected to serve as executive director of AG World Missions during the 2023 General Council of the Assemblies of God in Columbus, Ohio. Just weeks later, the Lord began stirring my heart in a way I could not ignore.

Our world’s story does not end with 
its lostness. We 
stand at a pivotal 
moment in God’s 
redemptive plan.

For months, I awakened in the predawn hours — often around 2:30 a.m. Pacing the floors of my home in the dark, I communed with the Lord.

In those quiet moments, the same question kept arising in my mind: Did you come into this role just to manage numbers?

While spending sleepless nights in prayer, I felt a specific pull toward the unreached and unengaged — people God desires to save.

I continually prayed, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

In 2024, hundreds of Assemblies of God superintendents and missions directors gathered for the World Assemblies of God Congress in Nairobi, Kenya. During that event, God answered my prayer with a calling that shapes the direction AG World Missions is now moving.

I sought input from other leaders in attendance, asking how we can reach the unreached.

Then Assemblies of God General Superintendent Doug Clay shared a prophetic word from the Lord:

I have and am calling My people to the unreached people groups of the world, to places where My Name is not yet known, but My Spirit is already there. The time is now to step into this space, and I’m stirring a passion for the lost and the forgotten and the tribes and the tongues that are hidden from the world, but not hidden from Me. Rise up, Assemblies of God, for I’ll go before you. … As you go, My Spirit will rest upon you with power, wisdom, and audacious courage. You will speak words of life to those who dwell in darkness, and they will see My light.

We realized God was already preparing a path into unreached places. The question was, would we follow?

The answer we received from each person who heard this calling was a resounding “yes.”

Gospel Access

In response to God’s call, AG World Missions is launching its largest initiative in 72 years.

We are aligning our resources into one vision: Gospel Access.

By 2033, we want to have 4,000 full-time Assemblies of God world missionaries serving across the globe —an increase of more than 1,400 U.S. personnel.

While we will intentionally send workers to unengaged people groups, this vision is not limited to those serving in unengaged contexts. All AG World Missions workers — no matter their places of ministry — will be part of this focused effort.

Everything we do will connect to our God-given mission of sharing the gospel with all the world.

Why Us?

This evangelistic emphasis is not new. From its founding in April 1914, the Assemblies of God has been committed to advancing the greatest evangelism the world has ever seen.

That vision has shaped the Fellowship for 112 years, despite the challenges of wars and other world events.

Just months after the AG’s formation, World War I began. Nevertheless, the AG sent missionaries across the globe.

Throughout the Great Depression, the Assemblies of God sent missionaries.

World War II did not keep the Fellowship from sending missionaries. Neither did the conflicts or perils that shaped the latter half of the 20th century.

More recently, many organizations struggled to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the AG continued sending missionaries.

Amid periods of economic and political instability in the U.S. and abroad, AG World Missions never stopped advancing the gospel by sending workers.

We see God’s faithfulness embedded in our Movement’s DNA and written in our story. It’s impossible to miss when studying Assemblies of God history. When circumstances might have prevented us from moving forward, we never lacked the necessary provisions, opportunities, or willingness to send and go.

In just over a century, the AG has established a missionary presence across two-thirds of the world. That rapid expansion represents nothing short of a miraculous movement of the Holy Spirit. God called us to great evangelism at our founding, and that call has not lessened to this day.

The United States undoubtedly faces deep spiritual need. Many Americans do not know Christ. Gospel access, however, is not the barrier. Most people in the U.S. have access to the Bible in their languages, churches in their communities, and believers who can share God’s message. That is not the experience of the unengaged.

With all the resources and comforts we have, will we be the first generation of Assemblies of God leaders to send fewer missionaries and care less about the lost?

God has positioned this Fellowship to reach the nations — not because we’re smarter, more gifted, or wealthier than other organizations, but because we have committed to prioritizing world evangelization and disciple making.

We must continue building on the legacy of those who came before while trusting God, who has never failed us. It is only right that we keep moving outward, obeying the Great Commission and sending workers to those who have never heard. This is not the moment to slow down.

Not only does our history suggest we can close the gospel access gap, but our present moment reveals this is the best time.

Why Now?

Over its 112-year history, the Assemblies of God planted seeds, and people came to faith. Groups of believers joined together and formed national churches. And today, those national churches — comprising 451,000 congregations around the world — are sending missionaries of their own.

In just over a century, the AG 
has established 
a missionary presence across two-thirds of 
the world. That rapid expansion represents nothing short of a miraculous movement of the Holy Spirit.

The national church in Indonesia is preparing missionaries to reach countries that speak related languages and share similar cultural traits.

Kenya Assemblies of God leaders are sending missionaries into African communities where people have never heard the gospel but respond when it’s coming from someone with understanding of their contexts.

National churches in the Philippines, Colombia, and several other countries have made commitments to increase missionary numbers.

Missionaries from across the globe are reaching places that have been without a gospel witness in the past.

If the U.S. Assemblies of God can raise up 1,400 additional workers to join this global evangelism effort over the next seven years, imagine how many new frontiers we will reach. Consider the lives transformed and souls saved.

Even in places where there are not yet missionaries, Jesus is sowing gospel seeds and preparing the field for harvest workers. Many Muslims in closed countries have reported dreaming of a Man clothed in light who offers them peace — One they eventually come to recognize as Jesus when they meet a Christian who can offer an explanation.

Around the world, there is an increased hunger for the gospel. We must not hesitate or delay our role in God’s plan.

The Assemblies of God is determined to make the most of this moment in history. Now is the time to act.

Is the Task Too Great?

As I shared this vision with my executive team, the global leadership team, and finally missionaries and pastors, I couldn’t help but wonder, Can we do this?

Yet God was moving in those meetings, and we repeatedly heard the same response. It seemed something profound was happening. Many said God had impressed the same vision on their hearts. Others sent letters and emails sharing their concern for those with no gospel access.

Many said enthusiastically, “Let’s do something about this.”

God had been preparing and equipping our Movement to respond to His calling. He would not call us to complete an impossible task.

Gospel access is not just a theme, campaign, or emotional phrase. This is a global alignment and commitment of our time and resources into fulfilling the Great Commission.

Strategy, cooperation, and time investments have helped bring us to this pivotal moment. But moving mountains will require faith in action, starting at the local church level.

Why the Local Church?

God has not only called us to serve around the world, but He has also given us a model of how we should accomplish global evangelism.

Missiologists often talk about the missio Dei, a Latin phrase meaning “mission of God” or “sentness of God.” From Genesis to Revelation, the redemptive story of Scripture reveals God’s heart for the nations.

Through the ages, God has called people to participate in His mission.

Acts 13 records the Early Church sending its first missionary team. The Holy Spirit spoke to the congregation at Antioch, saying, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (verse 2).

The local church recognized the call and took part in it by fasting, praying, and ultimately sending.

From city to city, Barnabas and Saul shared the gospel. People came to Jesus, made disciples, and formed churches. This missionary team planted gospel seeds that continued to grow and spread for centuries.

Throughout the Book of Acts, the Lord poured out His Spirit, and communities of believers became participants in God’s mission. Everything started with the local church.

God did not ask everyone in the Antioch church to sell their possessions, quit their jobs, uproot their families, and travel around the world to evangelize. He called two missionaries, and the congregation equipped them to answer that call.

The local church still plays a central role in missions.

Sending is essential to God’s activity in the world. As the Father sent His Son, so the Father and Son sent the Holy Spirit. The Spirit empowers us as witnesses, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

God calls each of us to participate in the Great Commission, either through sending or going.

Because today’s congregations are faithful to give, pray, and send, someone comes to faith in Jesus for the first time every 15 seconds. And a new church plant emerges somewhere in the world every 62 minutes.

These things don’t happen by accident. The gospel advances as local churches align with biblical teaching regarding God’s redemptive work.

Our Movement’s growth around the world is the result of pastors, congregants, and missionaries working together as participants in the missio Dei.

What we do is not based on a program that someone decided would work, but the New Testament model.

We are continuing what the Early Church started as we send missionaries and plant churches, which in turn becoming sending congregations.

The local church makes missions possible. Sending communities are the seedbeds of the Great Commission, and missions workers are their spiritual sons and daughters.

Missionaries are able stay on those fields and show the compassion of Jesus only because of churches that support them. These congregations are not observers on the sidelines, but participants in what God is doing.

How, then, can your church answer God’s call and help close the gospel access gap?

What Can You Do?

Prioritize. God is not silent. He is actively, redemptively moving in every community around the world. The Church’s priority must be carrying out the mission of God — His sending nature and His desire for all peoples everywhere to hear the gospel.

Following the Antioch model, make missions a priority in your congregation. Create a culture where people will hear and answer God’s calling to the mission field, knowing they will receive support.

Provide congregants with face-to-face exposure to missions whenever possible. Bring missionaries into your church to talk about what God is doing. Encourage small group discussions focused on missions. Share stories and videos from the field. Lead organized prayers for specific missionaries, regions, and needs. Send people on short-term trips with AG World Missions so they can see and experience the work firsthand.

Never allow a shortage of opportunities to keep people from participating in God’s mission.

Empower. I didn’t come into missions on my own. I grew up attending a small church in an East Texas farming community. When I sensed God calling me to missionary work, the whole congregation took seriously the responsibility to discern, nurture, and celebrate that call. My church empowered and sent me.

We don’t need a 
new campaign or initiative as much 
as a fresh sense 
of commitment 
to reach those 
without access 
to the gospel.

Cultivate a heart for missions in your church. Encourage spiritual mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers to support those who are called to go.

Send. Our greatest commodity is not money or projects, but the people we send around the world to share Christ’s message.

We don’t need a new campaign or initiative as much as a fresh sense of commitment to reach those without access to the gospel. By faith, we can move those mountains.

The goal of training and sending 1,400 missionaries is not arbitrary. Along with our national church partners, we believe this is the minimum number of workers we need to build momentum, expand the gospel’s reach, and continue this mission to the ends of the earth.

Pastors and church leaders, how many sons and daughters can you raise up and send out?

If every church in the World Assemblies of God Fellowship fully aligned behind this effort, it would go a long way toward ending the world’s lack of gospel access.

Be willing. I became aware of God’s calling on my life at an early age. That is the case for many missionaries. Others don’t hear the call to missions until they are in their 30s, 40s, or beyond.

If God called you to missions, would you say “yes” and begin that journey? Even as you participate in sending, keep your heart open to a potential calling to go.

Moving Mountains

Loren Triplett, who served as AG World Missions executive director from 1989–97, once said, “We dare not measure our success against anything but the unfinished task.”

We have made great progress in the Assemblies of God, building a Movement that has reached and transformed countless souls. But we are not done.

Consider the same question I pondered two years ago: Are you satisfied with just managing numbers, or do you want more?

Do you want to carry on the evangelistic legacy of the Assemblies of God by sending sons and daughters to reach our world with the gospel?

We’re not in this just to manage. Our calling is to increase access to Jesus. Let’s not be the generation that decides we will plateau. It’s time to look at the world, knowing God has positioned our Fellowship with a unique responsibility, and say, “Lord, we’re ready to move mountains and reach the unreached for your glory.”

It won’t be easy. The mission always comes at a cost, and our people know that. But if you look at the story of God’s faithfulness, you’ll see that He has never left our side.

If our churches commit to sending and we commit to supporting, I believe those mountains separating the unreached and unengaged from gospel access will begin to move.

We pray for the greatest generational response to the call of God we have seen in AG history.

Sidebar 1: Unreached and Unengaged People Groups

When talking about the world’s unreached people groups, it’s important to understand some key terms and figures.

Unreached peoples are groups in which there are two or fewer Christians for every 100 individuals. Without cross-cultural assistance, there is insufficient capacity to establish indigenous churches.

This category comprises more than 4 billion individuals within 6,544 people groups.

When no more than 1 in 100 people are believers, a group is under-engaged. Increasing fruitful engagement requires additional church planting teams.

Some 3.4 billion individuals within 6,062 people groups are under-engaged.

Among frontier peoples, no more than 1 in 1,000 individuals are believers. These groups are often geographically isolated with no confirmed, sustained gospel movement.

This term describes 1.9 billion individuals within 4,056 people groups.

The unengaged — a category comprising 203 million people — have no missionaries and virtually no known believers among them.

There are 2,074 unengaged people groups in the world, including 411 in Africa; 368 in Asia Pacific; 1,099 in Eurasia; 25 in Europe; and 171 in Latin America Caribbean. The top religions practiced among unengaged groups are Hinduism, Islam, Animism, and Buddhism.

These numbers are dynamic. They will change as missionaries make inroads into unreached areas and further ethnographic research provides a more accurate understanding of the populations.

Sidebar 2: Gospel Access Toolkit

If you’re ready to lead your church toward greater participation in God’s redemptive plan for the world, the Gospel Access Toolkit offers the practical guidance you need.

This toolkit is a collection of resources designed to help pastors, ministry leaders, and anyone with a heart for missions clearly communicate the vision of advancing the gospel among people and places without access. It contains videos, print resources, presentation aids, and more.

Use these tools to inform, inspire, and equip others to take meaningful next steps — from prayer to participation in global missions.

Access these resources at agwm.org/en/gospel-access-toolkit.

This article appears in the Spring 2026 issue of Influence magazine.