AD2000 and Resistant Peoples

Evangelical Mission Society Annual Meeting
November 20-22, 1997 in Santa Clara, CA

By Luis Bush

Introduction

The blessings seen and lessons learned over the first seven years of this decade in the AD2000 Movement have been vivid and many, most recently seen since the launch of Joshua Project 2000 in December 1995. This now sets the stage for a second phase of reaching all peoples everywhere, which proposed in this paper under the name Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons.

With the ultimate goal of a church for every people to the year 2000 and beyond, I believe there are practical principles that have been learned through trial and error with regard to reaching resistant peoples.

Ten key words representing ten general principles are presented in outline form in the first section of this paper. A specific proposal to integrate these principles comprises the second section and major portion of this paper.

Section One

Lessons learned from the first seven years of the AD2000 Movement

1. Identification
   • 10/40 Window
   • Affinity blocks of peoples -- (12)
   • Clusters of peoples - (140)
   • Joshua Project 2000 selected peoples -- (1739)
   • All peoples including smaller groups and ethno-cultural groups - (Section Two)
2. Investigation
   Research of all resistant peoples at all levels, on-site, global, web etc. e.g. Bethany World Prayer Center did 1739 profiles
3. Information sharing
   for mobilization purposes such as target peoples, work among mission agencies, churches adopting, network facilitators, computer networks. E.g. The Joshua Project 2000 list was created compiling the peoples listed from the various "school of thought" into a single list. The Global Guide of Unreached Peoples involves the information sharing of 25,000 pieces of information from 50 mission organizations in 80 countries.
4. Illumination/Intuition
   "What is the Holy Spirit saying to the churches?" A pattern developed in many of the consultations to key Christian leaders to seek the "mind of Christ" by taking each session and using the time in three parts: 1/3 = presentation time, 1/3 = interaction time, 1/3 = prayer, time to seek God's thoughts.
5. Increased awareness
   through 1) communication materials, especially to Christian constituency influencers such as brochures, the Adoption Guidance Program, CD, videos etc., 2) by means of computer conferences 3) by "face to face" consultations such as GCOWE 95, GCOWE 97, HIMCOE 96, SE Asia Joshua Project 2000, Latin America 2000.
6. Intercession
   Focus fervent focused prayer on resistant peoples + Praying Through The Window III + Ten churches for each of 1739 selected peoples + Ten cell groups for each of 1739 selected peoples + "Praying with Power" Conferences / unreached peoples
7. Involvement of the global Christian community harvest forces,
   encouraging task specific assignments, especially:
   • Christian leaders
   • Mission leaders
   • Church leaders
   • Denominational leaders
   • Theological and missions trainers
   • Lay leaders & workers
8. Integration
   by means of all kinds of coalescing efforts including: + Country-wide networks (e.g. AT African national Initiatives consultation at GCOWE 97, 260 peoples adopted affirmed in country by country follow up consultations) + Strategic networks (e.g. Mission executives at GCOWE 97 committed to seek engagement of over 300 peoples) + Theological preparation - Presidents and Academic Deans at GCOWE 97 declared commitment to integrate curriculum toward a church for every people + Resource networks / specific functions and targeted prayer + People-specific networks + Task force networks + Continent-wide networks + Organizational networks + Regional (within a country) networks + Mission agency partnerships
9. Implementation
   through encouraging all kinds of initiatives--local, national, regional, continental, resource network, global, functional, plus the provision of tools to assist in the implementation of the vision. . "Planning the work and working the plan", with specific/targeted prayer coverage.
10. Impartation of vision
    Involving spiritual dynamic that occurs in significant spiritual events when the Holy Spirit becomes operative in transforming the perspective of those who are present such as GCOWE '95, GCOWE '97 and other regional/national events. This includes those who are going, those who are sending, those who are teaching and those who are receiving. Praise the Lord!

Section Two
Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons
A PROPOSAL

Second Rough Draft

Introduction

The viability and components of the Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons Proposal is now being assessed by Christian leaders around the world. Inputs are being solicited. Upon receiving adequate understanding, ownership and commitment to the vision, an official launch would take place, currently envisioned possibly 1999/2000.

Because of God's blessings on existing national initiatives, Joshua Project 2000 and Praying Through the Window efforts there has been evident mobilization, cooperation and penetration among the peoples identified as the largest and most spiritually needy. Common goals, a common information base and common values have contributed to this global cooperative effort. Now, many leaders within the Movement have considered the idea and importance of expanding the scope to all peoples worldwide.

We believe that to continue with the ongoing vision of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement of "A Church for Every People and the Gospel for Every Person" we need to expand the criteria of the Joshua Project from those ethno-linguistic groups over 10,000 to include all peoples regardless of population. While the broader All Peoples effort will encompass all known ethno-linguistic and ethno-cultural peoples, AD2000 seeks to continue the primary focus of making disciples of Christ among the most spiritually needy and unreached peoples of the world. Where data is available, the less than 2% evangelical and less than 5% adherents' criteria would be applied to all peoples to determine this primary focus.

The purpose of this document is to expose much of the detail thoughts and supporting aspects of this recent vision for your careful review, prayer and response.

Contents:

The Proposal:

• Vision and Purpose
• Rationale for Project
• Nature of Project
• Factors Bearing
• Near-Term Goals Sought

Supporting Appendix:

• Values
• Database development
• How to Get Involved

THE PROPOSAL

Vision of Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons
To catalyze a movement for Christ among all peoples and present the gospel to all persons worldwide.

Purpose of Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons
The purpose of Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons is to network Christians worldwide who are committed to establishing a life-giving congregation of believers among all peoples and making the Gospel available to all persons by means of a common purpose, common values, and a common information system.

Rationale
Why this new thrust within the on-going vision at this time?

1. God is a sending God, reflected in the compassion of the Father, the Commission of the Son and the compulsion of the Holy Spirit.
2. God is at work today. In Africa - follow-up meetings to GCOWE 97 in every country are focusing on church planting among every people beginning with Joshua Project 2000 peoples. In Nigeria leaders met in October 1997 and all but 17 of the 170 unreached peoples of Nigeria were adopted. In South Asia, an India ethno-cultural peoples list was prepared and presented for adoption in July 1997. In Brazil in January 1997 commitment of leaders to establish churches among each of the 170 unreached peoples in Brazil. Regarding all persons, Mission America has a specific challenge of presenting the gospel to each person, as do many other countries through national initiatives.
3. It is technologically possible. Development of a unique/complete, interactive information system to accommodate the vision of all peoples/all persons is already underway. This will enable the transfer of all the information residing at the AD2000 & Beyond International Office to the larger Christian community.

Nature of Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons (What is it?)

1. Common Information
   The coordination of a global effort to collect accurate data regarding all peoples so those global, continental, national and local initiatives can work off the same page.
2. A Common Information System
   The development of an information support system through an alliance of Christian entities committed to the stewardship and maintenance of inter-relating information sets related to either the harvest field, harvest force or harvest yield.
3. A Common Database
   The communication of non-secured, inter-related, user-friendly information through the preparation of a common information database to be distributed by CD-ROM and hard copy.
4. A Common Purpose/Goal
   To cultivate a common purpose/goal that expresses the mandate of Jesus Christ and the common conviction of His people throughout the world today.
5. Enhancement of Existing Efforts
   To encourage all existing efforts that are working toward the goal of "a church for every people and the gospel for every person."
6. Catalyzation of New Efforts
   To catalyze new global, regional, national and local initiatives where they do not exist toward the spiritually and materially neediest peoples.
7. A Cooperative Venture
   Cultivate cooperative, coalescing, practical affinity networks and partnerships to advance the goal of All Peoples / All Persons.

Factors bearing upon the purpose

1. Intensification of prayer efforts on behalf of all peoples and all persons in all places.
2. Perception of "Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons" as a natural enhancer of existing movements and networks.
3. Harvest Database Information System working.
4. Local churches taking ownership of specific target peoples.
5. Mission agencies worldwide engaged in the vision.
6. Funding sources identified, created and supportive.
7. Cooperation and networking enabled among those who share this similar vision.

Near term goals
In the light of these factors, several key near term goals are as follows:

1. Pursue understanding, goodwill and cooperation among existing movements and structures to work together towards this same vision.
2. Intercede to the end that new leadership is raised up to carry forward this vision into the new millennium.
3. Focus appropriate energies on a key event(s) to launch and catalyze the worldwide efforts.
4. Establish adequate accountability and reporting mechanisms for follow-through. Conclusion: "Joshua Harvest: All peoples all persons" seeks to advance the goal of establishing a church planting movement among all peoples and present the gospel to all persons worldwide.

Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons
APPENDIX

Values

1. Faith Expectation in the Captain of the Host to advance His Kingdom purposes and enable His people to fulfill their God-given faith goals.
2. Full participation of Christians from all peoples and all cultures and all places.
3. Freeing up of God's people to be the kind of people that God has called them to be and to do the kind of things in God's will that they have dreamed of doing, especially women, business executives, youth, children and others.
4. Focus on the spiritually and materially poorest persons and peoples. Providing a holistic, integrated response by drawing upon the combined resources of the whole Body of Christ in its various agencies to meet their need.
5. Fierce spiritual warfare through a growing prayer army linked in heart, mind, soul, spirit and purpose around the world.
6. Formation and extension of all kinds of networks to catalyze different groups for advancing Christ's Kingdom purposes, optimum to the place and point of need.
7. Fostering of countrywide initiatives to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment in their countries.
8. Finish the task that the Lord has commanded and committed to His followers.
9. Flexible organizational style that provides freedom for the work of the Holy Spirit

Developing a common information system

Name: Harvest Database
The People Information Network (PIN), under the coordination of Ron Rowland, has been led to develop an interrelating information system to support the vision of all peoples and all persons. A strategic alliance has been established to incorporate organizations and ministries in the development, interface and maintenance of this database.

Summary Functions:

1. Encompasses all peoples- by language, culture, religion and physical location.
2. Encompasses all persons-it identifies who a person is both individually and collectively by languages spoken, country and state/province of residence, religion, physical location to the level of neighborhood within a community/district within a city.
3. Built upon the perception of how people see themselves.
4. Based upon the information sets called info-sets that unite and/or divide people.
5. Based on relationships. This is a relationship and relational information system
6. Built upon effectiveness. Only one change will change the information in the entire system.
7. Built upon the concept of harvest with three major phases in view-the harvest field, the harvest force, and the harvest yield.

Contents:

1. Harvest Field
   there are five principal descriptors, which cause a people to be seen as the same or different.
   1. Cultural descriptor identifies the people by the group to which the people feel they belong.
   2. Linguistic descriptor identifies the people by the language they speak.
   3. Religious descriptor identifies the people by the traditionally accepted religion that they practice.
   4. Political descriptor identifies the people by the country of citizenship.
   5. Spatial descriptor identifies the people by the geographic space they occupy as their primary location of residence.
2. Harvest Force
   1. Mission Organizations, recognizing 4 (or more) levels/tables.
      1. First level mission organizations, the organization regardless of size.
      2. Second geographic level for large mission organizations, as needed.
      3. Third geographic level for larger mission organizations, as needed.
      4. Specific ministry level for mission organizations, regardless of levels.
   2. Mission Ministries, recognizing three potential levels.
      1. Group of ministries, being the broadest definition of category.
      2. The type of ministry in which the person is engaged.
      3. The specific ministry in which the person is engaged.
   3. Mission Networking, recognizing three levels/tables.
      1. Network between organizations or individuals, for a specific purpose.
      2. Sub-network, between organizations or individuals, for a specific purpose.
      3. Networking among peoples - already 22,000 pieces of information are available of 450 organizations in 80 collecting organizations
      Individual Persons, recognizing one level. Persons who operate independently of organizations or individuals within organizations whose special roles should be separately recorded. There are 25,000 individuals from almost 200 countries in the AD2000 database of persons who have shown some interest in the vision.
   4. Individual Skills, recognizing four levels/types
      1. Leadership skills.
      2. Administration skills.
      3. Ministry skills
      4. Supporting Skills
   5. Individual Relationships, recognizing one level/table. Ministry relationships for a specific purpose.
   6. Mission Products, recognizing four types of mission product.
      1. Products related to Ministry through God's Word.
      2. Products related to Ministry directly to People.
      3. Products related to Mission Publications.
      4. Products related to Visual and Audio-Visual Communications.
3. Harvest Yield
   "Churches in Habitat" is a snapshot of the Church, using spatial identification and statistics. The "100 believers" measure used by AD2000 is analogous to the first baby photo - showing that the baby is born. "Churches in Action" is analogous to a photo album containing a series of snapshots, in temporal sequence. The 'Agency work' and 'Church Planting Status' scales are, by analogy a series of 'parents' and 'child' snapshots.
   Church Planting Status
   0 = Nothing happening, no known believers
   1 = No known churches, individual believers
   2 = One known church of at least 100 believers
   3 = A group of churches, no missiological breakthrough
   4 = Missiological breakthrough, ready for DAWN-type program
   5 = A discipled church, churches widely spread through the people

   Mission Agencies Work Among Status
   0 = Nothing happening, no agency or group targeting
   1 = At least one mission agency, called and committed evangelizers
   2 = At least one agency with evangelizers on site
   3 = Multiple agencies committed and involved in outreach
   4 = A functioning partnership of committed agencies
   5 = People with missions sending vision

"Churches in Christ", by contrast is analogous to living with the child, and understanding his character, etc. This is not 'objective' information, but our 'subjective' information can be described - and it really tells us much more about the child. So, we end up with a threefold view of the Church:

Table one: Information about "Churches in Habitat"; locations, statistics, "100 believers", et. al.
Table Two: Information about "Churches in Action", including Agency Work and Church Status.
Table Three: Information about "Churches in Christ" - the spiritual life of the church.

Design, development and maintenance:

A strategic harvest alliance will share responsibility for the database. Currently the Peoples Information Network (PIN) and the Global Research Office of the International Mission Board integrate this alliance and welcome others to join.

How do I get personally involved in Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons? Jesus Christ is not only the Master but also the Master Multiplier. When you stop to consider that almost 2000 years ago He began with but twelve followers and today there are estimated to be more than 2 billion who claim to be His followers, it is abundantly clear that the process of discipleship He followed in His brief three year ministry works. In His ministry of discipleship you can observe at least six basic steps of development of a committed disciple with a vision to reach the world.

These same six steps are the steps that are envisioned as the process of involvement for Joshua Harvest: All Peoples All Persons. They are: