::

C
ollcgc studcnts around thc world uscd to bc
bowlcd ovcr by Marxist thought. nc powcrlul
rcason was that Communism had a long look.
Communists claimcd to know whcrc history was hcading,
and that thcy wcrc mcrcly lollowing incvitablc trcnds.
Rcccntly, cvangclicals, too, havc thought a lot about
trcnds in history and thcir rclationship to cvcnts
to comc. Tc massivc rcsponsc a whilc back to Hal
Lindscys books and lms about possiblc cvcnts in thc
luturc has shown us that pcoplc arc rcsponsivc to a
Vhcrc arc wc going: approach to lilc.
!n comparison to thc Communists, Christians actually
havc thc longcr look, backcd up by a mass ol hard lacts
and hcroic dccds. Yct lor somc rcason, Christians oltcn
makc littlc conncction bctwccn thc discussion ol proph
ccy and luturc cvcnts, and thc discussion ol missions.
Tcy scc thc 8iblc as a book ol prophccy, both in thc past
and lor thc luturc. Yct, as 8rucc Kcr has said so wcll, Tc
8iblc is a missionary book throughout. . . .Tc main linc
ol argumcnt that binds all ol it togcthcr is thc unlolding
and gradual cxccution ol a missionary purposc.
id ! cvcr hcar Kcrs thought in Sunday School: Maybc.
8ut only in latcr ycars havc ! comc to a ncw apprcciation
ol thc lact that thc story ol missions bcgins long bclorc
thc Grcat Commission. Tc 8iblc is vcry clcar: God told
Abraham hc was to bc blcsscd and to bc a blcssing to all
thc lamilics ol thc carth (Gcn 12:13). Pctcr quotcd this
on thc day hc spokc in thc tcmplc (Acts 3:25). Paul quotcd
thc samc mandatc in his lcttcr to thc Galatians (3:8).
Yct somc 8iblc commcntators imply that only thc rst
part ol that vcrsc could havc happcncd right away. Tcy
agrcc that Abraham was to bcgin to bc blcsscd right away,
but somchow thcy rcason that two thousand ycars would
havc to pass bclorc cithcr Abraham or his dcsccndants
could bcgin to bc a blcssing to all thc lamilics on carth.
Tcy suggcst that Christ nccdcd to comc rst and institutc
his Grcat Commissionthat Abrahams lincagc nccdcd
to wait around lor 2,000 ycars bclorc thcy would bc callcd
upon to go thc cnds ol thc carth to bc a blcssing to all thc
worlds pcoplcs. (Tis could bc callcd Tc Tcory ol thc
Hibcrnating Mandatc). Vorsc still, onc scholar, with a
lot ol lollowcrs in latcr dccadcs, propoundcd thc idca that
in thc ld Tcstamcnt thc pcoplcs ol thc world wcrc not
cxpcctcd to rcccivc missionarics but to go to !sracl lor thc
light, and that lrom thc Ncw Tcstamcnt and thcrcaltcr it
was thc rcvcrsc, that is, thc pcoplcs to bc blcsscd would not
comc, but that thosc alrcady having rcccivcd thc blcssing
would go to thcm. Tis rathcr articial idca gaincd acccp
tancc partially by thc usc ol thc phrasc, ccntripctal mission
in thc ld Tcstamcnt and ccntrilugal mission in thc Ncw
Tcstamcnt. Fact is, thcrc arc both in both pcriods, and it
is vcry conlusing to try to cmploy an csscntially Mickcy
Mousc gimmick to cxplain a shilt in stratcgy that did not
happcn. Tc cxistcncc ol 137 dicrcnt languagcs in Los
Angclcs makcs clcar that now, in thc Ncw Tcstamcntand
altcr pcriod, nations arc still coming to thc light.
A morc rcccnt and cxciting intcrprctation obscrvcs that
!sracl, as lar back as Abraham, was accountablc to sharc
that blcssing with othcr nations. !n thc samc way, sincc thc
timc ol thc apostlc Paul, cvcry nation which has containcd
any signicant numbcr ol childrcn ol Abrahams laith has
bccn similarly accountablc (but both !sracl and thc othcr
nations havc mainly lailcd to carry out this mandatc).
Tc grcatcst scandal in thc ld Tcstamcnt was that !sracl
tricd to bc blcsscd without trying vcry hard to bc a blcss
Four Men, Tree Eras, Two Transitions:
Modern Missions
Ralph D. Winter
Tis articlc is rcprintcd with pcrmission lrom:
Vintcr, Ralph . and Stcvcn C. Hawthornc, cds. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader. Tird dition. Pasadcna, CA: Villiam Carcy
Library, 1999. Pagcs 253261.
:o Foiv Mvx, Tnvvv v~s, Two Tv~xsi:ioxs: Mobvvx Missioxs
ing. Howcvcr, lcts bc carclul: Tc avcragc citizcn ol !sracl
was no morc oblivious to thc sccond part ol Gcn. 12:13
than thc avcragc Christian today is oblivious to thc Grcat
Commission! How casily our study 8iblcs ovcrlook thc
vcritablc string ol kcy passagcs in thc ld Tcstamcnt
which cxist to rcmind !sracl (and us) ol thc missionary
mandatc: Gcn 12:13, 18:18, 22:18, 28:14, x 19:46,
cut 28:10, 2 Chr 6:33, Ps 67, 96, 105, !sa 40:5, 42:4,
49:6, 56:3, 68, Jcr 12:1417, Zcch 2:11, Mal 1:11.
Likcwisc, today, nations which havc bccn singularly
blcsscd by God may choosc to rcsist and try to conccal any
scnsc ol thcir obligation to bc a blcssing to othcr nations.
8ut that is not Gods will. For unto whomsocvcr much is
givcn, ol him shall much bc rcquircd (Lukc 12:48).
Tus, how many timcs in thc avcragc church today is
thc Grcat Commission mcntioncd: vcn lcss oltcn
than it comcs up in thc ld Tcstamcnt! Yct thc Com
mission applics. !t applicd thcn, and it applics today. !
bclicvc it has bccn constantly applicablc lrom thc vcry
momcnt whcn it was rst givcn (Gcn 12:13). As indi
vidual Christians and as a nation wc arc rcsponsiblc to
bc a blcssing to all lamilics ol thc carth.
Tis mandatc has bccn ovcrlookcd during most ol thc
ccnturics sincc thc apostlcs. vcn our Protcstant tradi
tion pluggcd along lor ovcr 250 ycars, minding its own
busincss and its own blcssings (likc !sracl ol old) until
a young man ol grcat laith and incrcdiblc cndurancc
appcarcd on thc sccnc. !n this chaptcr wc arc going to
locus in on thc A.. 18002000 pcriod, which his lilc
and witncss kickcd o. No othcr pcrson can bc givcn as
much crcdit lor thc vibrant ncw impctus ol thc last two
hundrcd ycars. Hc was onc ol lour such inucntial mcn
whom God uscd, all ol thcm with scvcrc handicaps.
Trcc grcat cras ol ncw plunging lorward into ncwly
pcrccivcd lronticrs rcsultcd lrom thcir laith and obcdi
cncc (it took two ol thcm to launch thc third and nal
cra). Four stagcs ol mission stratcgy charactcrizcd cach
ol thcsc cras. !ncvitably two pcrplcxing transitions ol
stratcgy appcarcd as thc lourth stagc ol onc cra con
trastcd with thc rst stagc ol thc ncxt. !t is casicr to scc
this in a diagram. 8cttcr still, to tcll thc story.
Te First Era: Coastlands
William Carey, 1792
An undcr thirty young man, Villiam Carcy, got into
troublc whcn hc bcgan to takc thc Grcat Commission
scriously. Vhcn hc had thc opportunity to addrcss a
group ol ministcrs, hc challcngcd thcm to givc a rcason
why thc Grcat Commission did not apply to thcm.
Tcy rcbukcd him, saying, Vhcn God chooscs to
win thc hcathcn, Hc will do it without your hclp or
ours. Hc was unablc to spcak again on thc subjcct, so
hc paticntly wrotc out his analysis, An nquiry !nto
thc bligations ol Christians to Usc Mcans lor thc
Convcrsion ol thc Hcathcns.
Tc rcsulting small book convinccd a lcw ol his lricnds
to crcatc a tiny missions agcncy thc mcans ol
which hc had spokcn. Tc structurc was imsy and
wcak, providing only thc minimal backing hc nccdcd
to go to !ndia. Howcvcr, thc impact ol his cxamplc
rcvcrbcratcd throughout thc nglishspcaking world,
and his littlc book bccamc thc Magna Carta ol thc
Protcstant mission movcmcnt.
Villiam Carcy was not thc rst Protcstant mission
ary. For ycars thc Moravians had bccn scnding pcoplc
to Grccnland, Amcrica and Alrica. 8ut his littlc book,
in combination with thc vangclical Awakcning,
quickcncd vision and changcd livcs on both sidcs ol
thc Atlantic. Rcsponsc was almost instantancous: a
sccond missionary socicty was loundcd in London, two
in Scotland, onc in Holland, and thcn still anothcr in
ngland. 8y thcn it was apparcnt to all that Carcy was
right whcn hc had insistcd that organizcd corts in thc
lorm ol missions socictics wcrc csscntial to thc succcss
ol thc missionary cndcavor.
!n Amcrica, vc collcgc studcnts, arouscd by Carcys
book, mct to pray lor Gods dircction lor thcir livcs.
Tis unobtrusivc praycr mccting, latcr known as thc
Haystack Praycr Mccting, rcsultcd in an Amcrican
mcansthc Amcrican 8oard ol Commissioncrs ol
Forcign Missions.
vcn morc importantly, thcy startcd a studcnt mission
movcmcnt, which bccamc thc cxamplc and lorcrunncr
ol studcnt movcmcnts in missions to this day.
!n lact, during thc rst 25 ycars altcr Carcy sailcd to
!ndia, a dozcn mission agcncics wcrc lormcd on both
sidcs ol thc Atlantic, and thc First ra in Protcstant
missions was o to a good start. Rcalistically spcaking,
howcvcr, missions in this First ra was a pitilully small
shocstring opcration in rclation to thc othcr prcoc
cupations ol most uropcans and Amcricans in that
day. Tc idca that wc should organizc in ordcr to scnd
out missionarics did not comc casily, but it cvcntually
bccamc an acccptcd pattcrn.
Ralph D. Winter :+
Carcys inucncc lcd somc womcn in 8oston to lorm
womcns missionary praycr groups, a trcnd which lcd
to womcn bccoming thc main custodians ol mission
knowlcdgc and motivation. Somc ycars latcr womcn
bcgan to go to thc cld as singlc missionarics. Finally, by
1865, unmarricd Amcrican womcn cstablishcd womcns
mission boards, which, likc Roman Catholic womcns
ordcrs, only scnt out singlc womcn as missionarics, and
wcrc run cntircly by singlc womcn at homc.
Tcrc arc two vcry bright notcs about thc First ra. nc
is thc astonishing dcmonstration ol lovc and sacricc on
thc part ol thosc who wcnt out. Alrica, cspccially, was
a lorbidding contincnt. All mission outrcach to Alrica
prior to 1775 had totally lailcd. l all Catholic corts
and all Moravian corts, nothing had rcmaincd. Not
onc missionary ol any kind cxistcd on thc contincnt
on thc cvc ol thc First ra. Tc grucsomc statistics ol
almost incvitablc sickncss and dcath that hauntcd, yct
did not daunt, thc dccadcs ol truly valiant missionarics
who wcnt out altcr 1790 in virtually a suicidal strcam
cannot bc matchcd by any othcr cra nor by any othcr
causc. \cry lcw missionarics to Alrica during thc rst
60 ycars ol thc First ra survivcd morc than two ycars.
As ! havc rccctcd on this mcasurc ol dcvotion, ! havc
bccn humblcd to tcars, lor ! wondcr il ! or my pcoplc
today could, or would match that rccord. Can you imag
inc our Urbana studcnts going out into missionary work
today il thcy kncw that lor dccadc altcr dccadc 19 out ol
20 ol thosc bclorc thcm had dicd almost on thcir arrival
on thc cld:
A sccond bright spot in this First ra is thc dcvclop
mcnt ol high quality insight into mission stratcgy. Tc
movcmcnt had scvcral grcat missiologists. !n rcgard to
homc structurc, thcy clcarly undcrstood thc valuc ol
thc mission structurc bcing allowcd a lilc ol its own.
For cxamplc, wc rcad that thc London Missionary
Socicty cxpcricnccd unprcccdcntcd and uncqualcd
succcss, duc partly to its lrccdom lrom ccclcsiastical
supcrvision and partly to its lormation lrom an almost
cqual numbcr ol ministcrs and laymcn. !n rcgard to
cld structurc, wc can takc a notc lrom Hcnry \cnn,
who was rclatcd to thc lamous Clapham cvangclicals
and thc son ol a loundcr ol thc Church Missionary
Socicty. xccpt lor a lcw outdatcd tcrms, onc ol his
most lamous paragraphs sounds strangcly modcrn:
Rcgarding thc ultimatc objcct ol a Mission, vicwcd undcr
its ccclcsiastical rcsult, to bc thc scttlcmcnt ol a Nativc
Church undcr Nativc Pastors upon a scllsupporting
systcm, it should bc bornc in mind that thc progrcss ol a
Mission mainly dcpcnds upon thc training up and thc lo
cation ol Nativc Pastors, and that, as it has bccn happily
cxprcsscd, thc cuthanasia ol a Mission takcs placc whcn
a missionary, surroundcd by wclltraincd Nativc congrc
gations undcr Nativc Pastors, is ablc to rcsign all pastoral
work into thcir hands, and gradually rclax his supcrintcn
dcncc ovcr thc pastors thcmsclvcs, til it inscnsibly ccascs,
and so thc Mission passcs into a scttlcd Christian com
munity. Tcn thc missionary and all missionary agcncics
should bc translcrrcd to thc rcgions bcyond.
Takc notc: Tcrc was no thought hcrc ol thc national
church launching its own mission outrcach to ncw pio
nccr clds! Ncvcrthclcss, wc scc hcrc somcthing likc
stagcs ol mission activity, dcscribcd by Harold Fullcr ol
S!M in thc allitcrativc scqucncc (scc Tablc 1 abovc).
Slow and painstaking, though thc labors ol thc First
ra wcrc, thcy did bcar lruit, and thc lamiliar scrics ol
stagcs can bc obscrvcd. Tcy go lrom no church in thc
pionccr stagc, to inlant church in thc patcrnal stagc,
and to thc morc complicatcd maturc church in thc
partncrship and participation stagcs.
Samucl Homan ol thc Rclormcd Church in Amcrica
8oard puts it wcll:
Tc Christian missionary who was lovcd as an cvangc
list and likcd as a tcachcr, may nd himscll rcscntcd as
an administrator.
S+acvs ov M:ss:oN Ac+:v:+v
S:~cv + A Pionccr Stagc First contact with pcoplc group.
S:~cv : A Patcrnal Stagc xpatriatcs train national lcadcrship
S:~cv A Partncrship Stagc National lcadcrs work as cquals with cxpatriatcs
S:~cv A Participation Stagc xpatriatcs arc no longcr cqual partncrs, but only participatc
by invitation
:: Foiv Mvx, Tnvvv v~s, Two Tv~xsi:ioxs: Mobvvx Missioxs
Lucky is thc missionary in whosc own carccr this
wholc scqucncc ol stagcs takcs placc. Morc likcly thc
scrics rcprcscnts thc work in a spccic cld with a suc
ccssion ol missionarics. Again, it may bc thc cxpcricncc
ol an agcncy, which in its carly pcriod bursts out in
works in a numbcr ol placcs, and thcn altcr somc ycars
nds that most ol its clds arc maturc at about thc
samc timc. Rightly or wrongly, this kind ol succcssion
is visiblc in thc mission movcmcnt globally, as thc lcvcr
lor changc and nationalization swccps thc thinking ol
almost all cxccutivcs at oncc, and lcaps lrom contincnt
to contincnt, accting ncw clds still in carlicr stagcs
as wcll as old oncs in thc lattcr stagcs.
At any ratc, by 1865 thcrc was a strong conscnsus on
both sidcs ol thc Atlantic that thc missionary should
go homc whcn hc had workcd himscll out ol a job.
Sincc thc First ra locuscd primarily on thc coastlands
ol Asia and Alrica, wc arc not surpriscd that thc litcral
withdrawal would comc about rst in a casc whcrc
thcrc wcrc no inland tcrritorics. Tus, symbolizing thc
lattcr stagcs ol thc First ra was thc withdrawal ol
all missionarics lrom thc Hawaiian !slandsthcn a
scparatc country. Tis was donc with lcgitimatc pridc
and lanlarc, lullling thc highcst cxpcctations, thcn
and now, ol succcsslul progrcss through thc stagcs ol
missionary planting, watcring and harvcst.
Te Second Era: Inland
Hudson Taylor, 1865
A sccond symbolic cvcnt ol 1865 is cvcn morc sig
nicant at lcast lor thc inauguration ol thc Sccond
ra. A young man, altcr a short tcrm and likc Carcy
still undcr thirty, in thc tccth ol surrounding coun
tcr advicc, cstablishcd thc rst ol a wholc ncw brccd
ol missions cmphasizing thc inland tcrritorics. Tis
sccond young upstart was givcn littlc clsc than ncga
tivc noticc, but likc Villiam Carcy, hc broodcd ovcr
statistics, charts and maps. Vhcn hc suggcstcd that
thc inland pcoplcs ol China nccdcd to bc rcachcd, hc
was told that hc could not gct thcrc, and hc was askcd
il hc wishcd to carry on his shouldcrs thc blood ol thc
young pcoplc hc would thus scnd to thcir dcaths. Tis
accusing qucstion stunncd and staggcrcd him. Grop
ing lor light, whilc wandcring on thc bcach, it sccmcd
as il God nally spokc to rcsolvc thc ghastly thought:
You arc not scnding young pcoplc into thc intcrior ol
China. ! am. Tc load liltcd.
Vith only tradc school mcdicinc, without any univcrsity
cxpcricncc, much lcss missiological training, and with a
chcckcrcd past in rcgard to his own individualistic bc
havior on thc cld, hc was mcrcly onc morc ol thc wcak
things that God uscs to conlound thc wisc. His carly
anti churchplanting missionary stratcgy was brcathtak
ingly crroncous by todays churchplanting standards,
yct God strangcly honorcd him bccausc his gazc was
xcd upon thc worlds lcastrcachcd pcoplcs. Hudson
Taylor had a divinc wind bchind him. Tc Holy Spirit
sparcd him lrom many pitlalls, and it was his organiza
tion, thc China !nland Missionthc most coopcrativc,
scrvant organization yct to appcarthat cvcntually
scrvcd in, onc way or anothcr, ovcr 6,000 missionarics,
prcdominantly in thc intcrior ol China. !t took 20 ycars
lor othcr missions to bcgin to join Taylor in his spccial
cmphasisthc unrcachcd, inland lronticrs.
nc rcason thc Sccond ra bcgan slowly is that many
pcoplc wcrc conluscd. Tcrc wcrc alrcady many mis
sions in cxistcncc. Vhy morc:
Yct as Taylor pointcd out, all cxisting agcncics wcrc con
ncd to thc coastlands ol Alrica and Asia, or to islands
in thc Pacic. Yct, pcoplc qucstioncd, Vhy go to thc
intcrior il you havcnt nishcd thc job on thc coast:
! am not surc thc parallcl is truc today, but thc Sccond
ra apparcntly nccdcd not only a ncw vision but a lot
ol ncw organizations. Taylor not only startcd an ng
lish lronticr mission, hc wcnt to Scandinavia and thc
Contincnt to challcngc pcoplc to start ncw agcncics.
As a rcsult, dircctly or indircctly, ovcr 40 ncw agcncics
took shapc, composing thc laith missions that rightly
should bc callcd lronticr missions, as thc namcs ol
many ol thcm still indicatc: China !nland Mission,
Sudan !ntcrior Mission, Alrica !nland Mission, Hcart
ol Alrica Mission, Uncvangclizcd Ficlds Mission,
Rcgions 8cyond Missionary Union. Taylor was morc
conccrncd lor thc causc than lor a carccr: At thc cnd ol
his lilc hc had spcnt only hall ol his ycars ol ministry
in China. !n countlcss trips back lrom China hc spcnt
hall ol his timc as a mobilizcr on thc homc lront. For
Taylor, thc causc ol Christ, not China, was thc ultimatc
locus ol his conccrn.
As in thc carly stagc ol thc First ra, whcn things
bcgan to movc, God brought lorth a studcnt movcmcnt.
Tis onc was morc massivc than bclorcthc Studcnt
\oluntccr Movcmcnt lor Forcign Missions, historys
singlc most potcnt mission organization! !n thc 1880s
Ralph D. Winter :
and 90s thcrc was only 1/37th as many collcgc studcnts
as thcrc arc today, but thc Studcnt \oluntccr Movcmcnt
ncttcd 100,000 voluntccrs, who gavc thcir livcs to mis
sions. Twcntythousand actually wcnt ovcrscas. As wc
scc it now, thc othcr 80,000 had to stay homc to rcbuild
thc loundations ol thc missions cndcavor. Tcy bcgan
thc Laymcns Missionary Movcmcnt and strcngthcncd
cxisting womcns missionary socictics.
Howcvcr, as thc lrcsh ncw collcgc studcnts ol thc
Sccond ra burst on thc sccnc ovcrscas, thcy did
not always lathom how thc oldcr missionarics ol thc
First ra could havc turncd thcir rcsponsibility ovcr
to national lcadcrship at thc lcast cducatcd lcvcls ol
socicty. First ra missionarics wcrc in thc minority
by thcn, and thc wisdom thcy had gaincd lrom thcir
cxpcricncc was bypasscd by thc largc numbcr ol ncw
collcgccducatcd rccruits. Tus, in thc carly stagcs ol
thc Sccond ra, thc ncw collcgctraincd missionarics,
instcad ol going on to ncw lronticrs, thcy somctimcs
assumcd lcadcrship ovcr cxisting churchcs, not rcad
ing thc rccord ol prcvious mission thinkcrs. Tis oltcn
lorccd First ra missionarics and national lcadcrship
(which had bccn painstakingly dcvclopcd) into thc
background. !n somc cascs this causcd a hugc stcp
backward in mission stratcgy.
8y 1925, howcvcr, thc largcst mission movcmcnt in
history was in lull swing. 8y thcn Sccond ra mission
arics had nally lcarncd thc basic lcssons thcy had at
rst ignorcd, and produccd an incrcdiblc rccord. Tcy
had plantcd churchcs in a thousand ncw placcs, mainly
inland, and by 1940 thc rcality ol thc youngcr
churchcs around thc world was widcly acclaimcd as
thc grcat ncw lact ol our timc. Tc strcngth ol thcsc
churchcs lcd both national lcadcrs and missionarics
to assumc that all additional lronticrs could simply bc
moppcd up by thc ordinary cvangclism ol thc churchcs
scattcrcd throughout thc world. Morc and morc pcoplc
wondcrcd il missionarics wcrc nccdcd any longcr!
ncc morc, as in 1865, it sccmcd logical to scnd mis
sionarics homc lrom many arcas ol thc world.
For us today it is highly important to notc thc ovcrlap
ol thcsc rst two cras. Tc 45ycar pcriod bctwccn
1865 and 1910 (comparc 1934 to 1980 today) was
a transition bctwccn thc stratcgy appropriatc to thc
maturc stagcs ol ra 1, thc Coastlands cra, and thc
stratcgy appropriatc to thc pionccring stagcs ol ra 2,
thc !nland cra.
Shortly altcr thc Vorld Missionary Conlcrcncc in
dinburgh in 1910, thcrc cnsucd thc shattcring Vorld
Vars and thc worldwidc collapsc ol thc colonial
apparatus. 8y 1945 many ovcrscas churchcs wcrc
prcparcd not only lor thc withdrawal ol thc colonial
powcrs, but lor thc abscncc ol thc missionary as wcll.
Vhilc thcrc was no vcry widcsprcad outcry, Mission
ary Go Homc, as somc supposcd, ncvcrthclcss things
wcrc dicrcnt, as cvcn thc pcoplc in thc pcws at homc
ultimatcly scnscd. Pionccr and patcrnal wcrc no longcr
thc rclcvant stagcs, but partncrship and participation.
!n 1967, thc total numbcr ol carccr missionarics lrom
Amcrica bcgan to dcclinc (and it has continucd to do
so to this day). Vhy: Christians had bccn lcd to bclicvc
that all ncccssary bcachhcads had bccn cstablishcd. 8y
1967, ovcr 90 pcrccnt ol all missionarics lrom North
Amcrica wcrc working with strong national churchcs
that had bccn in cxistcncc lor somc timc.
Tc lacts, howcvcr, wcrc not that simplc. Unnoticcd by
almost cvcryonc, anothcr cra in missions had bcgun.
Te Tird Era: Unreached Peoples
Cameron Townsend, 1934
(Linguistic Barriers)
Tis cra was bcgun by a pair ol young mcn ol thc
Studcnt \oluntccr MovcmcntCamcron Townscnd
and onald McGavran. Camcron Townscnd was in
so much ol a hurry to gct to thc mission cld that hc
didnt bothcr to nish collcgc. Hc wcnt to Guatcmala
as a Sccond ra missionary, building on work which
had bccn donc in thc past. !n that country, as in all othcr
mission clds, thcrc was plcnty to bc donc by missionar
ics working with cstablishcd national churchcs.
8ut Townscnd was alcrt cnough to noticc that thc
majority ol thc Guatcmalan population did not spcak
Spanish. As hc movcd lrom villagc to villagc, trying to
distributc Scripturcs writtcn in thc Spanish languagc,
hc bcgan to rcalizc that Spanish cvangclism would
ncvcr rcach all ol Guatcmalas pcoplc. Hc was lurthcr
convinccd ol this whcn an !ndian askcd him, !l your
God is so smart, why cant hc spcak our languagc: Hc
was bclricndcd by a group ol oldcr missionarics who
had alrcady concludcd that thc indigcnous !ndian
populations nccdcd to bc rcachcd in thcir own lan
guagcs. Hc was just 23 whcn hc bcgan to movc on thc
basis ol this ncw pcrspcctivc.
: Foiv Mvx, Tnvvv v~s, Two Tv~xsi:ioxs: Mobvvx Missioxs
Surcly, in our timc thc onc pcrson comparablc to
Villiam Carcy and to Hudson Taylor is Camcron
Townscnd. Likc Carcy and Taylor, Townscnd saw that
thcrc wcrc still unrcachcd lronticrs, and lor almost a
hall ccntury hc has wavcd thc ag lor thc ovcrlookcd
tribal pcoplcs ol thc world. Hc startcd out hoping to
hclp oldcr mission boards rcach out to tribal pcoplc.
Likc Carcy and Taylor, hc cndcd up starting his own
mission, Vyclic 8iblc Translators, which is dcdicatcd
to rcaching thcsc ncw lronticrs. At rst hc thought
thcrc wcrc about 500 unrcachcd tribal groups in thc
world. (Hc was judging by thc largc numbcr ol tribal
languagcs in Mcxico alonc). Latcr, hc rcviscd his gurc
to 1,000, thcn 2,000, and now it is closcr to 5,000.
As his conccption ol thc cnormity ol thc task has
incrcascd, thc sizc ol his organization has incrcascd.
Today it numbcrs ovcr 4,000 adult workcrs.
Te Tird Era: Unreached Peoples
Donald McGavran, 1935
(Social Barriers)
At thc vcry samc timc that Townscnd was ruminating
in Guatcmala, onald McGavran was bcginning to
yicld to thc scriousncss, not ol linguistic barricrs, but ol
!ndias amazing social barricrs. Townscnd discovcrcd
thc tribcs, McGavran discovcrcd a ncarly univcrsal
catcgory, which hc labclcd homogcncous units, which
today arc morc oltcn callcd pcoplc groups. Paul
Hicbcrt has cmploycd thc tcrminology, horizontal
scgmcntation lor thc tribcs which cach occupics its
own turl, and vcrtical scgmcntation lor groups distin
guishcd, not by gcography, but by rigid social dicr
cnccs. McGavrans tcrminology dcscribcd both kinds
cvcn though hc was mainly thinking about thc morc
subtlc vcrtical scgmcntation.
ncc such a group is pcnctratcd by thc gospcl by
diligcntly taking advantagc ol that missiological brcak
through along group lincs, thc stratcgic bridgc ol God
to that pcoplc group is cstablishcd. Tc corollary ol this
truth is that until such a brcakthrough is madc, normal
cvangclism and church planting cannot takc placc.
McGavran did not lound a ncw mission (Townscnd
did so only whcn thc cxisting missions did not prop
crly rcspond to thc tribal challcngc). McGavrans activc
corts and writings spawncd both thc church growth
movcmcnt and thc lronticr mission movcmcnt, thc
lormcr dcvotcd to cxpanding within alrcady pcnctratcd
groups, and thc lattcr dcvotcd to dclibcratc approachcs
to thc rcmaining unpcnctratcd groups.
As with Carcy and Taylor bclorc thcm, Townscnd and
McGavran attractcd littlc attcntion lor twcnty ycars.
8ut by thc 1950s both had widc audicnccs. 8y 1980, 46
ycars altcr 1934, a 1910likc conlcrcncc was hcld, locus
ing prcciscly on thc lorgottcn groups thcsc two mcn
cmphasizcd. Tc dinburgh1980 Vorld Consultation
on Fronticr Missions was thc largcst mission mccting
in history, mcasurcd by thc numbcr ol mission agcncics
scnding dclcgatcs. And wondcr ol wondcrs, 57 Tird
Vorld agcncics scnt dclcgatcs. Tis is thc slccpcr ol
thc Tird ra! Also, a simultancous youth mccting, thc
!ntcrnational Studcnt Consultation on Fronticr Mis
sions, pointcd thc way lor all luturc mission mcctings to
includc signicant youth participation.
As had happcncd in thc carly stagcs ol thc rst two
cras, thc Tird ra has spawncd a numbcr ol ncw
mission agcncics. Somc, likc thc Ncw Tribcs Mission,
carry in thcir namcs rclcrcncc to this ncw cmpha
sis. Tc namcs ol othcrs, such as Gospcl Rccordings
and Mission Aviation Fcllowship, rclcr to thc ncw
tcchnologics ncccssary lor thc rcaching ol tribal and
othcr isolatcd pcoplcs ol thc world. Somc Sccond
ra agcncics, likc Rcgions 8cyond Missionary Union,
havc ncvcr ccascd to strcss lronticrs, and havc mcrcly
incrcascd thcir sta so thcy can pcnctratc lurthcrto
pcoplc groups prcviously ovcrlookcd.
Morc rcccntly many havc bcgun to rcalizc that tribal
pcoplcs arc not thc only lorgottcn pcoplcs. Many othcr
groups, somc in thc middlc ol partially Christianizcd
arcas, havc bccn complctcly ovcrlookcd. Tcsc pcoplcs
arc bcing callcd Unrcachcd Pcoplcs, and arc dcncd
by cthnic or sociological traits. Tus, thcy arc pcoplc
so dicrcnt lrom thc cultural traditions ol any cxist
ing church that missions (rathcr than cvangclistic)
stratcgics arc ncccssary lor thc planting ol indigcnous
churchcs within thcir particular traditions.
!l thc First ra was charactcrizcd by rcaching coast
land pcoplcs, and thc Sccond ra by inland tcrrito
rics, thc Tird ra must bc charactcrizcd by thc morc
diculttodcnc, nongcographical catcgory, which
wc havc callcd Unrcachcd Pcoplcspcoplc groups
which arc socially isolatcd. 8ccausc this conccpt has
bccn so hard to dcnc, thc Tird ra has bccn cvcn
slowcr gctting startcd than thc Sccond ra. Camcron
Townscnd and onald McGavran bcgan calling at
Ralph D. Winter :
tcntion to lorgottcn pcoplcs ovcr 40 ycars ago, but only
rcccntly has any major attcntion bccn givcn to thcm.
Morc tragic still, wc havc csscntially lorgottcn thc
pionccring tcchniqucs ol thc First and Sccond ras,
so wc almost nccd to rcinvcnt thc whccl as wc lcarn
again how to approach groups ol pcoplc complctcly
untouchcd by thc gospcl!
Vc know that thcrc arc about 10,000 pcoplc groups in
thc Unrcachcd Pcoplcs catcgory, gathcrcd in clustcrs
ol similar pcoplcs, thcsc clustcrs numbcring not morc
than 3,000. ach individual pcoplc will rcquirc a scpa
ratc, ncw missionary bcachhcad. !s this too much: Can
this bc donc:
Can We Do It?
Tc task is not as dicult as it may sccm, lor scvcral
surprising rcasons. !n thc rst placc, thc task is not an
Amcrican onc, or cvcn a Vcstcrn onc. !t will involvc
Christians lrom cvcry contincnt ol thc world.
Morc signicant is thc lact that whcn a bcachhcad
is cstablishcd within a culturc, thc normal cvangclis
tic proccss, which God cxpccts cvcry Christian to bc
involvcd in, rcplaccs thc missions stratcgy, bccausc thc
mission task ol brcaking in is nishcd.
Furthcrmorc, closcd countrics arc lcss and lcss ol
a problcm bccausc thc modcrn world is bccoming
morc and morc intcrdcpcndcnt. Tcrc arc litcrally no
countrics today which admit no lorcigncrs. Many ol
thc countrics considcrcd complctcly closcdlikc
Saudi Arabiaarc in lact avidly rccruiting thousands
ol skillcd pcoplc lrom othcr nations. And thc truth is,
thcy prclcr dcvout Christians ovcr boozing, woman
izing, sccular Vcstcrncrs.
8ut our work in thc Tird ra has many othcr advan
tagcs. Vc havc potcntially a worldwidc nctwork ol
churchcs that can bc arouscd to thcir ccntral mission.
8cst ol all, nothing can obscurc thc lact that this could
and should bc thc nal cra. No scrious bclicvcr today
darc ovcrlook thc lact that God has not askcd us to
rcach cvcry nation, tribc and tonguc without intcnding
it to bc donc. No gcncration has lcss cxcusc than ours
il wc do not do as Hc asks.