Lausanne World Pulse – LAUSANNE REPORTS – Ethnê06 . . . Launching A Global Prayer and Strategy Initiative Focused on the Least Reached Peoples

By S. Kent Parks
March 2006

Ethnê06, is a global gathering of people, churches and organizations focused on ministering to Unreached People Groups (UPGs). The gathering will be held 7-10 March 2006 and is designed to energize the body of Christ for continuing work among the twenty-seven percent of the world which has little or no access to hear or experience the gospel. These people groups receive only about 2.4% of all missionaries and less than one-tenth of one percent of global church monies.

Although variously called Unreached People Groups (UPGs), Least Evangelized Peoples (LEP) or Least Reached People Groups (LRP), Ethnê06 has chosen to link the terms to highlight those people groups that are the least served. (For definitions on these terms, see www.ethne.net/definition.htm.) Although significant progress has been made in the last thirty years, these UPGs/ LRPs still number in the thousands—and these peoples will still be “least reached” in 2050 unless drastic efforts emerge immediately.

Intersection. This consultation serves to be an intersection for UPG/LRP strategy discussion for Lausanne and the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission. This meeting will provide an opportunity for leaders to meet face to face, develop relationships, pray and plan new strategic initiatives among UPGs. 

The specific idea arose from discussions at the 2001 Great Commission Roundtable, the Singapore 02 UPG Consultation and the Thailand 2004 Lausanne Forum Issue Group on Hidden and Forgotten Peoples. UPG-focused network leaders from every continent have become part of the Ethnê06 convening group. We believe that intentional “trans-national” collaboration and strategy is a biblical necessity, brings glory to God and is crucial to accelerate movements to Christ among all peoples.

Leadership. SEALINK (the SEAsia UPG network) serves as the core of the convening group. The SEALINK steering committee invited key leaders from around the world to join as a part of the larger Ethnê convening group. Shortly after the Ethnê 06 meeting in March 2006, the responsibility will be passed to another regional network that will serve as the core of the next planning group for the next meeting.

Leadership from the following networks are part of the larger Ethnê06 convening group: SEALINK, Philippines Mission Association, India Mission Association, Malaysia Center for Global Ministry, Nigerian Evangelical Mission Association, Indonesian Evangelical Alliance (PII), Indonesian Research Network (PJRN), US Center for World Mission, COMIBAM, Central Asia Consultation, CRAF (Francophone Africa Partnership), APP, China Source, SEANET, SW Peoples Partnership and others.

Vision and Purpose. Ethnê to Ethnê is global, ongoing, biblical and multi-generational. It focuses on the importance of each generation (baby boomers, gen-Xers, first-generation or even fourth-generation believers) in sharing the gospel.

The vision is “peoples joining together to glorify God among all peoples.” The purpose is “to energize the body of Christ for continuing initiatives among the “one-fourth world” which has almost no access to the gospel” by:

•Celebrating progress among the least reached

•Assessing current opportunities and resources

•Accelerating movements to Christ among every people

Most significantly, Ethnê06 seeks to stimulate Global Prayer Initiatives and related Strategy Initiatives as well as a Global Youth Ethne meeting in 2007. These initiatives are not an effort to set a specific goal, but an effort to stimulate each other to greater efforts and effectiveness through collaborating and by sharing spiritual and cultural giftings. This prayer and strategy initiative will be mutually launched June 2006. Global Prayer Digest will provide daily prayer requests and Joshua Project is offering specific links to data by region.

Consultative Groups. Much of Ethnê06 will be focused on consultative groups which will develop strategic plans together by gathering people from different nationalities, giftings and vocations. Thus, rather than dividing into a pastors’ group, a church planters’ group, a member care group, a translators’ group or a “fund-ers” group, these different gifting will be combined into several working groups. The following are descriptions of the strategy groups that will be organize

S. Kent Parks is facilitator for Lausanne’s Least Reached Peoples Special Interest Group. He also serves as co-facilitator for Ethnê06. Lausanne Occasional Paper No. 35, released by the 2004 Forum Issue Group on Hidden and Forgotten People (Least-Reached) is available online.  (Document opens as a PDF file.)