EMQ » July–September 2023 » Volume 59 Issue 4
Summary: Globally, 1,965 church planting movements (CPMs) are being reported, with approximately 90% of these among current or former unreached people groups. These reports have been compiled by the 24:14 Coalition. Our primary goal has been to find out where the unreached are being reached so we can identify the gaps where the unreached are not being reached. But in the process, we have shared information about movements, globally and regionally, which has led to some people feeling frustrated when they cannot know more.
By Stan Parks, with Bert Hickman, Dave Coles, David Garrison, Kent Parks, Justin Long, and Wes Watkins
Fifty years ago, the unreached world remained relatively unengaged and unresponsive. After more than 200 years of modern mission efforts, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist populations remained still mostly untouched. But God’s work in recent decades has been amazing.
Globally, 1,965 church planting movements (CPMs) are being self-reported,[i] with approximately 90% of these among current or former unreached people groups. These reports have been compiled by the 24:14 Coalition – a family of movement leaders and disciples, movement practitioners, and global Body of Christ partners focused on catalyzing kingdom movements in every unreached people and place. In our eagerness to report God’s amazing works, we may have inadvertently overemphasized the numbers.
Our primary goal has been to find out where the unreached are being reached so we can identify the gaps where the unreached are not being reached. Since most movements are being started by other movements, knowing where movements currently exist is crucial in helping them start new movements – both organically and intentionally. But in the process, we have shared information about movements, globally and regionally, which has led to some people feeling frustrated when they cannot know more.
Our rule has been that the information belongs to the movements – so we do not have the right to share that information. We have only been able to compile this information by creating trust that we will only share the information in ways they prescribe. Unfortunately, issues of security prevent more transparency in the reporting than we all desire.
