Adopting an Unreached People Group (UPG)

From the International Mission Board

Where to Begin?

 1.      Pray for God’s Guidance

As in any spiritual endeavor, your search for an unreached people group for adoption must begin with prayer. The International Mission Board wants God’s best for your church, and only God can show you what that is. 

2.      Discover Your Church’s Natural Affinity (DNA)

As you pray for God to show you the unreached people group He has for your church, be alert to what He may be showing you:

• Do you already have a connection to an IMB missionary? Have you sent out a missionary from your church? Do you have a parent or children of missionaries who are members? Has a team been on a mission trip where they felt a connection to the people group(s) they served?
• What are the skills and spiritual gifts of your church members?
• What people groups live near your church or its members? Who have you met at the local hotels, gas stations, fast food or convenience stores? What about the physicians of your members? Check the website www.peoplegroups.info to find people groups in your area.
• Is there a place in the world that keeps coming up in your corporate prayer times or just keeps coming to mind?

3.      Determine the Church’s Expectations for an Adoption

• Is your desire to adopt an unreached people group for prayer? Are you ready to pray consistently and continually? To pray that God will send the workers that He will prepare the hearts of the people to hear the truth of the gospel and that the message will spread unhindered. If prayer is the extent of what you feel your church is ready for, contact the prayer office at IMB or go to CompassionNet http://imb.org/compassionnet/ and sign up for PrayerPlus. Praise God for your prayers.
• Is your church ready to pray AND to connect with a missionary on the field and join their strategy for reaching a people group? Going on multiple volunteer trips – engaging in their strategy – praying specifically for their needs?
• Is your church ready to pray AND to “become” the virtual missionary to an unreached people group that has no missionary assigned to them? Are you ready to study the people, develop the strategy and take ownership of an unreached people group that may never hear unless you go?

 4.           Work with Church Leaders  and Identify a Mission “Champion”  

• Ÿ  Has God laid a particular part of the world on the heart of one or more church leaders?
• Ÿ  Are they ready to find ways to take the gospel to those who have little or no access to the gospel?
• Ÿ  Who among your church’s laity will become the “point person” to communicate with the field?
• Ÿ  Is this person willing to be trained in security measures to allow communication to restricted areas?
• Ÿ  Can this person help influence the congregation to focused prayer for your UPG?
• Ÿ  Are they willing to lead teams and work with the leadership in the church and the Regional leadership on the field to reach your UPG?

 5.           Investigate Opportunities

• Ÿ  Do you feel led to reach a mega-city or a rural area or something in between?
• Ÿ  Are there volunteer opportunities available that might help you discover the Region of the world where God is leading? Check www.going.imb.org.
• Ÿ  Has your state convention or local association adopted a UPG?
• Ÿ  Assign teams or individuals to research various regions/people groups and then join together to pray for God’s direction. Check the IMB “Where We Work” regional sites at: http://www.imb.org/main/page.asp?StoryID=4488&LanguageID=1709. Look at www.peoplegroups.org; download an Excel spreadsheet prepared by the Global Research Department at http://www.imb.org/globalresearch/downloads/2008-03%20GSEC%20Listing%20of%20People%20Groups.xls.
• Ÿ  If you feel led to a specific Region of the world, but have not yet discovered your UPG, contact your Mobilization Specialist or Mobilization Consultant at the IMB to get in touch with the Personalizer for that Region to connect you to the field: http://www.imb.org/main/lead/page.asp?StoryID=5671&LanguageID=1709.

 1.    Pray and Celebrate God’s Direction

• Prayerfully agree to follow His leadership.
• Find ways to bring the whole church into the process. 
• Meet with various church leaders and find a way to publicly celebrate the direction.

 2.    Communicate, Follow Through and Keep Your Commitments!

• Learn from field personnel in your Region.
• Connect with other churches to multiply your efforts.
• Communicate with field personnel as your team trains and prepares.
• If you make commitments to the field (or to other churches on the UPG team), do what you say you will do! Trust must be built.
• Follow-through will lead to more opportunities.
• Evaluate your role every year. If God leads you in another direction, find ways to communicate this to the field and other churches that have joined in this effort and develop a strategic exit plan.