What is the local church's role in reaching the world's least-reached peoples, and how does that role come alive in ordinary congregations? In this episode, we sit down with Drew Remke, Vice President of Engagement for Pioneers USA, to explore how everyday churches can move from spectators to senders in God's global mission.

Pioneers is a movement of more than 3,000 missionaries from over 100 countries, planting churches among the least-reached places on earth. Drew's teams partner with the 3,400 sending and supporting churches connected to Pioneers USA, helping them grow strong in their calling to reach the unreached. Before joining the executive team, Drew and his wife Jordan spent twelve years serving across the Arabian Peninsula—planting and pastoring international churches, launching businesses, building leadership development programs, and overseeing missionary teams. They now live in San Antonio with their three daughters and Jordan's parents. Both were founding members of Redeemer Church of Lubbock, which has sent more than 100 long-term missionaries to the nations since 2008.

Drew shares his own story of coming to faith and being called to missions, then unpacks the vision of Pioneers and the vital, God-given place of the local church in the Great Commission. We dig into practical questions every church wrestles with: How does a congregation get involved in cross-cultural missions? How do we cultivate a genuinely missional heart? What does it look like for the local church and a sending organization to work together to prepare, equip, and send missionaries well?

We also spotlight an exciting partnership: how Pioneers and Joshua Project are working together to help churches adopt unreached people groups—what people group adoption looks like, the role Pioneers plays in the process, and how adopting churches can lock arms with sending organizations to see their group reached.

Drew closes with encouragement for churches still on the fence about adopting a frontier people group, and shares how you can connect with him and get involved with Pioneers.

Whether you're a pastor, a missions leader, or simply someone longing to see your church step deeper into God's heart for the nations, this conversation will both challenge and equip you.

Visit Pioneers.org to learn more and discover ways you can serve cross-culturally.

Visit Joshuaproject.net/adopt today to adopt a Frontier People Group, or register your organization to become a facilitator.

In this episode of the Joshua Project Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Copeland, Dean of Students, Assistant Professor of Missions, and Associate Director of the World Missions Center in the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern.

Before stepping into the classroom, Dr. Copeland spent fifteen years as a missionary with the International Mission Board in Central Asia, laboring among the Uyghur people—one of the world's largest unreached Muslim groups. He introduces us to who the Uyghurs are, where they live, and what they believe, then shares his own testimony and calling, what it was like to raise a family overseas, and the vision that led him to research how Han Christians can carry the gospel to Uyghur Muslims.

At the heart of the conversation are two remarkable stories of the gospel overcoming deep ethnic tension between Han and Uyghur—a reminder that the good news is the power of God for salvation even where two peoples have long stood at odds. Dr. Copeland also makes the case for training and seminary preparation, unpacking what future missionaries stand to gain before they ever step onto the field, and reflects on how the global mission movement is shifting as local, indigenous believers begin sending their own to the nations. He closes with encouragement for anyone who feels called to missions but doesn't know where to start.

Whether you're a seasoned sender, a student weighing seminary, or someone just beginning to sense God's call to the unreached, this conversation will stir your heart for the peoples still waiting to hear.

Looking to take the next steps?

Contact Dr. Copeland at [email protected] to learn more about how Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary can help prepare you for a lifetime in ministry.

You can also visit swbts.edu to learn more.

Visit Joshuaproject.net to discover more Frontier People Groups like the Uyghurs, and the role you can play in reaching them.

To learn more about Uyghurs, see https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/15755

Connect with me here

What if preparing someone for the mission field looked less like a classroom and more like special forces training?

In this episode, we explore exactly that question with Jeremy Taliaferro, founder and CEO of Anchored International, an organization dedicated to training, mentoring, and encouraging missionaries around the world.

With over 22 years of experience as an IMB missionary, Jeremy has led church planting teams in war zones, taught trauma healing in refugee camps, and developed some of the most rigorous missionary training programs in the field today. He shares his personal journey to Christ, his calling into missions, and what it was like uprooting his family to serve in a remote village—along with the challenges that eventually led him to create the Elite Missionary Training program.

We dig into what real preparation for cross-cultural ministry looks like: how special forces-style training principles apply to church planting, and how missionaries can be equipped to serve safely and effectively in high-risk, high-security regions. Jeremy also speaks candidly to anyone who feels called to missions but unsure if they're equipped—and offers practical next steps for getting trained and sent.

A quick note: the audio cuts out briefly a few times during this episode, but the content is well worth pushing through for—Jeremy's insight and experience make this one worth every minute.

If you enjoyed today's episode, subscribe for more content or share it with a friend.

Go to https://www.anchored-international.com to discover their various missionary training programs and legacy connect.

To learn more about unreached people groups and discover God's next steps for you, visit joshuaproject.net.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about the show you can contact me here.

Subscribe to the Joshua Project Newsletter for more

In this episode, we sit down with Chris Clayman, Executive Director of Joshua Project, to hear the story God has been writing through his life and to explore how each of us can find our place in the Great Commission.

Chris takes us from his early days and coming to faith, to pioneer mission work among Muslim peoples in Mali, West Africa — the joys, the challenges, and the ways God used hard seasons to shape him. From there we follow the surprising redirection to New York City, where Chris discovered the strategic opportunity of global gateway cities and new avenues for ministering to West Africans right in the middle of the Big Apple. Along the way he helped launch and develop efforts like Global Gates, Heart for Muslims, Welcome Africans, and UPG North America.

We also talk about how the Lord led Chris to Joshua Project, the vision he brings to highlighting the peoples and places with the least access to the gospel, and his book Superplan: A Journey into God's Story. Most importantly, Chris shares how you can discover God's "Superplan" for your own life and take your next step in reaching the unreached.

Whether you're wrestling with God's will for your life or looking for a concrete way to engage frontier and unreached people groups, this conversation will encourage and equip you.

Learn more about unreached people groups and find your next step at joshuaproject.net.

or Connect with me here

Find Chris's resources here:

Linktr.ee/ChrisClayman

In this episode, we're joined by Dave Jacob of Gospel Mobilization to trace the mission of God across the entire Old Testament. Far from being a New Testament afterthought, God's heart for the nations is woven through Scripture from the very beginning.

We start before the fall, with God's command to Adam to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. From there we follow the thread through the great covenants — God's promise to Abraham to bless all peoples, the calling of Israel through Moses, and the kingdom established in David. We finish at the temple, where the Court of the Gentiles stood as a sign of God's welcome to the nations, and in Psalm 67, a prayer that God's saving power would be known among all peoples.

Along the way, we challenge the church to recover this vision. From the beginning, God had the nations on His heart — and today, so many still have never heard the gospel. The call to missions isn't a departure from the Old Testament story. It's the fulfillment of it.

You can connect with Dave Jacob and listen to the Gospel Mobilization Podcast at Gospelmobilization.org

Click here to connect with me

Subscribe to the Newsletter for updates

Go to Joshuaproject.net to learn more

In this special episode, we team up with RAW Mission, the podcast from Frontiers UK, sharing real-life stories from those carrying the Good News to the 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide who have little or no access to the gospel. RAW stands for Radical, Authentic and Worldwide — and this conversation lives up to all three.

We're joined by Matt, who spent years as a missionary in Pakistan, for an honest look at what it means to share the love of Jesus with Muslims both overseas and right where you live. Matt shares stories from his time in Pakistan and unpacks the fears and misconceptions many Christians carry about Islam and Muslim communities. Together we explore why building genuine friendships matters more than winning arguments, how to move past the awkwardness of that first conversation, and the small, practical steps anyone can take to reach the Muslims already in their neighbourhood — whether that's a colleague, a classmate, or the family next door.

Whether you feel called to the mission field or simply want to love the people around you well, this conversation offers encouragement, honesty, and a hopeful reminder that the gospel is good news for everyone.

Listen to the RAW Mission Podcast

In this episode Matt mentions a great resource for reaching Muslims called Journey to Truth. Check out the link below to learn more!

Learn more about Journey to Truth

As always, feel free to check out the Joshua Project website to learn more about Frontier People Groups, subscribe to our Newsletter to stay in the loop, or contact me directly for any questions!

Go to Joshua Project

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Connect with me

In this episode, we sit down with Duane Fraiser, Joshua Project's Director of People and Culture, to unpack why people group thinking is at the heart of finishing the Great Commission. We explore why mission strategy looks at ethnic groups rather than just political borders, what makes the frontier people groups so often overlooked, and how God is bringing many of these least-reached peoples right into our own communities through diaspora migration. Duane shares practical, hopeful ways to recognize and strategically engage the unreached neighbors God may be placing next door.

Join our Newsletter

Free Shareable Resources from JP

Connect with me

What does it actually take to become a missionary?

In this episode, we sit down with missionary and launch team coordinator Pierce Davis, who serves in Thailand. Together we explore the journey from sensing God's initial call to stepping onto the mission field. Pierce shares practical insights on discerning calling, growing as a disciple, and planting healthy churches among the nations.

Whether you're personally considering missions, want to help others take their next step, or simply passionate about seeing the Great Commission fulfilled, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical guidance for the journey ahead.

Contact Pierce Davis for more info here https://linktr.ee/the_davis_family

To learn more go to Joshuaproject.net

Access our free resources and summer webinar series here

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Connect with me here

In this episode, we sit down with Rotimi Akinpelu, Director of People Group Adoption at Joshua Project, for a warm and powerful conversation about the role of the local church in finishing the Great Commission.

Together, we unpack the Frontier People Group Adoption process, why it may be the most strategic missions step a church can take, and how prayer, partnership, and long-term commitment can change eternity for entire communities with little to no gospel access.

Rotimi shares stories, vision, and practical insight into how churches across the world are uniquely positioned to help carry the gospel to Frontier People Groups. This episode is both an invitation and a challenge.

To learn more about People Group Adoption go to joshuaproject.net/adopt

Pray for FPGs at Light the Nations

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Connect with me

What does it look like when God begins to redirect a life from one form of ministry into something unexpected? And what does the church need to do to make sure the next generation is ready to respond? 

In the first episode of the Joshua Project Podcast, we sit down with Billy McMahan, a mobilizer with Africa Inland Mission. Billy shares his own story of his calling and how God led him, step by step, toward a focus on frontier missions and mobilization. From there, the conversation goes deep into the local church: why Billy believes Gen Z has remarkable potential for the future of missions, and why 1-on-1 discipleship and mentorship aren’t just good spiritual practices. They may be the most important thing the church is doing to prepare the next wave of missionaries. 

If you’ve ever wondered whether you might be called to something bigger, or whether your church has a role to play in reaching the unreached, this episode is a great place to start. 

To Learn More Visit Joshuaproject.net

Free Resources

Light the Nations Prayer Map

Subscribe to our Newsletter