UNREACHED

We challenge the popular idea that “everything is missions” and show why that confusion weakens the church’s urgency for unreached people groups. We rebuild a biblical definition of missions, then get practical about how churches and everyday believers can become better senders and better partners in the Great Commission. 
• Why “everyone is a missionary” creates confusion and costly drift 
• Real church examples that blur missions with children’s ministry and Christian radio 
• Returning to Scripture to define missions rather than preference 
• The “sent” nature of missionaries and why role matters 
• Clear lanes for evangelism vs missions vs outreach 
• A communion table story that reframes the church’s responsibility to the unreached 
• What a sending church looks like from Acts 13 
• Proactive mobilization and a modern coalition story of churches engaging an unreached group 
• Practical next steps for church members and pastors who want clarity and movement 

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We uncover the missions “Mount Rushmore” and learn how a few pivotal ideas reshaped how the church thinks about reaching the nations. We leave with a clearer picture of unreached people groups, Bible translation, and what it means for all of us to hold the rope for global gospel work. 
• Nathan Allen’s path from loving history to mobilizing students and churches 
• The origin of the word missions as “sent” and why that matters 
• William Carey’s “Inquiry” and the rope holder model for goers and senders 
• Hudson Taylor’s push for contextualization and taking the gospel inland 
• Cameron Townsend, SIL, Wycliffe, and the urgency of mother tongue Scripture 
• Ralph Winter, Lausanne, unreached people groups, Joshua Project, and Perspectives 
• Building mobilization pipelines through For the Nations and local church partnership 

www.nwaforthenations.com

www.ftncon.com

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We talk with Don Ellsworth about building a church missions strategy that stays centered on Jesus while adapting to fast-changing realities. We explore how to steward budget and people so the whole body participates in reaching the unreached and serving the vulnerable. 
• Don’s journey from worship pastor to missions pastor and why the shift feels natural 
• deeper convictions about the gospel and disciple making driving the work 
• frustration with church bottlenecks that keep everyday believers from engagement 
• why engagement is harder than writing checks 
• a practical allocation framework for local and global stewardship 
• pursuing trusted partnerships instead of taking every request 
• leveraging vocational skills for mission impact including protecting vulnerable children 
• guardrails focused on unreached and vulnerable in the city and worldwide 
• gateway cities as a local pathway to cross cultural ministry 
• prayer walking and shared life as preparation for overseas sending 
• guidance for discernment through prayer and one-step obedience 
• books that build a foundation for missions and wise helping 
• bottlenecks like pride, territorialism and unawareness plus a pathway to engagement 

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We talk candidly about how telling missionary stories for five seasons reshapes what we believe God is asking from us and why Clint and Amber choose to mobilize their lives toward unreached people groups. We wrestle with what it means to treat the Great Commission as a real assignment we can help finish and how awareness, access, and prayer change everything. 

• Clint’s journey from worship pastor to missions mobilization 
• The “driving range” origin of the podcast and why stories matter 
• A catalytic family moment at Light the World and why excellence mobilizes 
• “Awareness here, access there” as a simple missions framework 
• For the Nations conference vision and why young adults are key 
• Indigenous-led church planting and disciple making movements as the goal 
• Why we think the Great Commission can be fulfilled in our lifetime 
• Prayer as partnership with God rather than a checkbox 
• Scarcity mentality vs abundance and stewarding what God entrusts to us 
• Gratitude for listeners around the world and what we hope comes next 

Find out more about the FOR THE NATIONS CONFERENCE here...

www.ftncon.com

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We sit with Ken Katayama of Crossover Global and trace how God used a multicultural story, a missions conference, and a hard “no” in Turkey to shape a lifetime of mobilizing the Church toward people with no gospel access. We unpack what it looks like to plant culturally rooted multiplying churches among unreached and unengaged people groups and how listeners can join through prayer, partnership, and giving. 
• Ken’s journey from Brazil to the US and from mixed-faith upbringing to following Jesus 
• A baptism day that becomes a turning point for his whole family 
• The first time he realizes there are people who have never heard about Jesus 
• A defining calling moment in Turkey: going back to send others 
• Why calling cannot be reduced to geography 
• How Crossover Global becomes a global organization with multilingual leadership 
• Church planting as a practical solution to the gospel access problem 
• E1 E2 E3 explained and why cultural proximity can help or hurt 
• Contextualized church life and celebrating diverse expressions of faith 
• Clear partnership paths: fund church planting, churches adopting networks, prayer for unengaged peoples 

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We talk with David Bogosian from A Third of Us and Rotimi Akinpelu from Joshua Project about why the “unfinished task” still includes thousands of unreached and frontier people groups, and why prayer is the first strategy, not the last resort. We lay out how the global Church can wake up, reprioritize resources toward the hardest-to-reach places, and take practical steps toward lasting breakthrough. 

• David’s upbringing at the US Center for World Mission and learning to trust God’s provision 
• Joshua Project’s shift from data publishing to catalytic mobilization for frontier peoples 
• A Third of Us as an alliance to raise awareness, fuel prayer, and connect believers with trusted agencies 
• Why frontier people groups require a “furthest ship first” strategy for people and funding 
• The link between unreached peoples and the persecuted church in restricted access contexts 
• International Day of the Unreached on May 24 and the goal to “light up” a global prayer map 
• A real story of healing and movement growth among Dalits in Bihar, India 
• Practical on-ramps like the action pack, the three-line symbol, and people group adoption 
• Joshua Project’s ADOPT pathway: awaken, decide, orient, pray, take action 
• What ongoing engagement looks like after May 24, including reaching unreached neighbors through diaspora 

LINKS:

https://missionexus.org/a-third-of-us/day-for-the-unreached/

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We talk with Scott Elequin from Global Switchboard about building “Kingdom Relationships” that connect everyday believers to real needs on the field right now. We explore how prayer, encouragement, skills-based help, and smarter mobilization can reduce missionary isolation and move the Great Commission forward. 

• Revelation 7 vision and the reality of unreached people groups 
• Global Switchboard explained as a matching platform for missions service 
• “Kingdom Relationships” as the true north metric for lasting impact 
• Expanding beyond skilled volunteering into prayer, encouragement, sharing, and giving 
• Real stories of how prayer can spark deeper support and collaboration 
• Church and organization dashboards that show live engagement and global reach 
• Security and safety design that protects workers while enabling collaboration 
• QR-code onboarding to mobilize rooms of people fast 
• AI matching that improves with better profile input 
• Prayer circles and real-time updates replacing polished newsletters 
• Helping gospel workers with capacity, not just specialty “purple squirrel” needs 
• Rethinking resource allocation, generosity, and connecting younger givers 
• Affirming business as mission and marketplace callings as strategic 

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We talk with Gigi Awabdeh from SLED about restoring dignity in the MENA region by serving people who are overlooked, hidden, and often labeled as a shame. We share how humanitarian aid, long-term relationships, and Discovery Bible Study create real openings for the gospel among special needs families, refugees, and survivors of war. 
• SLED (Serve Lead Empower Develop) and a dignity-driven mission rooted in Christ 
• Humanitarian aid as a trusted way into hard places 
• Special needs as the most marginalized group in parts of the Middle East 
• Home visits and caring for families’ basic needs 
• Discovery Bible Study as a simple tool anyone can use 
• The burden carried by mothers and the isolation of families 
• Retreats and gatherings that bring people out of hiding 
• Partnership with local churches and the Austin Ridge Embrace ministry curriculum 
• Stories of transformation including a woman saved from suicide 
• Work among refugees and displaced communities across Iraq Lebanon Syria Yemen and beyond 
• Dreams and visions that lead people to ask about Jesus 

https://sledinternational.org/

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We talk with Doug Cobb about why the Great Commission has clear finish lines and why the global church may be closer to them than most people realize. We dig into Scripture, modern missions strategy, and practical ways to join the sprint with prayer, giving, and going. 
• Revelation 7 as the north star vision for the nations 
• Matthew 24:14 and the link between gospel proclamation and Jesus’ return 
• Three finish lines: every nation, every language, every place 
• Bible translation momentum and why language matters 
• Technology, transportation, media, and collaboration as accelerants 
• The Finishing Fund approach to funding first engagement efforts 
• Indigenous missionaries and near culture workers as the growing mission force 
• What the American church often misses about cross-cultural responsibility 
• How to hold urgency without unhealthy end-times pressure 
• Finding your lane: pray, give, go, including diaspora ministry and online discipleship 

Find Doug Cobb's book "The Sprint To The Finish" on Amazon. 

https://www.amazon.com/Sprint-Finish-Complete-Commission-Generation/dp/B0FSJKT1YW

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].

We share how East-West Ministries fuels church-planting movements in the spiritually darkest places and why local ownership, simple training, and courageous witness are building lasting fruit. Stories of persecution, collaboration, and measurable faith goals show practical ways to engage now.

• vision rooted in Revelation 7 and the need among 7,000+ unreached people groups
• early callings to missions and the path from short-term to long-term service
• East-West focus on Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and animist contexts across 52 countries
• practical on-ramps: short-term trips, evangelism training, and field readiness
• giving and prayer partnerships with real-time updates and project impact
• frontline stories: long-term fruit from short trips; house-church multiplication
• persecution realities in India and resilient strategies for hard places
• shift to local ownership and indigenous leadership as the biblical model
• collaboration through the Coalition of the Willing and shared village-level maps
• 2033 vision for a church in every village; role of tech and AI
• 2026 faith goals: gospel shares, disciples, leaders, churches, workers, new UPGs

https://www.eastwest.org/

A note from our team here at UNREACHED... 

If this podcast adds value for you, and we hope it does, would you please rate and review the podcast wherever you listen.
Also SHARE with your family, your friends, your church, your life group, small group, D group, wherever you do life.
And if you want to connect with us, find us on Instagram @unreachedpodcast or email us at [email protected].