At the initial Finishing the Task conference at Billy Graham’s Cove in 2004, we challenged key churches to engage one or more of the 639 unengaged unreached people groups (UUPGs) with over 100,000 population. In addition, we encouraged them after 18-24 months of experience reaching the unreached to conduct their own FTTs with churches and pastors in their circles of influence. Many are already doing that ahead of schedule. (See finishingthetask.com) We also appeal to them to partner with a churches in another countries to conduct FTTs for their countries.
   So it was a total surprise when the FTT movement jumped continents to India and Korea before the year was out. Here is a brief report on what is happening in both countries.

   The first FTT outside the USA was appropriately in India where 310 of the 639 UUPGs are located. In September 2006, 93 church and mission leaders from 41 church planting organizations representing 21 states and six denominations met in Delhi to consider forming an FTT India. Members of the FTT Strategy Committee in the US, including Paul Eshelman (CCC), Matt Ellison (sixteenfifteen), Chris and Margaret Olsen (Wycliffe) and Curtis Sargeant (Saddleback) presented the case. The particpants studied the list of groups and reported on what they knew was happening in some of them. Many were shocked that there were still so many unengaged unreached people groups in India.

   One partner reported baptizing 40 new Christians out of a 400,000 unreached people group. Another reported 70 Christians among a people group of 4,500,000. One reported that as a result of revival in Nagaland the churches have a vision for sending 10,000 missionaries to all the states of India.

   However in another people group ten years of work has only yielded three or four believers. In the state of Bihar in the norhteast only 16 in 50 people groups of over 100,000 have been engaged. Only 60 of the 415 languages of India have a Bible translation or even a Bible portion. Persecution by other religions was reported in several states.

   The group discussed the orality movement and Raju Abraham said, “Orality is a critical issue if we are to see Church Planting Movements among the unengaged UPGs.”

   The group organized an FTT Steering Committee and set goals to:
      • Form a national organization
      • Publish the people profiles
      •  Promote oral strategies to communicate with non-literates
      •  Set up research group and a clearing house to track engagement
      • Provide training tools for Church Planting Movements
      • Engage the UUPGs

   The FTT Steering Committee met in late October to write specific goals. During my visit to India in October and November I identified several Indian ministries as potential partners for FTT churches in the US to engage these most difficult unreached peoples.

   I was able to present the need to use oral strategies to reach the 70% of the people in the UUPGs that are functionally illiterate. Although many had heard of orality some were astounded at the scope and depth of the problem and the need to change how we do evangelism, discipleship, church planting and leader training. The group we assembled during the Transform World: India event appointed an orality steering committee to conduct a national orality consultation in 2007 with four or five regional training events.

   These Indian initiatives and resulting partnerships will greatly accelerate Finishing the Task. I am excited about what God is doing in marshalling his people to work together to finish the task of getting the gospel to every people group in the world.

   The Korean FTT launch was quite different from the one in India. Planners felt it was important to get the denominations and mission agency leaders on board before going to the individual churches. The largest Presbyterian denomination hosted the event October 23-26, 2006 and invited other denominations and missions organizations to discuss the possibility of forming an FTT Korea.

   Jerry Rankin (IMB), Paul Eshleman (Campus Crusade), Chris Olsen (Wycliffe), Chip Lanford (Saddleback) and I spoke to the conference and had special meetings with the Global Missions Society of the Presbyterian Church, denominational and missions leaders and press conferences. I spoke on the FTT vision and the need for oral strategies. Korea is one of the most literate countries in the world so it was a revelation to some to realize what they must do to use oral strategies.

   The denominational and mission agency leadership formed an FTT Steering Committee who will plan for a national FTT event for churches in May 2007. The Global Missions Society of the Presbyterians alone committed to engage 100 of the 639 unengaged unreached people groups. They are planning orality training for their missionaries.

   Korea is the second largest missionary sending country in the world with 16,000 missionaries. With the Koreans love for prayer, zeal for evangelism and vision of church planting the potential is incalculable.

   The Indian and Korean partnership with the churches in the US and other countries will help make possible getting the gospel to all people groups in this generation. My prayer is to be able to see the number of UUPGs be 000 before I die.