India Project

An unreached people group is the term used to describe people of certain social catergories throughout the world that have not heard of Jesus and the fact that He died for their sins. A people group is determined by self identity and shared attributes between individuals in a relative location. When it comes to sharing the Good News of Christ, reaching unreached people groups starts with making contact with at least one individual from the group.

Why is their focus on unreached people groups in India? India is home to over one-third of the unreached people groups in the world. While numbers are uncertain due to questionable reporting, it’s said that there are over one billion people in India who don’t know Jesus. 2,445 people groups in India have never heard of the Good News. As the country with the second-largest population in the world, sharing the Good News in India is vital to fulfilling the Great Commission.

FACTS ABOUT UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS IN INDIA

There are a few contributing factors that makes India home to a large portion of unreached people groups.

INDIA HOLDS ONE-FIFTH OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION

India has over 1.3 billion people living within its borders. It is second in population only to China, who has over 2 billion people. With there being just over 7.5 billion people in the world, this means that India holds about one-fifth of the world’s population. India is a diverse country, often called a subcontinent due to its sheer size. The population is largely broken up into social classes, also known as the caste system. While this system has legally been done away with, the differing social classes are still apparent throughout Indian society.

While people in India practice many different faiths and religions, Hinduism is the most prominent religion, practiced by more than 966 million people throughout the country. In fact, the vast majority of people practicing Hinduism around the world live in India. From the time they are born, most Indians aren’t given the chance to believe in a different religion.

INDIA HAS ONE-THIRD OF THE WORLD’S UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS

Throughout India, there are tribes and people groups who have very little to no contact with the modern world. One-third of the world’s unreached people groups live in India. Not only are many of these tribes unreached by the modern world and modern people but they’re also unreached by the gospel. The most notorious unreached people in India are those from the North Sentinel Island, an Indian island in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian government banned any travel anywhere near the island since the inhabitants are known to be hostile and dangerous.

Such a vast landscape and climate ensures isolated groups of people throughout India. Many people don’t even know how to locate certain tribes, and there are other tribes that won’t allow outsiders into their camp. Each people group usually has their own religion that they practice from birth and they couldn’t even tell you who Jesus is or what He did.

The most effective way of reaching the unreached is by training up local pastors at training centers. The locals can come and hear the Word of God and learn how to be a pastor, then they travel back to their villages and plant a church.

INDIA HAS 1,600 MOTHER TONGUES & 700 DIFFERENT DIALECTS

India is known as the Land of Many Languages; there are 1600 known languages in India and at least 700 different dialects. There may be languages in India that have yet to be interpretted or understood. For this reason, it can be difficult to communicate with unreached people groups that have their own specific dialect or language. Translating Bibles into native tongues is a vital need throughout India.

We have a team of Indian nationals who are dedicated to helping us spread the Good News throughout India. Not only do they interpret and translate for us, but they also help us educate locals on how to plant churches. This is one of the most effective ways to reach the lost in India.

INDIA IS A COUNTRY OF MANY DIFFERENT RELIGIONS

Besides Hinduism, Indians worship many different Gods. The six main religions in India are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jainism; however, there are many more faiths and religions practiced throughout India. There can be division and persecution throughout the country caused by religious rifts and faith differences. For this reason, many Indian Christians face persecution not only in their communities but also from the government.

There are some benefits of ministering to such a religiously-diverse country. First, many Indians believe in a god rather than believing we are all here by happenstance. It’s easier to share the gospel with someone who is willing to believe there is a divine being. Second, many Indians believe in multiple gods. For example, there are over 33 million gods found in Islam. This makes it easier for Hindus to accept that Jesus was the Son of God; however, then they also have to accept that God the Father is the one true God.

INDIA HAS OVER 800 MILLION PEOPLE WHO LIVE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE

A sad fact about India is that there are over 800 million people in India living below the poverty line. The majority of these people live on less than $2 a day. With poverty comes poor living conditions, sickness, and a low life expectancy, which many Indians suffer from. Poverty-stricken areas, also known as slums, are often stricken by people suffering from trafficking, crime, child labor, malnourishment, and illness.

Someone who is born into poverty in India will usually stay in poverty throughout their life. Many of these people are taken advantage of and have nothing to rely on. These people need to experience the love and the hope that only Jesus can bring.

INDIA HAS 313 MILLION ILLITERATE PEOPLE

With such a large number of people who live below the poverty line, India also suffers from high illiteracy. There are over 313 million people in India who are illiterate. This introduces a new challenge for spreading the gospel since many can’t read the information presented in print form.

With one of the largest populations in the world, reaching India with the gospel is vital to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.