Message from the Executive Director

Anniversary celebrations tend to invite both reflection on the past and contemplation of the future. Indeed, as Frontier Fellowship celebrates its 40th year of frontier mission mobilizing ministry, we recall many stories of God’s faithfulness to us. Not surprisingly, every recollection centers on the dynamic impact of relationships formed between our team of mobilizers, congregations in the Western world and indigenous partners around the world—all drawn together by God’s Spirit to proclaim the Good News of Jesus among the earth’s least-reached people groups. We look forward to sharing some of these stories with you in this issue and throughout the year.

We thank God for the men and women who preceded us in frontier mission, upon whose foundations we build. One of them, Ralph Winter (our founder), parlayed his knowledge and curiosity to bring to the mission world a new category of hidden peoples (now known as unreached peoples ). He learned from his colleague, Donald McGavran, that the Indian caste system effectively segmented people vertically. Winter also deduced from Cam Townsend’s work in Bible translation that language and ethnicity separated people horizontally. In both cases the movement of the Gospel was inhibited between groups. Thinking about the world’s unevangelized populations in terms of unreached peoples has animated the mission movement over the last 50 years. Frontier Fellowship was born in the early days of this new realization. Dave Dawson, chair of Frontier Fellowship’s Board of Directors, shares more on Page 11.

We look to the future with hopeful anticipation. Potential new partnerships are being explored on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Buddhist world of Southeast Asia. Doors are opening for Frontier Fellowship to cast the frontier mission vision to new demographics and new denominations. New ventures into the technological world spur us to innovate new mobilization strategies.

Pray with us for wisdom and discernment as we move forward. Consider joining us in Nashville this October 13-14 to celebrate together God’s faithfulness as we look to our future as frontier mission mobilizers. Learn more, and register for our anniversary event, at frontierfellowship.com/40

May God continue to lead, challenge and inspire each of us to take the next steps in frontier mission engagement—until all peoples have had an opportunity to hear the Good News of His Kingdom!