600+ mission people gathered at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, December 5-7, for the Finishing the Task event. Our purpose was to focus on the remaining unengaged unreached people groups, whole ethnolinguistic and cultural groups that still do not have exposure to Christ’s Good News through a resident team of indigenous Christians or missionaries. A list of 1347 such people groups are carefully catalogued and monitored on the FTT website www.finishingthetask.com for churches, mission agencies, prayer groups and individuals who would like to adopt them for prayer and mission engagement.

Encouragingly, it was the first time that a special prayer track was part of the event, and as a result, a new strategic group was formed to consider how best to mobilize ongoing, specific intercession for each UPG until they are reached and Jesus word in Matthew 24:14 is accomplished-- that all peoples will have the gospel proclaimed as a witness before the end comes.

What amazing and exciting days we are living in, even potentially seeing the Great Commission fulfilled before our eyes in the coming years! Please do join in this still enormous effort, asking those churches, organizations and prayer groups you are in touch with to adopt at least one of these spiritually needy groups in prayer. It is the crucial and initial way to breakthrough and the Lord will call and raise up laborers as He said he would if we pray. “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2)

During the event, we premiered the new video on the integration of prayer and mission. Attached are the final versions that you are free to use and share. The earlier version shared with you last month needed some further refinement so please use these links:

Spirit of the Moravians 9-min
Spirit of the Moravians 3-min

Would you please pray with us that this video will go “viral” and be spread around the world so that millions of believers will see and find their role in praying for the unreached people groups, with many also going to share Jesus Christ with them?

Pray too for the effective integration of prayer and mission and that the prayer and mission movements will meld together increasingly to carry out His Great Commission.

Specifically pray that the Finishing the Task initiative will accelerate and that all the 1347 still unengaged unreached groups will have their own international ministry networks connecting and focusing efforts in sensitive, Spirit-empowered and guided ways that they may be reached ASAP.

Thanks for your partnership in this most important of assignments—to make Jesus known to the ends of the earth and every people group while there is still time and freedom to do so.

John Robb

IPC Chairman