Paul Eshleman

Herrnhut Consultation

May 2017

During the wonderful Prayer Conference in Herrnhut, we introduced several lists of unreached people groups to give us all an introduction to the work of prayer and missions that still remains throughout the world. Our thesis was that when we pray specifically, we can see specific answers to our prayers. And, when we concentrate our prayers toward the unreached peoples and nations we see remarkable results.

We finished the conference with the following suggestions for carrying out our desires to work together more closely toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. We suggested some objectives for each of us involved in the consultation, and we acknowledge that each of our groups had much to learn from the other. Here are some of our suggestions:

1. The Prayer movement could:
   1. Consider sending prayer warriors to every remaining unengaged, unreached people group in the world. They could team up with indigenous intercessors whose churches might eventually send workers to the group(s) they are praying for.
   2. Send similar type of intercessors to the 150 people groups that currently need the most workers.
   3. Pray specifically for each of the global networks that are currently launching initiatives toward their part in the Great Commission. This would include 20-30 global networks and 100 geographic networks.
   4. Help prepare prayer intercessors for all network meetings scheduled for the next 3-5 years.
   5. Help mission leaders to set up a prayer plan for their ministry, their workers, and the people they are trying to reach.
   6. Disseminate very specific requests to all of its prayer leaders that outline:
      1. Peoples, places and leaders where the cause of the Gospel is being blocked.
      2. Praise reports from each of the five strategic elements involved in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
   7. Develop a prayer calendar where people will pray each day for a different Christian leader or Christian organization, much like the Master Media Prayer Guide. Much like the Master Media Prayer Guide, prepared to help us pray for leaders in the entertainment industry
   8. Be a continual encouragement to mission leaders to live lives of holiness and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
2. The Missions Movement could:
   1. Provide a speaker/reporter for every major prayer conference. Jesus said, “My house shall be a house of prayer, for the NATIONS”. We should have a report on the Nations at each prayer meeting.
   2. Provide a listing of all major evangelistic outreaches planned for each six-month time period.
   3. Make sure intercessors are invited to every strategic meeting being planned.
   4. Bring in leaders from the Prayer Movement to help church planters teach their new church leaders to pray more effectively, specifically, and scripturally.
   5. Provide contacts of mission and church leaders that intercessors could contact with when they go to a country to pray for the unreached, and unengaged people groups.
   6. Provide 2-4 reports annually on:
      1. The number and list of people groups still without a missionary.
      2. The number of workers still needed in the people groups with large populations.
   7. Provide reports twice per year on:
      1. Progress in reaching Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, etc.
      2. Language groups still without any scripture translation.
      3. Progress on scripture distribution efforts.
3. Ideas for both groups in combining prayer and “connection work” to hasten the fulfillment of the Great Commission:
   1. Begin by praying for the people groups you received in the materials packet at Herrnhut. If you want profiles on additional groups, write to Lara Heneveld Finishing the Task at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
   2. Send copies of the groups profiles to all of the members of your network.
   3. Ask if any of the people in your network have contacts in the country of your UUPG, or if any are planning a visit to the country in the next year or so.
   4. Become an international “Connector” for an unengaged people group.
      1. Definition – Connecting with Believers in the country of the Unengaged, Unreached people group (UUPG) to tell them you are praying that someone will take the gospel to your people group.
      2. Tell your contact that:
         1. Your prayer group or church is praying for this people group and might want to partner with them.
         2. Ask them if they know of a Christian National that could find this group and do a 3-day survey trip to find their needs.
         3. Suggest that you might help with the transportation expenses for someone to go and survey the people group.
         4. Pray for their current ministry and their personal needs.
         5. Set a time to call them, Skype, email, etc.to get a report on the people group.
   5. Call Dr. David Pope at the Finishing the Task office for help on the next steps in encouraging your church to commit to a partnership with a local church or ministry (760)260-5070.
4. Along the way, there are practical things you can do to encourage your local church.
   1. Talk to your pastor about Prayer for the Nations
   2. Find out what countries your church is already sponsoring missionaries
   3. Talk to your church about praying and giving toward a people group in one of those countries.
5. The Prayer Resources: During this conference, you were given several resources to use during times of prayer. If you do not have these, write to the Finishing the Task office, and ask for the prayer conference materials.
   1. You have the PRAISE REPORT capsule on page 8 from the first day’s handout which lists what has been happening to engage unreached people groups since November 2005.
   2. Secondly, you have the chart of the Elements of the Great Commission showing WHAT God wants us to do regarding the Great Commission and how we should go about it. These are 17 passages of scripture that are the essence of our Lord’s message to us relating to the Great Commission.
   3. Thirdly, you have a short listing of WHO the leaders and networks are that are contributing to the completion of each of the elements involved in the Great Commission. You will add your contacts from many other Christian ministries as you pray for each part of the Great Commission task.
   4. Finally, you have two lists of WHERE we need to pray that the Lord will send workers.
      1. List #1 shows all the people groups that have no known workers.
      2. List #2 shows all the people groups that with not enough workers to reach that portion of the population.
6. Summary:

In summary, if we in the body of Christ can work together off the same Biblical priorities and objectives, then we can think about what our specific prayers should be for the elements of the Great Commission that are still not being addressed.

As we look at scripture translation, or church planting, or evangelism, we can see the people that are being neglected or the languages that are not funded, or the geographic areas for which there are no workers. When we know who the people and organizations are that are attempting to play a significant role in any of these areas, we can pray for them specifically by name.

Finally, we can look at the geographic areas of greatest need and pray specifically for workers to go to those places.