Intro

One third of the people in the world have never heard of Jesus Christ. They have no one to tell them. Among them are thousands of ethnolinguistic people groups who are less than two percent Christian — meaning there are not enough Christians among them to share the Gospel with everyone even once in a lifetime. And in roughly 3,100 of those groups, nobody is on the way to tell them. No Bibles. No Christians. No churches. No hope. (Current figures at peoplegroups.org.)

Missions is about access to the knowledge of God’s glorious goodness in the person of Jesus Christ. God is worthy that His glory should be proclaimed among all peoples of the earth. God’s ordinary method is through people who have believed His word sharing what they have heard with people who have not had access.

This is the personal work of Randy Smyth, introducing people to God’s wonderful work through Ethnos360. Since 1970, I have directly observed and engaged in this ministry. God is calling people out of darkness into His glorious light. He transforms His enemies through faith in Christ and equips them as His ambassadors to proclaim His glory through obedience to His written word.

The gift

There is great news for everyone. The perfectly good Creator God, who demands perfect righteousness, has made a way for helplessly, unrighteously imperfect people to live with Him — to enjoy Him and every good and perfect gift He gives, forever. Through His vicarious death, Jesus Christ paid our penalty. By His resurrection He has proven His worthiness and ability to give us eternal life. In believing Him, forgiven sinners are clothed in the perfectly faultless righteousness of God the Son. So clothed, we can stand in the presence of the Holy God without condemnation.

What a gift! Everybody ought to know. We get to share it.

About Ethnos360

Since 1942, Ethnos360 teams have been sent by their own local churches to ethnolinguistic people groups who have no access to the Gospel, to establish thriving churches of Christ-followers by teaching the “all things” that Jesus commanded. It’s ends-of-the-earth stuff. Unwritten languages are being learned. Bible translations are being completed. Lives are being transformed. Thriving churches are being established. And we need more of this. He is worthy of a thriving Church for every people.

What Ethnos360 teams pursue

• Least-reached ethnolinguistic people groups — people of every language need at least one way to learn the Good News. (Revelation 5:9)
• Teamwork — the interdependent gifts God gave the Body are necessary for His work. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
• Heart language communication — to know God, people need to clearly understand God’s message. (1 Corinthians 14:19)
• Sustainable literacy — reading God’s word is necessary for growth, obedience, maturity, and outreach. (Colossians 4:16)
• Bible translation — people need to understand, read, and share what God has written. (2 Timothy 4:2)
• Foundational Bible teaching — God’s character, as revealed in His book, is the foundation of life, hope, and purpose. (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 2:2)
• Life-on-life discipleship — teaching obedience to God’s word involves relationships. (Matthew 28:20)
• Indigenous leadership — equipping faithful men to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)
• Thriving churches — gatherings of Christ-followers who actively glorify God in word, identity, life, and discipleship. (Acts 16:5; John 15:8)
• Continuing partnership and training — indigenous churches have much to offer as part of the Body, and faithful believers who preceded us can teach us much. (Ephesians 4:1-13)

See the work

1. 01

   Ee-Taow! The Mouk Story

   Twenty-four minutes — foundational Bible teaching and the Mouk people’s unforgettable response. Watch →

2. 02

   Yembiyembi: Unto the Nations

   Thirty minutes — a family’s journey from exploration to a thriving church. Watch →

3. 03

   Ends of the Earth

   MAF’s feature-length film (98 minutes) on reaching the Wano people. Watch →

Go deeper

• Who is Ethnos360? and Randy’s intro to Ethnos360 — missions flipbooks.
• Ethnos360 values, purpose, heritage, and methodology — and what we believe.
• Ethnos360 Magazine and prayer bulletins — free subscriptions.
• Missions FAQ, serving full time, Wayumi, aviation, and meeting a representative.

Need advice? Encouragement? A listening ear? A missions coach, or someone with whom to bounce ideas? I would love to have a part in sharing information as God leads you. Let’s connect.