The Methodist Missions Society (MMS) Vision 2025 is to “Enlarge the Tent of God” among the world’s unreached people groups (UPG) so that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:9).
The Lausanne Committee defined a people group in 1982 as “the largest group within which the Gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance”. The Joshua Project estimated that there are about 10,400 people groups (or 17,400 if country boundaries are considered) worldwide, with about 4,600 UPGs (or 7,400 if country boundaries are considered) today.1
We praise God for the seven field countries where MMS is currently involved. As it enlarges the tent going forward, MMS could first look at the UPGs in the seven field countries and see how they can be reached with the Gospel. Next, MMS could look at the UPGs in ASEAN countries as they are our closest neighbours. Finally, MMS could look at UPGs further afield in other Asian countries in South Asia and East Asia as the Lord leads.
UPGs in MMS field countries
Table 1 provides a summary of the 988 UPGs in MMS’s seven field countries. Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and Thailand have large percentages of their population living among UPGs and should receive the greatest attention and resources. The Khmers remains the largest UPG in Cambodia with about 14 million, predominantly Buddhists. So are the 60 million Thais in Thailand, and the 3.5 million Laos in Laos. The picture is more diverse in Nepal with more than 275 UPGs waiting to be reached, especially among the Brahmins and Chhetris. Timor-Leste* has the least number of UPGs, presumably because it is considered a Roman Catholic country.
Table 1: UPGs in MMS Field Countries
| Countries | Population | People Groups | UPGs | UPG Population | % Unreached |
| Cambodia | 16,662,000 | 44 | 19 | 15,982,000 | 95.9 |
| East Asia | 1,424,582,000 | 545 | 444 | 146,663,000 | 10.3 |
| Laos | 7,236,000 | 127 | 106 | 5,485,000 | 75.8 |
| Nepal | 29,015,000 | 285 | 275 | 26,209,000 | 90.3 |
| Timor-Leste* | 1,299,000 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thailand | 69,585,000 | 113 | 77 | 61,378,000 | 88.2 |
| Vietnam | 97,238,000 | 118 | 67 | 8,889,000 | 9.1 |
UPGs in other ASEAN countries
Table 2 shows that the other ASEAN countries where MMS is not present have fewer UPGs (total of 406) as the churches there are older and more active in outreach and evangelism. The Philippines* also has fewer UPGs as it is also considered a Roman Catholic country. Apart from Brunei, all four other countries have a strong Methodist presence. While MMS does not need to send missionaries to these countries, it can partner the Methodist church there to reach the UPGs, especially in countries like Indonesia and Myanmar where the percentages of their population living among UPGs are higher.
Table 2: UPGs in the Other ASEAN Countries
| Countries | Population | People Groups | UPGs | UPG Population | % Unreached |
| Brunei | 427,000 | 24 | 8 | 239,000 | 56.0 |
| Indonesia | 273,402,000 | 789 | 236 | 170,927,000 | 62.5 |
| Malaysia | 32,272,000 | 182 | 79 | 16,628,000 | 51.5 |
| Myanmar | 54,311,000 | 149 | 53 | 45,298,000 | 83.4 |
| Philippines* | 109,421,000 | 200 | 30 | 5,427,000 | 5.0 |
UPGs in other Asian countries
Beyond ASEAN, the picture is grimmer, as shown in Table 3. All six countries listed have large numbers of UPGs (total of 3,367) with more that 90 per cent of their population living among them. These are also big countries with huge populations. Again, MMS need not send missionaries there as most already have a Methodist presence, but can work with the Methodist church there to reach the UPGs.
Table 3: UPGs in Selected Asian Countries
| Countries | Population | People Groups | UPGs | UPG Population | % Unreached |
| Bangladesh | 163,945,000 | 331 | 299 | 162,028,000 | 98.8 |
| Bhutan | 769,000 | 76 | 73 | 766,000 | 99.6 |
| India | 1,373,941,000 | 2,717 | 2,445 | 1,313,878,000 | 95.6 |
| Japan | 126,395,000 | 37 | 24 | 123,750,000 | 97.9 |
| Mongolia | 3,229,000 | 28 | 22 | 3,167,000 | 98.1 |
| Pakistan | 219,925,000 | 512 | 504 | 217,904,000 | 99.1 |
The above 18 countries account for 4,761 or 65 per cent of all UPGs today. While they are closer to home, there are obviously UPGs in other countries that are equally in need of the Gospel. The harvest is truly plentiful. May we heed our Lord’s advice to ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into the harvest field! (Matt 9:37–38)
1 https://joshuaproject.net. All following tables and statistics are taken from the same site.
Dr Christopher Cheah is a Methodist Missions Society (MMS) ExCo Member and a member of Fairfield Methodist Church. A retired medical doctor, he was Chairman of Singapore Centre for Global Missions and currently chairs the board of Pioneers in Asia, a mission agency sending missionaries to UPGs worldwide. He is married to Fung Fong and they have three adult children, one of whom is working in a country where MMS sends missionaries to. This article first appeared in Harvest Force 2021, issue 2.