Final Unreached People Group Project

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Unreached People Group Project
Submitted to Dr. Ebele Adioye
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
GLST 500-B13
Global Studies Survey
by
Kenneth Bass
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Background......................................................................................................................................4
History.........................................................................................................................................4
Language......................................................................................................................................6
Region and Economy.......................................................................................................................7
Religion and Culture....................................................................................................................8
Survey of Missions Work..............................................................................................................10
Proposed Strategy..........................................................................................................................14
The 10/40 Window....................................................................................................................14
Prayer Strategy...........................................................................................................................16
English Learning Center............................................................................................................17
Church Planting.........................................................................................................................20
American Church Involvement..................................................................................................21
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................22
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................23
2
Introduction
In the book of Genesis, God called Abraham to leave his family and go. This calling
came with a promise that God would make him the father of “many nations” (Genesis 17:4
NIV). “Many nations” is described in Genesis 22:17 as having as many offspring as there are
stars in the sky and sand on the seashore. But, not every nation has received the blessing
promised through Abraham. The blessing is hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ. One could
say that every political nation in the world has heard and that would be true, but “nations” in the
Bible is describing people groups, not geographical nations.
The real truth is that according to the Joshua Project, there are some 16,760 people
groups in the world. There are roughly 9,800 of them that have been reached with the gospel; but
there are still over 6,900 who have not heard.1 These groups are referred to as unreached,
because they have little or no access to the gospel in their own language. One of the people
groups that are unreached is the Chadian Arabs also known as the Shuwa, who are mostly
Muslim. They are a group of 1.9 million people with only .03% evangelical.2 Some of the
barriers preventing them from hearing the gospel is they have been primarily nomadic. They
make a living as herdsmen and have not been respected by Chad’s government because of their
lack of education. Other barriers preventing the Chadian Arabs from hearing the gospel has been
tribalism along with Chad’s economy being among the worst in the world.3 Along with extreme
living condition that has caused a lot of the missionaries to leave Chad before every spending
1
"Arab, Shuwa, Baggara in Chad." Joshua Project, accessed February 24, 2015,
http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14926/CD.
2
Ibid.
3
“Chad”, 2015 Index of Economic Freedom, accessed February 24, 2015,
http://www.heritage.org/index/country/chad.
3
enough time to establish any real relationships among the Chadian Arabs has hindered them from
being reached.
Many of these barriers preventing the Chadian Arabs from hearing will take strategic
mission plans to overcome them, one of them can be the oil industry entering into Chad, which is
allowing for financial hope for those who speak English. This paper will provide insight for any
organization that seeks to better understand international missions when it comes to reaching
unreached people groups. Through this paper I will give detailed information concerning why the
Chadian Arabs are still unreached and what barriers are hindering them from hearing, along with
outlining a detailed strategy in how to use a English learning center to not only educate the
Chadian Arabs by share the gospel at the same time.
Background
History
Located in the central northern part of Africa, Chad is twice the size of Texas in land
mass, with a population of approximately 11.5 million people.4 The history of this region has
been known to traders and geographers since the Middle Ages. Since then Chad has been a
crossroads for the Muslim people of the desert and sahelian regions, and the animist African
tribes of the savanna regions to the south. There was a dominance of Muslims living in the north,
while non-Muslims living in the southern part of Chad, which is still true to this day. Throughout
the centuries the Muslims from the north would raid the non-Muslims from the south and take
them as slaves for their own use and for trade into North Africa and the Middle East.5
4
“Chad” Department of State Publication. Background Notes Series (Online), (Jan 6, 2012), accessed February
24, 2015, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/1543674013?pq-origsite=summon.
5
Ibid.
4
The French entered Chad in 1891 to help create a stable culture between the Muslim of
the north and the non-Muslim of the south. This led the French to eventually take over the
country by military force to bring stability. France ended up resting in the southern part of Chad
which they labeled the “useful” Chad. The northern part of Chad was labeled deserted waste land
and unusable. While the French were in control of the country, they established colonies in the
south, by establishing civil administration, basic education, urbanization of major centers, and
missionary activity, while taking advantage of the region’s agricultural potential.6
It was not until August 1960 that Chad became an independent nation being ruled by its
first president, Francois Tombalbaye, a southerner. Tombalbaye’s totalitarianism style of
leadership caused him to treat his opponents very harshly even imprisoning thousands of people.
Most of his opponents were Muslims from the north. This resulted in a civil war in 1965 between
the southerners and the northerners. Tombalbaye remained in control until a coup took place in
1975 that took his life. General Felxi Malloum another southerner took control by becoming the
head of state. His control did not last long before the Northerners were attempting another coup.
Coup attempts continued until 1980 when a northern Muslims named Habre led an army against
Malloum and defeated him. In 1981 Habre proclaimed himself President of Chad. Habre was the
first northerner who took office as President. His time in office was not free of coup attempts; in
1983 the southerners attempted an unsuccessful coup. One of Habre’s leading generals, Idriss
Deby defected in 1989 and with the support of Sudan’s government assembled an army that
attacked Habre. In December 1990, Deby’s forces successfully defeated Habre. Deby himself
being a Muslim declared he desired to bring about a democratic government and wanted the
country to have an elected President instead of one who won office by force. The façade here
6
5
was that both northerners who were Muslims and the southerners who were non-Muslims could
all have a voice. In 1996, President Deby won the country’s first multi-party presidential
election. Throughout President Deby’s reign there has been dissatisfaction with his leadership
due to the favoritism given to his own ethnic group the Zaghawa. This dissatisfaction has led to
many unsuccessful coup attempts against President Deby. Deby is still President of Chad to
date.7
It is easy for one to see the country of Chad has gone through a lot of changes throughout
its history. These changes have led to divisions within the country and have helped to create an
estimated 200 distinct ethnic groups living within Chad’s boarders.8 The major impact the
history of Chad has had on its current state is the barriers between the different ethnic groups.
These barriers have hindered and are still hindering the spread of the gospel within Chad.
Language
Chad is a country made up of 120 different indigenous Chadian languages and dialects.9
The official language of the country is French and Arabic. When one speaks of Arabic as an
official language, it is presumed they are talking about classical Arabic, such as the Arabic
spoken in Egypt and taught in schools. This is the case when it comes to the official language of
Chad; it is classical Arabic that is spoken. As one leaves the capital city of N’Djamena the
dialect of French and Arabic becomes more of a native language than classical. The people group
of the Chadian Arabs speaks what is known as Chadian Arabic. Among the Chadian Arabs only
thirty percent of them can speak fluent classical Arabic.10
7
8
“Chad” World Factbook, (June 23, 2014), accessed February 26, 2015,
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cd.html.
9
10
“Chad” Operation World, accessed February 27, 2015, http://www.operationsworld.org/chad.
6
Education plays a major role in the spoken languages of any country. When it comes to
Chad it is no difference. Chadians who speak the official language of French are usually ones
who have an education higher than secondary school which is only 2% of the population. Only
89.7% of Chadians attend primary school.11 Large amounts of the Chadian Arabs who attend
primary school are actually attending a school which teaches the Quran. This is where they are
not learning how to read or write in French or Arabic but they are learning about the Quran and
its teaching,12 Reports show that there is a significant decrease in the amount of Chadians who
receive an education when it comes to secondary and higher school levels. There is only 24.1 %
of Chadians who attend secondary school and only 2% who attend higher levels than that.
Literacy in the country is at 33.6% which contributes to only the educated person being able to
communicate in French or Classical Arabic. 13
Region and Economy
Chad is physically a hard country to live in because of its extreme weather conditions.
Normal weather conditions in Chad see temperatures over the hundreds degree Fahrenheit year
round. Weather conditions along with 55% of the population living below the national poverty
line create a country difficult to live in. The life expectancy according to a 2009 report is at 49.6
years. With an infant mortality rate estimated in 2010 to have 99 deaths out of 1000 live births.14
The economy is not much better in Chad. With a total population of 11.5 million people only 4.2
million are reported as having a job. Agriculture makes up more than 80% of the work, but that
is largely subsistence agriculture.

11
12
Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Muslims (Eugene, Or.: Harvest House, 2002), 9.
13
14
Ibid.
7
There has been a ray of hope in Chad’s economy since 2000. A conglomeration of three
oil companies, U.S. based Exxon Mobil and Chevron, along with Malaysian Petronas Company
have been extracting oil from wells in the southern part of Chad and piping it through
neighboring country Cameroon. The conglomeration has brought more than $7 billion in the
Chad-Cameroon petroleum pipeline project.15 This ray of hope unfortunately only seems to be
affecting the President’s tribe the Zaghawa.
Religion and Culture
Religion plays a major role in the culture of Chad. It is common for men to have more
than one wife and large extended families of wives because of the teaching found within the
Muslim’s holy book the Quran in Sura 4:3. In nomadic societies such as the Chadian Arabs,
families often join up with others within their tribe. They will often setup small villages for a
period of time to see if it will become a producer of their agricultural needs and can support their
herds. If the land cannot support them, picking up and moving an entire clan often happens. This
has been the tradition for centuries.16 When it comes to marriage within this culture, marring out
of love is uncommon. Marrying early before the age of 18 is extremely common and is one of
the main reasons females have to end their education at lower levels. It is even common to have
a young girl married before the age of 15 in a forced marriage.17
The Chadian Arabs are predominantly Sunni Muslims, but they are not following the
fundamentalist ideals of Islam. They do follow the five pillars of Islam, which is to declare the
faith of Islam, pray five times a day, give alms to the poor, fast during the month of Ramadan,
15
16
Ibid.
17
“People and Culture of Chad” Our Africa, accessed February 28, 2015, http://www.our-
africa.org/chad/people-culture.
8
and take or support a Pilgrimage to Mecca.18 The Chadian Arabs will use any excuse to celebrate
with a feast. Wither it is a religious event or not, they will celebrate the arrival of a guest,
unexpected good fortune, or someone returning from a trip, especially a trip from Mecca. When
it comes to life-stage transitions such as a betrothal, marriage or moving newlyweds into their
new home, the Chadian will hold a major celebration. Even when there is a death of a family
member the Chadian Arabs will hold a feast in honor of the deceased.19
There are three major religions existing in Chad: classical African religions, Islam, and
Christianity. However Muslims make up almost half of Chad’s population. The northern peoples
are predominantly Muslim, whereas the southern peoples are predominantly labeled as
Christians. When a southerner is referred to as a Christian, most of the time this is a title given to
them at birth. Chad is a country which requires the parents to declare a religion for their newborn
at birth. Most all children are raised being told they are a Christian or a Muslim. A person can be
born into Islam because the Quran does not tell a person they have to make a personal profession
of faith in Islam to be a Muslim. Whereas the Bible states in passages such as John 3:3 how to
become a Christian, one must be born again to enter into the Kingdom of God. The truth is in
Chad there is a great separation between northern Muslim and the southern Christians. They may
share the same boundaries but they are worlds apart in cultures. The historical tension talked
about early between the northerners and southerners has made it difficult for a southerner to try
and evangelize a northerner. This is not only true between the southerners and northerners, but
between different ethnic groups living within Chad.20 If a Muslim becomes a Christian, because
of tribalism when they try and share their new faith often they will not be heard because it is
coming from a person from a different tribe.

18
Ron Rhodes, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Muslims (Eugene, Or.: Harvest House, 2002), 9.
19
20
Ibid.
9
The figure below shows in green the area where the Chadian Arabs, also known as
Shuwa Arabs live. Chad is the largest of Africa’s 16 landlocked countries. Being landlocked
contributes to its economical problems and dependence on other countries for import and export
of goods.21
Survey of Missions Work
The current government in Chad is a regime noted for violence, corruption and tribalism
which all play a major role in the current and past mission efforts. The numbers of tribes with a
deep past, and the ethnic and religious fault lines between north and south, makes stability in the
country hard to attain. The repeated threats of coup attempts against President Deby from rebel
groups and the living condition within Chad not only hinder the socio-economic progress but the
Christian mission movement.22
Throughout the history of Chad there have been small amounts of mission movements.
The French sent in missionaries back in the 1800’s when they took control of Chad by military
force. The French were sending in missionaries, but it was only to the southern part of the
country that they labeled “the useful land.” The southern part is where the non-Muslims live,
21
22
“Chad” Operation World, accessed February 28, 2015, http://www.operationsworld.org/chad.
10
causing the French missionaries to predominately witness to the non-Muslims instead of
reaching out to the Muslims living in the northern part of Chad.23
As reported by Mr. and Mrs. Godbold, missionaries who served in Chad from 1955 until
2005 with TEAM a mission organization, Chad has seen a lot of the same barriers throughout the
years when it comes to mission efforts. The Godbolds have seen how civil wars, coup attempts
and hard living conditions has limited the amount of missionaries who are willing to invest long
term commitments to Chad. They stated in an interview that a majority of all the missions work
was focused on the southern part of Chad due to a number of reasons. The main one was living
conditions. They shared the weather in the south is much for manageable. In the south there is
still hot condition but unlike the north where there is extremely hot conditions year round. In the
south there is rain creating plenty of fruit, vegetables and crops to maintain ones herd. The north
due to the desert conditions, fruits, vegetables and meat has to be brought in by truck, causing the
prices to be higher and more difficult to get.
The Godbolds shared because the southerners have been labeled Christians has always
attracted missionaries to the south. There are a lot of churches in the south, but little or none of
them over our fifty years working in Chad have developed a plan to reach out to the Muslims in
the north. The reason for this is because of the history between the two groups. When one speaks
of the southerners, they think of those who were slaves of the northerners. Then when the first
President took office which was a southerner, a non-Muslim, he was violent to the Muslim in the
north. He would imprison and treat the northern horrible. Then when Habre took office as a
Muslim from the north, the favor was repaid and is still being repaid to date, through President
23
11
Deby. The barrier of the hatred between the north and south has and still is a barrier to a mission
movement across Chad.
When speaking to the Hollands who currently live in Chad as missionaries serving with
the International Mission Board, the mission efforts are still struggling in Chad. The Hollands
have served in Chad for 18 years and are working in the northern part of Chad trying to reach the
Chadian Arabs with the gospel. In an interview they stated they see the same barriers described
by the Godbolds between the southerners have about the northerners. The Muslims in the north
look at the southerners as slave people, uneducated and worthless. The Hollands were quick to
point out the lifestyle of the southerners who claim to be Christians does not help the situation.
The southerners who are labeled “Christians” live like the world, the Hollands stated. A person
knows when they have crossed the invisible line to the southern part of Chad fast. You know you
have crossed the line because you start seeing signs for alcohol everywhere. There are night
clubs everywhere and you see women who are wearing blue jeans with halter tops showing a lot
of skin walking throughout the streets. The women walk the streets without wearing any heads
covers. Also, there are pigs walking the streets everywhere. The Hollands stated these conditions
hinder the gospel movement among the Muslims in the north.
When a Muslim looks at the way a southern, who calls themselves a Christian live, as the
Hollands stated, it is a barrier. A Muslims believes as stated in the Quran 4:43 that a good
Muslim should not drink alcohol because it will affect their prayers. When the northerners see all
the southern “Christians” drinking and selling alcohol it is a turn off from the Christian religion.
The Hollands were quick to point out that a lot of the Muslims they talk to about the gospel point
out that the Christians worship Jesus, who drank alcohol.
12
Then the Muslims point out the fact that the Christians from the south, dress
inappropriately. According to the Quran 24:31 a woman should not have her skin uncovered
while in public. Also the “Christian” women are walking the streets without wearing any head
covers, which is against what is taught in the Quran. Then the fact that the southerners eat pork
which is against the Muslim faith according to the Quran 5:3. The Muslim in Chad believes only
slaves eat pork and this is a reminder that the southerner’s faith is a slaves’ faith, not one for an
Arab Muslim.
The Holland then went on to explain that the Chadian Arabs have been predominantly
nomadic, meaning they move around a lot, making it hard to connect with them and learn their
language. Due to poor living condition due to droughts over the years keep the Chadian Arabs
moving. Obtaining a job is difficult for a Chadian Arab because of the Chadian government
looking down upon them due to a lack of education, which adds to their difficulty to provide for
their families. These conditions have driven the Chadian Arabs to start living near major cities
one of them being the capital, N’Djamena in hope of providing for their families. Moving closer
to cities has helped obtain more information concerning the Chadian Arabs over the years.
The local reports concerning how many Chadian Arabs were known to be believers have
shown positive signs. The Hollands stated in 2000 there were less than ten known Chadian Arabs
who professed to follow Jesus. To date, the Holland’s organization they serve under reports there
are now at least 200 known Chadian Arab believers living in Chad. They do admit it is hard to
track the numbers of believers because a lot of the Chadian Arabs will still get up and move in a
moments notice. This makes it hard to stay in touch with those who have made a profession of
faith in Jesus. The hope is that as these new believers move out they are taking the gospel with
them to other areas of Chad. As these numbers have been going up, a partnership between the
13
IMB and Wycliffe Bible Translators has developed when it comes to working on writing the
Bible in Chadian Arabic. As of the early 2000s there was only the book of Acts written in the
Chadian Arabic language. As of to date, the Hollands report now that almost all of the New
Testament books are written in the Chadian Arabic language.
The Hollands admitted the majority of the conversions that can be counted have come
through a medical mission project out in one of the villages. The clinic’s strategy is to provide a
place where the Chadian Arabs can receive low cost medical treatment. Once they have come
there for their medical needs, then the missionary doctors and nurses can then do a follow up
visit to the village where the patient lives. While in the patient’s home a relationship can be built
allowing the gospel to be presented. One of the major barriers in this strategy is that a lot of the
missionary’s time can be focused on the physical needs, never leaving room to work on the
spiritual needs. Out of these conversions seen through the clinic there have been four known
house churches that are made up of Chadian Arabs. The clinic is still working and is an effective
way to reaching the Chadian Arabs being it is positioned near one of their villages, but there are
a lot of the Chadian Arabs moving towards the capital city of N’Djamena trying to make a better
life for their families. This movement is being seen among the younger generation of Chadian
Arabs and needs a strategic plan to reach them with the gospel.
Proposed Strategy
The 10/40 Window
As the U.S. Center for World Mission reports, Chad Africa falls within the 10/40 window
as seen in the map below.24
24
“What is the 10/40 Window?” Joshua Project, accessed March 1, 2015,
http://joshuaproject.net/resources/articles/10_40_window.
14
As described in the Joshua Project, the 10/40 Window is an area that is rectangular and is located
at the 10o north and 40o north latitude and is often called the “Resistance Belt.”25 This area holds
a majority of the world’s Muslims who are classified as unreached. They are labeled unreached
because they currently have little or no access to the gospel. They are often classifies as “hidden”
not in the sense that they cannot be seen, but that are going under the radar as not having a
strategy in place to allow them access to the gospel in their own language in a way that makes
sense to them.26 Ralph Winter expounds on this by saying it is not just tribal people groups living
among themselves that are unreached, but other people groups that are living in the same areas
that is partially Christianized areas that are classified as unreached. The Chadian Arabs would
fall into this classification because when one looks into the Operation World book it states
27.78% of the population in Chad are Christian.27 As explained early the title of “Christian” most
of the time is a label given at birth by their parents, it is not a religion they practice. This has
helped the Chadian Arabs go undetected or hidden for many years. The Chadian Arabs are a
people group of approximately 1.9 million people with only .03% evangelical.28
25
26
A Scott Moreau, Gary Corwin, and Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and
Practical Survey, Encountering Mission (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Academic, 2004), 13.
27
Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk, Operation World, 2 century ed. (Carlisle, Cumbria, UK: Paternoster
Lifestyle, 2001), 153.
28
"Arab, Shuwa, Baggara in Chad." Joshua Project, accessed March 2, 2015,
15
The map below shows a unique aspect of the country of Chad that has allowed it to go
undetected as a country with roughly 120 different people groups and many of them being
classified as unreached.29
Chad
The Line shows the divide between the southern and northern part of Chad.
The line of the 10/40 window is going through Chad approximately at the same location of the
invisible line in the country dividing the southerners “Christians” and northerners “Muslims.”
What this maps shows is that a small amount of the population in the south has caused the
northern Muslim to go undetected for many years. A group willing to work in this area trying to
reach the Chadian Arabs must understand there are spiritual strongholds existing in this area.
Minor government restrictions, Islamic oppositions, poor economical conditions and tribal
traditions all lead to barriers needing to be overcome.
Prayer Strategy
The way the Chadian Arabs will be reached is first by having a prayer strategy. This
strategy will involve having extraordinary prayers that focus on the Chadian Arabs as an
unreached people group. There needs to be a group of committed people willing to pray for them
by “name.” They must be willing to lift up the Chadian Arabs before the throne of God, asking
God to open doors of opportunity to be able to reach them with the gospel. While praying they
29
16
need to lift up any known believer by name before God. They need to pray for the new believers
or future believers to be able to handle persecution that will come after believing in Jesus. As
David Garrison has stated in his book on church plant movements, if Satan can crush the new
believers, then the Church Plant Movement will die.30
Prayers need to continue being very specific in regards to the amount of workers who are
needed to engage the Chadian Arabs. There needs to be prayer for the platform that is going to
be used to help reach them with the gospel. In the case of the Chadian Arabs, utilizing an English
Learning Center to not only teach English but share the gospel through the English classes needs
to be prayed for specifically. Prayer needs to be lifted up for a person of peace to be noticed
within the students attending the learning center. A person of peace is a person who the Holy
Spirit of God has already gone before the missionaries and is arranging divine encounters for
them within the new community they are engaging.31 This person maybe someone how starts out
wanting to help the missionary learn the culture or language in Chad. They can be the student
who asks a lot of the questions during class or wants to spend a lot of time with the missionary.
The important thing to understand here is that a person of peace is someone who eventually
wants to hear something about the gospel. Satan will send counterfeit persons of peace in the
form of people who only want to be friends, or just want material possession from the
missionary. Specifically praying that God would reveal this person is an important first step to
reaching the Chadian Arabs with the gospel, as well as, praying for them to accept the message
and to have boldness to take the gospel back to their family and tribe after they accept
30
V David Garrison, Church Planting Movements: How God Is Redeeming a Lost World (Midlothian, Va.:
WIGTake Resources, 2004), 173-175.
31
Kevin Greeson, Camel Training Manual: The Secret of the Camel Is Out... Muslims Are Coming to Faith in
ʻisa (Bangalore, India: WIGTake Resources, ©2004), 65.
17
English Learning Center
In an effort to meet the social needs of the Chadian Arabs as being viewed as uneducated
and the economic needs they are facing by trying to develop new ways of providing for their
families, an English Learning Center will be developed. The learning center will have a long
term strategy in place. This strategy will be to teach the Chadian Arabs how to speak English
through a five level model. This center will not only teach English, but will become a safe haven
for Chadian Arabs to have opportunities to hear, read and study about the Christian faith.
The Learning Center will be viewed as an E3 on the E-Scale (Evangelism Scale)
presented by Winter and Koch. The E-Scale compares the cultural distances that missionaries
need to move in order to effectively communicate the gospel. The center operating as an E3
means there will be a big different from the one the missionary has left behind.32 The center will
operate to meet the needs of the students when it comes to learning English and how to use their
education to obtain a job with companies seeking to hire English speaking Chadians.33
The five levels of the Learning Center will consist of sixteen weeks long terms, meeting
three times a week for two hour classes, starting with the first level teaching Basic English
grammar. The second and third levels will expand on their grammar, when it comes to reading
and writing. During all three levels there will be opportunities for the student to speak, but it will
predominately be done in a group sitting. Levels four and five will be setup to help practice their
reading and oral communications. This will be accomplished by using stories from the Old
Testament in level four and stories from the New Testament in level five. To help overcome any
opposition from the local government concerning the use of Christian material in the center,
explaining that to communicate orally, one has to have a lengthy topic to speak about. There are
32
Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne, Perspectives On the World Christian Movement: A Reader, 4th
ed. (Pasadena, CA.: William Carey Library, 2009), 532.
33
Ibid., 594.
18
two topics which people can talk about endlessly, politics and religion. Explaining that politics
are based off of a person’s opinion but religion is based off of two holy books, the Quran and the
Bible well help ease the religious turmoil when it comes to using bible stories.
Level four will use stories from the Old Testament starting with common ground found
between the Bible and the Quran in the creation of the world and mankind. Then it will separate
at Abraham when he went to sacrifice his son Isaac. The Quran teaches the son was Ishmael not
Isaac. At this point the stories will tell about the life of the Israelites and how they were blessed
by God when they obeyed Him and cursed by Him when they disobeyed. God’s grace will be
shown through these stories as a God who allowed the Israelites to repent and turn back to an
accepting God. Level five will introduce the life of Jesus and who He really is when it comes to
being the Son of God. This class will need a lot of prayer as the spiritual battle will be heavy.
Both of these levels will follow the same format. They will introduce the story by having it read
by the teacher, and then allow the student to ask questions about words they do not understand.
They will be allowed to ask questions concerning the content of the story. This will open the
door to expound on the truth being taught. Their homework will be to go home and memorize the
story so they can share it in front of the class during the next class. This procedure will continue
throughout the entire course. There will be a policy that no student fails a class, meaning if they
do they will be able to retake the class without being charged. Each class will come with a fee,
but with the guarantee to make it to the next level.
The goal of each class is multifunctional. It will fulfill what the student has paid for
which is to learn English. But, it will also expose the student to the truth found in the Word of
God. It will start the discipleship process as it is evangelizing the student.34 During the class
times, introducing movies such as the Jesus film and other evangelist film in English will help in
34
Ralph D. Winter, Perspectives On the World Christian Movement, 575.
19
the process. The ultimate goal is for the student to receive the gospel and take it back to their
family and present it in their native language. Then as people in their family and tribe accept the
gospel, have them start meeting to study, pray and worship Jesus as a house church. Then they
will be able to go out and share with more people in their tribe, with a long-term goal of planting
more churches.
Church Planting
Having a person who is a MBB (Muslim Background Believer) as part of the staff at the
learning center will be an important element. This MBB will be able to have one on one
conversation with anyone who would like to talk in more detail in private. When a person
accepts Christ the MBB working at the center will be able to lead the new believer to a house
church setting. In the house church the new believer will be able to be discipled and most
importantly feel a part of a family.35 When a person accepts Christ often they are rejected by the
biological family, allowing them to be a part of a new family will be important. If the new
believer wants to still continue meeting with family and old friends, it should be encouraged.
They should also be encouraged while meeting with their family and friends to pray for the Lord
to reveal who the person of peace is within their friends and family. When this person is
exposed, the new believers should start to share about their new faith.
As the Lord blesses the process, more and more believers will come on to the scene.
When they do, teaching them to formulate their own indigenous house church is an important
step to teach. The missionary needs to teach the new believer four simple steps and practice them
while teaching to keep multiplying the church. First they need to know and love the people they
are teaching. Next, they need to edify those they are teaching, along with teaching obedience to
35
20
Jesus’ basic commands and finally build loving, edifying accountability relationships between
one another.36
During the process of discipleship, an important mindset must be established. The
mindset of independence must be taught and practiced. As the house church is being created, the
lesson that everyone is suppose to give must be taught. There must be the teaching of ownership;
the house church is not the missionary’s, but the local believer’s responsibility. Finally they must
be taught they have to be reproducing themselves.37 As the new believers learn more about their
new faith, they will be able to return to their family and share. The sharing that will take place in
their home needs to be done in their native language. To support the new believer in reaching out
to their family, the Learning Center will have the Jesus film and other gospel films that are in the
Chadian Arabic language along with portable DVD players for check out. As God moves in the
family, that family will then have the chance to share their new faith with their tribe in their own
language. God has shown Himself throughout scripture to be faithful in this way.
American Church Involvement
The English Learning Center will not only be used to help the Chadian Arabs learn
English, hear the gospel and have a safe place to learn, but it will offer a place for the American
church to take short-term trips too. Churches looking to get involved with reaching unreached
people groups will be able to get plugged in at the center with little training. In advance of
arriving in country, the church will be taught the importance of praying for the people group by
name, praying for a person of peace, and the strength to overcome the spiritual warfare. While in
country they will be able to step right in and teach English by using the stories already in
progress. While there, the team will be able to learn the distinction between people groups and
36
37
Ralph D. Winter, Perspectives On the World Christian Movement, 657-658.
21
how to better pray for them upon their return to America. As they teach any contacts they make
could open the door for a chance to visit that student in their home. A home visit will give the
team a chance to share the gospel with the student. As the team has a chance to experience God’s
movement throughout the trip, prayers need to be lifted in regards to the Lord calling someone
from the trip to full time missions (Matthew 9:38). God is faithful in providing all that is needed
to reach the harvest.
Conclusion
In conclusion, reaching an unreached people group like the Chadian Arabs is not an easy
undertaking. Chad Africa has 140 people groups with 72 of them still unreached.38 With only .
03% of the 1.9 million Chadian Arabs being classified as evangelical the task to reach them with
the gospel is overwhelming. Poor living conditions, a lack of education, the country’s bad
economy and the Chadian Arabs being hidden from the world around them are barriers that can
be overcome to ensure the Chadian Arabs are reached with the gospel.
To reach the Chadian Arabs with the gospel it can be done by the power of God and a
developed strategy using an English Learning Center. This plan will be built not just by prayer,
but extraordinary prayer. It will meet a social need of teaching English so the Chadian Arabs can
have a chance in obtaining a job with English speaking oil companies. It will use Bible stories to
teach English, allowing the Muslim student maybe for the first time to hear the truth about the
gospel. It will offer opportunities for short-term team to be involved more so than just praying
and giving money. Since the call in the book of Genesis 17:4 until Jesus’ return everyone has
38
"Arab, Shuwa, Baggara in Chad." Joshua Project, accessed March 4, 2015,
22
been commanded to go. The command to go comes with a responsibility to pray about where to
go and then learn how to go. It is not a suggestion, but a command (Matthew 28:19).
23
Bibliography
Department of State Publication. “Chad”Background Notes Series (Online). (Jan 6, 2012).

accessed February 24, 2015. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/
docview/1543674013?pq-origsite=summon.
Garrison, V David. Church Planting Movements: How God Is Redeeming a Lost World.
Midlothian, Va.: WIGTake Resources, 2004.
Greeson, Kevin. Camel Training Manual: The Secret of the Camel Is Out... Muslims Are
Coming
to Faith in ʻisa. Bangalore, India: WIGTake Resources, 2004.
Index of Economic Freedom 2015. “Chad” accessed February 24, 2015.

http://www.heritage.org/index/country/chad.
Johnstone, Patrick and Jason Mandryk Operation World. 2 century ed. Carlisle, Cumbria, UK:
Paternoster Lifestyle, 2001.
Joshua Project. "Arab, Shuwa, Baggara in Chad." accessed February 24, 2015.
Joshua Project. “What is the 10/40 Window?” accessed March 1, 2015,

Moreau, A Scott, Gary Corwin, and Gary B. McGee. Introducing World Missions: A Biblical,
Historical, and Practical Survey. Encountering Mission. Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker
Academic, 2004.
Operation World. “Chad”. accessed February 27, 2015. http://www.operationsworld.org/chad.
Our Africa. “People and Culture of Chad.” accessed February 28, 2015. http://www.our-
africa.org/chad/people-culture.
Rhodes, Ron. Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Muslims. Eugene, OR.: Harvest House,
2002.
Winter, Ralph D., and Steven C. Hawthorne. Perspectives On the World Christian Movement: A
Reader. 4th ed. Pasadena, Calif.: William Carey Library, 2009.
24
World Factbook. “Chad”. (June 23, 2014). accessed February 26, 2015.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cd.html.
25

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Final Unreached People Group Project

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Unreached People Group Project

Submitted to Dr. Ebele Adioye

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

Global Studies Survey

Bible is describing people groups, not geographical nations.

Chadian Arabs by share the gospel at the same time.

missionary activity, while taking advantage of the region’s agricultural potential.6

first president, Francois Tombalbaye, a southerner. Tombalbaye’s totalitarianism style of

thirty percent of them can speak fluent classical Arabic.10

communicate in French or Classical Arabic. 13

Region and Economy

is largely subsistence agriculture.

affecting the President’s tribe the Zaghawa.

Religion and Culture

a young girl married before the age of 15 in a forced marriage.17

coming from a person from a different tribe.

Survey of Missions Work

Christian mission movement.22

reaching out to the Muslims living in the northern part of Chad.23

prices to be higher and more difficult to get.

movement across Chad.

hinder the gospel movement among the Muslims in the north.

out that the Christians worship Jesus, who drank alcohol.

Testament books are written in the Chadian Arabic language.

The 10/40 Window

as seen in the map below.24

traditions all lead to barriers needing to be overcome.

believers, then the Church Plant Movement will die.30

The Learning Center will be viewed as an E3 on the E-Scale (Evangelism Scale)

but with the guarantee to make it to the next level.

During the process of discipleship, an important mindset must be established. The

American Church Involvement

to reach the harvest.

Department of State Publication. “Chad”Background Notes Series (Online). (Jan 6, 2012).

Index of Economic Freedom 2015. “Chad” accessed February 24, 2015.

Joshua Project. “What is the 10/40 Window?” accessed March 1, 2015,

Operation World. “Chad”. accessed February 27, 2015. http://www.operationsworld.org/chad.

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