How Is the Great Commission Being Fulfilled? Missionaries’ Stories from Three Countries

According to Peoplegroups, as of 2024 there are 12,263 ethnic groups worldwide—peoples united by a common language and cultural identity.

Among them, 7,324 groups remain unreached with the Gospel. An ethnic group is considered unreached if less than 2% of its population are evangelical Christians.

More than 4,000 of these groups (4,206) are classified as unreached but engaged, meaning that there is an active church planting strategy among them.

At the same time, over 3,000 ethnic groups (3,118) are still unreached and unengaged. This means there are no local evangelical believers and no outside churches or missionary teams planting churches among them. These are peoples who have never heard the name of Jesus at all!

Ukrainian missionaries who have been serving long-term—more than 10 years—shared their thoughts and observations about trends in fulfilling the Great Commission in the countries where they minister.

The missionaries were asked two questions: What is the situation with fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission in their region? And—what solution would they propose?

So, what is happening with the spread of the Gospel in Cambodia, Kenya, and India? Here are first-hand accounts from missionaries.

Cambodia: A Pagan World That Has Never Heard of Christ

Over 90% of the population in this Southeast Asian country are Buddhists. Cambodia has 28 ethnic groups—20 are unreached, and 3 are still unengaged.

“In our progressive, internet-television 21st century, one-third of the world’s population has never heard the Gospel. They’ve heard that Christians exist—just as we’ve heard that Buddhists exist. Buddhists? Of course they exist. But what do you know about Buddhism? Have you ever held the Tripitaka, the Buddhist holy book? Most Christians would answer: ‘No! Never have, and I don’t intend to!’ That’s exactly what this one-third of the world says: Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists—most of those living in the 10/40 Window, where the largest number of unreached people groups are. They’ve heard of Christians, but they’ve never heard about Christ,” shared missionary from Cambodia, Yevhen Yevva.

In Cambodia there aren’t just villages or towns, but entire regions with no Christians and no churches.

To help explain the situation, Yevhen described five categories of people according to their awareness of the Gospel:

1. Those who have heard the Gospel, understood it, analyzed it, and made a choice—positive or negative.
   
2. Those who have heard it but did not understand the message and have only a weak grasp of the Good News.
   
3. Those who have met Christians and have a shallow idea of who Christ is, even though they personally know a few born-again Christians who tried to share about salvation.
   
4. Those who have never heard the Gospel but know that Christians and churches exist, yet they don’t know what Christians believe and have never talked with them about salvation.
   
5. Those who have never heard of Christians or Christianity at all. They don’t know who Jesus Christ is, no one has ever witnessed to them about salvation or about the Living God.
   

“Most likely, in Europe or America, there are no people in the fifth category, and even finding people in the fourth is rare. But people in the third category are common, especially in remote areas.

It’s a bit different in the Muslim world. There too you won’t find many in the fourth or fifth categories. The majority of Muslims fall into the third group, some into the second, and maybe a few percent into the first.

But here’s the most shocking reality—those from pagan backgrounds. In Cambodia I have personally met people from the fifth category, especially deep in the jungle. When you ask, ‘Do you know who Jesus Christ is?’ they answer: ‘No, who is that?’ They may not be 50% of the population, but there are still many of them in remote regions.

The majority of Cambodians, like most of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, India, Nepal, Burma, etc.), are in the fourth category. They know Christians exist—but they know nothing about salvation.

On top of that, their religion directly contradicts Christianity. For example, Buddhists believe there is no God—only an eternal universe and the reincarnation of souls within it. Yesterday you were a mosquito, today you’re a human, tomorrow you’ll be a flower. Death is treated casually: someone dies—a friend, mother, brother, husband, child—and people say, ‘Oh well, maybe now they’re an ant.’ But if I step on that ant, no problem—it will become a leaf, then a bird, and maybe in 200, 500, or even 2 million years, it’ll be a person again. It all depends on what kind of ant it was—good or evil.

And so they don’t seek Christ; they think they don’t need Him. Their belief system is self-contained,” explained the missionary.

Yevhen noted that most missionaries in Cambodia stay in large cities, and only a tiny number of ministers go into the jungles. There are several reasons:

• Many villages still have no electricity, no running water, no roads, no hospitals, no schools for missionaries’ children, and not even basic conveniences—water is often carried straight from the river.
  
• Language is another barrier: many locals don’t even speak Khmer, so missionaries must learn multiple languages.
  
• Life-threatening danger is the third barrier. Most of these unreached peoples are not Buddhists but animists who believe in spirits, worship them, and fear their curses. If a local shaman says the missionary has an evil spirit or that the ancestors are angry at his arrival, he could be in serious danger.
  

Yevhen experienced this himself: once while preaching, he and his helpers were surrounded by hostile villagers at the shamans’ command, and only police intervention prevented tragedy.

So, how can the unreached in pagan Cambodia be reached?

“Sadly, I don’t have a universal answer. But I believe the best approach is to pray for God to allow someone from that people group to come to Christ in a neutral place, then train and send him back as a missionary to his own people. In general, I believe we must place a stronger focus on locals—motivating them, training them, and sending them to the unreached parts of Cambodia,” Yevhen said.

He also pointed out another challenge: even local believers don’t want to go “to the ends of the earth”—even though that “end” is within their own country.

“So what do we do? I don’t know! Only the Lord Himself can awaken the nation and its ministers. That’s why we need to pray for revival—that the Holy Spirit will stir Christians and push them to go where the need is greatest, not just where life is comfortable. Pray for consecration of the people.

The more I think about it, the sadder it becomes, and it’s clear that only God Himself can act. That’s why I believe Christ will not return soon—not in our generation at least—because there are still so many unreached peoples and so much work left for Christians to do,” Yevhen concluded.

Kenya: 80% Nominal Christianity. What’s the Problem?

Kenya has 69 ethnic groups. Among them, 45 remain unreached and 8 are unengaged. That’s nearly 17 million people from unreached peoples and over half a million from unengaged groups.

According to Inna Pidhaina, a missionary in Kenya since 2014, the Gospel has been translated into nearly every tribal language and recorded in audio form for those who are illiterate. That’s why Kenya is considered 80% Christian.

“But it’s nominal Christianity. For many tribes, faith in Jesus is just another superstition. The name of Jesus was proclaimed here through mass evangelistic campaigns, but what was missing was discipleship—that daily walking alongside people. As a result, people think they know the Gospel, but in reality, they don’t.

Many will say: ‘Yes, I’m a Christian, I go to church.’ But if you ask: ‘How do you know you are saved?’—they have no idea,” Inna said.

She believes the key issue in Kenya is the lack of discipleship, and today’s missionaries are dealing with the consequences of past approaches.

“With new technology, it was easier for some Christians to host one large event. But they didn’t invest the time to raise disciples. Those missionaries didn’t come with the mentality of training others, as written in 2 Timothy—to entrust the teaching to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.

Now missionaries face the consequences of this so-called ‘incomplete Gospel.’ People heard the name of Christ, churches were even built for them, but they were never discipled. They don’t really know what they believe. That’s why Kenya is full of false teachings, false pastors who exploit people, and false miracles—all of which hinder the spread of the Gospel.

The lack of focus on discipleship was made worse by racial dynamics. The first missionaries here were white—richer, more advanced than the local black population. This overlapped with colonial times, when the so-called superior white race sometimes forced people into Christianity by harsh means. Or those who were enslaved would ‘believe’ just to survive or improve their condition.

The material aid aspect also played a role. When so-called missionaries started arriving, especially in groups, it was much easier to run charity projects than to disciple. And the locals developed a mindset that Christianity means someone will show up and give you something.

On one hand, this saved people from starvation. On the other hand, it created a stereotype: ‘I’ll listen to the Gospel if I get something in return.’ People came to Christ not for Him or for discipleship, but for personal gain. And when they didn’t get what they wanted, they became disappointed. Their trust was not in the Lord and His Gospel but in the white person.

This is the challenge we face daily in our ministry. Talking with other missionaries, this is our main concern: people expect material benefits more than they seek Christ. If you don’t offer material things but try to lead them to the true Source—including of material provision—they’re not interested. They don’t want to change their lives or follow Christ.

The ‘prosperity gospel’ is very popular here. Why? Because it’s easy: just say, ‘Come to Christ, give your tithe to some super-preacher, let him lay hands on you, and your life will be wonderful.’ But no one teaches that you need to leave your old ways, change, be sanctified, and walk personally with the Lord.

People don’t like that. They want to buy holy water, have some ‘anointed man’ pray over them, and treat it like a magic wand that will bring money. And because of this materialistic view, the very essence of the Great Commission is being lost,” Inna shared.

Missionary Inna Pidhaina proposes three solutions:

First, return to the foundations of the Great Commission—churches must have clear, Scripture-based teaching on what the Great Commission is and train people to fully live it out.

Second, step away from ‘microwave Christianity.’

“Mission has become trendy. Unfortunately, many want to go on short-term trips and expect massive results in a short time. Social media has only made it worse—with all the comparisons. Some post about huge evangelistic campaigns reaching hundreds of thousands, while others think: ‘I’ve been sitting in this village for 20 years with people who don’t speak English, and only three have come to Christ. That must be a failure.’
This commercialization of mission and misunderstanding of what results truly mean drives missionaries to seek quick numbers to please others or themselves. As a result, they run large projects that ultimately don’t transform people’s lives,” she noted.

Third, raise the level of missionary education.

“Money and food are given out without teaching locals to take responsibility for their own lives. People don’t change inside, don’t learn to walk with Christ, but just get used to handouts. When asked, ‘Who wants to repent?’—of course, they raise their hands, knowing they’ll get a sack of corn afterward.

Missionaries often don’t realize this because they arrive unprepared. The locals know: these ‘white people’ will leave, others will come, and until the new ones figure things out, they can be taken advantage of. That’s not the locals’ fault—it’s the missionaries’ lack of vision and strategy, and their unwillingness to learn.

Those going on long-term missions need proper intercultural training and solid theological education.

I’ve also noticed a kind of ‘Christian racism’ in international missions. Some think that just because they come from a wealthier country and they’re white, they can automatically teach locals—even without spiritual or formal education, without knowing English (in our case) or Swahili. Just: ‘I’m great, I came to Africa, now everyone should listen to me.’ But this can be harmful, because you might end up teaching wrong things. And we are accountable before the Lord for that,” she concluded.

India: A Thirsty Land Waiting for Missionaries

India, located within the 10/40 window, is home to 2,145 ethnic groups—nearly 1.5 billion people. Among them, 1.3 billion belong to 1,862 unreached groups! More than 39 million Indians are considered completely unengaged. The people worship 33 million gods, yet only 3% of the population knows about the one true living God, Jesus Christ.

Missionary Oksana has been living in India for 14 years. She shared about how the Gospel is spreading in the region where she ministers—Bangalore, Karnataka, South India.

“The Apostle Thomas came to South India during the time of the early church and testified about Jesus Christ.

In the cities, many people have at least heard the name of Jesus once. But in the villages of Karnataka, people not only don’t know about Jesus—they’ve never even seen a white person. The Gospel is desperately needed here. Even today, missionaries still travel from village to village showing the Jesus Film. After watching it, people repent.

People usually turn to Jesus only after trying everything else and finding no help. He becomes their last hope. When they are desperate, they come to the church.

We call on those who need healing from incurable diseases, deliverance from evil spirits, or who are drowning in heavy debt to turn to Jesus, to accept Him as Lord and Savior. And people receive answers—no matter what problem they come with. I’ve personally seen that 90% of them experience their miracle.

We’ve seen people set free from witchcraft, healed from cancer and AIDS. If someone couldn’t get married, they did. If there were financial struggles or no job opportunities, things turned around for them. We see the supernatural hand of God, and we always tell people: put God to the test. If He is real—He will help.”

In South India, more people know about God, but the “Non-Conversion Bill” is in force—a law forbidding conversion to other religions. Preaching the Gospel can bring one year in prison, but converting someone to Christianity carries a sentence of 15 years.

“Our state borders one where believers are persecuted and even executed for Christ, and others that are considered Christian states.

For example, in the neighboring state, there’s a church where 100,000 people gather every Sunday. But north of us is another state where Christians are killed. Recently, a pastor there was arrested for preaching the Gospel. Two months ago, we received a video showing another pastor’s hands and feet cut off so he couldn’t walk to preach or hold a Bible,” Oksana said.

As a foreigner, Oksana cannot openly preach, but she still finds ways. She leads women’s and children’s ministry, only hiding when government officials appear.

“We can’t go around freely preaching everywhere. But we do have people in the church, and we encourage them to be the hands, feet, and mouth of Jesus Christ, to witness in their own communities. That’s how the church grows. I thank God that here, for preaching the Gospel, we only face arrest or beatings for Christ, but not death. My father-in-law and my husband have been arrested many times,” Oksana shared.

Many people can’t afford to eat twice a day. Sometimes the feeding programs of the ministry are their only meal. People live without water and don’t even have money for basic medicine. Poverty and hopelessness drive their faith to grow, and they receive supernatural answers from the Lord.

Oksana, together with her husband and their Indian church family, are praying to build a large church building. Right now, Sunday services are held in four shifts, each gathering up to 800 people.

Almost every Sunday, one of the services is attended by police representatives. But Oksana is already thanking the Lord for their salvation, just as happened earlier with two policewomen. Now they are sisters in Christ and part of the church.

“We’ve been building our church for about eight years now. Each time we need to secure 25 different permits. Once, after we received all but two, the authorities refused to allow water or restrooms to be connected to the building. Imagine a church with no bathrooms and no water! And with so many children!

We’ve built many churches in the villages of Karnataka, but we long to have our own building where everyone can gather together. Four shifts are exhausting for the pastors. And we also want to serve even more people.

Despite all the persecution and poverty in India, there is still opportunity to preach God’s Word and show His love. I see God’s hand in everything. The people here desperately need the Gospel. Pray for them—and for us!” Oksana concluded.

One-third of the world’s population has still never heard the name of Jesus Christ. Most of these people live in the 10/40 window, where only 3–10% of the world’s missionaries are serving.

In Cambodia, there are entire regions where pagans don’t know who Jesus Christ is. They believe in reincarnation and think of death only superficially. Going there as a missionary means accepting the lack of civilized living conditions—especially in the jungle. And learning Khmer alone is not enough; most likely you’ll have to learn the language of a particular tribe. A missionary’s life can also be at risk: animists and shamans may take unpredictable, radical actions if they see a missionary as a threat. How can the Gospel be shared in Cambodia? Current missionaries focus on training local preachers who, once strengthened in the faith, can reach their own people.

Kenya, though considered 80% Christian, faces the problem of nominal Christianity. The main reason is that proper discipleship has not been emphasized. Large evangelistic campaigns and short-term missions don’t fulfill the Great Commission. In fact, long-term missionaries often deal with the consequences of shallow work. Many Kenyans may attend church but know nothing about salvation. Serving there as a missionary requires long-term commitment, solid theological training, cultural awareness, and readiness for the long, deep process of raising disciples who can then disciple others.

India is the world’s most populous country, yet only 3% of its 1.5 billion people know Jesus. The 33 million gods they worship stand in the way of turning to the Living God. But in hopeless situations, when all other options fail, people turn to Jesus Christ—and 90% of the time, they experience a miracle: freedom from witchcraft, healing from cancer or AIDS, release from crushing debt, and more. Encountering God’s power, they become devoted followers of Christ, His witnesses everywhere. Despite government opposition and state laws, people preach Christ and churches are filling with new believers. Yet the need for missionaries remains great—men and women willing to live alongside the people and serve them for the sake of the saving Good News.

CITA Ministries Press Center.