Editor’s note: This is the seventh post in a 12-part series that highlights information found in IMB’s Annual Statistical Report. The report is based on 2019 research data. A full copy of the report is available at imb.org/asr.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD — EAST ASIAN PEOPLES

Discipleship

The Lord has been at work mightily among an animist people group living in the mountains of East Asia. The church has grown and there are now hundreds of believers among this remote group. As they have grown in maturity, the local church is now working to send out missionaries to reach other unreached people groups with the gospel. These local churches have since sent a missionary to reach an unreached people group in an area IMB missionaries can no longer access due to security restrictions.

Healthy Church Formation

For more than 2,000 years, there was no church among an isolated East Asian people group. That is no longer the case, thanks to the prayers of Southern Baptists, the diligent efforts of IMB workers and the power of the Holy Spirit.

In 2019, the first church was planted among this very difficult to reach people group. This church is one of the 426 churches that were planted in East Asia in 2019.

Leadership Development

Eight house church leaders from one city have been trained in the use of a healthy church development strategy. They are currently applying this training to their own churches and are also training hundreds of leaders in many provinces across the country. They are asking IMB workers to train a hundred more leaders in their city over the next two years.

Your giving enables IMB workers and their partners in East Asia to disciple new believers from animistic people groups, plant the first churches among people groups and develop East Asian leaders. Give now to support the work in East Asia.

All data, except for active field personnel and unreached people group counts, reflects information from the 2019 Data-Year Annual Statistical Report (IMB).