30 Years of Joshua Project: From a List of 1,700 to a Movement

30 years of data reveals a massive shift. Be part of it.

In 1995, global missions leaders from four continents gathered around a vision that would become Joshua Project: an agreed-upon list of the 1,700 largest unreached people groups to unite prayer and mission efforts worldwide. What began through the AD2000 and Beyond Movement, championed by Luis Bush, continued long after that initiative ended, expanding to track all people groups while keeping unreached peoples at the center. Three decades later, that original list has grown into the most comprehensive people group database in existence, used by millions to discover where the gospel has yet to take root.

For most of those 30 years, Joshua Project operated with no more than four staff members. This past year marked a dramatic shift: we grew from six to over 30 team members, most of whom are regional and national representatives reporting real-time data realities from specific countries. This isn’t growth for growth’s sake. It reflects what’s actually happening on the ground: the majority world church is rising, ready to lead the next wave of frontier missions, and they need accurate, accessible data in their own languages.

Which brings us to where you come in.

Over three decades, we’ve served everyone from prayer warriors discovering their first unreached people group to mission strategists deploying teams across continents. Some of you check our data weekly. Others visit once a year during a missions emphasis. Some lead mobilization movements. Others pray faithfully in the quiet.

The question we’re asking now: How do we serve each of you better?

We’ve built a brief survey (16 questions, 3-5 minutes) to understand how people like you engage with unreached people groups and what resources would help you take your next step. Your insights will directly shape Joshua Project’s tools, content, and resources in the years ahead, whether you’re just discovering the unreached or mobilizing others to reach them.

Thanks for being part of this 30-year journey, and here’s to the next chapter!

Ben,

Communications Director, Joshua Project