The Finish Line Podcast Chris Hunsberger, CEO of Radical, on Why Something Needs to Change in Global Missions (Ep. 32)
Chris Hunsberger is the CEO of Radical, a ministry founded by pastor and author David Platt. Radical was initially created to help manage and steward the teaching ministry of David Platt, but has grown significantly in recent years to focus on one overarching goal: equipping the church to make disciples of all nations.
Today, Radical has a variety of initiatives and events that are designed to accomplish just that. One of Radical’s initiatives called Urgent helps identify strong believers who are advancing the gospel in parts of the world that are completely unreached. Alongside Urgent is the strategic database that Radical has built called Stratus. The Stratus Index provides a comprehensive cross section of every country in the world to identify the intersection of spiritual and physical needs. This information is meant to help missions organizations as well as individuals strategically identify the most effective approaches to reach different areas of the world.
Chris has a unique perspective on global missions and what it will take to complete Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. Chris shared the sobering fact that the number of unreached people in the world is actually growing, not shrinking, as the population continues to grow, and that our strategy needs to change if we want to see meaningful progress. Listen now to hear what Chris had to say about how we should focus our giving in order to start to shift the pendulum.
QUOTES TO REMEMBER- “I want to do everything in my power to get the gospel to those who’ve never heard it.”
- “If we’ve all received the same command, to be part of making Jesus known in all nations, then what does that look like for the local church?”
- “99% of global missions funding is going to places where the church already exists. That’s called the Great Imbalance.”
- “We know that for a lot of global missions work, the type of work that’s done is not necessarily the type of work that’s most needed.”
- “Your giving or missions portfolio must have space for the unreached.”
- “If we really believe in this command to go and make disciples of all nations, then shouldn’t that drive everything that we do?”
- “If you are not equipping those that are a part of your faith family to make disciples of all nations, then you are directly disobeying that command.”
- “Just introducing people to the saving power of Jesus is not enough. So what does the end of the road look like? It looks like healthy churches all over the world.”
- Radical
- The Urgent Initiative
- The Stratus Index
- Desiring God and John Piper
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
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