How Technology Helps Reach the Unreached

The International Day for the Unreached is a global movement to reach the one-third of humanity that lacks access to the gospel. TWR is ministering to unreached people groups like the Hausa, highlighting efforts to connect with them through media with our ongoing series, Reach the Last. 

What do reaching unreached people groups and artificial intelligence have in common? 

“We’re using AI to speed up the process, whether it’s to hard-to-reach places or wherever else,” said Jon Fugler, chief content officer for TWR, also known as Trans World Radio. “Translation is one of the things we can do much more quickly now. We can do 80% of it using AI tools, and then our local translation and adaptation people can edit that and prepare the content for recording.”

Fugler will be speaking on the use of media and technology as one of the guests during a two-hour live broadcast Saturday, May 11, on Moody Radio called “Until All Hear.” That precedes a three-day “Gateway to the Unreached” webcast event May 14-16, three 90-minute sessions sponsored by the Alliance for the Unreached.

All of this is a runup for the 2024 International Day for the Unreached on Sunday, May 19. Coinciding each year with Pentecost Sunday, the observance highlights the more than 3 billion people – one out of three of the world’s population – who haven’t had the chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The use of new technology can offer increased ability to reach lost peoples, Fugler said.

“[In] some of the hardest-to-reach places, we’ve got to be as creative as possible. To me, it means taking advantage of the latest tools, media and technology.”

For TWR, one of those tools is video animation. The TWR MOTION team has used its skills to prepare animated presentations about following Jesus in a context that makes sense in Muslim-majority lands. They’re working on a similar project at the request of a church-planting team in Thailand, this one appealing to people with a Buddhist worldview. Candace Mackie, ministry director for TWR MOTION, will be among the speakers during next week’s webcast.

MOTION’s project for Thailand also was highlighted in April as part of TWR’s ongoing Reach the Last series, which points to specific least-reached people groups and the efforts to connect with them through media.

Among the other groups that have been profiled:

• In February, the Hazara people, most of whom live in Afghanistan.
• In March, the Turkish people, among whom fewer than 1% identify as Christians.
• In May, the Hausa people, primarily in Nigeria, where more Christians are killed for their faith than in all other countries combined.

Fugler’s hope is that International Day for the Unreached will inspire Christians to have a year-round mindset for lost peoples.

“If we can make prayer for the unreached a part of our rhythm, can you imagine what will happen if millions of believers do that?” he said. “We recognize the International Day for the Unreached once a year, but I hope and pray it’s a catalyst so that the rest of the year we’re more involved, starting with prayer.”