ethne, from which we derive our word ethnic, is a programme that helps churches and prayer groups in this country pray for a particular people group in Africa that has yet to have a church established among it. Reaching Africa’s peoples is a particular emphasis of Aim’s ministry. Many of the references to “nations” in the Bible refer not to political states but to ethnic groups. ethne recognises the importance of this in God’s plan of redemption. 

ethne: take part in the Great Commission

OUT OF REACH? Of the 3,000 people groups in Africa, 1,000 have yet to have a church planted among them. Why is this? There are many factors: the remote location of many of the groups makes it difficult to reach them physically; their culture and religious practices make it difficult to reach them spiritually; and often the uniqueness of their language makes it difficult to communicate with them directly.

But we can pray. Churches across Africa are mobilising to take the gospel to these people groups. Although they often work within their own country they still have to learn new languages and use skills in communicating cross-culturally. ethne, our adopt-a-people programme will help you to pray more effectively for these missionaries.

We can pray too for African missionaries and Aim’s workers in these areas and for the Training in Ministry Outreach (TIMO) programme which places small teams among an unreached people group for two years. 

So what is 'ethne' all about?

The Task

The church’s God-given task is to preach the gospel and make disciples of all the peoples of the world. In Revelation, John sees in a vision the fulfilment of that work a, “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”

The Need

However, 2,000 years after Christ commissioned his church, there are still many unreached people groups – tribes and communities who have a common language or identity but are without an indigenous church capable of evangelising the rest of the group without outside assistance. Mission experts put the figure between two and three thousand – nearly a quarter of all the people groups in the world.

Aim’s Part

Aim International has a long tradition of ministry among unreached peoples. Our twin aims are to reach the unreached and to help churches grow. We are looking for continued outreach opportunities and as a result have identified unreached people groups in our fields of service. We are seeking to reach many of these groups with evangelisation and church planting teams (national and expatriate). AIM in Europe has selected those groups with which our UK missionaries are engaged for inclusion in the programme.

Your Part

We are inviting you to have a vital part in this urgent ministry. The e programme is an innovative strategy to help your church or prayer group to be fully involved in reaching the unreached in a specific way. As part of the programme, you choose one of the unreached people groups that AIM UK is focused on and ‘adopt’ it. Then, in partnership with Aim, primarily through prayer, you can help impact a significant part of the unreached world for Christ.

What’s Involved?

• It doesn’t mean giving up current mission support and interest, but taking on a new commitment
• It involves a commitment to pray faithfully for the evangelisation of your adopted people
• It involves a commitment to pray for a team of national and/or expatriate missionaries
• It involves a commitment to learn as much as possible about your adopted group
• It involves a commitment to see the task through until a growing church is established which can evangelise its own people.

What Next?

1. Your church or group should prayerfully consider if it should become part of the ethne programme. This involvement cannot be undertaken lightly. Like parents who adopt children into the family, this is a long-term commitment. In this case it is not accomplished until a growing church is established which can evangelise its own people. If you want help thinking through the implications of this commitment, you might like to contact our e co-ordinators, (see below).
2. Make contact with Aim, and we will provide you with profiles of targeted groups in the countries where we serve.
3. Your group should prayerfully consider the details and choose one group to adopt. Again, please feel free to contact our e co-ordinators if you need any advice.
4. Appoint one of your group to liaise with our ethne Co-ordinator and, where possible, someone on the field.

We will endeavour to provide you with up-to-date information about your people group and keep you informed of any developments in the work.