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An International Center for Indigenous Christian Leadership
Strategic Leadership Alliance
CHALLENGE 1: The Perception of the Gospel as Western
There are about 3 billion unreached individuals in the world today. Most of them are concentrated in the
10/40 Window. Among them, there are about 3,500 unreached people groups of which less than 50%
are likely to have heard the gospel. They are the ones who have not embraced the gospel due either to
lack of opportunity or culturally relevant presentation of the gospel. Many of them have shunned the
gospel by mistakenly thinking that becoming a Christian means accepting Westernization which could
cause them to abandon their indigenous cultures and ways of life.
CHALLENGE 2: The Increasing Ineffectiveness of Traditional Missions
Some of the traditional missionary methods are becoming increasingly ineffective in the 10/40 Window.
However, for the first time in history, there are more missionaries from Asia, Latin America and Africa
than from the West. Therefore, the time is now ripe for a paradigm shift in world evangelization. There is
a great need for evangelization without Westernization — with indigenous missionaries leading the way.
CHALLENGE 3: Raising Up Indigenous Leaders for World Church and
Missions
Even though the church has made great strides in evangelizing the world and biblically transforming
cultures in the last two centuries, it has often been characterized by unnecessary patronization. This
results in which new converts who are very dependent on expatriate missionaries and overseas
churches. Instead of working as leaders both among the indigenous peoples and internationally, many
indigenous Christian leaders have been primarily trained to serve as helpers or assistants to foreign
leadership. This often prevents the indigenous leaders from having real ownership in their ministries.
These ministries, in turn, have minimized opportunities for indigenous innovation or contextualization of
the gospel. But now is the time for them to rise up and take up the challenge of international leadership
in world Christianity and world evangelization. SLA strives to forge an alliance among the like-minded
Christians all over the world to implement this worthy vision.
There are about 3 billion unreached individuals in the world today. Most of them are concentrated in the
10/40 Window. Among them, there are about 3,500 unreached people groups of which less than 50%
are likely to have heard the gospel. They are the ones who have not embraced the gospel due either to
lack of opportunity or culturally relevant presentation of the gospel. Many of them have shunned the
gospel by mistakenly thinking that becoming a Christian means accepting Westernization which could
cause them to abandon their indigenous cultures and ways of life.
CHALLENGE 2: The Increasing Ineffectiveness of Traditional Missions
Some of the traditional missionary methods are becoming increasingly ineffective in the 10/40 Window.
However, for the first time in history, there are more missionaries from Asia, Latin America and Africa
than from the West. Therefore, the time is now ripe for a paradigm shift in world evangelization. There is
a great need for evangelization without Westernization — with indigenous missionaries leading the way.
CHALLENGE 3: Raising Up Indigenous Leaders for World Church and
Missions
Even though the church has made great strides in evangelizing the world and biblically transforming
cultures in the last two centuries, it has often been characterized by unnecessary patronization. This
results in which new converts who are very dependent on expatriate missionaries and overseas
churches. Instead of working as leaders both among the indigenous peoples and internationally, many
indigenous Christian leaders have been primarily trained to serve as helpers or assistants to foreign
leadership. This often prevents the indigenous leaders from having real ownership in their ministries.
These ministries, in turn, have minimized opportunities for indigenous innovation or contextualization of
the gospel. But now is the time for them to rise up and take up the challenge of international leadership
in world Christianity and world evangelization. SLA strives to forge an alliance among the like-minded
Christians all over the world to implement this worthy vision.