A Plain-Language Reference
Missions Terms,
Defined.
Missions has a vocabulary of its own, and some of it does real work — deciding who is reached, who does the reaching, and how we talk about it honestly. Here are the terms you'll meet across this site, in plain words, with links to go deeper.
The People & the TaskWho We Mean, and What's Left.
- Unreached people group UPG
- An ethnic or cultural people among whom there is no indigenous community of believing Christians large enough or equipped enough to reach the rest of the group on its own — commonly defined as fewer than about 2% evangelical Christians. By widely cited estimates there are more than 7,400 such groups, home to roughly 3.4 billion people. "Unreached" is a measure of access, not of a people's worth or willingness. Read the full explainer →
- Gospel access
- Whether a people has a realistic opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel in a language and form they understand. It describes opportunity, not conversion — and it never erases the believers who are already present in a place.
- People group
- A community defined by shared language and ethnic or cultural identity, not by national borders. One country can hold hundreds of people groups; one group can stretch across several countries. Missions is counted this way because the gospel spreads most naturally within a shared language and culture.
- The Great Commission
- Jesus' command to His church to make disciples of all nations, given at the close of Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20) and echoed in Acts 1:8 — witness "to the ends of the earth." The word translated "nations" is the Greek ethne, peoples, which is why missions attends to people groups and not only to countries. Read the full explainer →
The WorkersWho Does the Reaching.
- National pastor also: local pastor, indigenous pastor
- A pastor or evangelist native to, and living among, the people they serve — trained and supported to reach their own people rather than sent from abroad. This is the central term on this site. A national pastor needs no visa, no language school, and no cultural introduction; the field is already home. The case for supporting them is a both/and alongside sent missionaries, never a put-down of them. Compare the two models →
- Indigenous missions
- The work of local believers reaching their own and neighboring peoples, rather than depending on cross-cultural outsiders to do it for them. It is often faster, less costly, and harder to shut down — though it still requires real training, accountability, and support to be done well. Read the full explainer →
- Field partner
- An established indigenous ministry through which ENDS works. ENDS supports its partners; it does not run the field work or employ their workers. Today there are two: the Servant Leadership Ministry Foundation in Thailand and Mission Impact India. SLMIF → Mission Impact India →
- Frontline worker evangelist
- A member of a partner's field team — for example the roughly forty workers of SLMIF's evangelist arm, listed by name and ministry on the partner's own roster. We publish names and roles only, never details that would put a worker at risk. Meet the forty →
- Shielded pastor at-risk worker
- A worker whose identity must be protected because of the danger their ministry carries. For a shielded worker we publish no photo, no location finer than a broad region, and no detail that could locate them or their congregation. When in doubt, we shield.
Standing Behind the WorkHow You Take Part.
- Sponsor support · "by name"
- Standing behind a national pastor through prayer and, once giving is live, financial support. "Sponsoring a pastor" describes a relationship, not a purchase — you are joining what a trusted partner is already doing. Online giving is launching soon and is not live yet; no card is charged on this site today, and because ENDS is still pursuing 501(c)(3) status, nothing is represented as tax-deductible. Designations toward a specific pastor or region are honored, not sold. How sponsorship works →
- Training, mentoring & support
- ENDS' actual contribution: an original training curriculum, ongoing relational mentoring, and prayer and financial support — delivered largely through partners. "Training" here means formation, not a credential or accreditation ENDS could grant. See the curriculum →
- Vision trip
- A short-term trip framed around vision and relationship — seeing the work and meeting partners under their leadership — rather than visitors performing the ministry themselves. The Thailand vision trip is currently interest-only: no confirmed dates, price, or capacity are promised yet. The Thailand trip →
- Church partnership
- A congregation standing behind a pastor or region together — praying, giving, learning, and sometimes visiting. A church "adopts" a partnership commitment; it never adopts a person as property. The partnership guide →
How We Speak of ImpactThe Honest Rules.
- Church planted
- A new believing congregation established — reported by a partner and credited to the partner and to local believers, never to a donor or a dollar amount. Until partner-verified, dated figures are on file, this is not a number ENDS claims as its own result.
- People reached
- Persons who have heard or received the gospel, reported by a partner, dated, and attributed to local agency. We say "our partner reports," and we never present it as an outcome your gift purchased.
- Illustrative vs. verified
- Some profiles, funding figures, and prayer counts on this site are labeled illustrative — examples of how sponsorship works while real, partner-provided pastors are confirmed. Our two verified partner leaders, and the partner facts drawn from their own sites, are real and published with permission. We would rather tell you plainly which is which. Where we stand →
The Words Behind the Work
These terms exist to make one thing possible: reaching people no one else will, through the believers already among them. Read the vision, or stand behind a national pastor.