Lists: All Progress Levels
The Joshua Project Progress Scale is an estimate of the progress of church planting among a people group, people cluster, country or language. The scale is derived from people group values for percent Evangelical and percent Christian Adherent. See the table and explanation below for level descriptions, criteria, counts and population summaries.
Every individual is equally valuable and equally lost without Jesus Christ. However, people groups have varying levels of exposure and response to the gospel. The Progress Scale is an attempt to avoid the perception that unreached / reached is an off / on toggle. Please note the diagram below showing the Progress Scale overlaid on the Gray Matrix.
| Progress Level ▲ |
Description | Criteria | People Groups |
% of People Groups |
Population | % of World Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Unreached Few evangelicals and few who identify as Christians. Little, if any, history of Christianity. Includes Frontier People Groups *. |
Evangelicals <= 2% Professing Christians <= 5% |
7,187 | 41.6 % | 3,425,086,000 | 42.4 % |
2 |
Minimally reached Few evangelicals, but significant number who identify as Christians. |
Evangelicals <= 2% Professing Christians > 5% and <= 50% |
1,119 | 6.5 % | 256,101,000 | 3.2 % |
3 |
Superficially reached Few evangelicals, but many who identify as Christians. In great need of spiritual renewal and commitment to biblical faith. |
Evangelicals <= 2% Professing Christians > 50% |
1,788 | 10.4 % | 548,093,000 | 6.8 % |
4 |
Partially reached Evangelicals have a modest presence. |
Evangelicals > 2% and <= 10% |
3,869 | 22.4 % | 2,003,298,000 | 24.8 % |
5 |
Significantly reached Evangelicals have a significant presence. |
Evangelicals > 10% |
3,297 | 19.1 % | 1,846,159,000 | 22.9 % |
| Totals: | 17,260 | 8,078,737,000 |
* Frontier People Groups (<= 0.1% Christian Adherent and no known movement) are a subset of Unreached People Groups (red Progress Level 1). In all listings, Frontier People Groups are designated by a red sunburst ☀︎ and Unreached People Groups that are not Frontier People Groups by a plain red dot ●.
Figure 1. shows the Joshua Project Progress levels plotted in the various Gray Matrix quadrants. The Gray Matrix is a helpful evaluation tool. "It separates out knowledge (cognitive) elements into the vertical axis (y-axis) while attitudinal dimensions belong to the horizontal (x-axis)." The further to the left and down, the greater the need. Thus the red (unreached) groups are in the lower left quadrant.
It can be debated which groups are needier: orange or yellow? Orange has less knowledge, but more open attitude, while yellow has greater knowledge, but more closed attitude. Which is more needy? A case could be made for either orange or yellow. We encourage individuals and organizations to make use of these category distinctions in line with their ministry focus and priority.
Joshua Project welcomes feedback and critique of the Progress Scale. If you have thoughts or ideas, please contact us.
