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For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness.

2 Corinthians 4:6a

Meet the Goddard Family

Missionaries to the unreached of west Brazil.

Our Vision Jumpto

Our Vision

Bring the gospel to a remote unreached people group and disciple them towards maturity in Christ as a thriving body of believers.

Unreached People Groups -- Brazil

What is an Unreached People Group?

An Unreached People Group (UPG) is a group of people without a genuinely indigenous Christian community, with insufficient numbers, resources and vision to make disciples of Jesus in their own people group without external support, generally with less than 2% evangelicals.

An Unengaged Unreached People Group (UUPG) is an unreached people without the presence of Christians, churches, missionaries or the Bible in their mother tongue and for which there is no initiative or intention of evangelization, internal or external.

The Need in Brazil

Brazil is home to 250 known people groups. Of them, 19 are reached, 67 are least reached, and 164 are unreached.

Of the 164 unreached people groups in Brazil, only 65 are engaged by mission efforts, leaving 99 unengaged.

How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

Romans 10:14a

Our Strategy Jumpto

Our Strategy

When we arrive in country, we will spend 1-2 years learning the national culture and language (Portuguese). Our days will be filled with formal language sessions as well as informal interactions with the people in our community. The first year of this learning will take place in a small town called Vianopolis. After this, we will choose which people group we will be working with in West Brazil. This decision will be based on field leadership’s counsel as well as the findings of survey trips we take to determine the spiritual needs of various people groups.

Once a focus people group is determined, we will form a team with other missionaries and move to the tribal location of the people group. We will then begin the process to learn that people group’s unique language and culture, with the goal of building relationships and sharing the gospel with our indigenous friends by teaching through key themes and stories of the Bible chronologically. Once the gospel has been presented, we trust that there will be those who believe! We will then begin discipling the believers in their newfound faith, as well as training potential church leaders (elders) by bringing them alongside us and following a strategic discipleship model that focuses on outreach and evangelism.

After these believers have become grounded in their faith and gained some outreach experience, we should be able to step back to allow the local, indigenous church to take on the responsibility of reproducing. As we phase out, we will evaluate their maturity and their ability to stand on their own. As missionaries, our goal is not to be serving there forever, but to “work ourselves out of a job” as we see members of the indigenous people group become a mature, thriving, reproducing body of believers.

For more detailed information on our church planting strategy among the unreached of Brazil, please view our full Church Planting Strategy paper.

We are members of Ethnos360, a missions organization committed to a thriving church for every people.

Our Senders & Supporters

We are members of a missions organization, but we are not sent out by them. We are sent out by the local church. Our home church, Grace Gospel Church, is the one who is actually sending us out, and we are so thankful to be a part of the Grace Family! We also thank God for the growing list of individuals and churches that are part of our team, intentionally partnering with us in ministry through spiritual, practical, and financial support.

Join our financial support team or sign up for our email newsletter to stay updated.

FAQs

  • Our plan is to move to Vianopolis, Brazil in May of 2023.

  • Our job title will be “church planters.” We will be working to one day see a mature body of believers established in a people group where there has been no gospel witness. Check out our Church Planting Strategy paper for more detailed information.

  • We don’t know yet. While we are beginning to have these conversations with our field leadership, the final decision will likely be made during or after our time learning Portuguese.

  • First, we will learn the national language, Portuguese. Later we will learn the unique indigenous language of the unreached people group we will live among.

  • Yes! We will be working on a team with at least one other “unit” (family, couple, or pair of singles), who will most likely be Brazilians. We will also have access to consultants and other support workers who will help us with the many logistical aspects of ministry.

  • Nothing. God provides all of our needs through the faithful financial support of His people. It is through this team of individuals and churches that we are able to live and minister in Brazil.

  • As career missionaries, our plan is to be in West Brazil as long as our church plant requires. This could be anywhere from 10- 30 years. Every 2-4 years, we will return to North America to reconnect with our support team.

  • Our beliefs and the beliefs of our mission organization are clearly laid out in our Information Packet.

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