I have been preaching for forty years. The first thirty‐five years were spent as pastor of one church, First Baptist Church of Milford, Ohio. My worldview has gone through a slow metamorphosis. In the beginning of my ministry, my worldview was basically a “door to door” one developed for me by good zealous soul‐winning pastors who frequently preached “Capture your City for Christ.” I practiced this philosophy, for it is right and Scriptural.

Though I knew it was right, I also knew it was not to be the total ministry effort of my church or any New Testament church. So I became deeply involved in world missions. This involved raising millions of dollars for world evangelism; holding more than a score of missions conferences annually; sending more than fifty families to the mission field out of our membership; and even founding, along with Carlos Demarest and Sam Caudill, the ministry called Bearing Precious Seed (which has and still is printing millions of Scriptures annually).

The next link in my evolving worldview was brought on when in my unrest, I discovered we were sending missionaries and Bibles where missionaries and Bibles already are. Like door to door soul winning, my mission’s philosophy was not wrong, it just wasn’t enough. God was leading me to get involved in the unreached people groups, sometimes called tribes or unengaged peoples. The Bible calls these the “uttermost” in Acts 1:8. To fulfill this burden we founded FirstBible International.

The final step in my mission’s journey is to help get the gospel to the non‐literate oral speaking peoples of this world, which constitutes 2/3 of the 7 billion globally. They cannot use a Bible because they do not have an alphabet, dictionary or written language. But our Lord’s commission to the church is to reach every creature including the oral only speakers. The reason for this testimony is to create awareness that they are there and we have a responsibility to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to EVERY creature.” I am ashamed of the fact I did not know of these unreached and hence they have played no part in my worldview until recently. We must not only include them in our mission’s philosophy but we must work towards a solution to their illiteracy. Though we can give them the gospel orally and they can be saved and even discipled into church planting, they will not have a “word perfect” Bible until many changes are made and they can finally read one in their native tongue.

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