Missionary work among unreached tribal groups often takes place in oral, communal societies, located in remote or culturally isolated areas. Here’s a list of good training programs, tools, and mission agencies specifically designed to help missionaries share the Gospel wisely and effectively in these contexts, and to navigate the issues raised in Part 1.

 

1. Cross-Cultural Training for Tribal Contexts

 Perspectives on the World Christian Movement

• A foundational course that explores God’s global purpose, cultural dynamics, and strategies for effective mission.
• Prepares you for frontier missions with deep teaching on culture, worldview, and God’s mission among unreached peoples.
• Ideal starting point before engaging with tribal communities.
• Includes content from missiologists like Don Richardson, Ralph Winter, and John Piper.
• https://www.perspectives.org

 CultureBound – Tribal & Oral Learner Focus

• Custom training in language acquisition and worldview adaptation, specifically for cultures where identity and meaning are shared communally.
• Offers both in-person and online training in cross-cultural communication and worldview awareness.
• Focused on real-world preparation for working in honor/shame, fear/power, and guilt/innocence
• Emphasizes non-Western lenses and includes training for story-based teaching.
• https://www.culturebound.org

 

2. Contextualized Evangelism Among Oral Cultures

 StoryRunners (Cru Ministry)

• Specializes in creating chronological Bible story sets for oral learners, especially in tribal or non-literate societies.
• Offers training, team sending, and customizable materials to begin church planting movements in oral cultures.
• https://www.storyrunners.org

 HonorShame.com

• Provides training materials, articles, and tools for presenting the Gospel in honor-shame cultures (common in Asia, Middle East, Africa).
• Includes free digital resources, case studies, and a Bible storying curriculum.
• Website: https://honorshame.com

 The Camel Method (Muslim Contexts)

• A method of sharing the Gospel with Muslims using Qur’anic references that point to Jesus, moving into the Injil (New Testament).
• Especially helpful for building bridges without direct confrontation.
• Training often offered through Global Initiative or Frontiers.

 Simply the Story

• Trains missionaries to share the Gospel and disciple others using interactive, memorable oral storytelling.
• Great for small group use, village outreach, and empowering locals to become storytellers.
• https://simplythestory.org

 

3. Bible Translation, Oral Storytelling, and Audio Tools

 Wycliffe Bible Translators

• Offers long-term service and training in Scripture translation, literacy, and language learning for previously unengaged tribal languages.
• Partner with local speakers to create Bible portions, not just full translations, when needed.
• Includes tools for those working in unwritten or oral languages.
• https://www.wycliffe.org

 Faith Comes By Hearing (Bible.is /Gospel Films)

• Provides audio Bibles, Jesus Film, and Gospel content in thousands of tribal languages.
• Solar-powered Proclaimer devices are excellent for group listening in villages without electricity.
• Great for oral learners and restricted areas.
• https://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com

 Global Recordings Network (GRN, formerly Gospel Recordings)

• Offers audio Gospel messages and Bible stories in over 6,700 tribal languages and dialects.
• Offers offline playback tools (e.g., Saber players) for deeply remote villages.
• Useful for evangelism in remote tribal areas or refugee populations.
• https://www.globalrecordingsusa.org/

 

4. Field Agencies Specializing in Tribal Missions

 Ethnos360 (formerly New Tribes Mission)

• Specializes in reaching unreached tribal groups, particularly in remote jungle and mountain areas.
• Comprehensive training in language acquisition, culture learning, church planting, and sustainability.
• https://ethnos360.org

 Pioneers

• Focused on unreached people groups, with strong emphasis on team-based, contextualized church planting.
• Offers support for workers in linguistic, agricultural, or medical platforms to reach remote communities.
• https://www.pioneers.org

 TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission

• Deploys mission teams into unreached and hard-to-access regions, often combining health, education, and Scripture engagement in tribal communities.
• https://team.org

 

5. Building Credibility Through Service

 SIM – Serving in Mission

• Offers mission placements that combine medical work, agriculture, education, and evangelism—particularly effective in post-colonial or Muslim-majority regions.
• Website: https://www.sim.org

 MedSend & Christian Health Service Corps

• Equip and send medical professionals to serve long-term in missions, often opening Gospel doors through service.
• Websites: https://medsend.org, https://www.healthservicecorps.org

 

Bonus Tools

• Hand-cranked or solar audio players (from MegaVoice in a variety prices). Request any GRN languages and programs to be loaded onto players, or load straight audio Bibles (from “Faith Comes By Hearing” yourself). Portable, no electricity needed. https://megavoice.com/
• Flipcharts and Individual-sized picture books (from GRN): To accompany various Bible series, for local-language worship or evangelism. https://www.globalrecordingsusa.org/
• Chronological Bible Story Sets (from StoryRunners and Simply the Story): Ideal for tribal contexts with no literacy or written language. https://www.storyrunners.org