I have been working my way through Central Asia for the September edition of the District Survey.

There are 49 provinces and 523 districts within the region’s 5 countries. Most of the districts have populations on the order of 50,000 to 100,000 people. More are being born every day.

One reason movements are needed: only movements can keep up with the population growth.

Another reason movements are needed: some, perhaps many, of these districts are inaccessible to the typical Western missionary.

More are open to Asian missionaries (e.g. Koreans or Filipinos for example). But many are simply closed to all but citizens.

In order to engage those districts, local believers are needed. They are the only ones who can bring the Gospel into these “foreign-closed” locations.

So as you’re thinking about how you’re going to reach a particular area, consider a strategy that will not only scale to reach the area, but also “jump over” into other regions.

(Many CPMs report “jumping” fires–in districts outside the CPM location.)