To the Ends of the Earth: Carrying to Completion

Ethnos360 believes the call to missions is not just a call to begin — it’s a call to persevere and to finish. From the beginning of Scripture to the final chapters, God conveys His heart for completion. He is not a God of half measures. What He has begun, He will finish — fully and completely.

God’s Pattern of Completion

From the very beginning of Scripture, we see God’s delight in completing what He started. After each day of creation, God called his work “good” — and only after the sixth day, He looked at the fullness of creation, His work finished, and declared it “very good.”

The same intention on completion is seen throughout the pages of the Bible. Jesus, while approaching the cross, declared to the Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). Before His return to the Father, He gave His followers the task of the Great Commission — to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

At the end of Scripture, we see the picture of God’s work carried to its perfect completion: a great multitude from every tongue, tribe and nation, standing before the throne of God, worshipping the Lamb, the One who is worthy to receive the glory.

The same principles guide everything we do. Our vision is not just to engage with unreached people groups, but to walk with them — thoroughly and strategically — until the work is done. We want to see thriving churches planted in the unreached.

This is no small task. And it is not quick. But we are not aiming for quick — we are aiming for complete.

Completion in an Unreached People Group

In 2024, we celebrated a completed New Testament translation — the Moi people group received the Word in their own language. That work began nearly 25 years earlier when a team of missionaries arrived to live among this unreached people. Through God's faithfulness, years later, a church was planted. Now, the Moi have a maturing church, led by believers from among their own people, with Scripture in their heart language. The work among the Moi is not just started — it has been carried through to completion.

That kind of thoroughness, perseverance and strategic work of church planting does not happen by accident. It takes preparation and intentional training. Two of the missionaries reflected on the equipping they received and gave clear credit to the foundation laid before they ever left home:

“One thing that I am constantly grateful for, on a daily basis, is the training that I received to do what I’m doing today; it has given us the tools to accomplish this task.” – Rich

“Training has been crucial. We’re working with a monolingual people group. There’s no go-between language. So in order to do that, we have the tools necessary: phonetics, phonemics, linguistics.” – Steve

They knew that in order to finish well, they needed to be equipped thoroughly. They saw the significant importance of the training they received. That’s why the training matters so deeply — it’s where the work of completion begins.

Why It Still Matters Today

Each student who walks onto our campus represents potential — not just for a beginning, but for a completed story. Equipping them requires more than just training. It requires a space to live, grow, learn and be challenged.

We want to hear more missionary testimonies from around the world like the Moi church plant. Churches planted. Bibles translated. For that to happen, we must remain committed to every part being carried to completion.

A Work Completed: Elevators Funded at Ethnos360 Bible Institute

In the last Partner to Partner update, we shared the need for two new elevators at Ethnos360 Bible Institute — a critical upgrade to replace the aging, 80-year-old elevators that serve our students, staff and guests each day. With $300,000 still needed to meet the $900,000 fundraising goal, the finish line was in sight.

Thanks to the faithful giving of generous partners like you, the funding is complete, the contract has been signed, and the Bible Institute will receive two new, safe and reliable elevators this fall! We are humbled and grateful watching God’s people come together to meet a need — and to finish what was started.

A Strong Start: The Vision Center’s Renovations Can Begin

As we celebrate the completion of one project, we’re excited to share that another has taken a step forward. More than $100,000 has been given; construction and remodeling of the Vision Center are set to begin.

This space where students and guests will be able to grasp the realities of cross-cultural ministry and engage with the challenges of reaching the unreached is part of our Renovate to Reach campaign, a campus-wide effort to complete key spaces for engaging and equipping.

To take the Vision Center to completion, we have a remaining need of approximately $250,000. We look forward to sharing progress with you in future issues — stage by stage, gift by gift, partner by partner.

What to Complete Next: Renovating Housing so Planters can be Trained and Sent

Equipping students with cross-cultural church planting methodology is key to seeing mature churches take root in complex contexts. Everything we do at ETC is aimed at preparing students for the challenging task of reaching the unreached with the gospel.

Our purpose is not found in our facilities but in the lives being equipped each day. Each student who enters our doors is here for one reason: to be equipped.

Many of our 50-year-old housing units are in need of major renovation. Several are empty, unusable due to damage. As a result, our ability to welcome new students, house our staff and grow our training capacity is limited.

Without students, we cannot send. And if we do not send, the unreached remain unreached. There will be no one to learn their language, translate the Bible, plant a church and disciple believers.

As part of our Renovate to Reach campaign, two critical housing initiatives are ready to move forward as God provides through your generosity. First, we’re just two roofs away from completing a 12-roof project — $39,000 will help finish this essential work. Second, five student 4-plexes are in urgent need of extensive renovation. A $586,000 investment will restore these homes and allow the Training Center to serve at full capacity. With these renovations complete, more students can be equipped and sent to bring the gospel to those who have never heard.

Let’s take this work forward — to see it carried to completion — for the glory of God among all peoples.

Sincerely

Steve Sanford

CEO of Ethnos360