The 10/40 Window refers to the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. The term was coined in the 1990s by Christian mission strategists to refer to the area of the Eastern Hemisphere that had the greatest need for missionary work and evangelism. The countries included in the 10/40 Window are said to contain the majority of the world’s unevangelized people.
The concept behind the 10/40 Window is that Christian missionaries and evangelists should focus their efforts on this part of the world because of its concentrated areas of poverty and lack of access to the Christian message. The 10/40 Window has been called the “Resistant Belt” due to the historical difficulties missionaries have faced in penetrating the cultures in this region. The Joshua Project, a Christian missionary organization, estimates that over 97% of the people living in the 10/40 Window are “unreached,” meaning they have little to no access to the Gospel message.
The biblical basis for reaching out to the 10/40 Window comes from verses that speak of spreading the Gospel message to all nations, tribes and tongues. Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples they would be His witnesses in “Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The book of Revelation also contains passages speaking of people from every tribe and language worshipping God (Revelation 5:9, 7:9).
Throughout the Old Testament, there are passages that speak of God’s glory filling the earth (Numbers 14:21, Psalms 57:5, 108:5, Isaiah 6:3). The prophet Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to mean that God’s everlasting kingdom would surpass all other kingdoms and “fill the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35). Old Testament prophecies also spoke of the nations coming to know the one true God (Jeremiah 16:19-21, Zechariah 8:20-23). Overall, the biblical basis for missions work among unreached people groups comes from God’s heart for all people to know Him.
The 10/40 Window region presents difficult challenges for spreading the Gospel. But followers of Christ believe His command to make disciples of all nations was not confined to easily accessible regions. Jesus’ disciples faced persecution and resistance in spreading the Gospel, but they persevered according to Christ’s command (Matthew 28:18-20). Paul also spoke of going where Christ was not yet known, “so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Romans 15:20).
Missionaries targeting the 10/40 Window must work intelligently and sensitively within each culture. But their ultimate motivation comes from Christ’s love for every nation and the biblical mandate to make disciples of all peoples (Matthew 24:14). Though the 10/40 Window poses many challenges, Christians believe the Gospel message has relevance for every tribe and tongue.
The concept of the 10/40 Window provides focus for evangelistic efforts among unreached people groups in that region of the world. But biblical Christianity also motivates outreach to those without access to the Gospel everywhere. The window simply represents the great need in that part of the world based on spiritual lostness and lack of access. Christians have a heart for the nations based on the Bible’s call to make disciples of all peoples.
In summary, the 10/40 Window is a term coined by mission strategists for the rectangular region of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude. This region has been called the “Resistant Belt” due to the difficulties missionaries have faced in penetrating the cultures. Christians believe the biblical basis for focusing evangelistic efforts on the 10/40 Window comes from God’s heart for all nations to know Him and Christ’s command to make disciples everywhere. The cultures within the 10/40 Window present challenges for missionaries, but Christians believe bringing the Gospel to these unreached people groups is a biblical mandate.
The 10/40 Window encompasses a vast area full of diverse cultures and religions that have had little exposure to the Gospel message. Some of the major challenges include:
- Government restrictions – Many countries impose legal restrictions on religious conversion and missionary work, making evangelism difficult.
- Islam – The 10/40 Window has a high concentration of Muslim-majority nations that have been more resistant to Christianity.
- Hinduism and Buddhism – South Asia contains strongholds of Hinduism and Buddhism that have deeply ingrained cultural influence.
- Poverty – Much of the 10/40 Window suffers from poverty, diseases, and lack of access to basic resources, focused more on survival.
- Lack of Christian resources – Fewer churches, pastors, theological resources, or developed Christian communities to build on.
- Language barriers – Thousands of diverse tongues with little Bible translation available.
- Persecution – Christians often face persecution from governments, communities, families, and extremists.
Despite these challenges, Christians believe bringing the light of the Gospel to these nations is a mandate from Christ. Missionaries must work sensitively, focusing on service, charity development, education, health, and well-being as ways to build relationships. Showing Christ’s love in practical ways breaks down barriers over time. Building trust enables opportunities for discipleship, church planting, and training local leaders. Translation projects are key to spreading the Gospel in each heart language. Major international events also give opportunities to reach many.
With creative approaches, courageous faith and sensitivity to cultures, missionaries are advancing God’s Kingdom in the 10/40 Window. But there is still an enormous task remaining with thousands of unreached people groups. Churches worldwide must continue to send and support long-term missionaries committed to this difficult region of the world. Christians believe sacrifice is worth each person having a chance to accept God’s free gift of salvation in Christ.
Here are some key insights on important elements related to the 10/40 Window:
Origins of the term
- Coined in 1990s by Christian missionary strategists Luis Bush and Beverly Pegues.
- Referring to a window between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude.
- Highlights region with greatest concentration of unreached people groups.
- Raises awareness of the need for missionary work in this “resistant belt.”
Countries included
- North Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Mauritania.
- Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan.
- Central Asia: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan.
- South Asia: India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives.
- Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines.
- East Asia: Mongolia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan.
Major religions
- Islam: Nearly all countries except Philippines, South Korea, Japan, India and others.
- Hinduism: Concentrated in India, Nepal.
- Buddhism: Many East Asian and Southeast Asian countries.
- Ethnic religions: Animism, shamanism, transcendence still practiced.
- Atheism: In communist countries like China, North Korea.
Poverty and need
- High poverty levels afflict many 10/40 Window countries.
- Lack of clean water, food, medicine, education, infrastructure.
- Diseases like malaria and tuberculosis are major issues.
- Disaster relief needed after floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, war.
- Focus on social justice and development to share God’s love.
Difficulty of missionary work
- Legal restrictions imposed by many governments.
- Resistance from majority religions like Islam.
- Negative legacy of colonialism creates distrust.
- Poverty makes survival a higher priority than spirituality.
- Linguistic and cultural barriers take time to overcome.
- Persecution and danger faced by converts to Christianity.
Importance of indigenous ministry
- Western missionaries should enable local leadership.
- Aid development of indigenous churches led by locals.
- Train native missionaries and pastors for long-term growth.
- Contextualize Christianity in culturally relevant ways.
- Translate Bible and resources into local languages.
- Avoid paternalism – empower national believers.
The 10/40 Window presents huge challenges for spreading the Gospel. But Christians believe bringing the message of God’s salvation to these unreached millions is a biblical mandate. With creative strategies and sensitivity to cultures, missionaries are slowly but surely advancing God’s Kingdom in this region. It will require great sacrifice, courage and endurance from the global church. But each person deserves a chance to accept God’s offer of redemption through Jesus Christ.