Forty years ago, the “edges” of mission were relatively clear. Unreached people groups were primarily mapped geographically, pioneering missions meant long journeys to faraway lands, and “access” was defined by political and physical barriers. But in today’s hyper-connected, globalized, and mobile world, the edges are not just geographical or based on ethnicity—they can be everywhere. That said, despite major progress, the frontier task remains. There are still more than 2 billion people with no known access to a viable, contextual gospel witness.1

At A3, we believe the Church must follow the Spirit to the new frontiers—those that are geographic, cultural, digital, ideological, and even ecclesial. And as we do so, we must shift from a centralized, Western-centric model to a polycentric, Spirit-led approach that listens deeply to local voices, shares leadership across contexts, and multiplies mission through relational networks.

From Fixed Frontiers to Fluid Edges

For decades, the mission enterprise was largely driven by the West—well-meaning, passionate pioneers charting a course toward “unreached” regions. This model bore tremendous fruit, and we celebrate that legacy. But today, mission is not from the West to the rest—it is from everywhere to everywhere. Frankly, it’s always been that way!

In fact, some of the hardest “edges” of the gospel are not only in unreached villages in Central Asia or the Sahel but in corporate boardrooms in Tokyo, influencer circles in Jakarta, and post-Christian urban centers in North America and Europe. Paul Borthwick notes that, “Globalization has not only redistributed the world’s people but also its spiritual longings and missional challenges.”2 The boundaries of access have shifted from geography to worldview—apathy, secularism, nationalism, and spiritual disillusionment form powerful barriers, even in places with churches on every corner.

Reframing the Edges

So, what comprises the edges today?

1.       Edge as Pioneer Territory: This is the most pressing edge. According to R. Lewis, “There are essentially no national believers to partner with” in these groups, requiring fresh cross-cultural engagement. Joshua Project data confirms that more than 2 billion people still live in these contexts.3

2.       Edge as Spiritual Openness: In regions where the Church is small but resilient (like Türkiye), the spiritual hunger of a generation can create unexpected receptivity. We have seen young leaders, shaped by trauma and transformation, become catalysts of gospel movements—even in places long deemed “hard.”

3.       Edge as Influence Hubs: A3 prioritizes equipping leaders in important sectors—business, media, education, and politics—because we believe the Spirit is drawing us to places of cultural and social leverage. In cities like Seoul and Chennai, we’ve witnessed how Christ-centered leaders in business can spark renewal and shape whole ecosystems. Several of our business and young professional alumni share that they never realized their marketplace work could be a mission field until our network showed them how.

4.      Edge as Leadership: One of the most important frontiers is the shortage of character-rich, vision-driven leaders across the global Church. Leader development is not optional—it is strategic mission. The edge, in this sense, is anywhere the Church is growing faster than leaders can be trained with depth, contextual wisdom, and Christlike humility.

5.       Edge as Collaboration: Mission today demands networks, not empires. At A3, we model polycentric leadership, drawing on the wisdom of diverse leaders across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We’ve learned that mission accelerates when leadership is shared, contextualized, and deeply relational.

Polycentric Mission and Spirit-Led Discernment

Rather than defining the edge by distance, we must discern where the Spirit is leading. Some of the hardest-to- reach peoples still need gospel pioneers. But others—like burned-out pastors in post-COVID Europe or skep- tical Gen Z students in New York—also represent spiritual edges.

Rather than applying a rigid definition to the “edge,” perhaps the better posture is one of discernment. As one of my mentors once implied, “The edge is wherever the Spirit is stirring hearts.”

This doesn’t mean we abandon strategy. On the contrary, we need better maps—ones that overlay geography with influence, receptivity, leadership gaps, and missional readiness. But these maps must be held lightly as we sense where the Spirit blows and redraws the edges. The Spirit often calls us to go where others are not looking—to the margins of society, the forgotten subcultures, the burned-out pastors, the digital natives.

Rebecca Lewis highlights that while tremendous gains have been made—dropping the percentage of global population in Frontier People Groups from 60% in 1974 to 25% in 2024—60% of all UPGs still have no known indigenous churches or movements to Christ. These groups still require intentional cross-cultural witness.4

Following these ideas requires a posture of listening and a shift in mission strategy. A3 models polycentric leadership, a distributed, multi-nodal approach that values local agency, shared power, and contextual intelligence. “Polycentric leadership empowers diverse centers of influence, rooted in mutual trust and shared discernment.”5 Instead of mission being led from one center, we see movements cross the edges when voices from Asia, Africa, and Latin America shape strategy in collaboration with others. This is not only more—it’s more effective.

Conclusion: The Edges Are Closer Than We Think

Today, a Bengali software engineer in Silicon Valley, a Buddhist CEO in Bangkok, and a spiritually hungry Gen Z in Boston may all sit at mission’s frontier. The “edge” is not necessarily defined by access to the gospel but by awareness, engagement, and transformation. And that requires a Church willing to walk slowly, listen deeply, collaborate widely, and lead humbly.

The edges are in rural Afghanistan and in London’s refugee housing. They are in the Buddhist monasteries of Myanmar and the hip cafés of Seoul. They are where the Church does not yet exist, and where it does exist but lacks depth and discipleship.

At A3, we’ve embraced this journey. We’re seeing Christ-centered movements emerge—not through force or formulas, but through the Spirit’s prompting and the Church’s faithful response.
Let us not merely chase the old frontiers. Let us also ask, “Where is the Spirit moving now?” That’s the true edge of mission. We must remain deeply committed to the unengaged and least reached peoples while also discerning new frontiers emerging in urban centers, digital ecosystems, and fragile church contexts.

The edge is not only a place—it is a posture. A commitment to go where the Spirit leads, especially among those with no access to the gospel. A3 is resolved to invest in leaders who can multiply that witness among the world’s most vulnerable and unreached. May we walk forward with courage and humility to the true cutting edges of mission.