MLS is a launchpad for young adults ready to give their lives to the Great Commission. Three phases of deep study, intimacy with God, real leadership, and cross-cultural training, then sent to the nations.
Prerequisite: FFX or a DTS. First cohort starts April 19, 2027.
Watch the MLS film
Plays on tap. Sound on.
The need
3.6+
billion people live in unreached people groups. That's 44% of the world.
2.0+
billion have never heard the gospel in a way they could understand and respond to.
We won't stop until every tribe, tongue, and people has heard.
3.64B (44.2%): Joshua Project all-regions totals, Oct 2026. “Never heard”: Operation World's 24–27% estimate, cited by Joshua Project, applied to today's population.
Where the unreached live.
Brighter, bigger dots mean more of that region lives in an unreached people group. Hover or tap a pin for the numbers.
Hover a pin
More people in unreached groups
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Source: Joshua Project region and country data, October 2026. “Christian” is Joshua Project’s % Christian adherents; multi-country regions are weighted by population. Pins mark regions of need, not where anyone lives or serves.
Region of need
North Africa
227MPopulation
156Unreached groups
94%Live in unreached groups
5.2%Christian
Largest unreached: Egyptian Arabs · Algerian Arabs · Moroccan Arabs
Six countries. In four of them, fewer than 1 in 200 people is Christian.
Region of need
Arabian Peninsula
105MPopulation
167Unreached groups
91%Live in unreached groups
3.0%Christian
Largest unreached: Northern Yemeni Arabs · Saudi Arabs · Southern Yemeni Arabs
The largest unreached group here has no Scripture, Jesus film, or audio recordings in its language.
Region of need
The Sahel
658MPopulation
459Unreached groups
31%Live in unreached groups
48.6%Christian
Largest unreached: Hausa · Fulani · Kanuri
West and Central Africa is strongly Christian in the south. Across the Sahel belt, 202 million people still belong to unreached groups.
Region of need
Central Asia
323MPopulation
350Unreached groups
97%Live in unreached groups
2.7%Christian
Largest unreached: Turks · Persians · Uzbeks
Nearly 97 of every 100 people here belong to an unreached group. Fewer than 3 in 100 are Christian.
Region of need
South Asia
1.95BPopulation
3,345Unreached groups
96%Live in unreached groups
1.8%Christian
Largest unreached: Shaikh · Chamar · Brahmin
More than five times as many unreached people groups as any other region on earth.
Region of need
Himalayan region
30MPopulation
234Unreached groups
89%Live in unreached groups
1.4%Christian
Largest unreached: Chhetri · Hill Brahmin · Tharu
Nine in ten people belong to an unreached group, spread across 234 of them in the mountains and foothills.
Region of need
Southeast Asia
700MPopulation
724Unreached groups
51%Live in unreached groups
22.9%Christian
Largest unreached: Jawa · Central Thai · Malay
Half of the region's 700 million people belong to an unreached group, often next door to thriving churches.
Region of need
Horn of Africa
79MPopulation
207Unreached groups
94%Live in unreached groups
3.9%Christian
Largest unreached: Somali · Sudanese Arabs · Beja
Somalia and Sudan alone hold 70 million people in unreached groups. Somalia is 99.7% unreached.
Region of need
Western China
140MIn unreached groups
442Unreached groups
10%Live in unreached groups
9.2%Christian
Largest unreached: Uyghur · Tibetans · Hui
China has a large church, but 442 unreached groups remain, most of them in the west and southwest. Figures are for all of China.
Region of need
Japan
122MPopulation
28Unreached groups
98%Live in unreached groups
1.9%Christian
Largest unreached: Japanese
One of the largest unreached peoples on earth. Fewer than 1 in 50 people is Christian.
Region of need
North Korea
27MPopulation
2Unreached groups
99%Live in unreached groups
1.7%Christian
Largest unreached: Korean
Almost the entire population lives in an unreached group, with no open church.
Region of need
Caucasus & Volga
24MIn unreached groups
228Unreached groups
7.5%Live in unreached groups
73.3%Christian
Largest unreached: Tatar · Chechen · Bashkir
Eastern Europe and Eurasia is mostly Orthodox by name, but 24 million people belong to unreached Muslim peoples across the Caucasus and the Volga. Figures are for the whole region.
Region of need
Europe's diaspora
25MIn unreached groups
343Unreached groups
5.9%Live in unreached groups
67.1%Christian
Largest unreached: Turkish · Arab · Kurdish communities
Western Europe holds 343 unreached groups, most of them immigrant communities in its cities. Figures are for all of Western Europe.
Region of need
Amazon basin
1.4MIn unreached groups
97Unreached groups
0.4%Live in unreached groups
91.6%Christian
Largest unreached: Small indigenous groups across the basin
Latin America is 92% Christian. The unreached here are scattered indigenous peoples, many deep in the Amazon.
Why MLS exists
Encounter was never meant to be the finish line.
What's happening
Young people are meeting Jesus and seeing the need of the unreached: at conferences, in churches, youth groups, and worship nights. Then most go back to life as usual.
Those who do go to the field struggle to last past the first couple of years, because they were never given the training they need to be successful.
We're done watching young people live life with no meaning or purpose when God has a real purpose for them among the unreached.
MLS is the pathway from a burning heart to a life on the field.
For those who want to give themselves to the Great Commission.
01The nations won’t let you go. You came home from outreach and can’t stop thinking about the people you met.
02You pray for places you’ve never been, because God has given you His heart for the people who live there.
03Life as usual isn’t an option anymore. Going back to normal sounds harder than going to the nations.
04You want more than a moment. You want more of God, more of His Word, and a real path to the field.
MLS is unapologetically mission-centered. If the Great Commission doesn't stir you, this isn't your school. If it does, this is your next step.
“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” - William Carey
The three phases
Seek. Lead. Send.
MLS runs in three phases. Phase 1 roots you in the Word and in intimacy with God. Phase 2 puts it to work as you lead. Phase 3 prepares you to go.
Starts April 19, 2027
01
Seek.
Phase 1 · Apr–Jun 2027 · 3 months
Bible & Spiritual Formation
Go deep in the Word and in spiritual formation. Learn to study Scripture in context and pursue God in the secret place. Inspired by John Mark Comer's Practicing the Way and a discipleship Bible school model: weekly sabbath, daily rhythms, and spiritual coaching, wrapped around serious time in the Word.
Shot: early morning, open Bible, window light
02
Lead.
Phase 2 · Jul–Dec 2027 · 6 months
Leadership & Serving
Move from student to leader. You'll grow in leadership while serving on staff, with an FFX school or on our base team. You're part of the team, not just in a school.
Shot: student leading an FFX small group
03
Send.
Phase 3 · Jan–Jun 2028 · 6 months
Missions & Cross-Cultural Training
Missions history, theology, and cross-cultural training, plus a season of preparing your team to launch to the field.
Shot: small team led overseas on the field
Launch: arrival day on the field.
There are ups and downs along the way. That's part of the training. They prepare you for what you'll face on the field.
The full program, the three phases, what to expect, and how to apply. One PDF, sent to your inbox.
01The pathway
02Seek. Lead. Send.
03What to expect
04How to apply
Free. No application needed.
Who you become
From called to confident.
Day one
You'll arrive loving Jesus and feeling called, maybe without knowing where or how.
Launch day
You'll leave with confidence in God's calling, a clear direction for the next season, and leadership experience that gives you a confidence you've never had. All of it fueled by a life of prayer that's more alive than ever.
What you'll be able to do
01Lead a group of people with confidence.
02Study Scripture in context.
03Preach the gospel with boldness.
04Live and serve in a culture that isn't yours.
Lies that break here
“God can't use me.”
“Missions is too hard, and I'm not strong enough.”
“I'll never be that close to God.”
Marks of an MLS grad
Gritty·Passionate·Equipped·Sent
The first cohort
Nashville, TN
days
00hours
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Until the first cohort starts. Monday, April 19, 2027.
Some people finish a program, and three years later their life looks exactly like it did before. That's not what MLS is for. Launched means you keep using what you were given, keep growing, and, for many, live it out every day on the field.
MLS has pieces of a Bible college, an internship, and going to the field, but it's built for one goal: setting you up for long-term mission work.
01
The Bible, from missionaries.
You'll learn the Word from people who know it and are passionate about missions.
02
Ministry with a target.
Your hands-on work is focused on reaching the lost, in Nashville and around the world.
03
Sent, not alone.
You'll launch into a community already on the field or go with a team. Either way, FF Nashville stays your pastoral covering and sending community, for as long as you're out there.
Honest about the road
Not everyone goes the full distance. We hope you do.
There are off-ramps along the way: short-term, mid-term, and long-term. Wherever you land, this season of formation will shape the rest of your life. If you go long-term, we want you to go fully funded, so you can do what you're called to do. We'll train you to raise support with confidence.
You need to have completed FFX or a DTS. If you've done a similar ministry school, reach out and we'll talk it through.
When does it start?+
The first cohort starts Monday, April 19, 2027. Phase 1 runs April–June 2027, Phase 2 runs July–December 2027, and Phase 3 runs January–June 2028.
How much does it cost?+
[TBD] Do not list any cost yet
How do I raise support?+
We'll train you to raise support with confidence, and walk with you through it.
[TBD specifics]
Where will I live?+
In community housing. Students and staff share houses and apartments across Nashville, living in deep community. Housing is always same-gender.
Why this long?+
Our goal is to send people who are still serving on the field ten years from now. Three phases gives real learning and real life-on-life discipleship time to take root.
How is this different from Bible college?+
MLS has pieces of a Bible college, an internship, and going to the field, but it's built for one goal: setting you up for long-term mission work. You'll learn the Word from people who know it and are passionate about missions. Your hands-on work is focused on reaching the lost, in Nashville and around the world. And you'll launch into a community already on the field or go with a team, with FF Nashville as your pastoral covering and sending community.
I'm a parent. Is my kid putting life on hold? For parents+
We understand the worry. But there's a real future and purpose in missions, and the leadership, study, and cross-cultural experience students gain here will serve them in any vocation they step into later.
What happens after MLS?+
You'll launch into a community on the field or with a team. FF Nashville stays your pastoral covering and sending community. We're always tied to the workers we send.
What if I don't go long-term?+
There are off-ramps at every stage. We'll help you take your next step.
We understand this is a big step. We want you to know there's a real future and purpose in missions, and the leadership, study, and cross-cultural experience students gain here will serve them in any vocation they step into later.
Housing
Community housing across Nashville, with students and staff. Always same-gender.
After MLS
FF Nashville stays their pastoral covering and sending community. We're always tied to the workers we send.
MLS is open to anyone who has completed FFX or a DTS. If you're in FFX now, pray about it during debrief week, talk with your family, then apply and interview. It's a mutual yes: you discern, and so do we.
We also emailed a link to you so you can finish later.
FFX comes first, friend.
MLS is open to anyone who has completed FFX or a DTS. FFX is the first step, and it's the right next move. We've saved your info so you don't have to start over.
Shot: early morning, open Bible, window light
