Newfrontiers is a group of apostolic leaders partnering together on global mission, joined by common values and beliefs, shared mission and genuine relationships. It was founded by Terry Virgo, and the name ‘Newfrontiers’ was adopted for the ministry in 1986. In 2011, it was redefined as a network of apostolic spheres worldwide, and fifteen different apostolic leaders took on leadership roles within these spheres. The Unreached Network serves across the Newfrontiers family. You can find about more about Newfrontiers here.
In this post, we look to share stories that highlight what’s been happening across Newfrontiers recently in its work in reaching those who don’t yet know Jesus. You can read our previous Newfrontiers update post here.
Anything we’ve missed? Please contact us here to let us know.
Advance
Advance is a family of churches partnered around their shared doctrine and values, attitude to mission, genuine relationship, and suitably gifted leadership. The focus of Advance is this: ‘Let’s do it again. Let’s do the Book of Acts again. In our generation.‘ They have churches based in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and North America, with locations in Africa coming soon.
The post below was shared on the Advance blog. You can find the original post through here. You can also learn more about Advance here.
Ten Highlights from Advance Global 2026
A retrospective from our Cape Town Gathering
Every 2 years our Advance family of churches gathers in a different continent for our Global conference. This year it was in the fairest Cape, South Africa, hosted at New Gen Church in Somerset West.
Here are my 10 highlights of the week together.
- A Global Family
This felt like the most global Global, with 800 delegates from 29 nations attending. It was breathtaking to hear stories of new churches being planted in new nations and new regions opening up to partnership. But the lasting impression was not one of an expanding empire as much as a gospel shaped people growing at the speed of family. That felt like lots of meals together, prayer for one another, language translation and new friendships forged that will last into eternity.
- An African Celebration
We began preparing as a team for Global over a year ago, and from the get go we wanted to try and hold the tension between having a global gathering that also honored the particular hosting context of Africa in tone and tenor. That is always a bit of a moving target, but particularly in the worship, the joyful dancing, the singing in African languages and the percussive rhythm felt wonderfully African. (And I enjoyed leading one spontaneous song in Zulu, the language I studied and taught more than 30 years ago!) It was also amazing to sing original songs that had been written a year prior to the conference by a group of worship leaders from various nations. Subscribe
- Cape Church Hospitality
To be fair, the conference was co-hosted by day two great Cape Town churches – Common Ground Rondebosch and New Gen, but there is such a wealth of partnership among the Cape churches that extended a blanket of warmth across the whole time together. Hundreds of people were hosted in homes, countless homes were opened to host international guests for the inimitable South African braai, and many churches opened their pulpits either side of the conference to international preachers.
- Strong Expository Preaching
Of course, I’m biased, because I was part of the team that chose to preach primarily from one passage and give each preacher a particular theme from that passage. It was 2 Thessalonians 3:1-6, which has become something of a prophetic text for us as a movement, and we chose it because it expressed our “Further Together” theme well. It was so satisfying to see preachers squeeze the juice out of this rich passage, drawing from the context of the Thessalonian Church who saw the Word of the Christ speed ahead and be honored, despite severe opposition. The pulpit from which we preached had emblazoned across it, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Christ was magnified and exalted in every sermon.
- Prayer and Prophetic Depth
This conference was bathed in prayer, beginning with our Global Day of Prayer in October 2025, around the same Biblical text, and continuing through regular prayer and prophetic Zooms, ably co-ordinated by Ben Whittaker. It felt like this prayerfulness over-flowed into the conference, with prayer for regions after report backs and regular prophetic calls for people to receive the empowering of the Spirit through the laying on of hands. I heard a story of two young leaders who came from more conservative theological backgrounds, who responded to a call for prayer and experienced the electric presence of God in a way that convinced them of the present power of the Spirit in their lives. We are genuinely going deeper in prayer as movement, and we praise God for that.
- Solidarity with the Persecuted Church
Of the different nations gathered together, 6 were in the the top 50 most persecuted nations in the world for Christians. Taking time to hear from and pray for people from Eritrea, Nigeria, India, Nepal and the DRC was both heartbreaking and faith building. I believe this will increasingly become a mark of our global family of churches – a genuine solidarity with the persecuted church and a willingness to receive the gift of their bold, joyful resilience in the face of such hostility.
- The Silent Conductor You had to be there, but if you were, you know!
- A Resourced Movement
It was joy to release 4 booklets(available on the Advance website) and 4 books to help resource the movement. The books were Becoming Good Men by Donnie Griggs, Humbly Onward by Rigby Wallace, The Gospel for Respectable Sinners by Matt Hosier and A Fire by Night by Alan Frow. There are two more collaborative projects in the works too: a book on Christian Ethics called Pastoring on Thin Ice and a book on healing called The Great Physician. Watch this space.
9. Churches welcomed into partnership and churches exploring partnership
By God’s kindness, we were able to welcome a number of churches into partnership. This is always a joy. We also find ourselves in as season where many churches are looking into partnership with Advance. A number of these churches were at the conference, and were greatly helped by meeting the rest of the global family and able to experience more of our vision and values fleshed out. This will bear significant fruit in time.
- New church plants commissioned
Our vision remains simple. We aim to plant and strengthen churches, so it was brilliant to be able to commission 9 new church plants in their various stages of launching. We praise Jesus for them and pray for Him to send out more workers into the harvest!
Thank you so much to so many of you who made the effort to attend Global 2026, and of course, all those who served so faithfully and joyfully. We hope you are back home safely and on the mend if you got ill on the trip. Thank you too for the many who watched online. We hope you will all be able to join us again in two years, date and venue TBC!
ChristCentral
ChristCentral is a family of churches served by an apostolic team led by Jeremy Simpkins. This team works with over 275 churches in more than 25 nations. They carry the prophetic call that ‘we can do more together than apart’, and are now serving many churches and church plants in various parts of the world.
The following story was posted on the ChristCentral website. You can read the original post here.
Ukraine Update: Ministry Flourishes Amidst Ongoing Conflict
The war in Ukraine remains active with no immediate end in sight, largely driven by the geopolitical interests of various global parties. Despite the prolonged conflict, Ukraine preserves a strong ability to defend itself, providing an assurance of protection that allows local ministries to continue their work to the fullest measure possible.
This perseverance follows a particularly harrowing winter. Many citizens faced freezing conditions in their homes, with temperatures in some apartments dropping as low as 3°C as people struggled to survive. While the physical climate has shifted, the social landscape remains complicated by intensive mobilisation activities across the country.
Amidst these challenges, the church has strategically expanded its reach, particularly through chaplaincy. In Western Ukraine, a new veterans’ hub has opened, serving as a dedicated space for veterans, active soldiers, and their families to connect with chaplains. To further support this work, a retreat is scheduled for next week in the Carpathian Mountains, where volunteers will receive training from a professional psychologist. This focus on chaplaincy is seen as a vital bridge-building tool, with leaders emphasizing the need for the church to be equipped for this specific context.
Church planting also remains a core priority. In Kharkiv, a new plant now sees regular gatherings of approximately 40 people. Simultaneously, Joseph is overseeing dynamic church planting efforts in Germany, specifically among the Roma migrant community. A recent landmark event in Germany saw the ordination of four elders before a congregation of 250 people. This community is developing rapidly, having already planted a second church near Heidelberg.
Furthermore, the Triumphant Grace family of churches continues its conference circuit. Recent events in central Ukraine and Yerevan, Armenia, provided a unique and vital opportunity for leaders from the occupied Donbas region to gather. While these conferences have received high praise, the growth of the church in the Donbas has led to a pressing need for more workers, as many local men have been drafted into the military.
Finally, the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate. With the Ukrainian economy struggling under the weight of the war, the demand for aid is growing, requiring ongoing provision to serve those in need across the nation.
Prayer Points:
• Reservation of Ministers: Pray that the government continues to allow ministers to be reserved from military service. Specifically, pray for the extension of current reservations, which expire in June 2026, for another year.
• Ministers for the Donbas: As church attendance grows in the Donbas region, pray for an increasing number of ministers to lead these congregations, filling the gap left by those who have been drafted.
• Provision of Resources: Pray that God provides the necessary humanitarian resources and finances required to continue serving the needy across various parts of Ukraine during this economic struggle.
Commission
Commission is a global family of churches on a mission to serve the local church together. Their vision is to see ‘Thousands of lives transformed through hundreds of churches in tens of nations‘. Commission have church locations in North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
The following story was written by Hannah Gerber for the Commission website. You can read the original post here.
New Zealand Church Plant
In early 2023, God began stirring Rahul and Jacqueline’s hearts for Auckland, New Zealand. What began as a holiday became the start of a journey — a growing sense that God was calling them to plant a church in the city.
The Journey Begins
While on holiday, they began forming relationships with local families and connecting with Newfrontiers churches already present in New Zealand. They also felt a strong sense of God drawing them to the people of Auckland – New Zealand’s largest city with over 1.7 million people – a vibrant, diverse hub with huge potential for gospel advance. Rahul and Jacqueline long to see a thriving church established in Auckland, and with God’s help, to see more churches planted across New Zealand and into the nations. This vision resonates with Commission’s call to see thousands of lives transformed, through hundreds of churches in tens of nations.
“We believe this is the first of many to come—a collaborative effort between Catalyst and Commission to see new frontiers reached for the glory of Jesus Christ.”
This church plant will be a Commission church planted in partnership with Catalyst, part of the wider Newfrontiers family. We believe this collaboration across spheres is the first of many to come; after all, we are more together than apart. Commission is providing apostolic oversight, while Catalyst has offered practical support: visa help, walking closely with the team, and generous financial support toward the plant. God has also provided a building for the church to meet in!
A team of 15 individuals have committed to move and stand alongside Rahul and Jacqueline as they establish the church. Among them is Phoebe Howard from Ascot Life Church (UK)…
Phoebe’s Story
Phoebe first visited New Zealand in February 2023 on what she describes as her “dream holiday.” She fell in love with the land, sea and the people, and sensed God speaking to her through the mountains and the beauty of creation. When she returned home, the Ascot Life Church staff team jokingly suggested she should move there—but the idea soon became more than a joke.
At Commission Prayer & Fasting in March 2023, the Auckland church plant was announced—coincidentally, Auckland was the city where Phoebe had based herself during her travels. From that point, the thought of moving became more serious. Over time, God began closing doors in Ascot and opening doors toward moving to New Zealand, confirming His leading.
Looking back, Phoebe can see that God had been preparing her long before she realised it:
“God has been on the journey a lot longer than me.”
A breakup led her to Ascot for an internship year; that grew into a staff role where she developed skills in media, communications, and church ministry. She describes this season as “a journey of acquiring skills,” equipping her to help build the online presence and communications strategy for the Auckland church plant.
Phoebe carries a simple but beautiful vision:
“My hope is that even if the room is small and ordinary, no one is alone. That we become a community of real family and friends who hold onto one another, pray together, and follow Jesus wholeheartedly.”
To anyone else thinking about following God’s call to mission, Phoebe shared that you may never feel fully prepared but obedience isn’t about readiness, it’s about trust. The story of Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3) has anchored her faith during this time of preparing to go. When Moses says, “Who am I that I should go?” God responds, “I will be with you.” Phoebe explains that through it she see that whilst God acknowledges our limitations, He is the one that equips us to go where He calls. It’s not through our strength but through God’s; we are just the vessels that He chooses to use.
Her encouragement is especially for young people or those going alone:
“You’re not alone in mission. If God is calling you, He’ll be with you every step. Focus less on the practicality and more on God’s heart for the place you’re going.”
Relational Mission
Relational Mission are a family of churches who seek to ‘preach Christ, and plant and strengthen churches to the ends of the earth‘. The name ‘Relational Mission’ combines what they see as two key elements present in New Testament apostolic ministry: relationship and mission. Their churches and church plant locations are currently mainly present within Europe and Asia.
This year, Relational Mission are planning a mission trip to Wacken rock festival in Germany. Though they won’t be at the festival itself, they are planning to be out and about in the town the festival-goers will be at, and will seek to give out Bibles, offer prayer, and share the good news. The post below was posted on the Relational Mission blog recording the outcome of last year’s rock festival mission trip, which you can find here. For more information on this year’s planned trip, click here. You can find out more about Relational Mission here.
Evangelism at Wacken Open Air 2025
‘The whole world comes to Wacken – and we bring the good news of Jesus right into the middle of it!’
During Wacken Open Air 2025, we had the opportunity to meet hundreds of festival-goers, pray for many of them, tell them about Jesus and give them God’s Word.
From 28 July to 3 August, our team had the opportunity to evangelise on the fringes of the Wacken Open Air Festival. Wacken is a small village in northern Germany that once a year becomes the stage for one of the world’s largest heavy metal festivals. Around 80,000 metal fans from all over the world flock to the village to celebrate together.
The Great Commission in Matthew 28 encourages us to go into all the world but when the world comes directly to us, then we gladly accept this commission on our doorstep. That is why, since 2011, we have been going to the Wacken Festival with the Metal Bible. The ‘Metal Bible’ contains the New Testament as well as personal testimonies from Christians in the heavy metal music scene. Roul Akesson, director of Bible for the Nations, originally approached us with the idea and the Metal Bible. Today, we organise the outreach together with brothers and sisters from various local churches.
This year, there were about 50 Christians on site, including brothers and sisters from the Relational Mission churches in Wilster and Brunsbüttel. Other churches in the region supported us through prayer and donations.
During the festival, we talked to many visitors, listened to their stories, prayed with and for them, and gave them a metal Bible – around 6,000 in total! At the same time, there was continuous worship and prayer in our camp. We were also supported by a WhatsApp prayer group of around 50 people who supported the mission intensively in prayer.
It was moving for us to see how open many people were to the gospel. Many immediately accepted the metal Bible with joy or were deeply touched by the love and openness they encountered. Several festival visitors asked us to pray with them – some wanted Jesus to come into their lives, others sought healing. In all things, we trust that God’s Word will continue to work in their hearts.
We would like to express our special thanks to all the churches that supported us with prayer, practical help and financial support. Please continue to pray for the people we were able to reach – that God’s Spirit will touch them and that they will come to know Jesus Christ personally.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
— MATTHEW 28:19A
The Unreached Network exists to inspire and strengthen cross cultural mission to Unreached Peoples across the global Newfrontiers family.
We do this by training, resourcing, inspiring and creating spaces for network, with individuals, churches and spheres as they take responsibility for sending.
Want to partner with us? Get in touch at www.unreached.network/contact-us
