On April 23, Radical, a local ministry based out of Birmingham, Ala., will release a tool that they hope will revolutionize the way churches think about international missions.
In March 2010, David Platt, the former pastor of the Church at Brook Hills, started Radical to be a ministry that was “devoted to serving churches and disseminating disciple-making resources toward the end that the gospel might be made known in all nations.” According to the ministry’s website, today, Radical “exists to serve the church for the cause of Christ—to glorify God by making disciples and multiplying churches among all the nations”
Over time, the ministry has grown from being a resource ministry of David Platt to a ministry that is committed to funding church plants that minister to unreached people groups, equipping young adults for the work of ministry, and now launching tools that transform the way we think about missions. Each year, the ministry puts on an event called Secret Church, which is a “unique, one-night event that is streamed online to over 50,000 participants around the world. Encouraged by our persecuted brothers and sisters’ example, we meet for over 6 hours for intense study of God’s Word and passionate prayer for the persecuted.”
David Burnette, the Chief Editor at Radical, said, “Unlike any Secret Church we have ever done, Secret Church 21 is designed to be a ground-breaking journey through God’s Word and around the world that leads to a tectonic shift in the way you view your life, your family, and God’s design for the church.”
This year at Secret Church 21, Founder and Chairman, David Platt will unveil the new tool which is called Stratus. According to the Global Community of Mission Information Workers, “STRATUS brings together three crucial data sets: (1) existing Joshua Project data, (2) the UNDP Human Development Index, and (3) a Barrier Index.” Essentially, the tool goes farther than simply identifying the significant spiritual needs in a region, but looks at the physical, educational, and political needs as well.
The highly anticipated tool will go live after Secret Church, but will be used during a breakout session by David Platt at The Gospel Coalition’s National Conference in early April. You can learn more about Radical, Secret Church, and Stratus at Radical.net.