NORCROSS, GA. (ANS) -- Cross-cultural ministry no longer requires a passport, according to the latest issue of “Unfinished,” the quarterly magazine of The Mission Society.

According to a news release obtained by the ASSIST News Service, with the United States identified as one of the fastest-growing mission fields in the world, there are numerous outreach opportunities for American Christians and churches willing to embrace new thinking.

“Acts 1:8 calls us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth while not neglecting ‘Jerusalem,’ our mission field at home,” said Dick McClain, president and CEO of The Mission Society, speaking in the news release.

He added, “Whether you live in Louisville, Kentucky, or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it is incumbent on Christian disciples to identify and then reach out to those who have had the least exposure to the gospel. The least-reached people may very well be your neighbor.”

The Mission Society, a missions sending organization, has a special emphasis on reaching the world's least reached.

According to the news release, the fall 2012 issue of “Unfinished” magazine, “The Least Reached in Your Backyard,” examines unprecedented opportunities for cross-cultural ministries for American churches and Christians.

To reach the people groups, Americans are urged to “Think: Cities,” “Think: Universities” and “Think: The Next Generation.” Across the boundaries of all these American “backyards,” the news release stated, are some of the world's least-reached.

The Mission Society said cities have become fast-growing, cross-cultural mixtures of young adults, ethnic minorities, people of great influence and the poor.

The United States is temporary home to people from many least-reached nations. Nowhere is that more clear, The Mission Society said in the news release, than on American university campuses.

With hearts and minds shaped by a multitude of influences, the nation's next generation might also be among the least reached.

According to the news release, this issue of “Unfinished” looks at missionaries ministering to the least reached in U.S. downtown environments, opportunities available on university campuses, and an Atlanta-area church ministering to 1,800 neighborhood youth.

“Only when disciples leave the safety of their homes for the least-reached in America's backyard will the Great Commission be fulfilled at home,” said Stan Self, senior director of church ministry for The Mission Society, speaking in the news release.

The Mission Society works alongside local churches to help them discover their unique missional calling.

The Mission Society's quarterly magazine “Unfinished” informs readers about worldwide mission trends and issues. To receive a free subscription, visit www.themissionsociety.org/go/subscribetouf

Founded in 1984 in the Wesleyan tradition, The Mission Society exists to mobilize the body of Christ globally to join Jesus in His mission, especially among the least-reached peoples.

For more information go to www.themissionsociety.org

Jeremy Reynalds is Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, a freelance writer and also the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City." Additional details on "Homeless in the City" are available at http://www.homelessinthecity.com. Reynalds lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net.