Reach RVA
Until there’s no place left in Richmond where the gospel has not been preached.
“...that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Luke 24:47, ESV
Richmond is a city worth reaching.
The Richmond metro is home to over 1.3 million people spanning the City of Richmond and surrounding counties. Those counties include Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, and beyond. It is a city of historic significance, rapid growth, and deep spiritual need.
Despite a visible church presence, large pockets of the metro remain functionally unreached. These are neighborhoods where the gospel has no effective local witness. Reach RVA exists to change that.
13 people segments. One mission.
Richmond has distinct people groups that represent a beautiful diversity of God’s creation, ranging from unengaged, frontier peoples to those with viable evangelical presence who can be mobilized.
No known evangelical congregations in Richmond. Frontier-level populations with less than 0.1% evangelical globally have no active church planting effort.
Source: IMB aPeopleGroups.org · LPI = 0 (Frontier) for primary sub-groups
Less than 2% evangelical. Some global engagement exists, such as resources, workers, or outreach, but no self-sustaining movement. Several sub-groups are Frontier-level.
Frontier sub-groups within this category: Somali, Iraqi Arab, Yemeni Arab, Gujarati
At least 2% evangelical with viable church presence. The gospel has taken root. The priority now shifts to movement multiplication and re-engagement of the de-churched.
White Americans: 20–30% evangelical nationally but rapidly secularizing. Re-engagement is required
International Students cut across every group above, including Gulf Arab, Chinese, South Asian, Vietnamese, and Korean, and is concentrated on the VCU and University of Richmond campuses. A student discipled here returns home as a gospel catalyst, making this Richmond’s highest-multiplier segment.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Luke 10:2, ESV
What you just saw is the harvest field. What comes next is the harvest force being sent into it.
7 people segments without a self-sustaining church
5 with a viable church already present
So where do you fit in, and what happens next?
See the strategyRichmond’s people groups trace back to the ends of the earth.
The diaspora and refugee communities that make up Richmond’s harvest field carry roots in more than twenty nations. Select a segment below to see where it comes from.
Reach RVA plans around an Acts 1:8 framework: Jerusalem, Judea/Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The ends of the earth is normally the costliest tier to reach, a global focus in another country, selective equipping, high resources, a yearly or bi-yearly rhythm. This map is the reminder that much of that tier already lives inside our own zip codes.
Read the full Acts 1:8 Missions Strategy blueprint“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9, ESV
Pursuing a Biblical framework.
Reach RVA is a coordinated gospel advance strategy that combines data-driven segmentation, church multiplication principles, and a network of trained disciple-makers.
A Strategy for Gospel Advance
Rooted in Paul's own ambition to preach the gospel where it had not been named, this is a movement-oriented approach to saturating a geography with the gospel. (Romans 15:20-23)
Geographic Segmentation
The metro is divided into strategic segments so that every believer and every church can play a part in reaching the city.
Training & Equipping
A tiered training pathway that mobilizes disciples at every level to cast vision, multiply, and coach. (Matthew 28:18-20)
Church Network
Existing evangelical churches are identified, and invited as sending partners, catalyzing a collaborative network rather than a single organization.
Everyone has a role to play.
A gospel advance strategy only moves forward with people who are committed to seeing it through. Here is how you can be part of what God is doing in Richmond.
Pray
Commit to praying regularly for Richmond. Pray for unreached neighborhoods, for church planters, and for a movement of the Spirit across every segment.
Get a Prayer GuideTrain
Get trained to share the gospel, make disciples, and plant churches. Training ranges from a first gospel conversation to advanced church planting residency. Equip yourself to lead.
Explore TrainingMobilize
Join the collaborative Reach RVA movement by inviting your church to pray and get trained.
Join an EventReady to join the advance?
Connect with the Reach RVA team to learn how your church, ministry, or network can partner in this work.
Connect with Us