City for the Nations was birthed out of a move of God in Lexington, Kentucky in 2013 to mobilize the local Church to reach unreached people groups around the world. Founded by Miles Phelps and Anthony Humphress under the spiritual covering of Lexington Leadership Foundation, the ministry emerged from a shared call to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard.
In 2016, City for the Nations adopted the remaining unreached and unengaged people groups in a secure nation, helping establish a model that pairs U.S. cities with unreached nations and supports indigenous missionary teams through training, partnership, and long-term investment. With the blessing of Lexington Leadership Foundation, the ministry was sent out as an independent organization and has since seen God do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we imagined, impacting thousands of lives in some of the world’s most spiritually resistant regions.
First Engagement Alliance Launch
Engager Teams funded by City for the Nations’ partners at the National Christian Foundation of Kentucky traveled to the most remote people groups in a country in a Security Risk Nation and successfully planted churches. All 57 groups now contain faithful believers and multiplying churches.
Niger Engagement Alliance Launch
The first City for the Nations Engagers were trained and deployed in Niger. They brought the gospel to Niger’s seven unengaged unreached people groups. Today, these seven groups have healthy churches and are playing instrumental roles in reaching the rest of Niger.
Security Risk Nation National Survey
Leaders built upon the 2017 engagement project’s momentum to survey every village in their country, identifying where the church is present or absent. City for the Nations provided leadership, coordination, and funding for surveyor training. We ensured the local church had the results needed to reach their communities and share the findings globally to help support efforts to reach everyone in this country with the gospel.
Thailand DMM Training & Vision Casting
City for the Nations sent teams to Thailand to train many Thai churches and missionaries in evangelism and disciple-making. Those teams gave local Thai Christians the skilles needed to multiply disciples. Simultaneously they hosted vision summits to gather unity around reaching Thailand’s unreached people groups.
Chad Engagement Project Launch
After years of coalition building and fundraising efforts, we deployed ten teams of indigenous Chadian engagers to ten unreached people groups. These teams would be joined by ten more teams the next year, reaching 19 people groups in all. Both teams have deployment commitments through 2026.
Security Concern Nation Saturation – Vision 2027 Launch
City for the Nations now leads an effort to see a healthy church planted in each village in this Security Risk Nation. The team launched leadership teams and church-planting coaches throughout the country. The church-planting coaches both plant churches and train many others to do so as well. Leadership teams oversee this work and provide coordination of efforts among local churches.
Thailand Saturation Southern Launch
A partnership with a join initiative of Thaliand’s largest denominations enabled City for the Nations to begin training, deploying, and funding treams of engagers to select areas throughout Southern Thailand.
Niger Saturation – One Village One Church Launch
Christian leaders in Niger responded to the success of the Niger Engagement Project with the hope of seeing the gospel spread to every villiage in Niger. The Niger team began establishing leadership teams throughout the nation and will begin initial saturation projects in 2025.
Chad Saturation – Coalition Building
City for the Nations joined a group of ministries surveying Chad’s Abeche region. Afterwords, we united denominations and church planting ministries to plan church plants in every village. We secured three mutli-denominational associations and will work to expand this effor across Chad.
Security Risk Nation #2
City for the Nations partnered with Joshua Nations and others to start surveying every village in three local areas to pave the way for engagement in this unreached nation.
