3 Keys to Muslim Ministry — and Their Pitfalls

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Jan 29, 2019

Today’s blog post comes from a missionary working in the Middle East. For his safety, we have kept his name and location private.

In 1987, my wife and I got a call asking if we would like to help new university students coming from the Middle East. We were excited for the opportunity as we were already preparing to work among Muslims in Central Asia.

Before long, we were inviting Muslim students to our home, taking them out to shop, and helping them adjust to life in the U.S.

One day, while at a large grocery store, we passed in front of the meat section. Suddenly, one of the students asked me if I ate pork.

I stumbled in replying, knowing pork was taboo for Muslims. I prayed and then said, “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

I thought, Great answer. But he only looked at me and said, “So you do eat pork.”

I never saw him again. I had a lot to learn.

Now, after over 30 years of ministry to Muslims , I’ve learned a lot — through mistakes but also through successful approaches we learned through the years.

When we first began to work among Muslims, we lacked resources. Today, there are large numbers of books, articles, seminars on how to reach Muslims.

I’ve reduced these many approaches into three specific areas, which I call AMP: apologetics, methodology and presences. Let’s see how these approaches can help us — and observe the possible pitfalls we should avoid.

Apologetics: a Way of Reason and Dialogue

In Acts 17:17 , we see Paul “reasoned” with those in the synagogue. In order to effectively do this, Paul needed a deep understanding of both the Jewish teachings and the Greeks’ beliefs.

Today, we also need to approach Muslims with knowledge of their doctrinal and local beliefs. We may not all be scholars, but our knowledge of Islam is a sign of respect. It shows that we took the time to study and know what they believe.

Knowing Islam also prepares us to respond to the objections Muslims have to Christianity. In 1 Peter 3:15 , Peter writes says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.”

Many times, Muslims will ask why we hold certain beliefs. We should be able to give a gentle answer within the context of what a Muslim already understands.

Possible Pitfalls

A trap when using apologetics can be an over-reliance on using the Qur’an or Islamic teachings. There are many verses in the Qur’an about Jesus — but there are more verses opposing central Christian doctrine.

Over-emphasizing the Qur’an can also lead to our seeming approval of its message. Once, when I had shown a Muslim several verses about Jesus in the Qur’an, the listener told me I should be a Qur’anic teacher. That was not the conclusion I had in mind!

Yet, prayerfully and skillfully we can discuss with our friends the truths God has given us.

Missionaries often use similarities in the Qur’an to point Muslims to Christ. But we must be clear that our holy books are far more different than they are alike.

Methods: a Way to Reach Out

In my 30 years of Muslim ministry, I’ve read countless books and articles and gone to many seminars and conferences on new approaches to witnessing to Muslims. The creators of these new approaches show us their numerical success, proving God’s hand.

These various methods, such as the CAMEL method, disciple making movements, and even the insider approaches have opened wonderful discussions and debates, helping us learn and try new things. Many workers go to the field with more tools, knowledge and confidence than ever before.

One method we’ve seen success with is in seeking the “man of peace.” This approach is found in Luke 10 , when Jesus sends the disciples in pairs to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

After my team and I moved to one city, we began asking God to connect us to men and women of peace who would be the catalyst for a discipleship and house church movement. The Lord soon connected us to a number of these people. Within two years, we saw multiple cell groups spring up around the city.

Possible Pitfalls

The pitfalls in using methods can be over-reliance on a one particular method and an expectation of instant results.

A method may see success in one community, but it’s not always the silver bullet. Many workers have left a field discouraged for not seeing results. In our over-reliance on methods, we can miss the guidance and power of God’s Spirit.

To avoid such pitfalls, we need discernment and wisdom. This comes through prayer, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and consulting with other workers who have been in the field and understand the culture.

When it comes to Muslim ministry — and most other ministries — there is no silver bullet. We must constantly seek the Holy Spirit to see how God wants to move through us.

Presences: a Way of Witnessing

The last of these approaches is incarnational ministry, or what I like to call “presences.” This is workers living their everyday lives in a community of Muslims.

In presence, missionaries face great demands to learn a new language (or languages) and try to understand a different worldview and culture. However, in doing so, we can find acceptance and openness. It helps us fill needs in the community, as well as allowing these communities to help us.

In living among a community, we have seen God speak to Muslims through dreams and open opportunities to pray and see healings.

While we taught at English school, Muslim students saw our lives every day. After building relationships and trust, we found opportunity to share Christ and answer many of their questions about our beliefs. One of our largest house churches came from one of our students who took home a Gospel book and decided, with his family, to follow Christ.

Possible Pitfalls

However, this, too, has some pitfalls we can easily fall into. One of these is the over- contextualization of the Gospel or lives of the worker.

Contextualization is good, but when overused, syncretism forms, blurring the Gospels and dimming the light God’s Truth.

In some areas, especially where I work, a pattern of fear can also overcome the worker. One may fear that if we share the Gospel, people will reject us or we’ll offend the people we’ve grown close to.

While we should contextualize the Gospel and our lives in the local community, we need to allow the emerging community of local believers to guide the direction of contextualization. We’ve found that local believers are much bolder in sharing the Gospel and wiser in balancing life as followers of Christ within their own context.

Our Ultimate Source of Power

I could give many more examples of each of these approaches. However, in witnessing to Muslims, there is one critical lesson we can learn from AMP: Amp is also the abbreviation for amperage, which is the strength of electrical current.

Witnessing to Muslims is like amperage. Electricity is the source and power of amperage, and the Holy Spirit is our source and power. In Him, we have the strength and wisdom to bring the message of God to the Muslim people.

Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024
TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024
Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.
Share by: