Our work includes evangelism among resistant people groups through “outside the box” methods such as self-sufficiency projects, community development, etc. We are focused particularly on the poorest Muslim communities. Our vision is to win more Muslims to Christ and establish churches among unreached people groups.
Our strategy includes six essential components of reaching Muslims who would never come to church or approach Christians:
- Meet them at their point of need. This could be a medical need (compassion ministries), an educational need (literacy centers and Christian schools), or a need that stems from their general poverty (self-sufficiency projects, clean water projects, and other community development projects).
- Create an environment for sustained social transaction with Muslims so that we gain credibility and they can hear the Gospel first through our example (our life message) and then through our words. Our projects are designed to allow daily consistent sharing with Muslims.
- Address the spiritual needs of Muslims through prayer and power encounters.
- Disciple the converts (often secretly) and prepare them to stand when hardship and persecution come. This is a prerequisite for ultimately establishing a congregation that will not just survive but thrive.
- Live with the willingness to die doing these things.
- Train converts and other Christian workers in Mali to do all of the above.
In the past three years, our ministry has been strongest and most effective among poor rural Muslims. We are heavily involved in a self-sufficiency agro-pastoral project that has opened many doors among the unreached Malinkes of Mali (practically 90% Muslim).