Closing the 'back doors'?

Word of Life, in conjunction with friends and partners, have initiated some research into the following question – ‘Why do some followers of Jesus from Muslim backgrounds join, remain, and become leaders within churches/fellowships, but others don’t stay?’

entrance-door-old-abandoned-house-with-lock frimufilms2

We have heard some people say that, a few years after starting to follow Christ, 70% of believers of Muslim background (BMBs) are not found in local churches/fellowships. What helps or hinders people from truly integrating into a local expression of the body of Christ? What have the experiences of church leaders and members been of  welcoming and journeying with BMBs in their church? What could be changed that would help BMB faith journeys, and see churches being enriched by these new members? How could the expanded community be encouraged to more fully become God’s family together?

We are seeking responses to two online questionnaires as part of this research. One is aimed at BMBs (and ex-BMBs). The other seeks to hear from church/fellowship/ministry leaders who have been involved in welcoming BMBs into their communities. Both questionnaires have been provided in English, Arabic and Farsi (by clicking the globe icon at the top of the form).

We would be really grateful if you, as a church or ministry leader, would share your thoughts and experiences with us in this way. Please do feel free to share it with other leaders also.

Access the leaders’ questionnaire here:

leaders' questionnaire(opens in new tab)

If you know believers of Muslim backgrounds (or even those who may no longer consider themselves a follower of Jesus), please would you share the link to the BMB questionnaire with them. We are keen to get as many responses from as wide a group as possible in order to maximise the research data received. We want to hear from:

  • Believers of Muslim background (BMBs) who attend a local church/fellowship
  • BMBs who don’t currently attend a local church/fellowship
  • BMBs who have never attended a church/fellowship
  • Individuals from Muslim background who used to attend a church/fellowship but haven’t been seen there for some time
  • Individuals who you considered or may have considered themselves a believer at one time, but not any more

Here is the link to the BMB questionnaire:

BMB questionnaire(opens in new tab)

Responses to the questionnaires will be anonymous and no contact details will be visible to the researchers (unless an individual includes their details within their answers). We hope this will allay certain fears, and encourage people to provide full and honest responses for the benefit of God’s kingdom generally and ministry amongst believers from Muslim background and local churches specifically.

Output from the research will be shared through Word of Life (Joining the Family network, Hikma forums, or training offerings).

 

Thank you, and may God bless you richly

The Joining the Family Team