Mediterranean & Middle East

“One of our national partners has famously said that what Muslims need to see in order to come to faith is a practical Jesus. We are all about living the new life we have been given in Christ alongside Muslim nationals in authentic, caring relationships.”— ABWE Missionary

The Spiritual Need in the Middle East

The Middle East, which often refers to a region of transcontinental countries including Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, and others, bears some of the world’s greatest physical and spiritual needs. Along with Central and Southeast Asia, it is home to some of the most unreached people groups. While it is the birthplace of the world’s three monotheistic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—Christianity makes up the smallest group, representing less than two percent of the population in parts of this region. And the region’s spiritual landscape is far more varied than headlines suggest: in some countries, nearly 100% of the population claims Islam; elsewhere, Jewish communities—some devoutly religious, many thoroughly secular—along with Druze, Baháʼí, Alawites, and ancient Christian minorities shape the rhythms of daily life. What these peoples share is this: most have never had the opportunity to understand or experience the love of Jesus lived out by a believer. Amid political tension, religious conflict, and societal turmoil, generations of families across the region have known hardship and uncertainty as a daily reality. The peoples of the Middle East desperately need Christians to live life among them and demonstrate the great faithfulness of our God.

Islam teaches explicitly that God has no Son (Qur’an 112:3), causing many Muslims to reject the gospel message by default without first seeking to understand it. Many assume Christians to be polytheists. At the same time, for the last several years, anecdotal reports have poured in from throughout the Islamic world of Muslims seeing unusual dreams that lead them into contact with Christians, churches, and with the Bible. Often this results in conversion. We believe that through faithful proclamation of the gospel, the church of Jesus Christ will be built among all the nations—including the Islamic world.

The region’s Jewish communities, meanwhile, speak the very language of the Scriptures and mark their calendars by the feasts of Leviticus—yet most have never had a single meaningful friendship with a follower of Jesus, and centuries of tragic history between the church and the Jewish people have left deep and understandable walls. Smaller communities—Druze, Baháʼí, Alawite, and others—live in tight-knit societies few outsiders ever truly enter. Each of these peoples has its own story, and each needs neighbors who will love them well. We believe that through faithful proclamation of the gospel, the church of Jesus Christ will be built among all the nations—including every people of this region.

“Studying Biblical languages and cultures in the land of the Bible as a student, witnessing and observing the Biblical feasts, and being present during enduring conflicts has helped me see and understand life from the perspective of my Jewish friends and neighbors. This has allowed unique conversations regarding questions of faith including the understanding of the Messiah from a biblical perspective.”— Former ABWE student and worker in the Middle East

Ministry Across the Mediterranean & Middle East

In this creative-access region, we seek to practically demonstrate the love of Christ to our neighbors—Muslim, Jewish, Druze, and beyond—by meeting spiritual and physical needs through medical care, community development, refugee relief, sports outreach, education, teaching English, and small business development. We see God moving as we build personal relationships, offer genuine hospitality, and provide services that demonstrate and introduce Jesus to communities across the region. Healthcare and education are major needs in the developing parts of the region, where clinical and palliative care programs are opening doors for redemptive relationships. In other countries, long-term residency is available primarily to full-time students—so workers live as learners, studying language, history, and culture at local institutions, joining local congregations, and letting their lives speak among classmates and neighbors.

We need workers to join us in refugee ministry in the Middle East, as the population of refugees from places like Syria is ever-growing. We work with local churches to meet basic needs like food, mattresses, and blankets, while also offering literature that addresses the deep needs of their hearts. Through informal schools, we are helping to provide basic education for refugee children. We partner with nationals on community development projects and business development initiatives to help alleviate poverty and provide hope and dignity in the Arab World. Medical care, counseling, providing desperately-needed building renovations, and engaging with public schools are all ways to improve impoverished communities and share the eternal hope found in Jesus Christ. Is God calling you to live among the peoples of the Mediterranean and Middle East and make an impact for Jesus?