The future of outreach to Muslims

There are myriad reasons to pray for missionaries in Muslim contexts. The work is hard, the fruit is often little, and the sacrifices are many. No doubt the rewards for such work and the eternal significance of those who come to Jesus are worth every bit of struggle. But an ongoing debate is a particular point of prayer.

Because Muslim communities are so hard to join as an outsider and so hard to become a Christian within, various strategies have been taken by missionaries throughout the years. A helpful scale for contextualization strategies has been formed by missiologists, starting with C1 and ranging to C6. A C1 church or approach to evangelism is akin to creating a Western church (with little or no cultural context) inside a Muslim community. A C6 church or approach is when faith in Jesus Christ is completely secret, there are few secret church meetings, and the “believer” is totally Muslim to an outsider. A C1 church is impossible in closed countries, and so missionaries have moved down the spectrum through the years. Some even use C5 or C6 strategies in the most difficult environments.

This has sparked much debate among missions groups in the West. C5 or C6 groups are accused of betraying the Gospel and diluting the truth among Muslims. While those who encourage a more traditional approach to missions among Muslims (pushing for a C1 or C2 tact) are accused of withholding the truth from people who live in these closed communities because of their refusal to contextualize the Gospel. The debate is often vitriolic, and prayer is essential to keep the focus on saving the lost and not on winning arguments.

One thing is sure: the Gospel is advancing. Turmoil in the Middle East recently and the youth movement in those Islamic countries could mean hope for an openness towards religious freedom in the future. In every politic movement, a careful eye should be lent to the ramifications that the fallout will have for Chrisitianity. This shrinking planet will never see Islam fade away; it will be a part of each one of our futures. But the Bible has promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against the growth of the Church. I hope the stories of this past week gave you a small glimpse of that victory that’s spreading around us.