Communio Messianica’s work in Central Asia, the Caucasus and Russia
The MBB community in Central Asia and Muslim-majority republics in the Caucasus and Russia (CACR) developed after the restructuring of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. The fledging church both open and secret has emerged facing issues of belonging, growth, and legitimisation.
Communio Messianica aims to serve these MBBs by addressing their need for identity, belonging,
and legitimisation, through constituting a community in their newfound faith in Jesus
Christ.
Communio Messianica’s involvement in Central Asia, the Caucasus and Russia (CA) was ushered in during the “First Communio Messianica Central Asian Consultation” held in Georgia, in 2019. MBB pastors and church leaders from 11 countries participated in this initial effort. The goal of this consultation was for Communio Messianica to learn about the MBBs in the region and their issues; and for Communio Messianica to explain how this vital region can become a major contributor to the MBB movement. Before that, the relationship with MBBs in CA was developed and nurtured for several years by two individuals who now work for Communio Messianica.
In the spring of 2024, Communio Messianica plans to host the second CA consultation to consolidate the relationship with the MBBs of that region.
In the meantime, and because of COVID-19 restrictions, the relationship was sustained in two-hour monthly virtual meetings that started in August 2020.
The goals of the meetings were expressed as follows:
- Understanding the nature of Islam and its challenges to the message, mission, and person of Christ and humanity overall.
- Understanding the structure of Islam and its working mechanisms for sustaining and implementing its goals based on countering the biblical narrative.
- Understanding the practical issues and their spiritual implications associated with Central Asian communities.
- Understanding the pros and cons of various missiological approaches to reach Muslims.
- Developing a working relationship between the CA MBB communities and Communio Messianica to build up the Body of Christ.
- Preparing for the second CA consultation in Tbilisi, organised by Communio Messianica.
As an illustration, the topics covered in the year 2023 included:
- Issues associated with reaching Muslims, given the strong Islamic counter effort as illustrated by the Da’wa (invitation to Islam).
- Practical issues associated with family concerns: Marriage, burial, music, leadership models.
- Series of sessions on the structure and spirit of Islam as it affects the MBB communities.
As noted above, Communio Messianica is going to host the next consultation in Georgia in April 2024, and we want to invite your financial support in making this consultation a reality. We want to deepen the connections between MBBs from different countries that will be participating so that we can support each other beyond borders.
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Please note: The use of ‘Muslim Background Believer’ (MBB) in this report refers to a former Muslim who now follows Christ.
Bank details:
Communio Messianica e.V.
Evangelische Bank eG
IBAN DE32 520 604 100 005 039 355
BIC GENO DEF1 EK1