Church Planting: Online August 23rd, 2005
There are over 8 billion websites online today - a seemingly impenetrable jungle of information. You can buy books, pay your bills, and even order your groceries–all from your home computer. But what does the jungle of the Internet have to do with planting churches?
In the early ministry to North Africa, Avant missionaries stood in markets to be where people gathered. They’d preach, give bibles to the people, and make contacts. Today, a new generation of Avant missionaries at Màlaga Media Center (MMC) are doing the same thing on the Internet-where more and more Arab speakers are gathering.
In 1998 our first Arabic outreach online simply advertised the radio ministry and posted a schedule of programs. The Arabic website has expanded into a ministry of its own and is a major part of the Avant outreach to North Africa. Today, North Africans not only find the schedule of radio programs, but they can hear and download them along with many other resources.
What’s in a Name?
“The word [for the website address] means friends,” says M. Haddad, Arabic Media Director of MMC. “Jesus told His disciples ‘I no longer call you servants… instead I have called you friends.’ This is the verse that appears on our banner for the Web site. Our goal is to introduce our visitors to our ‘friend’ Jesus.”
This introduction begins by sharing the teachings of Christ. To Muslims, Jesus is thought to be a prophet, so sharing his teachings is a significant way to engage people. The website makes these life-giving teachings available in closed and restricted countries.
“It is still impossible for us to mail Bibles to most of countries in North Africa and the Middle East,” Haddad adds, “yet people in these countries are able to download the whole Bible in Arabic in less then five minutes.”
From Information to Relationship
In addition to bibles, North Africans can find links, videos, songs, booklets, articles and courses all in Arabic. But the website is meant to do much more than just provide these vital resources. Bob Ehmann, director of MMC says, “The internet has to be not just a source of info, but a source of building relationships.” The site has about 2,000 unique visitors every month. Arabic staff receives one to four emails a day from people who want to know more. A typical response from a man in Morocco is: “Hello, I’m a new listener to your programs. I would like to know more about Christianity. Please send me the Gospel.”
This is the first step connecting them to the message that brings salvation. Around thirty people every month sign up to go through the Bible Correspondence Courses of MMC. These courses offer not only biblical teaching, but personal guidance and Christian advice from the Arabic Staff. They see those seeking Christ turn into believers and followers.
“I thank God for the internet,” one man said while giving his testimony before he was baptized. “My first contact with the Gospel was through [the Arabic ministry website]”
Looking Forward
The future is bright for the Arabic ministry in the Internet jungle. Arabs speakers, who are accessing the web in growing numbers, are finding news and information uncensored by the government - a rarity in their world. This includes MMC’s Arabic website, as we share the Gospel to those who wouldn’t have heard it otherwise. We anticipate the Internet will become the number one generator of contacts. Our ministry focuses on North Africa, but due to the nature of the Internet, it reaches a broader audience.
“We get contacts from all over the world. Russia, Australia, South America, the holy city of Islam (Almadina al-monawarah) in Saudi and almost all the other Arab Muslim countries in North Africa and the Middle East.” Haddad concludes, “The possibilities are endless. The technology is available, we only need the personnel.”
Article originally appeared in Avant Magazine, Volume 113, No. 2