People Group
Muslims living in Central Asia
Major Religions
Islam
Videos
Watch short films about our ministry in India.
Get Started
Connect with SEND through this short form.
Do you enjoy telling a good story? In Central Asia, sharing stories from the Bible creates opportunities to introduce Christ to Muslims. Global Gospel workers in Central Asia meet felt needs in order to build deep relationships through which to share the gospel. We encourage new disciples of Jesus to form fellowship groups and share their faith with neighbors, other people groups, and neighboring countries.
Many Central Asian communities prove hard to enter through conventional missionary service, so this part of the world offers great opportunities for bi-vocational workers whose gospel witness can spring from a visible commitment to loving the local community. Key sectors SEND Eurasia is already working in or hopes to enter, which hold potential for outreach include education, health, community development and administration.
While a significant Slavic, Russian-orthodox population resides in Central Asia, many unreached Muslim people groups are more historically rooted here, and call Central Asia home to this day. The last several decades have seen religious and civic leaders, including influential Muslim leaders from outside of Central Asia, attempting to foster growth in the Islamic faith, which is practiced only nominally by most. Yet, even though many Central Asians follow a more shallow-rooted tradition of faith, they still need to see for themselves the personal integrity of those coming with the Good News. Gospel workers here take their time with Central Asia friends to build trust in sincere, committed friendships, which are of great value to people of this region.
Central Asia stretches from the Caspian Sea to China, and features cultural elements from the East, Middle East as well as from more Western cultures. Local relational ties bind communities together, and changes in faith create relational ripples that are deeply felt in the myriad proud cultures who call any of the five Central Asian republics home. Here, people hold honor, hospitality, courage, loyalty in high esteem. These values afford the global gospel worker with much rich opportunity and challenge in building a place for themselves in this world.
Historically, the Silk Road cut through these many miles of land, acting as a crossroads for the movement of people, goods, and ideas between Europe and Asia. And a centuries-long love of the horse and oral narrative poetry underscore the nomadic roots of this region. Today life in these high-altitude desert steppes, valleys and mountains can also capitalize on space launches, Alpine tourism, Uranium reserves, big oil, and cotton fields. Yet economic instability persists for most average citizens. And while the Russian language operates as the current trade language for many of the “Stan” countries, most Central Asian Republics promote the use of their own languages.
SEND Central Asia desires to build teams that thrive in their communities in order to demonstrate the glory of Christ’s love to the many peoples of the steppe, and have a lasting impact for Christ.
The Central Asian context calls for creative self-starters. As you explore ministry in Central Asia, consider:
SEND’s mission coaches help people discover their place in God’s plan to reach the nations. Click here to connect with a coach!