By Tim Allan, SIM International

The Middle East and North Africa are home to more than 650 million people, the vast majority of whom have never heard the truth of Jesus.

Because we know God loves those people, we are committed to sharing his Good News among them, so that they might find the joy and hope that comes from relationship with Jesus.

That Good News can only be shared by people who love Jesus and are prepared to live in the region and serve the people. God is at work in the region in unprecedented ways – and we're excited about the growing opportunities to participate in His work!

The region has huge variety – there are very wealthy countries, while others are very poor; some very stable countries, others more volatile; most of the countries have very hot climates, but there are high, cold mountain areas; some are home to very settled populations, others have many refugees; there are city and town dwellers, rural farmers and nomads. In short, all human life is there, often in rich and vibrant colour.

We’d love to receive Gospel workers with a heart for the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa, committed to learning language and culture and to serving with the local church, and with flexibility and resilience to live and serve in sensitive contexts.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for those who can use their gifts, skills and talents to serve the community and be a witness to Christ. This includes:

• Teachers: Primary and secondary teaching, informal community education, English language teaching, special needs provision, vocational training, university roles, theological education.
• Healthcare workers: Positions in hospitals, clinics and community healthcare programs, as physicians, physiotherapists, dentists, nurses, technicians, trainers and more.
• Development specialists. Opportunities to join with local partners to serve disadvantaged and marginalised communities, including migrants, refugees and the displaced. This can include humanitarian relief, trauma support, vocational training, community education, micro-enterprise.
• Businesspeople. There can be business and economic development roles, using professional skills. Working alongside local partners, we model integrity and business best practice, provide coaching and mentoring, and grow in our own professional skills.

Specific ministry placements are typically made after a period of learning language, building relationships and developing connections with local churches and ministries.

What sort of people are we looking for?

Your character and willingness to serve is more important than your experience or your qualifications!

The people who thrive in the region are deeply burdened for unreached peoples; flexible in where and how they serve; humble; willing to learn; and able to tolerate ambiguity.

Our workers serve in inter-dependence, collaborating in teams with local believers and other partners. It takes time to build trust in this region so being open to serving long-term is a key consideration. Locations and roles can shift, so being comfortable with change is also important.

What about security?

The media is full of stories of physical conflict in parts of the Middle East and North Africa. And there is undoubtedly spiritual hostility to the Gospel.

Despite these realities, much of the region lives in day-to-day peace, where people go about their daily lives much as they do in other parts of the world. For most, the daily challenge of earning a living and running a home is their reality.

Our teams in the region take security seriously. Proselytising is illegal in many of the countries we work so we have to be very judicious in how and with whom we share the Gospel. Wherever possible, we connect with local believers who help us navigate these issues.

We are called to take risks for the Gospel. We always seek to trust God and act wisely. We have very good support networks in place to help our workers deal with the challenges they face.

Yes, the security challenges are real, but so are the opportunities to share the love of Jesus.

By Prayer

That is SIM’s motto and it is something we very much live by. We pray constantly for the people in this region to know Jesus, and for people who know Jesus to come and help that happen.

If you are praying for the peoples of this region and if you hear God calling you here, do get in touch. Let’s explore together how God wants to use you in his mission to reconcile all people to himself.

Go:

Find out more about opportunities to serve in the Middle East and North Africa

Please pray

• For God to raise up more workers to serve in the Middle East and North Africa
• For wisdom as our larger entities seek to connect with our teams in the region and understand more about their needs
• For those already serving in the region, that they would be salt and light in their communities