About the Network of Ministries to Muslims in Europe (NMME)
Twenty years ago across Europe, Muslims were seen as a threat, Christians were filled with fear, interaction between Christians and Muslims was often confrontational and few Muslims were responding to the gospel. Today, many things have changed and we are witnessing the beginnings of a significant new chapter. More churches are beginning to reach out with Christ’s love, church leaders are building friendship with Imams, amicable meetings to build understanding and share faith have developed and there has been a significant increase in the number of Muslims following Jesus, particularly from among the refugee community.
NMME is a network serving the constituencies of the European Evangelical Alliance and the European Evangelical Missionary Association. NMME’s purpose is to help the Church in Europe relate to Muslims and believers of Muslim background with a compassionate heart, an informed mind, an involved hand and a witnessing tongue.
The number of people of a Muslim background in Europe is increasing and many are contributing to every strata of European society and holding positions of influence in most of the European nations. Many Muslims of sincere faith share similar values and concerns to those of evangelical Christians. Others are seeking personal success or are politically orientated or just financially driven. Moreover, the number of Muslims coming to faith in Jesus Christ is growing considerably, mainly, but not only, among refugees from countries, such as Iran, Afghanistan and Somalia. Many of these new believers find a spiritual home in national churches or international churches, or newly established migrant churches.
With the number of Muslims and the number of MBBs growing, we also see a growing number of Christians, churches and Christian organizations becoming involved in ministry directed towards Muslims and MBBs. Various networks have been established and also alliances between national and migrant churches are being developed, to enhance the work among Muslims and MBBs across Europe.
NMME seeks to connect leaders of local, regional or ethnic networks and those working with Muslims and MBBs.
Every person brings his or her expertise to the table. And together more is possible as it is extremely empowering for people to embark on a journey together. The impact on a European level is so much bigger and Christians and Churches can be better equipped. Ultimately it is enriching for all when expertise and good practice gets shared and the mission of churches and their bodies in Europe are facilitated and strengthened.
We believe that the collective expertise is mutual beneficial and will enable us to accomplish together what one ministry or network is unable to do by itself. Sharing resources and experiences is a major part of what NMME is all about.
A huge number of issues are relevant for our network: diverse approaches to evangelism, discipleship methods, resources of all kinds, academic issues, politics, history, research projects, empowering Christians, training in Islamic studies, persecution, islamophobia, training churches to be Muslim friendly, care, welfare and the training of believers from a Muslim Background (BMBs). Supporting and discipling second and third generation BMBs. Establishing and maintaining a servant leadership culture amongst BMBs who display very obvious leadership gifts and ambitions. This is a challenge for all Christian leaders, but there seem to be particular challenges involved with maintaining a servant attitude in ministries serving people from authoritarian cultures.
We seek to accomplish our goals through:
- Organizing 5 online meetings a year with knowledgeable speakers and relevant topics.
- Piggy-back on the events and conferences of the EEA and EEMA to bring key leaders together face-to-face.
- Producing and compiling resources and making them available for the body of Christ in Europe and partners.
- Maintaining a database of best-practices and helpful resources.
- Promoting ministries to Muslims and MBBs to the Body of Christ in Europe through the platforms of the EEA and the EEMA.
Amsterdam, January 2023
The core group of NMME
Carl and Jan
Timo Keskitalo
Bryan Knell
Kenneth Kuhn
Bert de Ruiter
Facilitator: Mr. Timo Keskitalo
