How do you minister to students in an environment where sharing the gospel is not allowed by the government where you live?
Anonymously and carefully. That’s what an American missionary has done for the past 15 years in a Central Asian country. We’ll call the Christian worker, a former businessman, “John.” To be extra safe, we won’t identify the country either.
The laws of Central Asian nations guarantee religious freedom. But in practice, government officials in these countries—which were republics in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the Soviet Union)—make sharing the gospel extremely difficult.
Legal Prohibitions
When Mikhail Gorbachev, the USSR’s last president, instituted social and economic reforms in 1985, every satellite country in Central Asia was thrown into flux. This transition allowed a new breed of missionary to move to these formerly closed countries.
The openness didn’t last, however. Around 2003 several countries began to eliminate the official status of organizations and teams working in these countries. They have stopped issuing visas for new workers to come into the country, or they have canceled visas for workers currently living there.
Nevertheless, people are still quietly working to bring the message of salvation to this region that is primarily atheist or spiritist. This is despite new legal restrictions. For instance, in one country, a proposed law would prohibit parents, teachers, or relatives from sharing any information about God to a child below the age of 7. (Please pray that this proposed law does not pass.)
English Classes and Law Lectures
Because most people in the region seek higher education, universities are fertile ground for meeting young people. By law, one cannot speak openly about spiritual matters on the university campus, but John has found creative ways of getting around such roadblocks.
“I teach English, share from my business experiences, and teach computer skills, which are always needed,” said John. “Another arena I assist in is to prepare students who are anticipating a study-abroad experience. There are always practical needs that can be met. Then, there are humanitarian aid projects.”
Relationships are key. “When you’re working with university students, the first few weeks of the school year are critical for meeting the freshman as they come to campus,” said John. “During the first few weeks of orientation, there’s not a lot of sleep, but there is a lot of time invested in meeting the students who’ve just arrived on campus. A lot of time is spent following up with contacts and starting relationships.”
A typical day for John in Central Asia might involve an early bus ride to the university to spend the day meeting students. The afternoon involves teaching an English class and hanging out before taking the bus or a taxi home with students who attended the class.
“Meeting this practical need and being bold give me a great platform for sharing the Word of God,” said John. “At the university I’ve also given lectures such as one I recently did entitled ‘What Is Truth?’ I want to influence students to really question what they believe and learn how to discern truth in their lives.”
Since John has an extensive business background from his work in the United States, he also has lectured at a local law school on the differences between the Central Asian legal system and the legal system in place in the United States.
Ministry is more one-on-one relationships than anything, according to John. “One fellow, formerly a Muslim, came by my home for months. We would talk for hours, drinking tea and discussing Christianity’s truth claims versus the claims of Islam. After about six months he repented and called on Jesus to give him a new life. He has since gone on to Bible school and become the itinerant pastor to four churches, two of which he planted.”
Christ Among the Nations
Religion in Central Asia is a mixed bag. Practices are influenced by ancestor worship; the remnants of Communism; the Russian Orthodox Church; and Islam, both communities of cultural Muslims and some radical adherents.
Despite the opposition, John reports, Christ has saved many people since the Soviet Union disbanded in 1991. The larger churches have been multicultural, he said, reflecting what John wrote about in Revelation 5:9-10 and Revelation 7:9-10, “with people from every ethnic group worshipping Jesus together. There is some latent racism in the churches, which is a sin that church leaders constantly have to deal with. However, seeing Christians of many ethnic backgrounds loving each other and worshipping the Lord together is one of the greatest joys in my life.”
In the midst of a closed society, John says that Christians too often get all tangled up in the right way to do ministry. “There are a lot of “techniques” out there and a pressure to be culturally relevant with a fear of offending people thrown in,” he said. He said his many years of ministry experience can be boiled down to two simple verses—Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
“After 15 years working in Central Asia,” said John, “I’ve had to trust that the Word of God can change lives.”
Cheryl Miller lives on a lake in Georgia with her seven sons and husband, Steve Miller, a youth ministry resource writer. More information on student ministry in other countries can be found at www.youth-ministry.info.
