Turkey
“Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first.” Revelation 2:5 (RSV)
Turkey is the land where the church was born into the Gentile world. The Apostle Paul was a Turk — from Tarsus, in what is now southern Turkey. All seven churches of the book of Revelation stood on Turkish soil: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. Constantinople — modern Istanbul — was the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire for over a thousand years, and the Hagia Sophia stood as the greatest church on earth for nine centuries before the Ottoman conquest of 1453 turned it into a mosque. The 20th century brought the Armenian genocide, which killed over a million Christians and erased the ancient church from Anatolia, followed by Atatürk’s secular republic. In 2020, Erdoğan converted the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, a signal of the cultural direction Turkey is moving.1
People live in Turkey today in a nation with one of the richest Christian histories on earth and one of the smallest Christian populations — fewer than one percent, and most of those are members of ancient ethnic minority communities, not ethnic Turks. Estimates suggest only three to five thousand Turkish Muslims have ever become followers of Jesus, making Turkey one of the least-evangelized large nations on earth. Believers face legal ambiguity, social pressure, and occasional violence. And yet interest in Jesus is growing quietly — fueled by online content, the Bible in Turkish, and a generation of Turks who are less satisfied with the answers their culture offers than their parents were.2
Recent news: The European Parliament recently held a religious freedom event. Victims of religious persecution in Turkey shared their experiences. The said both the government and other parts of society were directly stopping Christians from working and ministering there to a greater and greater degree. One missionary who had worked there with his family for 10 years was banned from Turkey for “activities against the Turkish state security.” They had no recourse to dispute the vague charge. Over 60 Christian missionaries have shared the same fate. Their stories moved the Parliament, especially since their 2022 European Report on Turkey, condemning the oppression of religious and ethnic minorities, continues to be ignored.3
Unreached people groups: Turkey has a population of 87,685,000 and of that, 83,925,000 are unreached. The primary unreached people groups are the Turk, Kurmanji Kurd, Alevi Turk, Syrian Arab, and Southern Zaza, among many others. Click here to learn about each.
Pray with us:
Lord, it seems impossible that in this country, where the Apostle Paul first spread the Gospel of the Kingdom and discipled churches that are mentioned prominently in the Book of Revelation, the Church is almost non-existent. We pray for the small struggling church that remains. Strengthen them, Lord. Do not let them give up. Let them remember what You have done there and take hold of the words spoken to the seven churches. Let them apply those words in prayer and action to love their neighbors, forgive their government, and look for You to rebuild the remnant into a fresh and vibrant move of God. Let the Turk, Kurmanji Kurd, Alevi Turk, Syrian Arab, and Southern Zaza, among many others, be reached with the Good News. Thank you, Jesus, amen.
Turkmenistan
"Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown." Revelation 2:10 (NIV)
Turkmenistan sits at the heart of ancient Central Asia, where the Silk Road once carried silk, spices, and the gospel across the known world. Merv — located in what is now southeastern Turkmenistan — was one of the great cities of the ancient world, at times the largest city on earth, and home to an early Christian bishopric. Arab conquest brought Islam in the 7th century, and successive waves of Mongol and Timurid rulers left the region’s magnificent tilework and domed architecture as their legacy. Russia absorbed the territory in the 19th century, and the Soviet era suppressed all religion for decades. When independence came in 1991, it brought not freedom but one of the most repressive personality cults in the post-Soviet world — first under Niyazov, who styled himself Turkmenbashi, and then under the Berdymukhamedov family, who continue to rule today.4
People live in Turkmenistan today in one of the most closed and controlled societies on earth — a country that ranks among the worst in the world for press freedom, political rights, and religious liberty. The government controls all religious activity; unregistered churches are illegal, and evangelical Christians face raids, fines, detention, and imprisonment. The ethnic Turkmen population is almost entirely Muslim, and the number of Turkmen believers in Jesus can be counted in the hundreds. A small underground church exists, sustained by believers who gather in secret, often with no pastor and limited access to Scripture. They are among the most isolated Christians in the world.5
Recent news: Turkmenistan has been discovered to be a possible leader in teen suicide in Central Asia, according to the most recent government reports available. Rates for suicide and attempted suicide of teens is greater than Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The reasons for this were varied, with no one reason higher than any other. Also, there was no correlation with family background or income, with the exception that homes where fathers were not present had greater rates of depression and increased attempts. This fits global statistics. It was noted that the country had no educational programs aimed at preventing depression and suicide.6
Unreached people groups: Turkmenistan has a population of 7,619,000 and of that, 7,050,000 are unreached. The primary unreached people groups are the Turkmen, Northern Uzbek, Aimaq, Tatar, and Turk, among many others. Click here to learn about each.
Pray with us:
God, Turkmenistan is yet another country where a once flourishing Church has been almost completely disbanded under Islamic rule. Send the gospel across sealed borders through radio, the internet, returning migrants, and the Spirit’s movement in dreams and visions. These are things the government cannot control. And, Lord, give the young of Turkmenistan hope for their future. Regardless of religious background, we ask that they would live and not die and (someday) proclaim the works of the Lord as You say in Psalm 118:17. In Jesus’ Name, we proclaim Turkmenistan’s church will spring to life and multiply! Amen.
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Matthew 6:19–20 (NIV)
The United Arab Emirates is one of the youngest nations on earth, yet it stands on ancient ground. The coastal communities of the Trucial States were long-established trading peoples when Britain made them a protectorate in the 19th century. Oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi in 1958, and the federation of seven emirates was born in 1971 under the visionary leadership of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In barely two generations, the UAE transformed from a collection of fishing villages and desert towns into a global crossroads — home to the world’s tallest building, one of its busiest airports, and a financial center rivaling London and New York.7
People live in the UAE today in one of the most cosmopolitan societies in the Muslim world — and one of the most unusual. Roughly ninety percent of UAE residents are foreign workers: South Asians, Filipinos, Egyptians, Westerners, and others drawn by opportunity to a country of extraordinary wealth. The Emirati citizen population — the actual inheritors of this land and its resources — numbers fewer than a million. Churches exist openly for the expat community, and the UAE is relatively tolerant by Gulf standards, but conversion from Islam remains illegal and Emiratis themselves are almost entirely beyond the reach of open gospel witness. Every year, millions of people from every nation pass through Dubai International Airport, many of them from unreached peoples. This land is a crossroads — and God is not unaware of it.8
Recent news: The United Arab Emirates was once suspiciously considered a birthplace of terrorism in the Middle East. After 9/11, it was discovered that two of the hijackers had come from the UAE. Since then, the nation has worked hard to correct this international view of their nation. They have succeeded. Now, during regional conflict with Iran, the UAE is seen as “one of America’s most capable allies in the Middle East.”9
Unreached people groups: The UAE has a population of 11,346,000 and of that, 8,346,000 are unreached. The primary unreached people groups are General South Asian, Emirati Arab, Egyptian General Arab, Telugu-speaking South Asian, Southern Baloch, and Northern Pashtun, among others. Click here to learn about each.
Pray with us:
Father, Your Word tells us that earthly treasures cannot save us. They cannot satisfy us or meet the deepest needs of our lives. In fact, You warn us that it is hard for a wealthy person to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Many in the UAE have wealth beyond our imagination, but they are caught in a religious system that denies them access to the Gospel message. They are gaining the whole world but forfeiting their soul to Islam. We pray for the international Christian community residing there to be a bold and ready to share their faith as they work and live among the Emiratis. Let their lives be lived in such a way that they become a curiosity to their Muslim neighbors. Let the Emiratis reach out and ask about Jesus. May the millions of Asiatic workers there do the same. Let homes become places of communion and discipleship, and let many come to Jesus in the UAE, in Jesus’ loving name. Amen.
Sources
- https://lightthenations.org/turkey
- https://lightthenations.org/turkey ibid.
- Victims of religious oppression in Turkey reveal why Christian po | ChristianToday Australia
- https://lightthenations.org/turkmenistan
- https://lightthenations.org/turkmenistan ibid.
- Turkmenistan — A Hidden Leader in Teen Suicides in Central Asia | Zemin täzelikler
- https://lightthenations.org/united-arab-emirates
- https://lightthenations.org/united-arab-emirates ibid.
- How the UAE won over Washington
- Country information and unreached people group information from Joshua Project.
