Praying for Turkey
- Give praise for the slow but steady growth of Turkish evangelical Christianity. Turkish and Kurdish believers probably numbered around 10 in 1960 but rose to around 4,000 by 2010. Many hoped for or expected greater growth of the Church. But while small in number, it grew stronger and more mature. The growth of the 1990s and early 2000s slowed down when faced with spiritual, legal, and cultural opposition. Pray for the evangelism and church planting of the past generation to carry on! Meanwhile there is a remarkable turning to Christ of migrants from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere who are refugees in Türkiye. While ministry to Turks and Kurds is watched closely, there seems to be greater freedom to minister to these refugees. Many are praying that the shaking of the nation from the 2023 earthquakes would trigger a mass movement of people to find and follow Jesus.
- Türkiye is a nation torn in different directions. It crosses 2 continents: 3% is Europe (Thrace), and 97% is Asia (Anatolia). It has economic links with Europe, cultural links with Central Asia, and sits near conflict areas such as Iraq/Syria, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. Türkiye is a secular state, yet to be Turk is to be Muslim! The constitution, courts, and military are meant to uphold religious freedom, but even some secular Turks can be as anti-Christian (and anti-Western, anti-minority) as Islamists are. Türkiye’s strategic location has made it important throughout history. It could serve as a powerful and stable mediator in a region of great conflict. But more and more, it looks like it is moving toward being a dictatorship rather than a democracy. Thousands of people associated with the political opposition parties have been arrested or lost their jobs. Even some loyalists were "not loyal enough" and lost theirs, too! Pray for God's will to be done in this influential nation and for Türkiye to be used for His glory.
- Pray for the Turkish diaspora:
- The millions of Turks and Kurds in Western Europe. The diaspora of Turks - all approximate numbers - in Germany (2.8m), France (400,000), Netherlands (350,000), UK (300,000), Austria (200,000), Belgium (150,000), Switzerland (80,000) and Sweden (40,000) are far more accessible to Christian workers but are also often more closed to the gospel. There is also a work among the 150,000 Turks in Australia. A number of churches and international agencies seek to evangelize them, but local hostility to migrant workers impedes this outreach. Organizations working outside of Türkiye are OM, WEC, Frontiers, Turkish World Outreach and Orient-idents. There are possibly hundreds of born-again Turks as a result of these ministries, but more Turks still come to Jesus inside Türkiye than outside. Pray for the multiplication of Turkish and Kurdish Christian groups in these areas and for them to make an impact on their homelands.
- Turks in the Balkans. Opportunities for ministry exist among Turkish minorities in Bulgaria (>750,000), Greece (140,000), North Macedonia (80,000), Serbia (50,000), and Romania (45,000). Little, if any, specific outreach is directed toward many of these minorities. Given the historical enmity between Turks and most Balkan peoples, ministry to Turkish Muslims in Orthodox-majority European countries may fall to expatriate workers, but a loving witness by born-again Balkan peoples would be a powerful testimony.