Teaching God’s Word in a Muslim Country
“ Whatever made you come to live in this country?” Pakistanis often ask me. “We all want to emigrate to the West!” Yet the 14 years spent so far in Pakistan have, I think, given me more job satisfaction, more stimulation, more learning opportunities, deeper friendships - yes, and at times more frustration, and more frequent illness - than I would ever have experienced back in Britain. Pakistan offers a wonderful breadth of cultures and depth of history, with breathtaking scenery in parts and the friendliest people I could ever hope to meet. They have been so welcoming to us as a family and so patient with our Western cultural hang-ups. My wife, Rachel, and I consider it a privilege to work here. Most of the time, that is!
My main job is with an indigenous Christian organisation called the Open Theological Seminary. It provides Bible teaching and lay ministry training to more than two thousand Christians throughout Pakistan. ‘Two thousand’ may sound a lot, but it just scratches the surface of the need in a community of three million people who call themselves Christian but who, in many cases, know little of what that means. They were born into a community whose ancestors converted from outcaste Hinduism, so they don’t necessarily know Jesus personally, and many of them still belong to the poorest strata of society.
Nevertheless, they are Christ’s people, called to bear witness to him in a nation which has more Muslims than any other on earth except Indonesia. 140 million Pakistani Muslims need to hear the good news of Jesus and their best hope of doing so lies in the witness of Pakistani Christians. Generally speaking, the most strategic contribution which missionaries can make is to help equip and motivate Pakistani believers for outreach.
It therefore excites me to hear different students of the Open Theological Seminary (OTS) testify that:
Men and women of all denominations and ages study these courses. Rather like the Moore Theological College extension courses, lay people pursue the curriculum in their spare time through a combination of self-study materials and regular group tutorials. The system depends heavily on a network of volunteer tutors, almost all of them Pakistani, who give their time to help students in their locality. In this way OTS is able to provide classes in most parts of Pakistan.
My own role is presently as director of OTS, but my heart lies in training others. It thrills me to see OTS staff members develop into leadership and soon I will step aside to allow one of those leaders to take over as director. After that I plan to stay on in Pakistan (for as long as my children’s education allows), but with more time for involvement in teaching the Bible, writing courses and encouraging those who come to Christ from a Muslim background. And I’m still on a steep learning curve myself!
If you’re attracted by the learning curve and the privilege of seeing God’s Word impact a different culture, then consider the option of Bible teaching overseas. The greatest need is for committed long-term workers. But opportunities abound too for short-term service to ‘try it out’.
Tim Green (email: timrachel@bigfoot.com)