SENT Conference aims at reaching people groups

Euless—For some Christians, reaching Muslim believers with the gospel is a ministry only for those specifically called to the mission field in the Middle East or other predominately Muslim countries.

But this religion, which is the fastest growing in the world and already has over 2 billion followers, is rapidly gaining followers in the United States as well.

In a similar way, some may believe that Hindu and Buddhist believers can only be found in Asian countries, but between refugees and Americans converting to these religions their numbers continue to grow in the U.S.

At the 2013 SENT Conference at First Baptist Church, Euless on April 26, missionaries gave church leaders and members tips on how to share the gospel with members of these religions.

One missionary, who cannot be named for security reasons, said that Hindu people are just like any other people, just without the blessing of knowing Jesus Christ.

Another missionary, known as A.D., said he does not like referring to people of these religions as lost but as future believers.

Brent Sorrels—who is involved in a ministry that reaches out to the Buddhists around Port Arthur, many of whom are Vietnamese—said Christians need to keep in mind that Buddhists are not any more lost than anyone else who has not accepted the gospel.

Sorrels, A.D. and SENT’s Muslim session leader, B.C., each said one of the main things to remember when trying to share the gospel with anyone from these religions is to befriend them and also be willing to ask questions and listen to their answers.

“If you go as a learner, that opens a door,” A.D. said.

With about 2 million Muslims, Texas is home to more than any other state.

Muslims especially center their lives on their religion and B.C. said they are almost always willing to talk about what they believe. In fact, B.C. said it is usually easier to speak with Muslims about their religion than with the average American.

But B.C. said that many Muslims he has met in Texas do not have any Christian friends because they are afraid of them. He said often the reverse is true as well—that Christians fear Muslims or even dislike them.

B.C. said if Christians hope to make friends with Muslims in order to reach them, they may have to give up some things—from what they eat to what they wear. No compromises should be made, but Christians should try to make Muslims feel at ease, B.C. said.

“We have to meet our Muslim friends where they are at,” B.C. said.

Each leader of the Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim workshops at the conference said that Christians learn about the other religions so they have knowledge of how to interact with them.