Tim and Rachel Green have been married for forty years. For nearly all that time they have served in Muslim contexts in Pakistan, Jordan, the UK and Malaysia. Over that period, the Muslim background church has grown rapidly worldwide. What a thrill! With growth comes challenges. How will ex-Muslims grow as strong disciples of Christ? How will they flourish in hostile environments? How will they get relevant training for ministry in their contexts? How will they form strong Christian marriages and nurture the next generation? How can local churches worldwide be helped to welcome these precious believers and learn from them?

These challenges are being tackled through Word of Life, which serves with believers of Muslim background (BMBs) around the world. Tim remains the director while mentoring the upcoming leaders. Word of Life’s core team comprises 24 part-time staff in 13 countries and around half of these are former Muslims. They in turn work in partnership with churches and Christian organisations on the front line in many countries.

Word of Life is creating a multi-language pathway of courses specifically relevant to BMBs. Each course is developed through a rigorous process by a writing team from different countries. St Mary’s is supporting this big project, along with the online version for those who prefer to study on their smartphones.

‘Joining the Family’ is another strand of the work, helping churches to be family for Muslim background believers who may have been rejected by their own families. ‘Hikma’ (meaning wisdom in Arabic) is another strand, amplifying the voice of BMBs through publications so that the world can benefit from their wisdom.

Tim and Rachel recently returned to the UK to support their elderly mothers (both in their 90s) whilst Tim continues as director of Word of Life from a base in multi-cultural Oxford. Rachel is involved in mission mentoring and other cross-cultural ministries, and spends a portion of each week caring for their mothers. Please pray for:

  • Believers of Muslim background (BMBs) to grow as strong believers in Christ’s community and their voice to be amplified
  • God’s guidance as Word of Life grows around the world and Tim’s part in its leadership
  • God’s inspiration as both Tim and Rachel are involved in producing new courses for BMBs, Tim’s on an overview of the Bible and Rachel’s on parenting the next generation
  • God to lead them in cross-cultural ministry in Oxford and to help them as they care for their mothers and family
  • The Lord to help them mentor upcoming leaders
  • For them both to stay close to Jesus and grow more like him.