Reaching Refugee Youth with the Love of Christ

In a world of increasing conflict, in a world where displacement is still a crisis, Christ is needed more than ever. The UNHCR reports¹ that in 2024, there are 130.8 million refugees and internally displaced people globally, with an estimated 47 million of these being children and teens under the age of 18. How can the church effectively reach out to this vulnerable group? What strategies can the church adopt to demonstrate and proclaim Christ to this at-risk population?

Ministry to Syrian Youth

In the Middle East, one youth ministry reaches out to Muslim youth from the Syrian refugee community, as well as local Muslim and nominal/secular Christian youth. They evangelise in a creative way that’s relevant to young people. They are also keen on discipleship and training youth leaders from churches to be ready and equipped to reach the next generation of youth, to keep them in the church, and to attract others to come to church. 

The success of their youth ministry can be traced to their holistic approach. They currently have three youth centers, each one started in a community by doing an emotional, psychological, educational, physical, mental, and spiritual needs assessment. In their first center, which started in 2018, they found out that young people were struggling with mental health, so they hired a Christian counselor. Another issue was children dropping out of school, and so they employed Christian teachers to help the children with their homework and preparing for exams. They found out there was no safe space where young people could come and play, so now they have a large space where young people can come in and take part in fun activities and games such as basketball, air hockey, table tennis, pool, Xbox, and others.

Another problem was the enmity between the Syrians and the locals, between the Sunni and the Shiite Muslims, and between the Christians and the Muslims, which informed the decision to have a peace-building aspect to the center. Young people who are out of school are offered skills training—carpentry, sewing, and computer programming are some of the classes offered. 

At the heart of it all is Jesus Christ. 

Showing Love to the Displaced

Teens are thirsty for hope and meaning. The team does its best to meet this need through all the ministry’s different programs, emphasizing the holistic approach. This has enabled them to attract up to 1,000 young people monthly—the majority of whom are Muslims. The Muslim youth know it’s a Christian center, but they also know they will be loved and cared for. In total, they reach over 6,000 youth monthly through the centers, churches, and social media ministry. 

Taking in the Syrian refugee youth wasn’t an easy decision to make because they were outsiders, and there was concern that this would affect ministry to the locals. But the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) convicted the team to be good neighbours and show compassion, love, and mercy to the refugees. It was a step of faith, a moment of surrender, and an understanding that it couldn’t be done by human strength. They started seeing the refugees through the eyes of Christ, who died on the cross for the local and the foreigner alike. They emphasised reconciliation between the locals and refugees and, most importantly, with the Lord.

For the last twelve years, they have been working with the Syrian refugees and have seen much fruit: Muslim Syrian refugees and their families coming to the Lord, getting discipled, and serving with them. 

In their social media ministry, they discuss topics that affect young people, even those that are considered taboo, such as sexuality, abortion, feminism, racism, injustice, atheism, and more. Young people from Muslim, Christian, and secular backgrounds are given an opportunity to express their views freely. Afterward, a staff member graciously shares the biblical perspective on the topic. This has opened doors of engagement with young people all over the country.

Patient Evangelism 

One encouraging story from the center is that of Anni*, a veiled, Shiite Muslim girl who has been going to the center for two years and whose family is very religious. She went because she needed help with her homework, and she also liked the fun group programs like art and drama. Like most of the youth who go for the program, she wasn’t interested in anything Christian at first. 

An interaction with one of the leaders shocked Anni when she realized that they were listening to her. In Islam, she’s not allowed to question or doubt the faith. But when she came to the center and started asking questions about God, life, and his will, the leaders listened and answered. They did not rebuke her (in Islam one gets rebuked for questioning). That intrigued her, and she wanted to know more. So she was asked to join a Muslim seekers group, where members are encouraged to freely ask questions about God, Jesus, and the Bible. Anni was moved by Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, and told the leader that she was interested in reading the Bible. This was given to her, but she could only read it at the center. She could not take the Bible home because of the risk involved. 

Going through Scripture prompted a desire in her to visit a church, which was arranged. She didn’t believe yet; she was just asking and seeking. A year ago, at a summer camp, she went up to one of the leaders, a Shiite Muslim convert, who shared his moving testimony with her. Understanding the risks involved and still veiled, she informed everyone at the camp of her decision to follow Christ. After camp, she got baptized. 

Anni’s life is in danger. If her family finds out she’s made this decision, she will be killed. Many ex-Muslim young people who are born again are secret believers. The organization takes their security seriously. They are not allowed to take Bibles home, and they go to church on Saturdays to minimize suspicion. 

Discipling into Leadership

Dalia* is a young leader with the ministry who joined the center at the age of 16. She was discipled into a young leader and went on to found and lead a new regional drop-in center that reaches about 700 young people. 

‘I saw people who genuinely loved God and people and genuinely wanted to disciple the youth. They trained and mentored me one-on-one, which made me understand my gifts and leadership capabilities. They believed in me and allowed me to build a youth center when I was only 20 years old. Imagine a 20-year-old woman in the Middle East telling construction workers how to paint walls and what to put where. That’s something that only happens through God’s power,’ she says.

Dalia now works with an international Christian ministry, coordinating a women’s program and young leaders initiative in the Middle East and other parts of the world. She’s one of many young people who have benefitted from the program.

Churches Reaching Refugees

The success of the church in Anni and Dalia’s country has depended on how they handle the refugees. Churches that opened their doors to take care of refugees are excelling. On the contrary, the churches that didn’t are dying. Some refugees come from places where they couldn’t hear about the gospel, and the Lord has allowed them to move to a country where the gospel is freely preached. That is an opportunity for the church to care for them by providing food, medicine, shelter, medication, and others like in the book of Acts—no strings attached. 

Some churches missed that opportunity because the refugees were dirty, smelly, poor, and uneducated. They didn’t want them to sit in their churches because they made church people uncomfortable. But the churches that opened their doors to serve the refugees have seen a revival. In collaboration with these local churches, many churches have been planted by refugees who came to Christ from a Muslim background, with displaced pastors who also converted from Islam.

The future of Christianity in the Middle East is the Muslim-background church: Muslims coming to Christ and starting their own congregations. There are Kurdish churches, Syrian refugee churches, and Iraqi churches led by their own people. They are not alone; the locals help disciple and grow them in their leadership, theology, and knowledge of the Bible.

Caring for refugees should not come with strings attached. Some churches will give food and ask refugees to come to church on Sunday. The ministry model of this organization, however, is to love the person and care for them, whether they come to the center or not. And they come out of curiosity, wondering why Christians are showing them care and love. Eventually they get introduced to Christ, and their lives are transformed forever. Christ, who was once a refugee in Egypt, would have done the same.

*pseudonym

Endnotes

1. https://reporting.unhcr.org/global-appeal-2024#:~:text=In%202024%20it%20is%20predicted,and%20respond%20to%20internal%20displacement