MENA Discipleship (ABTS January 2014 E-Letter)

Today's Discipleship(2014)
“Following Jesus in the Middle East and North Africa”

ABTS conference

Building on 10 successful years of Middle East Conferences (MEC), the Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES) is excited to introduce a new focus for 2014 in collaboration with the Near East Initiative (NEI). Rather than a traditional conference, MEC 2014 will take the form of a consultation, providing more opportunities for participants to interact, reflect, and discuss the issues at hand.

The Middle East Consultation aims to help practitioners, scholars, pastors, teachers, missionaries, and faith-based NGO workers explore what God is doing throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Divided into 5 sessions each day, the consultation will examine how God has been working through various lenses:

Regional focus: Participants will hear stories from individuals who have experienced different approaches to discipleship in the region, as well as from practitioners who have had various experiences and approaches to discipleship. Global missiologists and theologians will then help reflect on the theological and missiological themes emerging from these regional testimonies. Each day will focus on a different region, including Egypt, North-West Africa, Lebanon and Syria, Jordan, and the Palestinian camps.

Topical focus: We will explore various important topics related to Christ-centered discipleship within the MENA context, such as biblical and theological definitions of discipleship, identity through cultural and sociological lenses, conversion and its implications, historical approaches to discipleship in the MENA context, and contemporary and possible future approaches to discipleship. Leading these sessions will be a group of global missiologists and theologians.

Interfaith focus: MEC 2014 will also examine issues of conversion to the Christian faith from Islamic perspectives, inviting Muslim Sheikhs and scholars to share their views.

Throughout MEC 2014, we will hear firsthand from those who have practiced and been influenced by various approaches to discipleship within the MENA region. Our goal is to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing the regional church and explore how the church can best help individuals and communities live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. In line with IMES's ethos and MEC tradition, we will invite Muslim voices to contribute to these important conversations during specific sessions, providing an opportunity to listen to and interact with alternative perspectives.

ABTS-E-NL-01-2014.pdf

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