TeenStreet in MENA mobilises small-group coaches through online and in-person training, empowering nationals to form small groups and disciple teenagers from their own countries. In locations where small groups cannot be hosted at a local church, home churches provide a unique way of sharing the gospel, developing disciples and encouraging multiplication.
Through volunteers like Abbas,* TeenStreet impacts thousands of teenagers, drawing together young people from around the globe with a mission of helping them grow in their relationship with Christ. TeenStreet in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, focuses specifically on discipling teens from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds.
Currently, TeenStreet reaches almost 50 countries worldwide and operates in seven countries within MENA, making TeenStreet in MENA the biggest TeenStreet region globally.
Mobilising coaches
TeenStreet is dedicated to expanding the international community of young Jesus followers, especially among the least reached. The majority of those living in the MENA region are Muslims, with few Christians and even fewer believers actively sharing the gospel. OM believes that it is crucial for youth to not only hear about Jesus but also grow spiritually with their peers through mentorship.
Prioritising discipleship, TeenStreet facilitates the formation of small groups led by a coach. Teens are encouraged to apply the lessons they learn from studying Scripture in their own lives, build healthy and spiritual relationships with their peers, use their skills and passions for God and invite others to follow Jesus through both their words and actions.
Currently, TeenStreet in MENA mobilises coaches through online or in-person training, empowering local believers to form small groups and disciple teenagers from their own countries. The majority of MENA nationals who sign up for the training are already engaged in missions work within their local communities and are seeking to do more to reach out to others. Training coaches has been difficult due to security and political reasons. However, the number of coaches quickly expands when trained coaches disciple willing Jesus followers and empower and equip them to do the same.
In March 2023, TeenStreet in Dubai partnered with Youth for Christ to host an event for more than 175 teenagers from 37 nationalities. One of the participants, a 12-year-old boy, shared the gospel with his friends and started his own small group. Two months later, two more groups formed out of it. "This was really encouraging, a smooth way of starting small groups, not just through the coaches and through the church, but from the teenagers themselves," says Abbas.
Home churches
Some of the countries in the MENA region, such as Lebanon and Algeria, have an established and recognisable national church. In other countries such as Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, however, there are not. In locations where established churches do not exist and small groups cannot be hosted at a local church, parents open up their homes to host small groups. Home churches provide a unique way of sharing the gospel, developing disciples and encouraging multiplication through its simplicity.
"From house to house, street to street, [the coaches] were doing indirect marketing to the small groups. The Christian teenagers were opening their homes to the small groups, and in the same street, their Muslim friends would ask them, 'Hey do you mind if we join your small groups? '...Then after a while, the Muslim parents of those teenagers would start to ask the coaches if they would have their own small groups in their houses," says Abbas.
Currently, TeenStreet in Egypt is serving teenagers from Muslim backgrounds by hosting small groups with a secular curriculum based on Christian values. The coaches, keeping in mind that the teens might be averse to hearing the gospel, adapt their small group model according to the region they are working with. Nevertheless, the coaches spread God's love with their actions. "[The teenagers] feel they can express themselves and talk freely, so they share very deep things about their families, how they were raised up, the struggles they face in their communities...They are not Christian yet; they haven't heard anything about the Bible or Christ, but they feel safe in this kind of small group," explains Abbas.
A new small group near Cairo formed a week after the first meeting and nine new people joined, with more teens joining as the weeks go by. The coaches pray that they may eventually introduce the teens to Christ.
Please pray for TeenStreet coaches as they work with teens. Pray for more coaches in countries where it is hard to be a Jesus follower. Praise God for working in the hearts of teenagers across MENA. Please pray for the teenagers impacted by TeenStreet and the donors who financially support the work.
*name changed