Middle East/North Africa (MNN) — If you live in the West and God lays a passion on your heart to start a nonprofit ministry, it’s pretty easy to find the resources and training you need.
But pretend you’re a believer in Iran or Yemen, where revealing your faith could get you killed. Even if you started a ministry and kept it secret, who would you turn to for answers or advice?
Enter: the MENA Leadership Center. “The mission of the MENA Leadership Center is to bridge leadership gaps and expand the capacity of high impact ministries throughout the greater Middle East,” CEO Jennifer Murff says.
“We help these ministries build their capacity so they can continue the work that God put in their heart.”
MLC offers online courses with immediate application. “We assessed ministries throughout the greater Middle East, asking them, ‘outside of money, what do you need?’ They told us, and so we created courses around their needs,” Murff says.
Each course connects Gospel workers with subject matter experts. “We work with experts both from the West and the MENA. It depends on the type of course,” Murff says.
(Photo courtesy of MENA Leadership Center)
For example, in a human resources course, “The instructor is one of the executive vice presidents of a large, influential bank in the region. He’s a strong believer, and he’s using his giftedness to help strengthen ministries in the human resource side of operations,” Murff says.
“These are things ministries in the MENA don’t have access to, and we provide that so they can be sustainable long term.”
This year, MLC offers courses on religious freedom, refugees, digital outreach and the online church, human resources, strategic planning, fundraising, and more. See a list here.
Depending on the country, helping refugees can present distinct challenges. “We want to help ministries build a working space that brings awareness to the unique dynamics within a refugee camp or refugee ministry,” Murff says.
You can give leaders the skills they need by providing a scholarship. “They’re giving what they can, but it’s not enough to cover the class,” Murff says.
“We’re not going to turn anyone away, so we are always looking for partners to provide scholarship funds.”
Over 91% of the MENA is unreached with the Gospel. The MENA Leadership Center is dedicated to equipping ministries whose mission is to reach unreached people groups throughout the Greater Middle East with the power of the Gospel! (Header photo and caption courtesy of MENA Leadership Center)
