Longing for Truth in Algeria
Names, locations, and images have been changed to protect the identity of individuals in sensitive regions.
Nadia, a 38-year-old Algerian mother of two, had followed the traditions of her faith her whole life. But a stirring in her heart led her to question everything. Could Jesus be the true God? That question—shared in a quiet phone call—marked the beginning of a courageous journey toward the light.
“She has so many questions and an eagerness to know more than you can imagine.”
Nadia had always kept her questions to herself. But during a recent call with her cousin’s wife, Samira, she finally spoke the words aloud: “I want to know the true God. Is it the One I’ve known through Islam, or is it Christ?”
Samira understood the cost of such a question—because she had once asked it herself.
She, too, grew up in a Muslim home. Like many others in her region, she encountered Jesus later in life—sometimes through a supernatural encounter, other times through a friend or something she discovered online. Saying “yes” to Jesus came with great risk: rejection by family, social isolation, threats of violence, or even persecution by law. Some are imprisoned. Others pay the ultimate price.
That’s why, for the past two years, we’ve walked closely with believers like Samira—men and women who want to share their faith but face enormous pressure not to. Through in-person visits and virtual mentorship, we’ve trained and encouraged them to become quiet yet bold disciple-makers within their families and communities.
The day after Nadia’s call, Samira met with her in person. Their conversation was rich with honesty, full of questions, and bathed in prayer. We were asked to join in intercession—that the Holy Spirit would guide Nadia into the truth.
A few days later, Samira wrote:
“We thank the Lord for the meeting. As you said, she came with an open heart and mind. She has so many questions and an eagerness to know more than you can imagine. We are moving forward gently, without pressure. By God’s grace, we will meet again on Sunday. Please continue to pray for me, and if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.”
And then, just a week later, Nadia returned. After years of wondering silently, she asked Samira for a Bible.
A New Kind of Church for a New Kind of Believer
Nadia’s story is one of many taking shape across Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. Through our online discipleship training network, God is raising up believers to multiply the gospel where it’s hardest to share.
What began as a single online connection has now grown into more than 25 discipleship groups across at least 11 countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Some of these gatherings take place online. Others meet quietly in homes. Many of those involved cannot safely walk into a public church, even where churches exist. In some places, their background alone draws suspicion. Attending a visible church can invite rejection—or put the entire congregation at risk.
That’s why we help new believers form house fellowships—small, Christ-centered communities of two to ten people who meet discreetly, study the Word, and grow together. Samira is part of one such in-person group that has grown out of this effort.
But forming a fellowship is only the beginning. Most of these new believers—like Samira and Nadia—have never been part of a church. They’ve never seen a baptism, shared communion, or experienced corporate worship. Their only understanding of church comes from the Bible or online videos.
In response, we’ve developed a new curriculum called The Church in Your Home—a simple, biblical framework, available in English and Arabic, to help believers learn what it means to become the Body of Christ where they are. It walks them through worship, leadership, prayer, spiritual gifts, baptism, communion, giving, and community—shaped for their context and rooted in Scripture. It’s more than content; it’s a pathway to spiritual identity and obedience.
Through this new training, believers across the network are learning that they don’t need to wait for a building to be the church. They already are the church—right where they live.