As a pastor on the Arabian Peninsula, I am both a goer and a sender. I went to the United Christian Church of Dubai (UCCD) in 2005. I’ll never forget the support and love of my sending church (Capitol Hill Baptist Church)—praying and even helping me box up my books for shipment, hand-writing messages on cardboard boxes like “May the word of the Lord speed ahead and be honored.” I have benefitted from the long-term, loving commitment of a sending church which equipped and prayed and backed us from afar.
At the same time, I am also now a sender, charged to equip new leaders who will entrust the gospel to others (2 Tim 2:2). Through our pastoral internship we have trained and sent people who are now serving churches in Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Somalia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Japan, the UAE, and beyond.
Like all gospel ministry, we have aimed to follow the apostle Paul, whose mission was to “bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Rom. 1:5). When he wrote Romans, Paul’s plan was eventually to stop in Rome en route to Spain: “I hope to see you in passing as I
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