In Central Asia, a region where less than a quarter of 1 percent of the population is evangelical, practicing Christianity is strongly discouraged, but several organizations are working together to take the gospel to people who have little knowledge of Christ.

While most of the countries in the region claim to have religious freedom, pressures against Christianity have increased in recent years, and it's becoming more and more difficult to proclaim the gospel. There is also a pervasive fear of Muslim extremists, casting doubts on anything religious.

Traditional forms of ministry such as preaching, teaching and literature distribution have become nearly impossible. The governments in some countries are not allowing new churches to be registered and tightening controls on those that are. Home groups are also at risk, and few foreign missionaries are allowed to serve in-country.

At a recent gathering of people interested in taking the Christian message to Central Asia, a recurring topic in the sessions was how to deal with suffering because of the pressures exerted on those who live the gospel in their context.

In addition, there is long-standing resistance to the gospel because people are convinced that to be a Christian means being "Western." Others tie Christianity to Russian Orthodoxy, introduced to Central Asia when it was under the influence of the Russian Empire. The region, however, remains predominantly Muslim. Before people in the region can begin to believe in Jesus, they must understand that it's OK to be Central Asian and a follower of Christ at the same time.

In spite of these challenges, HCJB Global and its partners are working to spread the gospel to the people of Central Asia through the use of at least two nontraditional ministry tools-radio and the Internet. It's impossible to place limitations on the radio waves, and there is worldwide access to the Internet, so these forms of media have become vital for organizations that have a passion for reaching Central Asians with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Through various partnerships, HCJB Global is actively involved in the region, training local believers, recording radio programs, installing FM transmitters where possible, running an evangelistic website that enables two-way communication with listeners, and establishing recording studios for use by nationals. Radio scripts are written by local believers (not translations of programs aired in other countries), and the focus is on reaching educated nonbelievers between the ages of 18 and 40.

The desire is to get people from a point of total ignorance of Christianity to a place where they begin to "see Christ for who He is-more than just a prophet, but God Himself," explained an HCJB Global staff member.

With this focus in mind, local believers are working to create programs that stimulate the listener to think about Christ and who He is, and encourage growth and interaction with other believers.

A typical 15-minute program includes discussions on topics of interest to listeners, Christian songs, appropriate teaching and some cultural features about life in the country. Programs are produced in local languages and incorporate local content for each area.

Radio programs also feature audience participation and links to the Internet for further information. HCJB Global has helped create a website where people learn more about Christianity-what they heard on the radio-providing interactive resources for discussion as a way to move them to a greater understanding of what it means to follow Christ.

A primary goal of the ministry in Central Asia is to move people of different cultures to Christ and to form fellowship groups in cities with populations of more than 50,000, but this is just a starting point. "We want to see the Holy Spirit woo people to Jesus by looking for new ways to introduce Him to them," added the staff member.

While it remains difficult to reach Central Asia for Christ, HCJB Global is working to form partnerships with other organizations, local churches and believers to bring the hope and peace of Christ into the region.

"Because of the fear of family and community, we would love to see-through our programming-an attitude change from fear to optimism to acceptance and then to boldness in bringing Christ into the Muslim cultures," the staff member concluded.