Cahaya Suku, Indonesia

Cahaya Suku (“Light to the Peoples”) is one of the largest Indonesian church-planting initiatives in Indonesia aimed at ministry to unreached Muslims. With a vision to see all of Indonesia reached with the Gospel, Cahaya Suku assists in forming independent regional ministries that are proclaiming the Good News among the unreached and planting reproducing contextual house churches. Partners has been working with Cahaya Suku since 1999. At that time, 90 percent of Indonesians sent as church planters to Muslim communities quit within the first five years due to isolation, persecution, burnout, and lack of results. Together, we have created a ministry model that not only stems the attrition of key workers, but it has become a proven successful model for Muslim church planting.

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Cahaya Suku (“Light to the Peoples”) is one of the largest church-planting initiatives in Indonesia aimed at ministry to unreached Muslims. With a vision to see all of Indonesia reached with the Gospel, Cahaya Suku assists in forming independent regional ministries that are proclaiming the Good News among the unreached and planting reproducing contextual house churches. Partners has been working with Cahaya Suku since 1999. At that time, 90 percent of Indonesians sent as church planters to Muslim communities quit within the first five years due to isolation, persecution, burnout, and lack of results. Together, we have created a ministry model that not only stems the attrition of key workers, but it has become a proven successful model for Muslim church planting.

Indonesia is the world’s fourth largest country with more than 254 million people. It is also one of the most diverse with more than 750 distinct people groups. Sadly, 130 of these groups are highly unreached with few, if any, Christians. Though 80% of Indonesians identify themselves as Muslim, many live in superstition and fear that is rooted in ancient animistic beliefs.

One of the major challenges in reaching Indonesia’s Muslims is not theological, but sociological. Many seekers fear they will have to abandon their treasured cultural traditions and family bonds in order to follow Christ. Geography is also an obstacle as Indonesia spans 17,500 islands. Despite the challenges and though it is still a tiny minority, the Indonesian Church is strong and committed, and believers are taking an increasingly active role in winning their countrymen to the Savior.

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