Save the Date: 2014 Middle East Consultation

The purpose of the Middle East Consultation [MEC] is to equip participants to respond in prophetic and Christ-like ways to the many challenges facing Christians and Muslims in and beyond the Middle East.

The core of MEC 2014 will consist of listening to narratives and stories emerging from within the MENA region in an effort to best identify the challenges and opportunities facing the regional church. MEC 2014 will provide an opportunity to reflect upon and analyze the diverse social and religious dynamics at hand, asking how the church might best assist individuals and communities to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

Throughout MEC 2014 we will hear first-hand from those who have practiced and been influenced by various approaches to discipleship, with varying degrees of fruitfulness within the region. In keeping with the IMES ethos and with the MEC tradition, we will be inviting Muslim voices to contribute to this important conversation, during specific sessions. This will provide us with the opportunity to listen to and interact with alternative perspectives that may challenge our current perceptions.

Building upon 10 years of successful Middle East Conferences, the Institute of Middle East Studies (IMES) is pleased to announce a fresh focus for 2014 in partnership with Near East Initiative (NEI). The Middle East Consultation exists to help practitioners, scholars, pastors, teachers, missionaries, and faith-based NGO workers explore what God has been doing throughout the Middle East & North Africa [MENA].

The Mandate of IMES is to bring about positive transformation in thinking and practice between Christians and Muslims in the Middle East and beyond through education, advocacy, and peace-building initiatives. IMES is responding to the increasingly urgent need to dispel mutually false perceptions between peoples of different religions and cultures, which eventually result in inadequate practice in social, religious, political, and personal spheres. As such, IMES seeks to increase general awareness about MENA realities and to resource Evangelicals to serve specific needs in the Arab context and among Arab communities worldwide.