ATLANTA (ABP) — A pair of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship missionaries are making sure that Afghans, Iranians and other Persian-speaking peoples have well-trained Christian leaders ready to return to their home countries and spread the gospel.
As a way to help reach the estimated 80 million Persian-speaking people worldwide, Mich and Pat Tosan oversee the non-profit organization, Persian World Outreach. According to Mich Toasn, the organization's goal is to “raise Afghani and Iranian nationals to become missionaries and pastors for the future of their own countries.”
Once a devout Muslim, Tosan became a Christian while living in Denmark in 1988, four years after escaping Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. He understands firsthand the need for indigenous missionaries to meet the physical and spiritual needs of Persian-speaking people.
“Right now, many Iranians are open to coming to church,” he said. “Many Muslim people are searching for peace and love.”
Starting in 1996 with a successful church plant in California, the Tosans moved to New Jersey in 2002 to continue their ministry.
“We were church planting among the Iranians on the West Coast in California, and we saw a need for the Iranian populations on the East Coast to have an opportunity to have a church and to go to church in their own language,” Pat Tosan said.
Tosans' move has resulted in the building of a multi-purpose missions training center in southern New Jersey and a church start in Vienna, Va., named the Afghan and Iranian Christian Fellowship. The church is the first congregation where Persian-speaking Afghanis have had their name officially included in an Iranian church.
Other languages — including Pashtun and Farsi are also spoken in Afghanistan.
“Iranian Christians have had experience with indigenous church planting and see today as an opportune time to help the Afghan churches get started,” Mich Tosan said, citing one reason for combined worship. “Each week, Afghanis and Iranians gather for worship together. Some Afghanis drive more than three hours to attend.”
In addition to work in California and Virginia, the Tosans have started the Iranian Fellowship of Delaware, Iranian Fellowship of Pennsylvania and Iranian Fellowship of New Jersey, each of which meets monthly for worship. The Tosans are encouraged by the growth of the ministry.
“CBF churches are becoming more and more involved with our ministry,” Pat Tosan said. “CBF feels very strongly about the importance of indigenous worship and people being able to worship in ways that are culturally appropriate to them. We find this to be very true with the Afghani and Iranian worship.”
With many new ministry opportunities becoming available for Persian-speaking Christians, Mich Tosan has a goal of someday partnering with the CBF-supported Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond to provide master's-level educational training.
He said he realizes that books would have to be translated and curriculum provided, but he feels this remains a possible long-term goal to equip those serving.
“Our hope,” Pat Tosan said, “is to raise leaders so they can carry on the job.”
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