Building relationships with Muslims: Klaassen draws from experience in new book

CS: You spent time on the mission field in North Africa with Muslims. Describe your experience with Muslims and what you learned in your time there.

JK: We spent almost 20 years overseas working with Muslims and loving every aspect of what that was — developing friendships and relationships, and going deep with a lot of friends where we were able to share the gospel in a way that was meaningful and understandable. What we found when we went overseas is that the average Muslim is a friend; they’re family. And as you develop that relationship, you enter into their family and you become a part of who they are. And it’s an incredible experience to know and love and have friends that are Muslims.

CS: How are you reaching out to Muslims in your present context?

JK: We work through our church [Highview Baptist Church] to spend time with them, especially immigrants and refugees as they come into the country. Refugees, when they come into the country, are in desperate situations. They come with a suitcase or maybe two suitcases and nothing else. We help them set up apartments, we help them get food, we teach them how to go to the grocery store, and then we spend time teaching them English and working with their children in school. And through all of that we build relationships — they come over to our house and they eat with us, we go to their home and we eat with them, and we become family with them. As a result, we’re able to share the gospel, that Jesus loves them and he’s brought them here for a reason. Keep reading

Also see
Book Review - Engaging with Muslims