In 2023, families from Vintage Church’s North Raleigh campus made their way into the North Raleigh Masjid—a space that functions as a mosque and a community center, tucked between storefronts in a local strip mall. For many of the 25 attendees, it was their first time in a Muslim worship space, and a mix of nerves and excitement showed on their faces as they stepped through the doors.
Sabina, the host for the evening, welcomed each family with a smile and gently reminded them to take off their shoes before entering the large prayer room where dinner would be served.
The initial awkwardness of eating in a Muslim prayer room was short-lived. Smiles, laughter, and compliments about the food filled the room. Throughout the night, a few Muslim community members stepped forward to pray. The Vintage families watched respectfully. By the end of the night, everyone was eager to share another meal together.
A Developing Trend
Although this story might sound unique, Vintage Church isn’t the only one building friendships with Muslim neighbors. Across the country, more churches, Christian colleges, and campus groups—including organizations like Cru—are waking up to the opportunities that come with a diverse community. Instead of retreating, they’re choosing to lean in.
America’s cities, towns, and neighborhoods are becoming more religiously diverse. People of other faiths—or no faith—are moving in next door. That’s not a challenge; it’s an opportunity. Many of our new neighbors are eager to build friendships with Christians. Why not take the first step?
PEOPLE OF OTHER FAITHS—OR NO FAITH—ARE MOVING IN NEXT DOOR. THAT’S NOT A CHALLENGE; IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY.
After all, Jesus has called us to obey his Great Commission (Matt. 28:16–20) to make disciples and his Great Commandment (Matt. 22:36–40) to love others. I have come to see that we can follow both by pursuing genuine friendships with people of different faiths. Many of these friends are open to having meaningful conversations about faith. And, now more than ever, they are in need of Christlike love.
Not “Interfaith Dialogue”
Interfaith activities have a bad reputation among many Christians, and often for good reasons. Many interfaith activities water down beliefs and ignore key differences between faiths. This is a serious problem that we at Neighborly Faith take great care to address.
In 2015, Neighborly Faith was launched to invest in young evangelicals to be faithful and flourish in an increasingly diverse world. After years of facilitating gatherings with Christians and Muslims, I see no reason to pretend that all faiths are the same. Christians do not need to have anything in common with Muslims in order to love them. We do share common ground—we’re all made in God’s image—but our differences only deepen our call to imitate the one who loves those unlike himself.
Not Just Evangelism
I am often asked about what our plan is to evangelize our Muslim neighbors. I love this question because it reminds us of what is most important: that we should be disciple makers with an eternal perspective as we labor in our communities.
I have consistently found that Muslims invite conversations about faith. They want to talk about their faith and ask about ours. We get to share about Jesus and salvation in a way that feels genuine and is in the context of friendship. Should we abandon these relationships because we haven’t converted our friends? Should we give up making new Muslim friends? To me it seems our only alternative would be to retreat into our Christian bubbles and reach no one.
CHRISTIANS DO NOT NEED TO HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON WITH MUSLIMS IN ORDER TO LOVE THEM.
A Call to Better Witness
Anti-Muslim stereotypes are everywhere in America—and data from Lifeway and Pew shows white evangelicals are by far the worst offenders. To our Muslim neighbors, it makes Jesus look nothing like he is.
Part of the problem is that many Christians don’t personally know a Muslim, and many Muslims don’t know a Christian. Too often, our impressions are shaped by popular media, where both groups are portrayed unfairly. I believe the way forward is for us Christians to take responsibility for our witness by getting to know the Muslims in our communities and allowing them to know us in return.
American Muslims often tell Neighborly Faith that we’re the only evangelical Christians they know. Some admitted they once thought all evangelicals hated them. Many have had negative experiences with Christians in the past. One Muslim leader told me: “I’ve spent years trying to figure out why evangelicals are so anti-Muslim . . . I think it’s a part of their faith.”
As Christians, we should be known for our love, not our fears. And I take heart knowing Jesus anticipated those fears when he said, “Take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In Jesus’ words, we find the courage and the confidence to love our Muslim neighbors as ourselves.
For more information, go to NeighborlyFaith.org.
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A version of this article appeared in Outreach Magazine in 2023.