Fruitful Practices #5- Build a Good Reputation
The practices highlighted in these articles are not a guarantee of success, but rather, a description of common characteristics and methods found among effective Muslim ministry teams.
The fifth fruitful practice in our series is to “build a good reputation.”
From the moment Kingdom workers arrive in their new community, they have already started building a reputation.
“Now wait,” you might say, “My reputation only really begins forming when I start engaging my Muslim neighbors in real conversation.” Actually, your reputation is born long before you can speak the local language or relate culturally. Whether or not you realize, people are watching and observing from the moment you arrive in their community.
Kingdom workers are evaluated by the size and quantity of their suitcases when they arrive. They are evaluated by the way they discipline their children. Women, of every age, are evaluated by the clothes they wear in public. The type of vehicle they drive, the place they choose to live, the furniture they put in their houses, the amount of garbage they throw away each week – all these things influence reputations. This may seem unfair. Nonetheless, as representatives of Christ, we need to acknowledge this reality and choose carefully how we live from the very beginning.
Before We Arrive
As Kingdom workers, we want to have thought through some things about our first few months, before we even arrive in our ministry context.
It is wise to assume from the very beginning that some locals will understand and speak a degree of English; thus, the things we say, wear, eat, drink, and do have far greater impact than we can imagine. I was once described by a Muslim friend to some of his other friends as “Christian, but not like the other Christians here. He does not drink or smoke or sleep with women outside of marriage!” Many Muslims hold the understanding that all Westerners are Christians, or that Christianity is synonymous with Western culture.
It is important to proactively set ourselves apart from our Muslim friends’ understanding of “Western Christians” that comes from movies and television!
A Visible Faith
Kingdom workers in a Muslim context need to think about what their actions convey. If you want to be seen by your new neighbors as spiritual people, then let them see it in you from the very beginning. Do not wait until you have grasped the language or culture to speak spiritual truths into your friends’ lives. Instead, speak through your actions.
Take opportunities to pray with people, let them see you reading your Bible, let them hear you singing worship songs. You are not doing these things for the praise of men, for that would be pharisaical. You are doing these things so that your neighbors know you have a living and active faith.
Your Muslim neighbors’ faith is very visible. They go to the mosque to pray with their neighbors. They break their fasts as a community. They go on pilgrimage. Let your faith also be visible. If they do not recognize you as someone who fears and respects God, why would they come to you when they have a spiritual question?
Making Mistakes
Let me clarify that we are not called by God to be driven by fear or guilt, and there is no reason to punish ourselves for making mistakes. We all make mistakes, especially as we move into new cultures with different foods, customs, and beliefs. Your new neighbors will not expect you to follow their way of life perfectly, so there is no need to expect perfection of yourself or your family.
However, as much as it is possible, try to minimize the number and size of your offenses. Above all, let us be authentic, and live out our faith in Jesus from the very beginning.
Will it be You?
There is a good proverb that says, “Actions speak louder than words.” There is another proverb that we would do well to remember: “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man (Proverbs 3:3).”
When your neighbor’s chair breaks, he takes it to a carpenter with a good reputation. If his water pipe leaks, your neighbor calls a trusted plumber. When you neighbor has a spiritual need, they will go to a spiritual person.
Will it be you?
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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