SM UAE – A New Dawn for Mobilization in the UAE
September 2025
God is at work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Over recent decades, there has emerged a growing presence of Christian churches (at this stage mainly international churches). Some of these churches see the importance of equipping believers well, regardless of how much time they are there. Some of these churches are developing (or already have) good discipleship programs, including the Kairos course as part of their “go” focus. Such churches usually have their own team dedicated to running courses based on their church’s needs and plans.
Early last month, the UAE NCT (currently consisting of Filipino expatriates) requested help to undertake Franchise Training. Although this could have been done online, it was recognized that an in-person training would be so much more beneficial. Geof (SMI Associate Director), his daughter (Segana), Ting (Executive Assistant to Max Chismon), along with Patrick (MENA GRC) and his wife (Sonja), all flew to the UAE to facilitate this training, which involves a series of great questions that help teams reflect upon mobilization and address challenges that our team is facing. The wide expertise and experiences of the team proved to be highly valuable in bringing clarity to some ways forward as we explore effective strategies for our unique context.
The Way Forward
Moving forward, we identified the need to better support different SM teams within various UAE churches. This requires clarifying our SM structure within the UAE. Equally important is the matter of long-term sustainability or an ongoing movement in mobilizing more UAE churches. To achieve this, monthly or quarterly gatherings were recommended.
Most of this team stayed in the UAE a week longer for a gathering of key influencers (pastors, businesspeople and youth) from nine churches. Using an adaptation of our INTRODUCTION TO SM (Sept 2025 version) the team introduced these influencers to the ministry of SM and understanding mobilization as central to discipleship and mission. A key insight was the realization that pastors must be mobilized first as they are usually the primary influencers in their congregations. By embracing mobilization as a core church-centered ministry rather than a peripheral activity, the impact can be far-reaching. These key influencers also valued our brief explanation of how our different SM tools help to engage different parts of the body of Christ. The Interface program was clearly identified as a vital resource for the mobilization of pastors. Empowered to Influence (ETI) was identified as a vital tool to add value and mobilize business professionals within the church. Alongside our other tools they are essential in mobilizing believers towards fulfilling the Great Commission. When pastors and church leaders witness transformed lives, increased participation and active engagement in God’s mission, then they will be more convinced that mobilization is not a side activity but rather a vital ministry that fuels the Church’s core mandate.
Prayer Points
Please pray for us as God continues leading us towards a higher level of commitment and effectiveness in mobilization in the UAE. Pray for the existing NCT and the changes that need to be made to better support church-centered mobilization. Pray for churches that endeavor to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to local populations in this nation. Pray for a full-time mobilizer or overseer who can focus on follow-up and the strategic engagement with Arabic-speaking churches. With continued collaboration, prayer, and Spirit-led guidance, mobilization efforts are poised to bear lasting fruit in the body of Christ in the UAE.