Turks of Turkey

  • Pre-Entry
  • Pre-Evangelism
  • Evangelism
  • Discipleship
  • Phase-Out
  • Completed

About the People

From the Joshua Project:

The Turks originated in Turan, a region that lies between the Caspian Sea and the Mongolian Desert. They arrived in Anatolia, Turkey (Asia Minor) in the eleventh century as conquering warriors. By 1299, the Ottoman Dynasty began ruling over what would become a vast empire, greater in area than the Roman Empire and held the Caliphate lamented by Muslim fundamentalists. Over twenty states fell under Ottoman rule, including Southern Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Libya and Saudi Arabia. This huge empire lasted until Turkey became a republic in 1923.

Under the Ottomans, Christians and Jews were tolerated but were second-class citizens. The Armenians were persecuted and murdered in mass numbers. After the Empire collapsed in World War I and the subsequent war with Greece, many of the remaining Greek Christians were driven out of western Turkey. Since the 1920s, modern Turkey has become a secular, developed nation that sits, literally and symbolically, between the Christian West and the Muslim world.

Turkey is considered to be a “link” between the Orient (Chinese and Mongols) and the Occidental (Anglo-Saxons, Slavs, Goths and Latins). The Turks, therefore, have a knowledge and mixture of both Eastern and Western cultures.

Turkey is the only secular republic with a majority of the population being Muslim. Turkish law is not based on Islamic law but is instead a republic modeled after the Swiss and French legal systems.

The Turks represent a great opportunity to create a “fulcrum” church movement that could reach many other Muslim people groups.

Though traditional ways continue to exist in some areas, the typical Turks live a secularized, modern urban life, with all the materialistic advantages and temptations that go with it. Much cultural sexism remains as women are often viewed through traditional Islamic beliefs. Only 80 percent of women are literate as compared with 95 percent of men. A quarter of the population is under age 15.

The diet of the Turks consists of a heavy bread, olives, cheese from sheep or cows milk, onions, molasses from grapes, fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts. Meats such as fish, wild game or poultry are only eaten once a week. Wealthier peasants may also eat lamb and beef, but Islam prohibits them from eating pork.

Soccer is Turkey's most popular sport. Children enjoy games such as hide-and-seek and follow-the-leader. They also love to hear fairy tales.

Relaxation is of the utmost importance to the Turk. Coffee houses are places where men meet to visit and talk politics or business. In general, the Turks are courteous, gentle people who readily show hospitality to strangers. They are also very patriotic and have a deep sense of nationalistic pride and love for their country.

About the Project

Turkey is the land where the early church made much of its progress in the first and second centuries. The seven churches in Revelation are located in this country. Today there are fewer than 0.01 percent Christians. With its population of over 76 million, this makes Turkey one of the least reached countries on earth.

Islam is the predominant religion of this society, while secularism still holds a stronghold in the ruling elite. Despite its constitution guaranteeing religious freedom, Christians are frequently persecuted. Further, public meetings, such as church services require great efforts to gain approval from the government, and public proselytizing is prohibited.

Sources

People-Group Facts

  • Population: 51,301,000
  • Language: Turkish
  • Trade Language: Turkish
  • Religion: Majority of population is Muslim

Needs

The Turkish Building Fund is designated to provide the means for the Turkish believers to build a meeting house (or church) in which to meet legally every Sabbath.

Frontier Stories

Wanted: Dear Saints

May someone find you on the sea of glass one day and say, “I am here because you found a two-for-one sale on canned peas.”

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
January 01 2009, 10:01 pm | Comments 0

Peylin

One evening, I was getting the children ready for bed. They were in their pajamas, and we were sitting in a circle on their bedroom floor ready to start the evening worship when our doorbell rang.

By: Esther Hope
December 01 2008, 10:00 pm | Comments 0

Winning a Soul-Winner

Could a gifted evangelist win 1,000 converts a day? Unlikely. But imagine there was such a Spirit-filled man.

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
November 01 2008, 8:59 pm | Comments 0

Treasure in a Hidden Field

Ali glides downward into the cool, dark underground on a silent steel escalator. The descent makes him ponder the mission he is on. Perhaps he will descend to hell for this, but he has decided to take the risk.

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
September 01 2008, 8:58 pm | Comments 0

Just Like I Said

It all happened just like I said it wouldn’t.

Esther said, “You need to put screens on the windows because snakes and spiders could come right into the children’s room.”

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
August 01 2008, 8:55 pm | Comments 0

Hell and a Hill

Three years ago, I had a memorable picnic in a beautiful mountain spot at the home of a friend, Zafer. It was springtime, and all the fruit trees were in bloom.

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
July 01 2008, 8:54 pm | Comments 0

Lessons from the Ants

We recently moved to a different house. When we moved in, I unwittingly situated my desk directly beneath an ant burial ground. Some six feet above my desk is a small hole in the ceiling where wood meets.

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
June 01 2008, 8:52 pm | Comments 0

The Tricky Teacher

Nasreddin Hodja, the tricky teacher, is a much-loved philosopher from Turkish history. Lovingly depicted riding his donkey backwards, he lived about eight hundred years ago in Antalya.

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
April 01 2008, 8:50 pm | Comments 0

The Power of the Dog

Only a half-fallen fence stood between the tender skin of my family and the fierce Kangal.

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
March 01 2008, 9:48 pm | Comments 0

Words

Words. Thousands of gooey vowel-loaded words crackling with strange consonant combinations and lashed together with suffixes and conjugations. That is the stuff a missionary needs. Words that shock people, stop people and stir people.

By: Barnabas & Esther Hope
January 01 2008, 9:45 pm | Comments 0

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