As Europe grapples with questions of religious identity, migration and social cohesion, Christian leaders from across the continent and beyond will gather in Stuttgart from March 17–21 for a training and networking event aimed at equipping churches to engage more thoughtfully and confidently with Muslim communities.
The gathering, hosted by the Muslim Ministry Network, will bring together pastors, theologians, former Muslims, academics and frontline practitioners with decades of experience in evangelism, discipleship and Christian-Muslim engagement. Organizers expect between 40 and 50 participants this year, with plans already underway to significantly expand the event in coming years.
At the center of the initiative is a conviction that many European churches want to engage Muslims but lack theological clarity, cultural understanding and practical tools — gaps that have become more visible amid growing polarization, increased Muslim visibility in public life and uncertainty about Christianity’s place in Europe.
Dr. Emil Shehadeh, founder and leader of the Muslim Ministry Network, explained in an interview with Christian Daily International, that the challenge is not only understanding Islam, but helping Christians better understand and explain their own faith.
A network emerges amid growing need
The Muslim Ministry Network emerged gradually after years of informal teaching, seminars and consultations within the framework of the European Leadership Forum (ELF). Shehadeh said repeated invitations to train leaders across Europe eventually developed into a loosely connected network, before becoming more formally structured as demand increased.
Despite strong satisfaction ratings from ELF participants, rising administrative demands and international participation prompted the need for a new independent framework. The Stuttgart gathering marks a fresh chapter, hosted this year at the Academy for World Mission, a prominent evangelical training center near the city.
Speakers include Anglican theologian and Arabist Duane Alexander Miller; Jay Smith, a veteran Christian-Muslim apologist with decades of public debate experience; Beth Peltola, an author and teacher on the biblical understanding of Islam.
They will be joined by pastors and evangelists from Muslim-background communities in the Balkans and the Middle East, including Fari Boosheri, an Iranian Christian leader based in the United Kingdom, Femi Cakolli, founder of the Dardania Church Network in Kosovo, and Bishop Dr. Yassir Eric, a Sudan-born leader who now serves Muslim-background believers in the Global Anglican movement. Several presenters are former Muslims who now train others in evangelism and discipleship among Muslim communities across Europe.
The diversity of backgrounds — theological, cultural and experiential — is intentional, reflecting the complexity of Muslim-Christian engagement across Europe, and offers “a golden opportunity for anyone who feels they need to be equipped to encounter Islam, answer questions Muslims have and learn how to explain the gospel in general,” Shehadeh said.
'Interaction with Muslims was normal life'
Shehadeh’s engagement with Islam is deeply personal and stretches back to his earliest years. Born and raised in Israel to Arabic-speaking Christian parents, he grew up in a town where Christians and Muslims lived side by side.
“From childhood, interaction with Muslims was simply normal life,” he said. “We went to school together, visited one another’s homes, and talked openly about faith.”
His father regularly engaged local Muslim leaders in theological discussion, and open conversations about Christianity and Islam were common. Over time, however, Shehadeh observed that such openness became rarer, replaced by greater caution and, in some contexts, hostility.
After serving with Operation Mobilization and Child Evangelism Fellowship in Israel, Shehadeh moved to the United Kingdom at age 18. There, his exposure to Islamic studies deepened through academic life, student ministry and later medical practice. Though trained as a physician, he continued supporting mission work and teaching wherever possible, returning to near full-time ministry after retiring about a decade ago.
Today, his work focuses on writing, teaching and mentoring leaders engaged in Muslim ministry across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. He serves on mission boards, works closely with diaspora churches, and provides training across cultural and denominational lines.
Apologetics, polemics — and wisdom
A distinctive feature of the Stuttgart event will be its focus on both apologetics and polemics — two approaches that Shehadeh argues are firmly rooted in Scripture but sometimes misunderstood or misapplied.
Apologetics, he explained, involves explaining and defending Christian belief, while polemics engages critically with opposing claims. Both, he said, are evident in the Bible.
“Jesus used polemics,” Shehadeh noted, pointing to Christ’s direct challenges to religious leaders. Paul did the same when addressing false beliefs, whether among Jews, pagans or philosophers, he said.
Rather than aggressive confrontation, however, Shehadeh advocates a question-led approach — inviting Muslims to reflect on internal tensions within Islamic texts or doctrines by asking thoughtful, respectful questions. This method, he said, avoids unnecessary hostility while encouraging genuine dialogue.
A moment of awakening in Europe
Shehadeh believes Europe is currently experiencing a moment of tension — but also opportunity. He describes Muslim communities as increasingly polarized, with both stricter fundamentalist expressions and more vocal liberal or ex-Muslim movements emerging across the continent that are very critical of Islam.
Many of the more fundamentalist Muslims perceive Europe as historically Christian but spiritually weakened. “They become more emboldened because they see most Europeans have neither the knowledge nor the faith to confront Islam,” Shehadeh said, adding that he has seen “lots of Muslims fire questions at Christians and the Christians just cannot answer.”
Thankfully, some churches are waking up to this reality and the need for Christians to be better equipped, he said, and the Muslim Ministry Network seeks to help.
On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, he pointed to growing public concern over illegal immigration, which he said has prompted broader reflection on national identity and heritage.
“The scale of illegal immigration has shocked many people,” Shehadeh said, noting that a large proportion of arrivals come from Muslim-majority contexts. “It has caused even secular people to ask what kind of country they want to be — and what they stand to lose.”
He described a paradoxical trend in which some non-churchgoing Britons, alarmed by cultural change, have begun publicly affirming Christianity as part of the nation’s heritage. While not necessarily expressions of personal faith, he said, such moments reflect a growing awareness of Christianity’s historical role in shaping values, law and social life.
But it is the recent reports of increased church attendance among younger generations, particularly Generation Z, that has led to cautious optimism among Christian leaders.
Returning to the heart of the gospel
Looking ahead, Shehadeh said his hope for the church in Europe is a renewed return to the Holy Bible and to a clear understanding of the gospel itself.
He expressed concern that many Christians no longer have a firm grasp of what the gospel is and what it is not. In his view, churches have often added ideas, emphases and agendas that may be attractive or well-intentioned but do not belong at the core of the Christian message.
Shehadeh said engagement with Muslims often exposes this weakness, as Muslims frequently ask basic theological questions about the Trinity, the divinity of Christ and the reliability of Scripture — questions that many Christians struggle to answer clearly.
His hope for the future is a church that is both biblically grounded and missionary in outlook, where congregations will be “bursting with new converts,” both from local communities and from immigrant backgrounds.
The power of Scripture and the person of Jesus
Drawing on decades of ministry and research, Shehadeh said that effective witness does not begin with argument or expertise but with the power of God’s Word.
He said he has studied more than 6,000 conversion accounts and found that a significant number of Muslims come to faith without any direct contact with Christians. According to his research, about 20 percent encounter the gospel simply by reading or listening to the Bible on their own.
In many other cases, Shehadeh said, the decisive factor is not debate but the person of Jesus Christ. He noted that roughly 60 percent of Muslim converts say they were drawn to Christianity because of who Jesus is, as revealed in the Gospels.
For churches unsure how to engage Muslims, Shehadeh offered reassurance. While he believes training and equipping Christians is important, he stressed that it is not a prerequisite for faithful witness.
“The gospel is powerful,” he said, adding that Christians can begin simply by sharing the story of Jesus. Being able to answer questions is helpful, but it is a bonus rather than the foundation. The Word of God, he said, does its own work, and Jesus Himself remains the most attractive witness.
Living out faith in daily life
Shehadeh also emphasized that beyond words, a visible difference in Christian life can be a powerful testimony.
He recalled the story of a Fulani Muslim man in northern Nigeria, a context where leaving Islam can result in death. The man was struck not by argument, but by the unexpected kindness of a Christian neighbor who unlike one of his Muslim neighbors responded with generosity rather than anger during a conflict over grazing land.
Puzzled by the contrast, the Fulani man later noticed the same neighbor baptizing people by a river. He learned the man was a Christian pastor. He received an audio Bible from him that then led him to faith in Jesus. His decision to follow Christ cost him his family, his community and his livelihood, forcing him to flee for his life. But he later found refuge among Christians who helped him rebuild.
For Shehadeh, such stories underscore the cost of discipleship but also the credibility and importance of a faith lived out.
God needs 'a willing and prepared Church'
Coming back to the upcoming event, Shehadeh said he hopes that it will lead to a growing movement where Christians are being equipped to reach Europe’s Muslims for Christ. Plans are already underway to host a larger gathering next year in Romania, where a bigger venue and lower costs could allow participation to grow to as many as 200 people.
For now, Shehadeh is asking churches and leaders to pray — for wisdom, courage and faithfulness in witness.
“God is able,” he said. “What He needs is a willing and prepared Church.”
