In Turkey, national pride has hindered church growth and believers often suffer discrimination

Located in the continents of Asia and Europe, the ancient land of Turkey is a bridge between East and West. Rich in biblical sites, it was conquered by Turkish armies coming out of Central Asia to become the center of the Muslim world. Modern Turkey aspires to be part of Europe and has had a functioning democracy and constitutional freedom of religion, though that seems to be changing.  

To be Turkish is to be Muslim and this deep national pride has severely hindered church growth.  Workers have served in Turkey since the early 1960s but there are still only around 3,000 Muslim background believers scattered over 95 small churches. Believers are generally able to worship openly although they may suffer discrimination and slander from their families and communities. Rising nationalism has led to recent attacks on believers.