Abdi Tadesse-Mulat

A crowd has gathered in a sanctuary, greeting one another with customary kisses on the shoulder, then standing arm-to-arm in the congested room. Despite the tight quarters, they are prepared to worship for hours on end. They have found joy in the presence of God and of one another in this congregation composed of former Muslims.

In partnership with the Lutheran organization Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, Abdi Tadesse Mulat is the director of the Christian-Muslim Relations program at Mekane Yesus Seminary. He trains ministers to evangelize to Muslim Ethiopians, equipping them to preach the gospel and plant new churches in majority-Muslim regions. Against a history of enduring persecution, the Lutheran church in Ethiopia grows annually by 250,000, and there is a constant need for more ministers to join the work.