New Ideas and Immediate Impact: Middle East Update 2026

New Ideas and Immediate Impact: Middle East Update 2026

News

“The conference sparked new ideas and renewed my passion for ministry. It helped me see new possibilities for using media and technology to serve the Gospel.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

“The conference challenged me to think differently… I left with practical ideas that I can immediately apply.” —Middle East Conference Attendee (Names withheld for security reasons.)

Where the gospel is restricted, media opens the door.

The Middle East conference changed the lives of 184 pastors, ministry leaders, church media professionals, and Middle Eastern Christians working in secular media forever.

For those who gave and those who prayed:

Relational as well as educational, Phil talks with an attendee during a break.

What happened in this training event is already impacting nations. Thank you, Influence Lab Partners. Phil and Kathleen Cooke share their reports below…

Phil reports:

Participants came from across the Middle East, including Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco. True to The Influence Lab’s philosophy, the training was led by local Christian media professionals. Kathleen and I joined Ron Harris and Kyle Gilbert of Media Alliance International in teaching alongside these local leaders.

Some of the attendees had to memorize their notes from the sessions because they couldn’t risk being caught with them as they returned to their countries.

“The conference transformed my understanding of media ministry… I left with practical tools, a clearer strategy, and a renewed vision for using media to serve God’s Kingdom.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

This event inspired Kathleen and me as much as it taught the attendees. It made me realize how much more I need to do with the media resources, equipment and freedoms we have in the U.S.  If you saw what these guys are doing with what they have, you’d step it up as well.

Thank you, Influence Lab partners. Your generosity helped make this outreach possible. We’re thankful for the opportunity to serve our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters as they share the gospel through media, despite the challenges or restrictions. —Phil Cooke

Keep reading for Kathleen’s report…

“I left motivated not only to apply what I learned, but also to share it with others and contribute more actively to God’s work.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

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Can you help? There’s more to do!

Ministry and training happen when Influence Lab Partners step in and support.

Your gifts have immediate and long-term impact. Give your best gift here.

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Kathleen reports:

The Muslim minaret sounds out the call to prayer in Jordan five times every day. For me, it was a constant reminder of the need for Christians to pray and create effective media to reach the nation with the good news of Jesus Christ. As it woke me up nightly, I prayed for Christians to wake up globally to the challenges that those living in predominantly Muslim countries face in sharing the redemptive story of Jesus.

In this heavily Muslim-based country where the light of Jesus is dim, Christian believers are fervently sharing Jesus and learning to do it with the use of effective media. Even while the Muslim Minarets were blaring and calling people to pray to an idol God, Christians were gathered with us to learn and grow their media skills to communicate.

“The conference helped me shift my perspective from seeking likes, views, and numbers to pursuing genuine influence and life transformation.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

The determination, faith, and joy of the Christians Phil and I connected with at this Middle Eastern media conference inspired us. Those who attended were hungry to learn and excited to connect with other Christians from across Jordan and the Middle East.

God’s remnant, living in a war zone on many levels, reminded me of the early Church and how they sacrificed so much so that Jesus might be seen and heard. This was the first media conference ever held for Christians in the region, and the almost 200 attendees couldn’t seem to get enough, wanting more from each session.

I had the opportunity to speak with Phil on a panel on how media and entertainment influence our culture, the effects it has on Gen Z, and why Christian artists need to be bold and create content that disrupts and penetrates our screens with imaginative artistic projects. I also shared the importance of creatives staying personally and actively engaged with the Bible in order to present God’s wisdom and share His redemptive story effectively through media, entertainment, music and the arts.

Kathleen shares the importance of creatives staying engaged with the Bible to effectively share the gospel through media.

During breaks and mealtimes, I connected with the women attending and encouraged them to join Influence Women and engage with our Online Chapter gatherings, webinars and other online content to continue to be emboldened as leaders and creative artists. I can’t wait to see what God will do now that they have connected and will collaborate to create change in the culture of the Middle East for the Kingdom of Christ. 

Pray for them! By using effective media infused by God’s creative spirit rather than minarets, they will change the mindsets of the Middle East’s culture. —Kathleen Cooke

“I appreciated the balance between spiritual encouragement and practical training. The content was highly relevant, and the speakers brought both wisdom and experience.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

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Kathleen with Anoud Goussous, ATHAR conference organizer.

“We are especially thankful for the contribution of Influence Women and Influence Lab… we believe the relationships formed and seeds planted during these days will continue to bear fruit throughout the Middle East and North Africa as attendees return to their ministries with renewed vision and commitment to Christ’s mission.” —ATHAR Conference Organizers, Farah Abbassi, Anoud Goussous

 

“It felt like a glimpse of heaven—a gathering of believers from different nations, backgrounds, and ministries united by one purpose: making Christ known.”

—Middle East Conference Attendee

 

 

Phil and Kathleen Cooke joined Ron Harris and Kyle Gilbert of Media Alliance International to teach alongside local Christian media professionals.

Middle East Conference attendees share more testimonies:

“I have already started applying what I learned by using more intentional visual content and focusing on meaningful impact…” —Middle East Conference Attendee

“Meeting leaders from different countries was one of the greatest blessings. We realized that many of us face similar challenges, and the relationships built here will continue long after the conference.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

“The AI workshop completely changed my perspective. Instead of fearing technology, I learned how to engage it wisely and use it as a tool to support ministry.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

Can you help? Our next outreach is coming up fast as we travel to Australia this summer. Your gift impacts nations, training pastors and communicators in digital and media strategies to share the gospel.

Become an Influence Lab Partner today and start impacting nations! Give here.

“The sessions on AI and digital tools opened my eyes to the opportunities available for ministry today. I learned how technology can be used responsibly and strategically to reach people with the Gospel…” —Middle East Conference Attendee

“What impacted me most was the reminder that technology is a tool, not the mission. Our mission remains making Christ known.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

“The conference expanded my vision for ministry… I left feeling inspired, better equipped, and more committed to using every available opportunity to share the Gospel and build God’s Kingdom.” —Middle East Conference Attendee

(Names withheld for security reasons.)

THANK YOU, INFLUENCE LAB PARTNERS. TOGETHER – WE’RE IMPACTING THE NATIONS.

Cyprus Update 2024 – Christian Media Outreach in the Muslim World

Cyprus Update 2024 – Christian Media Outreach in the Muslim World

News

“The place where the Apostle Paul and Barnabas preached 2,000 years ago is becoming a launching pad for reaching the Middle East and North Africa with the gospel.” – Phil Cooke, Co-Founder, The Influence Lab

Influence Lab partners are making a difference in Muslim countries. Phil and Kathleen Cooke traveled to the island country of Cyprus in April, joining Ron Harris and MediAlliance International to meet with proven media leaders working in the Muslim world in a confidential gathering.

Representing countries like Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco, the invitation-only gathering included leaders from SAT-7, a satellite network focused on the Middle East and North Africa, along with program producers, animators, and Christian educators from other nations – all producing Christian programming and resources for Arab and Persian audiences.

Phil reports, “The discussions were intense and fruitful, potentially paving the way for a new era in Christian media’s outreach to the Muslim world.” (Read Phil’s full report below.)

Thank you, Influence Lab partners!
Your financial gifts and prayers towards the mission of The Influence Lab have far-reaching impact in enabling pastors and Christian communicators to share the gospel in the digital age.

Next up, Kathleen will be in the UK in June and then we’re taking a full team to Ghana this August. Ready to partner with us?  Give your generous gift here. 

Cyprus is becoming a launching pad for reaching the Middle East and North Africa with the gospel.

Here’s Phil’s full report on Cyprus:
The place where the Apostle Paul and Barnabas preached 2,000 years ago is becoming a launching pad for reaching the Middle East and North Africa with the gospel…

Over the years, I’ve been invited to numerous conferences and strategy sessions on a variety of subjects, from world evangelism to Bible translation to media.

In most cases, the result of the effort is a printed “report” of the conversations, ideas, and proposals. And, in most cases, those reports get filed away in a vault somewhere, not that different from the Ark of the Covenant being stored in an unknown government warehouse at the end of the movie Indiana Jones.

Needless to say, I don’t go back to those conferences because my personality defaults toward action. Thinking and talking is fine, but at some point, I want to act.

One reason we launched The Influence Lab a number of years ago is to help the global Church understand that in today’s digital age, we need to re-think the definition of “missions.” The idea of global missions isn’t just about geographical boundaries anymore; it’s also about digital boundaries.

And if we don’t develop an effective strategy for including the media in fulfilling the Great Commission, we’ll fall short.

The discussions were intense and fruitful, potentially paving the way for a new era in Christian media’s outreach to the Muslim world.

That’s why Kathleen and I were thrilled to join Ron Harris and Media Alliance this past week in Cyprus. Ron and his team have been working in this part of the world for years, developing relationships and building trust. We invited proven media leaders working in the Muslim world to a confidential gathering, and the discussions were intense and fruitful, potentially paving the way for a new era in Christian media’s outreach to the Muslim world.

This gathering was a small group of about 17 leaders, and they represented countries like Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt, and Morocco. They included leaders from SAT-7, a satellite network focused on the Middle East and North Africa, along with program producers, animators, and Christian educators from other nations- all producing Christian programming and resources for Arab and Persian audiences.

As Americans, we can’t travel to many of these countries right now, but they can come out, so we picked the island country of Cyprus because of its strategic location in relation to the Middle East and North Africa.

The first thing you discover is that each country and culture is different, and a strategy for one doesn’t necessarily work for others.

That’s why our goal was to encourage local indigenous leaders to produce programming for audiences they know and understand.

Obviously, much of what we discussed has to stay confidential because of the high-pressure environment where they are working. I was reminded of a similar session we led in Cairo a number of years ago that included two experienced Iranian filmmakers. After the training, they left behind their study notes because they couldn’t take the chance of Iranian customs officials discovering them in their luggage.

But our hope is that the discussions we had this week will lead to future opportunities for sessions that will include training, strategy, and inspiration and grow to include more Christian program producers, filmmakers, social media experts, church media producers, and others.

And I can tell you this: the stories we heard of Muslims whose lives had been transformed after watching or listening to Christian media programming were incredible. Remember that places in the Muslim world where Christian missionaries cannot go are still accessible by media. And it’s worth mentioning that a younger generation of Muslims is growing dissatisfied with the hypocrisy they see in the lives of their religious leaders and are looking elsewhere for purpose and fulfillment.

That’s why this moment is so important.

It’s your prayers, financial support, and encouragement that are making this happen. I’ll keep you updated in future posts as I receive reports of the ideas and strategies being introduced across the Middle East and North Africa.

There is amazing news to come!

Partner with The Influence Lab here. 

This article first appeared on PhilCooke.com here.