SIM North Africa

North Africa is the least reached region on earth but the gospel is slowly making inroads into the minds and hearts of the more than 100 million Arabs and Berbers who live there. Our multicultural North Africa team serve in several countries in the region, following Christ to where His name is not yet known, sharing the gospel and planting churches.

 

Key Ministries

  • Business and community outreach
    SIM workers across North Africa are building Kingdom-focused businesses that provide employment and foster community engagement. These enterprises serve as opportunities for gospel witness and relationship-building, particularly among urban youth and the unemployed.
     
  • Education and technical projects
    Teams are reaching the next generation through teaching and vocational training. Education offers a bridge into communities and a chance to model the love and truth of Christ in both word and deed.  
  • Medical work and trauma healing
    Some team members serve in healthcare, offering physical and emotional support through clinics, trauma healing programmes, and community health initiatives. Their presence brings tangible hope and opens doors for gospel conversations.  
  • Discipleship and local church support
    SIM partners with the small and often fragile North African church, offering pastoral care, leadership development, and discipleship training. Workers walk alongside local believers, strengthening the body of Christ in difficult contexts.  
  • Creative ministries and arts engagement
    The team is exploring the power of arts and media – particularly music and visual storytelling – as tools to share gospel truth and connect with hearts in culturally meaningful ways.

Spiritual Landscape in North Africa

North Africa has deep Christian roots, once home to prominent early church figures such as Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and the martyrs Perpetua and Felicity. However, centuries of Islamic dominance have left churches in ruins and Christian communities scattered. 

Today, fewer than 0.03 per cent of the population are believers. Many face persecution from family, society, or government. Small gatherings of Christians exist across the region, but often struggle with isolation, limited leadership and mistrust. Despite this, seeds of faith are being sown and the gospel continues to take root quietly. 

Communities Where Christ is Least Known

Urban youth

Youth unemployment is high: over 40% in some areas. Many young people feel invisible or rejected by society. SIM supports the creation of businesses that offer employment and mentorship, giving young people hope and introducing them to the transforming love of Christ.

People in need

The poorest communities in North Africa often remain deeply rooted in Islam. Education, capacity building, and personal relationships can open hearts and minds. SIM partners with local initiatives to bring transformation and to walk alongside the most marginalised.

Contact SIM North Africa

Email: Connect@sim.org

Please pray

  • For persecuted believers, some imprisoned, many traumatised and almost all ostracised by their families
  • For unity in the tiny church
  • For more business people, professionals and skilled tradespeople to obey God’s call to North Africa
  • For young people who are searching for truth; may they hear the gospel and follow Jesus
  • For boldness, love and wisdom in equal measure for all our workers in these hard places
  • For one country team as they develop their leadership and for other teams to grow through partnerships and the mobilising of many more workers
  • For people of peace and openness amongst nomadic peoples

Latest stories from around SIM

Story/Testimony
07 April 2026

Jack, a former car body painter from rural northern Thailand, has become the surprising cornerstone of a new church plant after a dramatic encounter with J...

Read more
Story/Testimony
20 March 2026

Gary and Jo-Anne thought retirement would mean slowing down but instead, they stepped onto the pitch. Through weekly neighbourhood football sessions and pr...

Read more
Story/Testimony
17 March 2026

Maffra Community Church has spent more than 30 years proving that global mission doesn’t always begin with travel. Through faithful partnership with SIM ...

Read more
Story/Testimony
27 February 2026

More than 40 nations gathered in Nairobi for the Trauma Healing Institute’s Global Community of Practice, the first held outside North America, celebrati...

Read more
Story/Testimony
24 February 2026

When a new mum found herself overwhelmed by depression and doubts about her worth, SIM mission worker and psychologist Gina McConley stepped in with gentle...

Read more
Story/Testimony
20 February 2026

Stephanie served in Syria and Lebanon for over 25 years, sharing the gospel, supporting migrant workers, and co-founding a daycare that still cares for 75 ...

Read more
Story/Testimony
17 February 2026

After 13 years serving in Benin with SIM, Sarah and Lee have returned to Germany, their sending country. Lee, who served as a finance manager and later tea...

Read more
Story/Testimony
06 February 2026

A young Muslim boy in a remote village encounters the love of Jesus through a Christian school. As trust grows, Abdu discovers the truth of the gospel, bra...

Read more
Story/Testimony
03 February 2026

After stepping into mission work at 26, Jang Doo‑Sik discovered that calling rarely comes with certainty. Today, as only 2% of Generation Z are reached w...

Read more
Story/Testimony
20 January 2026

For mission workers, a prayer letter is a way of inviting others into the story God is writing. SIM mission worker Mark Azzopardi reflects on how to write ...

Read more
Story/Testimony
16 January 2026

In the glittering cities of the Arabian peninsula, one worker’s encounters with migrant lifeguards become a vivid reminder of the urgent call for Christi...

Read more
Story/Testimony
13 January 2026

In West Timor, where poverty and limited opportunities leave families vulnerable to exploitation, anti-trafficking work is focused on walking alongside com...

Read more