People in Mongolia are open to Christianity, according to Australian Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Graeme Christian.

Out of a population of 2.5 million, there are only 400 Adventists in Mongolia today. And this small number of Adventists has only come about in the last several years. It is for the reason of establishing a supportive relationship with Seventh-day Adventist believers in Australia that the Australian church is partnering with the growing Adventist faith community in Mongolia. They call it a “Mission Mongolia” project.

The goal of the initiative is to establish a supportive cooperation between the two church communities: in Australia—which has a membership of more than 50,000—and in Mongolia, a traditionally nomadic country that had no Adventist presence until 1993.

The church in Mongolia is young—not just in years in existence, but in age of members. Young people from Australia will work as missionaries in eight Mongolian towns where evangelistic programs will be held in partnership between the Australian Union Conference, or region, and the Mongolia Mission of the church.

“Mongolia is a land of opportunity, a place where the message of the soon return of Jesus is basically unknown,” says Graeme Christian, ministerial secretary for the Australian Union Conference and Mission Mongolia project coordinator. “Under Communism every religion was outlawed, so people basically have no understanding of God. Yet they are open and interested in learning.”

At this stage in the project the church is gathering teams to send to Mongolia later this year. “We are receiving a good response from our ministers and laity in Australia,” Christian says. “We have produced a [presentation packet] outlining the dream and the strategy, and this is being used around Australia to communicate with church [members].”

There are many ways, other than evangelism, of supporting the project. “Many needs provide many opportunities,” Christian says. He believes that Australian Adventists can help in many ways. They can build churches, train missionaries, health professionals can provide health checks and lectures, provide music, and youth teams can help nurture and encourage Mongolian youth leadership, as the church in Mongolia is entirely led by young people.

“We want to help the church in Mongolia to grow and become well established,” says Chester Stanley, president of the Australia Union Conference who recently visited Mongolia. “With only 400 members in the country, the need for support is urgent.”

“I believe Adventists in Australia are eager to make a difference—to have a significant part in the spread of the gospel, and be part of pioneering work in new areas,” Christian says. “Mission Mongolia enables churches in Australia to take on their own project and see it through to completion to make a kingdom difference in the lives of the Mongolian people.”