The day after the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, members of Good News Evangelical Church in Latakia, Syria, broke the padlocks that had barred entry to the church building the last 10 years and erected a new sign, a Baptist leader in neighboring Lebanon said.
Christians and other religious minorities in Syria continue to wonder about their long-term future after the fall of the Assad regime, said Charles Costa, president of the Convention of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Lebanon.
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But for now, they have experienced “some sense of relief and freedom,” he wrote in an email responding to questions from the Baptist Standard.
Michel Doclos, a French diplomat and former ambassador to Syria told An-Nahar — an Arabic-language daily newspaper in Beirut — there are some elements that “provide cautious hope because of the apparent openness of the new leader of Syria to all the societal and political elements in the country,” Costa wrote.
“This includes all the religious minorities in Syria,” he stated. “It was evident that leaders from all the religious minorities were concerned initially.”
They quickly arranged a meeting with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Al-Sharaa was a military leader of the opposition forces that led to the fall of the Assad regime and is playing a key role in establishing the transitional government.
“What they heard was encouraging but remains to be seen in the long term, as Duclos thinks the situation is still tenuous, and it is too early to make a final judgment in the matter,” Costa wrote.
“People can be hopeful, but until a clear political system is in place and a constitution is agreed upon, after the national dialogue conference is convened, no one is able to ascertain which way the country is going vis-à-vis religious minorities.”
Impact on Syrian refugees noted
Costa, vice president of the European Baptist Fellowship, serves as Middle East and North Africa coordinator for BMA Global.
He pointed to the impact the end of the Assad regime in Syria will have on more than 14 million Syrian refugees who have fled their homeland since 2011, including an estimated 1.5 million in Lebanon.
“Many refugees are excited about the potential return to Syria, but there are challenges,” he wrote. “Do they still have a place to go to? What about jobs and income? Even if safety is not an issue anymore, what about the different militias that are ruling the country without overall control?
“On the Lebanese side of the border, the expectation is that the refugees should return to relieve the stress that has overwhelmed the system in Lebanon. In addition to that, some have settled, intermarried, found jobs, rented houses. … It’s going to be difficult to disentangle the web.”
The uncertain situation also means Lebanese Baptist ministry to displaced Syrians remains in flux, he added.
“No doubt some Syrian church groups have disbanded but some continue. It will be a while before the picture becomes clear,” Costa wrote.
“Spiritual ministry to those who are here will continue, but we would like to shift ministry focus to Syria itself. Supporting church plants and churches in Syria is becoming a paramount goal, as we are not certain how long this openness will remain.”
Baptists in the region are focused primarily on “helping local Baptist churches become active in reaching their communities and training more people to do the work of ministry,” he noted.
“We continue to hope and pray that the changing panorama in Syria will provide more opportunities for the gospel,” Costa concluded. “We know God will make a way for the gospel.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Ken Camp and originally published by Baptist Standard.
