Gospel Seeds among the Fulani

Mark is a mobiliser at Serving in Mission and has spent several years ministering to members of the Fulani – an ethnic group located in the West of Africa. Here he reflects on his experiences and the challenges of spreading the Gospel to the Fulani population.

My family and I arrived in West Africa towards the end of 2000 with a vision to engage in gospel ministry among the Fulani. Before attending Bible college in the mid-1990s, we had never heard of this people group, but we soon learned that they were among the largest unreached peoples in the world, spread right across West Africa.Traditionally semi-nomadic cattle herders, the Fulani maintain a strong cultural identity, with Islam deeply influencing community life and worldview. To us, arriving in West Africa felt like stepping onto another planet, yet this sense intensified when we moved to a Sahelian town in the north, where the Fulfulde language—not French—filled the streets, markets, and compounds. It was here that our ministry began, recognising that if we failed to get a good grasp of the language, then we would never be able to communicate Christ effectively.

Our initial impression of the Fulani was that they were, by nature, rather reserved, and we soon realised that meaningful relationships would take time. Trust could not be rushed; it had to be earned slowly through patience, consistency, and a willingness to enter into their world. This was not a ministry of quick results, but one requiring long-term investment and faithfulness. Gradually, as we adapted to the culture and learned the language, relationships began to form and deepen. Although Islam shaped Fulani identity, for many it was practised more through tradition and outward customs than through a deep understanding of its teachings. Few understood Arabic, despite memorising portions of the Qur’an from childhood, and as I visited compounds and villages, I was often struck by people’s openness to hearing Scripture in their own language. Men would gather to listen as passages from the Bible were read aloud in Fulfulde. For many, it was the first time they had encountered God’s Word in a language they could fully understand. This often led to sincere and meaningful conversations about faith and the gospel.

I would like to say that we saw many Fulani come to Christ during our years there, but much of our role felt like sowing seeds and trusting God to bring growth in His time. We were only a small part of a far greater story than we could fully comprehend. Even now, we continue to pray that the seeds planted by us and by many other mission workers will one day bear lasting fruit.

The Fulani in this part of the world are under tremendous pressure from many sides. They face pressure to join extremist groups on the one side, while also experiencing violence and discrimination because of their ethnicity on the other. In many places, Western mission workers are no longer able to minister to this increasingly marginalized people. Yet the young Fulani church is taking up the task of not only reaching its own people but also crossing both physical and cultural borders with the gospel.

I have attended a number of meetings with my Fulani brother and sisters in Christ over the years,  and when asked, ‘how we can best pray for them in the midst of such challenges?’ Surprisingly, they do not ask prayer for protection, as one might expect. Instead, they ask for courage—the courage to continue proclaiming Christ to their own people despite growing opposition.

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