As I type this, I’m sitting outside of a coffeehouse across the street from the Mediterranean Sea. This historic body of water is about 40 yards away from me right now. My mind can’t help but to think about the book of Acts and how the Apostle Paul walked these streets. Somewhere along the shore line in front of me, Paul and Barnabus “sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” (Acts 14:26-27) Incredible.
It’s BARELY warm enough to be outside, but it’s been a week filled with international flights and a few days of bitter cold rainstorms in Istanbul. We are happy to be outside and in the sun. We arrived here in Antalya, Turkey (Attalia in Acts) yesterday. After checking into our hotel, Owens Hall and I immediately went to the recording studio—tucked into the basement of an apartment complex—where we’ll be working throughout the week.
There’s something deeply exciting about being here. Not only because we’re in the city where Paul concluded his first missionary journey, but also because of the work we are engaged in this week.
This trip really does epitomize the vision and the three main “paths” of One Bridge. Let me explain and even use this trip/project as a case study on why we are starting this new organization.
Why Turkey? Why now?
This trip to Turkey marks the first official project of One Bridge. How did we get here?
It all began with close friend and One Bridge partner, Craig Clarke. Craig knew I was planning an exploratory trip to Turkey and asked if I could check in on a friend of his named Ozgur—a “Turkish pastor who does all kinds of cool things.” Craig’s church regularly prays for and supports Ozgur and his family.
So, my friend Ru Sen—who serves with our partner ministry, Multiply—and I met Ozgur in the lobby of a hotel in Istanbul. From the very first conversation, Ru and I were struck by Ozgur’s vision, energy, and evident kindness. His passion for Jesus and his home country of Turkey was unmistakable. He longs for the Turkish people to encounter the Jesus who has so radically and wonderfully transformed his own life. It quickly became clear to both of us that Ozgur is not only a pastor but also a bold entrepreneur and a missional leader of the highest order.
During our meeting, Ozgur shared a powerful vision: he and several other Turkish Christian leaders were determined to “flood the Turkish internet with Christian content.”
Here’s why: Right now, if someone in Turkey searches online for questions like “What is Christianity?” “How do I become a Christian?” or “Is Jesus real?”—the results are almost entirely articles written by those hostile to the faith (primarily Muslim). Ozgur and his colleagues are passionate about changing that narrative, ensuring that seekers can find truthful, life-giving content about Jesus in their own language, by their own people.
That conversation with Ozgur happened in September 2022.
The creation of Tiranus
Well, in just over twelve months they;
- started learning video production
- raised funds and built a cost-effective, yet very impressive, audio-video studio
- Enlisted some the best Christian thinkers and teachers in southern Turkey be involved
They started posting videos under the name Tiranus on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram in late 2023. In less than 14 months, their videos have received over 3.5 million views—almost all from within Turkey! Once again, I say—incredible.
When I visited here in November of last year, I met with their leadership.
“Is there anything we at One Bridge can partner with you on? Anything at all?” I asked.
Their response was immediate and very specific.
The building of a partnership
They were thrilled—yet a bit overwhelmed—by the incredible response to their video content. Millions of views! Suddenly, they found themselves engaging with an abundance of people, mainly Muslims, who were reaching out to learn more about Christianity. This response was beyond their hopes and dreams.
However, it also revealed a major challenge: Right now, Tiranus can only communicate through messaging within social media platforms. It’s painfully inefficient and incredibly time-consuming.
What they truly needed was a dedicated website—a place to point interested visitors where they could:
- Learn more about Jesus,
- Chat with a real Turkish believer, and
- Find information about churches in their own hometowns.
For security reasons, the website had to be hosted outside of Turkey. It also needed to be robust and sophisticated—capable of handling thousands, even tens of thousands, of visitors while effectively presenting complex and deeply meaningful content.
Upon getting back to the States in late November, I put out word over our very small, but quickly growing One Bridge network. Within a week, a world-class web design team had formed. They were eager to serve alongside Ozgur and the other Turkish leaders.
We held several Zoom sessions throughout December and January as a team with Ozgur. And now, this week, two of us are here on the ground in Turkey, meeting extensively with their staff and team members. In two weeks, we’ll continue the work back in the States when Ozgur happens to be in Atlanta!
Our goal: To have the website fully operational within weeks. The potential impact is almost incalculable.
In one of the most unreached nations on earth, the people of Turkey will soon have far greater access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ—taught by Turks, for Turks.
How this fits in with One Bridge
I’m excited that this partnership between Tiranus and One Bridge is the first project of our new organization.This collaboration truly epitomizes what we hope to accomplish as a One Bridge network. As I shared in my last article, our vision follows three distinct yet overlapping paths: Increasing Resources, Curated Learning, and Engagement Opportunities.
Increasing Resources
Tiranus is a ministry we deeply believe in, led by people we trust and admire. They are doing incredible work for the Gospel, and we are grateful to help them reach where God has called them. In this case, the key resource we’re providing is a world-class website—a tool that will expand their impact and connect more seekers to the message of Jesus.
Curated Learning
I can’t wait to record podcast interviews with Ozgur and many other Christian men and women here in Turkey. Their stories are powerful. As believers living in a predominantly Muslim society—most of them having come to faith from Islam—they have experienced incredible challenges and hardships. Yet, their faith, hope, and love are clear and inspiring.
We have so much to learn from them. On future trips, I look forward to exploring how we can share their wisdom with the American church. In fact, while Ozgur is in Atlanta, we’re planning a special opportunity for you to meet him and hear firsthand about the church in Turkey.
Please join us after dinner on March 3rd in Atlanta! I’ll share the exact location in the coming days.
Engagement Opportunities
The entire American team working on this project is thrilled to be serving alongside Ozgur and the leaders here. Each member is a skilled professional in web design and branding spaces. More importantly, they are faithful followers of Jesus who are passionate about using their talents for the expansion of the Gospel.
Time and time again, they’ve told me how excited they are to be part of this mission. Honestly, it has been a joy for me to work alongside them and witness their hearts for the Kingdom.
And this is what One Bridge does. This time, it’s building a website for the church in Turkey. Next time, it might be helping leaders in China pursue their vision for a hybrid online, underground seminary. Or partnering with an education center in Central Asia that’s reaching university students with the Gospel.
It’s going to be fun. Please join us in building One Bridge out!
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. . .