There are 782 unreached people groups along the Silk Road. Here is the story of one of them, told by a Third-Culture Kid who grew up in Kazakhstan.

It is hard to define Kazakhstan. Situated on the Silk Road, the nomadic Kazakhs have a diverse history featuring the Scythians, Huns, and Turkic and Mongolian tribes. Then in the nineteenth century the Russians began moving into Central Eurasia. Eventually the Kazakhs found themselves under Russian and later Soviet rule. Ethnic groups deported to Kazakhstan by the Soviet regime further created a land of contrasting ethnicities.

By the time the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the Kazakhs had known 120 years of Russian government, economy, language, and culture. The new Republic of Kazakhstan gave Kazakhs a chance not just to govern themselves but to also rebuild their national identity.

What Did it Mean to be Kazakh? Who Were the Kazakhs? And Did the Kazakhs Believe?

Freedom is a powerful force. The Soviets had tried to stamp out religion, but under the constitution adopted in 1995, Kazakhstan granted its people religious freedom. Faiths and teachings of all kinds swept across the souls of so many, including the Kazakhs.

As a result of these new freedoms, Zhanna met Jesus.

Zhanna* and I met in 1996 after my family moved to Kazakhstan. Zhanna was my family’s Russian language teacher. She also taught us about our new home, taking us to the bazaars, on public transportation, and inviting us into her home to experience the cornerstone of Kazakh culture: tea, lots and lots of tea.

Like her fellow Kazakhs, Zhanna was learning who she was as a Kazakh, not a Soviet, and in a small community of new believers, Zhanna was also learning who she was in the eyes of Jesus. I have watched her live many glorious yet difficult days with such unshakeable faith. Zhanna has remained committed to Christ even though her friends, her family, and her people have belittled her for it, because while Zhanna’s relationship with Jesus strengthened, the welcoming response to religion began to change. Kazakhstan became wary of religions it considered too extreme and dangerous.

The Climate Changes

Islam is state-approved. Russian Orthodox is also allowed, but it is considered a religion for the Russians. Religious laws passed in 2011 require religious organizations to register with a minimum requirement of 50 members. As of 2012, one third of all religious groups had shut down. Unregistered Protestants churches have gone underground.

There are 40 Kazakh-speaking churches in Kazakhstan, mostly located in the cities. However, the majority of the Kazakh population are rural, and Kazakh nationalism has elevated institutions and citizens who can speak the Kazakh language. Russian-speaking Kazakhs like Zhanna find themselves at a disadvantage. Their fellow Kazakhs look down on them for not being “Kazakh enough.”

Repeatedly in Kazakhstan you will hear, “I am Kazakh, so I am a Muslim.” The Russians, Tatars, Koreans, and one hundred other people groups that call Kazakhstan home can practice other religions, but Kazakhs are Muslim. It is a part of their identity.

To be Christian is not Kazakh.

My friend Zhanna is Kazakh, but she speaks Russian. She is Kazakh, but she she grew up in the Soviet Union. She is Kazakh, but she is also a Christian. Zhanna doesn’t fit the labels her culture dictates.

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How You Can Engage

Please pray for Kazakhs like Zhanna who are developing their identity in Christ, that they would be able to stand strong in Christ regardless of persecution from their loved ones and neighbors

Pray that the government of Kazakhstan would honor the religious freedom outlined in their constitution and allow Christians to meet legally and without fear.

Pray that Kazakh-language churches would take root in Kazakhstan.

Pray that as the Kazakhs continue to develop their identity that they will honor the human rights of all Kazakhstan’s citizens.

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