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Unprecedented Opportunity in Syria

GACX // Finishing Fund Proposal

Finishing Fund Grant x GACX: Reach Syria

Executive Summary

This proposal outlines a collaborative church planting initiative in the As Suwayda region of Syria, followed by expansion into Aleppo and Damascus. This joint effort is led by Operation Mobilization (OM) and Antioch Ministries International (AMI) in partnership with local believers and Waha. Over a 3-year period, the project will intentionally seek to “finish the task” within this territory by identifying 100+ unchurched villages and working to establish at least one healthy, multiplying church in each location—with the ultimate goal of planting 100+ churches by 2029.

The project will engage two distinct unreached groups: the Druze in As Suwayda and the Sunni Arabs in the urban centers of Aleppo and Damascus. By equipping local disciple-makers with the Waha app and digital-to-physical coaching pathways, we will catalyze sustainable church multiplication in a region just re-opening to the world.

With a total budget of $100,000, this initiative aligns directly with the Finishing Fund’s ACHIEVE vision of A Church In Every Village Everywhere and the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication’s commitment to collaborative, locally led impact.

1. Project Overview

Problem: A Hidden Harvest in a Reawakening Syria

We know there is a harvest around us in Syria—specifically in As Suwayda—but we have trouble identifying where that harvest is. Traditional methods of broad evangelism are often too risky or costly. However, Syria is at a unique juncture in history.

After a fourteen-year conflict, large numbers of Syrian refugees are returning home, many having encountered Christ while displaced. Simultaneously, the “digital gates” have swung open. With the recent removal of social media ad sanctions against Syria (October 2025), we have a fleeting window of opportunity to use digital tools to identify these “secret believers” who are desiring to become fruitful disciple-makers but lack the “how-to.”

Many of our co-workers are now able to travel freely into Syria to train and coach local believers. By partnering with the small community of returning missionaries and local believers, we can use digital ads to filter for “Persons of Peace” and connect them to these on-the-ground trainers.

Case Study:

(Please do not share for security purposes) In a restricted-access nation in the Middle East, a partner team implemented an approach focused on identifying spiritually responsive, pre-existing believers. The team launched social media ads inviting isolated believers into short, obedience-based Discovery Bible Study (DBS) lessons.

Only those who demonstrated both obedience and sharing continued to the next lesson. This naturally filtered out those who were not yet ready, while allowing committed believers to receive increased investment. After completing 20 online lessons, one believer had started and multiplied dozens of in-person discovery groups, reaching more than 1,000 people—with 185 making baptism commitments.

Our Collaborative Solution

Our goal is to connect these “Pauls” (isolated, zealous believers) to “Ananiases” (local coaches/trainers). By 2029, we aim to plant 100 healthy, multiplying churches.

We will:

Hook: Work with OM to run targeted ads to find secret believers of peace.

Study: Engage these believers in Waha Micro-Lessons, built specifically for this use case.

Filter: Leverage an AI-assisted review process to identify believers demonstrating disciple-making potential.

Multiply: Transition those that we found to OM/AMI leads for WhatsApp and in-person follow-up.

Deploy: Pray, coach, and train these disciple-makers to plant churches in their specific village.

Implementing Organizations (GACX Members):

Operation Mobilization (OM): Specific to this project, OM and AMI have been working together for five years to engage the Levant with Gospel outreach on social media.

Role: Running Ads, Local Disciple Making, and Church Planting.

Antioch Ministries International (AMI): The particular personnel involved in this project have twenty years of experience in the region and seven years of relevant experience in media outreach.

Role: Local Disciple Making and Church Planting.

Accelerator Organizations:

Waha: Formed in 2020, Waha is now used in 170+ countries across 45 languages. In the last two years, Waha has been used in Syria and surrounding countries to plant over 800 churches (a 500% increase).

Role: Ad strategy, collaboration, mini-DBS filtering systems, and localized content (500+ topical DBS).

Biblica: Providing the Al Hayat Bible Translation.

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2. Reach Outline

Primary People Groups:

Druze: Concentrated in the As Suwayda region. An unreached minority faith that blends Islamic, Gnostic, and Neoplatonic beliefs.

Sunni Arabs: The majority population in Aleppo and Damascus. Recently returning to power post-civil war; many are returning refugees who encountered the Gospel abroad but lack community inside Syria.

Estimated Population:

Druze: ~500,000 – 550,000 (As Suwayda)

Sunni Arabs: ~3 Million (Aleppo & Damascus)

Primary Languages: Syrian Arabic, Lebanese Arabic

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3. Costs/Timeline

Project Duration: March 2026 – March 2029 Requested Grant Amount: $100,000 Total Project Budget: $100,000 Geographic Territory: Syria (As Suwayda, Aleppo, Damascus)

Coordination Rhythm:

Weekly: Prayer and planning calls for the first month.

Monthly: Meetings focused on prayer, reporting, and joint planning.

Quarterly: Strategy reviews to pivot ad spend/copy based on performance.

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4. Phases of the Project

Phase 1: Survey & Development

Survey the field to verify and commit to 100+ strategic unchurched villages/neighborhoods across As Suwayda, Aleppo, and Damascus.

Commit to pray for these villages by name.

Waha to develop the filtration journey specifically focused on the Druze context in As Suwayda and adapt existing Levant content for Sunni.

Phase 2: Implementation & Engagement

Run ads to start the filtration process.

Find “Believers of Peace” ready to continue engagement and populate this in list form.

Waha hands this list to OM/AMI for transition to in-person meetings.

Phase 3: Church Planting & Multiplication

Implementers train these believers in DMM to plant churches in the strategic villages.

Church planters leverage technology to report churches planted according to a multiplication tree.

Result: To plant 100 healthy, local, and multiplying churches across As Suwayda and urban Syria through local leaders.

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5. Sustainability

Agility: Because this starts with digital ads, we can pivot strategies based on trends and security variables. Ad performance analytics allow for swift action.

Scalability: We can throttle ads to yield more or fewer leads depending on the implementers’ ability to keep up with demand in a healthy, sustainable way.

Indigenous Ownership: Although this starts through our member organizations, the goal is to raise up indigenous leaders. The main implementers are seasoned Arab-background DMM trainers whose cultural awareness ensures the movement remains locally rooted.

The Tool: The Waha app equips believers with low-cost, reproducible models for disciple-making. It puts a “church-planting tool” in their pocket that requires no ongoing funding to use.

Beyond Funding: If the goal of planting 100 churches in As Suwayda is reached under budget, our commitment is to divert funds to surrounding regions (Aleppo/Damascus) to ensure more unchurched villages are reached.

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6. Expected Outcomes & Impact

Three-Year Targets:

Unchurched villages engaged: 100+

New churches planted: 100

Disciple-makers trained: 120

Leaders developed: 120

Multiplication Vision: Movements embody a multiplying vision where the Gospel spreads through reproducing disciples, churches, and leaders. Rather than focusing on isolated conversions, this vision emphasizes ordinary believers obeying Jesus and forming simple, reproducible churches within their relational networks.

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7. Budget Summary

Total 3-Year Budget: $100,000

Structure, Strategy, Content:

Chatfuel/Automation: $1,000 ($333/year)

Labor (Setup & Content Building): $2,000

Labor (Follow-up Chatbot & Posts): $18,000 ($500/month)

Advertisements: $36,000 ($1,000/month)

Technology Setup (CRM, AI Filtering, Micro-lessons): $20,000

Localized Playbooks: $3,000

Project Management Oversight: $7,000

Training & Admin:

In-person DMM Training (One-time): $2,100 (Flights to neutral location + Accommodation/Food for Syrian team)

Admin Fees: $5,000 (Operational admin fee for OM project owner)

Buffer/Contingency: $5,900 (Reserved for ad spend pivots or extra travel)

Total: $100,000

Cost Effectiveness:

Waha currently averages around $40 per leader trained. We anticipate this number to decrease as we scale ads and identify winning campaigns.

Because Syria Ad sanctions have just lifted, we’re basing success off ads running in surrounding areas or on the border. OM/AMI are currently seeing the Cost per conversation at $.67.

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8. Organizational Capacity & Track Record

OM (Operation Mobilization): Founded in the 1960s, OM has extensive experience in long-term church planting and discipleship. Specific to this project, OM and AMI have been working together for five years to engage the Levant with Gospel outreach on social media.

Antioch Ministries International (AMI): A church planting organization started in 1993, AMI emphasizes sending missionaries to the least reached. The personnel involved in this project have twenty years of experience in the region and seven years of relevant experience in media outreach.

Waha: Created in 2020, Waha is a technology non-profit leveraging a DBS app now used in 170+ countries. Leaders from YouVersion, Biblica, Pioneers, and Frontiers have partnered with Waha to see generations of multiplication.

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9. Monitoring, Reporting & Accountability

Regular internal progress reviews.

Ongoing communication between partners.

Training church planters to use a multiplication map to track growth.

Reporting in alignment with Finishing Fund requirements.

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10. Conclusion

This collaborative proposal represents a focused, measurable, and achievable effort to finish the task within a defined territory by planting 100+ churches by 2029. With the catalytic opportunity presented by the Finishing Fund, our organizations will effectively empower local believers to see every remaining unchurched community gain access to a healthy, multiplying church.

Primary Contact Person: Name: Vince Kanagaraj Email: Vince@waha.app Organization: Waha

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