Reaching the World in Our Own Backyard: A Guide to Building Relationships with People of Other Faiths and Cultures

Reaching the World in Our Own Backyard is designed as a guidebook for Christians to better understand and engage people from other countries including immigrants, foreign exchange students, and tourists. By both region and religion, author Rajendra K. Pillai explains cultural considerations and common points of reference to readers eager to share the good news of Jesus Christ with foreign-born individuals.

Between 1990 and 2000, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism–along with many other religions–grew at a record pace, due heavily to immigration and conversion. During this same period of time the number of people who call themselves Christians dropped by 9 percent. Meanwhile, 98 percent of churches experienced non-growth or declines in attendance.

Rajendra K. Pillai was born in Calcutta, India. Having grown up in a Hindu nation and in a Muslim neighborhood, he was acutely conscious of being in the minority as a Christian believer. Rajendra has a passion for relating to and reaching people of other cultures. He has an MBA in Global Economic Development from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, and conducts corporate training in cross-cultural and management issues for organizations including the USDA, National Institutes of Health, the FBI and several other public and private organizations. He also speaks at churches and conferences across the country.