Churches across the UK are reaching out to Muslims who want to or who have already converted from Islam.

A new "Joining the Family" course is the second in a series of three produced by the missionary charity Interserve.

The first course is called Friendship First. The Interserve website states: "It enables Christians to approach their Muslim friends with confidence by equipping them with the skill and resources needed to be an effective witness to Jesus Christ.

"Growing from an initial response to the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks the Friendship First approach has grown into a successful course now running across Britain and beyond. It has transformed the way Christians relate the gospel to the Muslims they come into contact with."

About Joining the Family, the website continues: "Joining a church community is difficult for a believer from Muslim background. Joining the Family equips your church to welcome them so that they can be a significant and enriching part of the family."

Canon Phil Rawlings, interfaith officer for the Church of England in Oldham and one of the architects of the course, said at the launch of the resource this week: "People joining churches from such a background show us what family is really all about. They are way ahead of us. We have to change our churches if we are to see them grow in Christ."

Rawlings added: "Many converts have lost their families and face financial loss and physical threat. Our British reserve is often deemed as rejection. We are perceived to be more interested in services than community. 'See you next Sunday' simply isn't good enough. Building a relationship takes time and hospitality is very important.

"In the long term we are looking to develop a movement, a network of people available to Christian leaders to offer advice and help."

Iranian Christian Reza Jaffari, who converted after his mother became a Christian, said: "We are looking for family inside the church. When my mother became a pastor, all the young people from a Muslim background called her 'Mum'. They were missing their own families."

Also speaking at the launch, the leading evangelical writer and pastor Dr Michael Green said: "In current mission activity we are seeing a reluctance from British students in making a commitment to Christ. Many more are taking that step from other cultures, mainly Islam. Is the church ready to receive them? No. Will this resource help? Yes."

All three parts of the Trio course are made up of film clips, a participants' workbook, a facilitators' guide and accompanying book. Church groups can run the course themselves without outside help.

The project's core group is made up of church leaders, Christians from a Muslim background and members of different mission agencies. The teaching content includes 25 interviews with Christian believers of Muslim background and experienced mentors speaking from the heart.

Tim Green of Interserve and Mojdeh Hawkesley of Elam Ministries co-present the course. The production is by Interserve with Carfax Media in partnership with Elam Ministries and the Mahabba Network. The resources are published by Kitab.org.uk.