This article explores the history of Protestantism in the Middle East from the creation of the Protestant missions by the American, British and German evangelicals in the early nineteenth century to the indigenous Protestant churches that have resulted from that missionary work. It focuses on the initial desire by the missionaries to reform the indigenous Christian communities, the tensions that that approach created and the emphasis upon educational and medical ministry that developped as the reformation/conversion strategy failed. It seeks to clarify the causes and effects of the Protestant presence through a serie of significant questions that deal with the identity of the Protestants; the reasons behind their choice of timing and locales; the motivating factors behind their missions; their goals and their gradual adjustment to the prevailing conditions; the details of their work, with a particular focus on Lebanon/Syria, Palestine/Jordan and Persia/Iraq; and finally, the impact and present status of the Protestant presence.‬