The past few weeks have been a whirlwind in the Middle East, culminating with a U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
One question that’s been especially on my mind: What’s happening with the church in Iran?
I’ve spent the past decade walking alongside the Iranian Church, and the past few weeks getting updates from Iranian believers as they’ve lived through the reality of what we’ve all been watching on the news.
Here are a few personal reflections on how the Iranian church is doing, and how we can pray for believers in one of the hardest places in the world to be a Christian.
A Mixture of Fear and Hope
Last week, Christian friends in Iran frantically texted me from Tehran as bombs dropped around their neighborhoods. Some even sent me personal videos tracking explosions in the near distance. I can assure you: the videos were terrifying. These Christians were scared and wanted this conflict to end as soon as possible.
Iranian Christians living outside of the country had a different reaction. They spoke with hopes of regime change. After all, it’s this regime that forced them to flee their homeland. Christians in Iran face serious persecution, and many have fled the oppression.
Though the conflict has cooled for now, I don’t think regime change will be easily achieved. The government reaches into every aspect of Iranian society, and those in power really have no place to go. They are committed to their vision of an Islamic Republic, even to naive proportions. Even if the regime changed, it is not clear what would replace it.
But before asking where that leaves the church, it’s helpful to remember how the Iranian church got to where it is today.
A Church That Wasn’t Always Persecuted
Prior to the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, people from historically Christian backgrounds, like Assyrians and Armenians, worshipped freely in Iran. They had seminaries, and Western missionaries openly proclaimed the gospel.
After the founding of the Islamic Republic, this continued for a time. But surprisingly, there were very few converts from Muslim backgrounds, and almost no successful church planting activities among the larger Farsi-speaking population.
Despite struggles and persecution, and wars, God is sovereign, and the Iranian Church survives
In the early to mid-1990s, the Iranian government decided to crack down on all Christian activities in Farsi, and things began to pivot. A series of murders of significant church leaders—and the public execution of Rev. Hossein Soodmand for apostasy—led to the founding of the Iranian House Church Movement.
This movement was largely led by Christians from historic Christian backgrounds (Armenian and Assyrian) and a new group of Muslim background believers. Over the past 30 years, this movement has grown to have a nationwide and regional impact.
The Iranian government’s constant harassment and arrest of believers and church leaders continues to force many to leave Iran. And many find themselves in difficult refugee situations in neighboring countries.
A Church With Real Struggles
For the past decade, I’ve lived in the region and walked alongside the Iranian Church. And I constantly hear people say the church inside Iran is the fastest-growing church in the world. Is this accurate? I think it’s very difficult to say.
After years of interacting with many other ministries and Christian leaders, I agree there’s an extremely high interest in Jesus among Iranians. This interest is coupled with their deep disgust in the way their country has been governed by a Shia clerical class guilty of continued human rights abuses.
In the early 2000’s, with the rise of satellite television and the internet, there was a surge of interest and growth in the church. But the growth has been difficult to sustain because, sadly, there’s often a lack of theological depth and healthy leadership.
Simply put, while the church expanded in width, it did not grow in depth. Much of what we have today in Iran is a protest movement in desperate need of theological direction. Many today think that online ministry will solve this problem, but the needs are much deeper.
Praying for the Iranian Church
Given that regime change is unlikely, how can we support the church inside Iran?
First, we have to remember what it really means to live under persecution and oppression. Christians face threats of harassment and arrest from the outside, and even dangers of exposure from inside the church.
Imagine the prospect of losing your job, your freedom, or the custody of your children. It’s why it’s hard for many interested in Jesus to find faith and participate in Christian community. It’s why every Sunday when I gather with my local church, I think about them and pray for them to have the courage and conviction to gather in local churches. We must remember them in their struggles.
We can also pray for leaders to rise up with a desire for God’s glory and the good of his church. In a place like Iran, pastoring a local church requires a deep belief that the gathering of God’s people is enacting cosmic realities.
Just last week, I sat with a Persian brother who has spent the past 15 years laboring to train leaders one-on-one, and he admitted to me, “I’m discouraged.” He went on to say how hard it is to find men of deep character who have a sincere love of the Bible and the people of God. I assured him that’s not just a Persian problem, but a worldwide problem. Still, we should pray for strong shepherds to lead weak and vulnerable flocks.
Finally, we can be discerning in our partnerships. There are many ministries today focused on the church in Iran, but few are doing the heavy lifting needed for deep discipleship. I’ve often experienced substantial discouragement about this myself. Please pray for our work as we seek to disciple Iranian believers, strengthen churches, and connect them with needed resources.
Despite struggles and persecution and wars, God is sovereign, and the Iranian Church survives. Let’s pray God continues to give his people patient endurance and encouragement in Christ, and that Jesus will continue to be made known.
To learn more, check out Radical’s documentary series on Iran and our work in countries with urgent spiritual and physical needs.
