“Iran, overcome with a faith the world was not worthy!”
the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.(Hebrews 11:38,NIV)
》 Country Profile
Continent | Middle East
Population | 86 million
Area | 1,648,195㎢, located between the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south.
Capital City | Tehran (9.26 million)
People Groups | Total 94 groups: Persians 45%, Azerbaijanis 19.7%, Kurds 8.7%, Gilaks 3.5%, Mazandaranis 2.9%
Unreached People Groups | 84 (99.6% of the population)
Official Language(s) | Persian
Total Languages | 81
Bible Translations | Complete 26, New Testament 5, Partial 13
Religion | Christianity 1.9% (Independent 0.6%, Orthodox 1.12%), Islam 97.5%, Other 0.3%,Evangelicals 0.5% (approximately 450,000 people)
》 About Iran
Iran, once the center of the ancient Persian Empire, bears traces of Christianity dating back to the early church era. It is said that Thaddeus, one of Jesus’ 70 disciples, preached the gospel there. However, after the spread of Islam in the 7th century and the Safavid dynasty’s adoption of Shia Islam as the state religion in the 16th century, Christianity rapidly declined. Protestant Christianity began in 1811 when British missionary Henry Martyn translated the Bible into Persian, and in 1855, the first Presbyterian church in Iran was established. However, with the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Pahlavi dynasty was overthrown, and the Islamic Republic led by Ruhollah Khomeini was established, implementing a comprehensive Islamization policy. All foreign Christian missionaries were expelled, and church activities came under strict control. The government considers Muslims who convert to Christianity as “apostates.” Iran views Christianity as a tool of Western cultural infiltration and a threat to national security. As a result, many Christian leaders have been arrested and tortured, and even today, house churches meet in secret. Nevertheless, evangelical churches are growing the fastest in the Middle East, and it is estimated that there are currently over 1.2 million Christians. Despite persecution, the Iranian church continues to testify to the gospel with unwavering faith.
》 Scripture Focus
| Hebrews 11:33–38(NIV) 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. |
》 Prayer Points
1. Iran is one of the fastest-growing nations in the world for Christianity, where revival is actively taking place. Even though Christianity is illegal, millions of Iranians are abandoning Islam and converting to Christ despite the risk of imprisonment, torture, or execution. According to Open Doors International, more than 1.2 million believers now live in areas beyond the reach of Iran’s brutal regime, meeting secretly in underground house churches. The suffering endured by the church in persecution has become a bridge between Islam and Christianity, creating unprecedented opportunities for growth. Let us pray that both Iran’s leaders and its people will be moved by the unshakable faith of Christians and come to deeply long for the gospel and true spiritual life.
2. Let us pray that the gospel of the cross will continue to spread powerfully throughout Iran through every available means, igniting further revival. Although the church is under heavy persecution, Iran leads the world in gospel growth, with a 19.6% evangelization rate. Many Iranians have encountered Jesus through satellite broadcasts or divine visions and dreams. Christian networks such as SAT-7 PARS, Nejat TV, and MOHABAT TV are broadcasting the gospel across the Middle East with great impact. In addition, the Bible, evangelism materials, discipleship training, and Christian news are being shared widely through the internet and mobile platforms. Praise music and Christian films are especially popular among the younger generation.
3. 99% of Iran’s population belongs to unreached people groups. As the heartland of Shia Islam, Iran actively persecutes Sunnis and other religious minorities. The Sunni Kurdish population, mainly in the northwest and northeast, continues to suffer economic hardship and oppression. Let us pray that the marginalized and persecuted would hear the gospel with open hearts and respond in faith. May dedicated Christian workers rise up to bring the gospel to the nomadic Luri and Bakhtiari tribes, the Turkic-speaking Qashqai in the south, the Azeris and Turkmen in the north, the Baloch and Brahui in the southeast, and Iran’s gypsy communities. Pray that God will open doors among every ethnic group, and that churches will be established with a faith so steadfast that the world cannot shake it.
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