One million Iranian believers – claim

Two persecuted church agencies – Release International and Article 18 – have hailed the news that there are now well over a million practicing Christian believers in Iran. Almost all are converts from Islam.

Daniel Pipes, a Jewish researcher and author, was one of the first to notice the trend. In Newsweek he wrote ‘Something religiously astonishing is taking place in Iran, where an Islamist government has ruled since 1979: Christianity is flourishing. The implications are potentially profound.

‘Consider some testimonials: David Yeghnazar of Elam Ministries has said that “Iranians have become the most open people to the gospel.” And The Christian Broadcasting Network has found that “Christianity is growing faster in the Islamic Republic of Iran than in any other country.”

‘This trend results from the extreme form of Shi’ite Islam imposed by the theocratic regime. One Iranian church leader said: “What if I told you the mosques are empty inside Iran? What if I told you no one follows Islam inside Iran? ...What if I told you the best evangelist for Jesus was the Ayatollah Khomeini [founder of the Islamic Republic]?”’

This anecdotal evidence is backed up by a survey carried in 2020 by Gamaan, a secular Netherlands-based research group, which reported that there are at least a million Christian believers in Iran. And those involved with the house church movement there are convinced that the real number could be several times that.

These new Christians witness mainly through quiet conversations, encouraged by low-profile online Bible studies, affirmed by visions, dreams, and miraculously answered prayers. Despite their risky circumstances, new converts are enthusiastically telling friends and relatives about how Christ has changed their lives. This discreet but persistent witness accounts for the extraordinary number of new Iranian believers, who generally meet in small house churches of about ten to fifteen people.

The state authorities may raid these gatherings at any time, normally without warning. A dozen or more officials have may burst in and roughly arrest everyone they find.