Turkey: Churches and hostility both grow

Luke Randall  |  World
Date posted:  8 Jun 2025
Share Add       
Turkey: Churches and hostility both grow

Mosque on the Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul. Source: FMI

Christianity is growing steadily in Turkey, but challenges remain amidst increasing hostility, with reports claiming that foreign Christians are being denied entry into the country.

Christianity has grown exponentially in the west-Asian country, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s (CSW) Research and Advocacy Officer for the Middle East and North Africa, who told en that a total of about 100 Christians in the 1980s has grown into about 100 congregations today. However, religious minorities find themselves “increasingly vulnerable to hate speech, discrimination and intolerance”.

The Turkish church is “small and scattered, nearly invisible”, according to Forgotten Missionaries International’s (FMI) Bruce Allen, with only about 20 to 30 indigenous churches across Istanbul and Ankara, which have a combined population of 22 million.

Share
< Previous article| World| Next article >
Read more articles on:   Turkey  /  persecuted church
Read more articles by Luke Randall >>
World
Islam growing faster than Christianity worldwide

Islam growing faster than Christianity worldwide

Christianity remains the world’s largest religion but is not growing as fast as Islam, and its main home is now …

Comment
What Wimbledon taught me about pressure - and the cross

What Wimbledon taught me about pressure - and the cross

The first two weeks in July make up the best fortnight of the year for British tennis fans. The sun …

About en

Our vision, values and history

Read more

Looking for a job?

Browse all our current job adverts

Search