To follow Jesus in Iran is to live under constant suspicion and scrutiny. Faith is practiced quietly, secretly. Trust is extended carefully. Every gathering, every message, every conversation carries risk.
For believers like Amina, following Christ meant learning how to worship without drawing attention. When authorities discovered her involvement in a house church, she was summoned repeatedly for interrogation. The questions were relentless. Who else attends? Who leads? What do they say about Jesus?
Each session was designed to isolate her and wear her down.
Eventually, the pressure moved beyond questioning. Amina lost her job without explanation. Friends distanced themselves. Family members were warned that association with her could bring consequences. Yet, she did not turn away from Christ.
“I knew Jesus was worth the cost,” she later shared with Help The Persecuted Field Ministers walking alongside her.
What sustains a faithful follower of Jesus in that society is not stubbornness, but assurance. The apostle Paul names this tension directly when he asks in Romans 8:35: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution…?” Paul’s question is not rhetorical comfort. It is a declaration that suffering, however intense, does not signal separation from Christ. For believers like Amina, that truth becomes an anchor when everything else is stripped away.
The Reality of House Churches in Iran
For most Christians in Iran, house churches are not a preference. They are the only way to worship Jesus with others, in secret.
House churches provide fellowship, teaching, and prayer in living rooms and apartments, often changing locations to avoid detection. These gatherings are intentionally small, built on trust, and sustained through unshakable dependence on Scripture and prayer.
Despite it being forbidden, the underground church in Iran continues to grow.
Multiple Christian research and advocacy organizations have reported that Iran has one of the fastest-growing Christian movements in the world, largely through underground house churches. Precise numbers are impossible to verify in a closed society, but many observers note dramatic growth among Muslim-background believers over the past several decades, even as persecution has intensified.
This growth is not driven by safety or freedom. It is driven by conviction.
Hebrews 10:23 captures the posture of these believers: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” For Iranian Christians, holding fast is a daily decision to trust God’s faithfulness when circumstances offer no reassurance.
When House Churches Are Discovered
Discovery often brings swift consequences.
In one story shared through Help The Persecuted’s team, Reza, a house church leader, was arrested after authorities traced encrypted messages used to coordinate gatherings. Security forces raided the apartment where believers had met the previous night. Phones were confiscated. Bibles were seized.
Reza was held for days of interrogation. He was told his suffering could end if he renounced Christianity and returned to Islam. He was warned that his wife and children could face consequences if he refused.
He did not recant.
After his release, Reza was unable to return to work. His professional license was quietly revoked. With no income and continued surveillance, his family faced an uncertain future.
This is where Help The Persecuted stepped in, providing practical support and walking with the family through a season of rebuilding and discernment.
The Bible does not deny the reality of what Reza endured. Instead, Psalm 34:19 names it honestly: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous.” But it also holds out a promise that suffering does not have the final word: “The Lord delivers him out of them all.” For Reza, deliverance did not mean the absence of hardship. It meant God’s presence and provision in the midst of it.
Arrest, Prison, and Psychological Warfare
Not all persecution in Iran is physical. Much of it is designed to break believers psychologically.
Hossein was arrested multiple times over several years. Each arrest followed a familiar pattern. Long interrogations. Isolation. Threats against his family. Extended uncertainty with no clear charges.
Physical violence was not always used. Fear was the weapon.
Hossein later shared with Help The Persecuted’s Field Ministers that the Scripture he had memorized became his lifeline. Without access to a Bible, he repeated verses silently, reminding himself that Christ had not abandoned him.
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 reflect Hossein’s lived reality: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken.” Scripture declares that suffering does not get the final say over a believer’s identity or future.
The Cost to Families
Persecution in Iran rarely affects only one person.
When Maryam came to faith in Christ, the consequences rippled outward. Relatives pressured her to recant. Neighbors reported her activities. Family members were questioned by authorities.
Eventually, Maryam was forced to leave her home for her own safety. Separation from family was as painful as the threats themselves.
Our team supported Maryam during this season, ensuring she was not alone as she navigated loss, fear, and grief. Discipleship and pastoral care were essential, not optional.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:29 speak directly to believers like Maryam, who count the cost not theoretically but relationally: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother…for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” For persecuted believers, this promise reframes loss in light of eternal belonging.
Why the Church Continues to Grow
The growth of the church in Iran is not fueled by comfort or visibility. It is fueled by obedience.
Believers continue to come to Christ through personal relationships, online discipleship, Scripture, and sometimes dreams. Faith spreads quietly, relationally, and at great cost.
Our team sees this growth not as a statistic, but as testimony. Each believer represents a life transformed and a willingness to endure hardship for the sake of Christ.
Current Unrest in Iran and What It Means for Christians
Today, Iran is a nation in upheaval. Beginning on December 28, 2025, widespread protests erupted across multiple cities in response to deep economic challenges, rising costs of living, and long-standing political repression. These demonstrations quickly became some of the largest since the 1979 revolution.
The government’s response has been brutal. Security forces have used live ammunition against demonstrators, and communication networks, including the internet, have been largely shut down in an effort to control information.
Estimates vary, but activists monitoring the situation report that tens of thousands of people have been killed or arrested in the crackdown. These clashes have been described as among the most violent in modern Iranian history.
For Christians living in Iran, this unrest compounds existing risks. Church gatherings that were already done in secret are now shaped by curfews, surveillance, patrolling, and fear of being mistaken for protest organizers. Believers are already viewed as being in opposition to Iran’s government, now they must navigate not only the threat of religious persecution but also the dangers that come with heightened emotion and nationwide instability. This includes greater visibility during street unrest and increased security force presence in local neighborhoods.
Christians we serve have shared that their prayers in recent weeks have shifted to include not only endurance in faith but also protection for neighbors, friends, and entire communities caught up in this unrest. Their hope is anchored in Christ even as their surroundings grow more volatile, echoing the truth of Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
How Help The Persecuted Walks With Believers in Iran
Help The Persecuted’s work in Iran reflects the realities believers face daily.
When persecution escalates, Help The Persecuted provides immediate assistance.
When livelihoods are destroyed, Help The Persecuted helps rebuild.
When believers are isolated, Help The Persecuted ensures they are connected to discipleship and pastoral care.
Support includes:
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Emergency aid if and when believers need to flee
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Discipleship for long-term endurance
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Practical support for families who have lost income
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Continued follow-up as believers rebuild their lives
This is not a short-term intervention. It is a sustained presence rooted in faith.
A Call to Pray for Iran
Believers in Iran ask the global Church to pray, not for ease, but for faithfulness.
They also ask us to pray for those who persecute them, that their hearts would be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus, strengthen Your people in Iran. Guard those who gather in secret. Comfort those in prison. Provide for families who have lost everything for Your name. Open the hearts of those who oppose You, and draw many to repentance and faith. Let Your Church stand firm, and let Your gospel advance. Amen
How You Can Respond
You can stand with believers in Iran today.
Pray: Join the Help The Persecuted Prayer Network to receive real prayer requests from the field.
Give: Your generosity provides protection, discipleship, and long-term care for believers who refuse to deny Christ.
The underground church in Iran is not silent. It is faithful. And it is growing.