Imagine being disowned by your family, beaten by villagers in the street, having your house burned to the ground, or having your children taken from you as you are cast out into the night with nothing . . . all for following Jesus Christ.
Extreme persecution is a reality for more than 360 million Christians worldwide, and Islamic extremism is the main driver. Help The Persecuted exists to strengthen and support the persecuted Church so that it may remain and thrive in the most hostile regions of the world.
How Help The Persecuted Works
Our Field Ministry Team is strategically embedded throughout the Muslim world providing direct assistance to persecuted Christians tailored to meet practical, physical needs while strengthening believers spiritually (some new in the faith) through discipleship and counseling, and proclaiming the Gospel to those who do not know Christ.
Our first step is to identify and meet with persecuted Christians to hear their stories and assess their urgent needs. Once identified, we then provide holistic support—caring for the whole person, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. We tailor the support we provide to each individual’s practical and spiritual needs—from safe housing to pastoral care to medical needs and more.
We are ministers of the Gospel who Rescue, Restore, and Rebuild the lives of persecuted believers. In the last fiscal year, Help The Persecuted ministered to over 46,000 people across 17 countries.
What Help The Persecuted Provides to Persecuted Believers
Christians are the number one most persecuted people group on Earth. Christians around the world have lost their homes, or their livelihoods, or their families to persecution. Many are forced to flee from this violence and leave their entire lives behind. Our practical team approach means that we are “hands-on” with people in their communities, through our Field Ministry Team. Help The Persecuted provides a wide variety of support to address their most urgent needs.
- Crisis Funds to address immediate, critical needs.
- Safe Housing to provide a secure living environment while believers get back on their feet after fleeing from persecution.
- Pastoral and Trauma Care provides connections between members of the Body of Christ for support and fellowship.
- Medical Support for those recovering from physical persecution, or in need of medications that they can no longer afford or obtain.
- Educational Support provides tuition or school expenses for displaced children or young adults whose educations are adversely affected by the persecution they endure.
- Enduring Livelihood offers persecuted Christians the opportunity to learn new skills or open a business that provides stability and dignity for themselves and their families.
- Emergency Relief Kits are distributed to persecuted Christians in need. These kits include critical food items like rice, flour, oil, and other basic supplies for survival. Also included are Bibles and discipleship materials for equipping and encouraging our brothers and sisters.
Rescue, Restore, and Rebuild Persecuted Christians
Mustafa and his cousin Ali were awaiting their passports so they could leave their home country and be baptized freely when they were imprisoned by their families. For weeks, Mustafa and Ali were tortured—fingers broken, starved, beaten, and hung from ceiling fans. Mustafa’s sister snuck food to her brother, just small bites to keep him alive. Through the door, she would make phone calls to our Help The Persecuted team and we would hear his desperate pleas for help. All he wanted was to flee his family and follow Jesus wholeheartedly.
Then, God provided an opportunity, and our local team was positioned to help Mustafa and Ali escape extreme danger. We were able to rescue Mustafa and Ali to one of our Safe Houses, and they are both on the road to physical restoration and the rebuilding of their new lives.
Mustafa and Ali’s journey of faith is an example of how Help The Persecuted rescues persecuted Christians from immediate, extreme danger. Once safe from harm, our team works with persecuted Christians to restore their physical, emotional and spiritual health. We provide necessary medical care, trauma counseling, and discipleship. By offering Bible study and discipleship training, we help these believers (often new in their faith) deepen their knowledge of the Word of God. Finally, we work toward helping our brothers and sisters rebuild their lives in a way that is sustainable and secure for their family and future generations.
Help Help The Persecuted’s Work in Afghanistan
In the same way, we helped Mustafa, Ali, and so many other believers, we are now working tirelessly to Rescue, Restore, and Rebuild persecuted Afghans.
We are in position and prepared to rescue many with evacuation transportation. While these persecuted Afghans will be eternally grateful to be alive, they will have left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They find themselves in a foreign place where they don’t speak the language. They may now again face persecution as Christians, or as refugees, or both. Just as we do across the region, our team will provide tailored packages of support to these brothers and sisters in need.
Inside Afghanistan, persecuted Christians and minorities who remain will need stabilization and assistance. Help The Persecuted has a secure way of sending money into the country and will provide support for vetted families covering transportation and relocation expenses, safe housing, food, and medical assistance. Just as important, we will also provide spiritual encouragement for our brothers and sisters – supporting them as the Body of Christ as they stand firm and grow the persecuted Church.
Serving the Persecuted Church Together
We serve a mighty God who hears our prayers! Your prayers and support today will help us Rescue, Restore, and Rebuild the lives of persecuted believers across the Muslim world.