As you read this, our teams are preparing to host another pastors conference for Iranian leaders in the Middle East. Without partners like you, we wouldn’t be able to provide this opportunity for them to connect with each other, get refreshed and most importantly – be equipped for the work of the ministry.
Many of these pastors have no formal Bible or pastoral training; while others have just recently planted a house church. Yet, the pastoral needs and the spiritual issues people are facing are very real.
The amazing growth the Iranian church has seen in recent years demands the development of people to lead them. Although the Iranian Church is growing rapidly, its spiritual depth is shallow. There is a serious need to lay a biblical foundation and train pastors to help shepherd all the people coming to Jesus.
On a typical Sunday in an unrestricted environment, people walk into church with needs – physical, emotional, mental, financial and relational – just to name a few. In countries where there is economic hardship, political turmoil, other deceptive religious beliefs and government restrictions, the needs are even greater. Not just for relief, but for spiritual answers.
Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”’ – Exodus 33:13 (NKJV)
The people of Iran are finding the grace of the Lord Jesus, but are in need of leaders to show them the way.
This is why we have responded with a new initiative. The pastors conference is a great annual event, but our team has discerned that the need for leadership development among our network pastors requires much more investment. So for the last six months, World Compassion has been providing weekly leadership and Bible training to our house church pastors in Iran.
These weekly training calls provide an opportunity to give guidance, leadership and wisdom to house church leaders who are discipling groups of Christians under persecution and oppression.
Building the church in Iran really means building disciples who also lead. Just like most of the disciples of Jesus moved into leadership, God’s model of leadership is to learn how to follow Jesus and then show others to do the same.
In addition to the live weekly teachings, we are also expanding our leadership structure for Iran. Last year we officially hired one of the key leaders who is from Iran but had to flee for his safety and that of his family. He is now living in the United States working for World Compassion. On top of this we must bring two more leaders inside the country onto the team who will help serve and further support our house church pastors.
We need your support to help make this possible. Taking all the additional training and expansion of the team and boiling it down, it costs about $125/month to equip an Iranian pastor. This helps cover the training, mentorship, and pastoral care to continue toward our goal of doubling the number of house churches we serve in Iran.
On top of the issues and questions people are asking in Iran, being a Christian and leading a church comes with its own set of risks. For many of you reading this, there are laws in your nations that favor churches and help incentivize their establishment in local communities. During the pandemic, churches were labeled as ‘essential’ in many countries. However, such a safety net does not exist in Iran. As 3 of our leaders found out at the end of last year, being found out as a church leader could land you in prison or even endanger your life.
The circle of people you can trust with the knowledge of your faith has to be smaller. “Going public” is not a thing. Yet, there is a boldness and a courage rising up among the church in Iran.
And on top of this, the demand for physical bibles is still high. Christians are leaving their contact information in these Bibles – using them as not only a way to share the message of Jesus, but opening the door for the recipient to ask questions and potentially join a community of believers.
To date, World Compassion has helped smuggle in over 325,000 Bibles into Iran — empowering Iranian Christians to reach their nation with the Gospel. We now have half a million (500,000) in our sights! Help us reach our goal of 120,000 Bibles moved into Iran by Summer 2024. We have just over 32,000 Bibles ($288,000) left to hit our funding goal.
Let’s double the number of house churches we have from 56 to 120 by August 2025.
Each new pastor you sponsor will receive weekly training, mentorship, and pastoral care for a year.
Prayerfully consider sponsoring one or more pastors for an entire year at $1,500 each OR for just $125/month, you can sponsor a pastor in Iran with weekly leadership training.
Help us reach our goal of funding 120,000 Bibles into Iran by Summer 2024.
We have just over 32,000 Bibles ($288,000) left to hit our funding goal.
$9 provides a Bible to a seeking Iranian
$90 provides a Bible to 10 seeking Iranians
$900 provides a Bible to 100 seeking Iranians
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries d/b/a World Compassion and its affiliates are not a part of nor associated with Compassion International. Your gift will be used for these projects and many other outreaches of World Compassion.
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