Prayer Highlight: The Iranian Diaspora
We give thanks for the quiet revival underway among Iranians in Iran and among those in diaspora and we pray for peace and safety for those fearful of their safety - both here and there.
This week we are praying with and for the Iranian diaspora. In recent days, Iran and the Iranian diaspora have once again captured global attention. The country of Iran has, of course, been at war, and Iranian Christian asylum seekers in the US have been getting arrested and detained by immigration authorities1.
On his facebook page, Pastor Ara Torosian, an Iranian pastor of a Farsi speaking congregation in Los Angeles who has had several families recently arrested said: “In the days following the recent ICE arrests, fear settled heavily on the hearts of many refugee families in our city. Some lost their jobs. Others stayed indoors, afraid to open the door—even to buy groceries.But when fear tries to isolate people, God’s people unite.”2 Daniel Yang, one of our partners at World Relief who will be speaking at our national conference this September in Houston, interviewed Pastor Ara. That interview can be seen here.
As the Church, we are called to stand in prayerful unity with Iranian brothers and sisters—feeling their burdens as ours (Gal 6:2), interceding for peace, and asking God to reveal His love and truth to a nation and people in need of healing. For many Iranian Christians in the US, this season of unrest, both far and near, has brought a mix of grief, fear, and hope: grief over the suffering of loved ones back home, fear for their own safety, and hope that God might use this moment of crisis to draw many hearts to Himself.
And indeed he has been bringing many to himself. Estimates for Iranian Christians vary, but all accounts point to a significant revival. When Pastor Matt, the leader of an Iranian fellowship in Austin was first baptized in 1986, there were only 10,000 Iranian Muslim background believers. Now, according to Open Door International, there are over a million Christians in Iran3. Also, the Lord has greatly multiplied believers in the diaspora, particularly in Europe but also in North America. There are an estimated over 100 fellowships and congregations across the US. In addition to the fellowship in Austin we are grateful for an Iranian fellowship in Houston and for another church that ministers to immigrants from a variety of backgrounds and offers translations in Farsi/Dari and French.
Please pray with us for:
Multiplication: that Iranian congregations would continue to multiply and flourish across the U.S. as more and more Iranians accept Jesus as Lord.
The Next Generation: that the Lord would raise up a faithful next generation of Iranian-Americans that know and love Him, so that they might become global Christian leaders (Psalm 145)
Mutuality: that the Holy Spirit would increase the unity, partnership, and mutuality between Iranian churches and the broader Church in Austin and Houston.
The above song, entitled “Companion” in Farsi, was written and recorded by members of the Iranian fellowship in Austin.
See this article in Christianity Today for the broader story: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/06/ice-arrests-church-leaders-christians-fleeing-persecution/).