Kurt Rovenstine with Bibles for China said the report is sobering but no reason for Christians to slow down.

“I’m not here to debate the data or even to analyze it as much as to say how easy it is to get caught up in what we feel and what we hope, rather than what may actually be the reality,” he says. 

The new report is a shift away from the narrative circulated in the 2010s. The story then was that China would soon be the nation with the most Christians in the world. With Pew’s adjusted data, it estimates that in 2010 China’s Christian population was 2.3 percent. Its original 2012 report put China’s 2010 Christian population at 5.1 percent (or 70.9 million).

To learn more about Pew’s revised approach, read pages 120-22 of its report How the Global Religious Landscape Changed from 2010 to 2020.

(Photo courtesy Bibles For China)

Discipleship needed

Rovenstine says he’s reminded that life is challenging and ministry is hard. “There may be a re-analysis of the re-analysis moving forward, but we have to keep doing the work.”

Gospel ministry in China is still a mix of growth and challenge, such as reaching young people. 

“When we go to rural China, we see a lot of older Christians. The younger Christians are a little harder to find,” Rovenstine says. “That informs us a little bit as to [deciding] ‘Where do we work? Who do we partner with?’ so that we can maybe help reach another generation.” 

Since it is illegal in China to evangelize children, Bibles for China is limited in what it can do. But among the Chinese diaspora, they distribute a special storybook Bible for kids. Learn more about that in this 2024 report. 

In the meantime, pray for the gospel to advance in China! 

“That definitely is a prayer for the Christians in China: ‘How can we creatively reach [the] next generation when that’s technically, in many ways, illegal?’” Rovenstine says. 

Header photo: Bibles for China provides people in rural China access to the Bible. (Image courtesy of DEZALB via Pixabay.)

The four-page report, with thirteen careful statements plus subpoints, called for a diplomatic solution. The very next day, Israel opened fire on Iranian military and nuclear targets. 

Since then, an Iranian human rights group based in Washington, DC has reported 639 killed and 1,329 wounded in Iran. The Israeli government says 24 civilians in Israel have been killed since Friday. 

“Honesty and compassion [are a] very hard balance to have at this point, especially [in a moment] that we are all charged with the emotions,” says Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center. “But we need to remind ourselves that we are Christians first, that we are children of God first, and God’s call on our lives is to be peacemakers.

“At the same time, every single person right now in the Middle East is being affected, impacted — whether it’s you, your family, your relatives, or your friends.” 

No one wants to imagine what could happen if the wrong strike hits the right nuclear site. Among other targets, Israeli fire has already damaged Iran’s Natanz and Arak facilities. (Here’s what the IAEA and other nuclear authorities say about this nuclear danger.)

“There is a need for some kind of peace talks about this, and then hopefully Iran will go back to the negotiation table and then sit down and have [a] good deal,” Sharaiha says. 

Whatever the outcome, he reminds us countless lives are at stake. 

“They have names, they have faces, and they have relatives; they have dreams, they have visions for their lives. And guess what? Some of them are our brothers and sisters in Christ,” he says.

“I don’t want us to only feel for our brother[s] and sisters, but also to feel for the people. Those are people created in God’s image, regardless of their skin color, gender, or even ethnic group.”

(Photo courtesy of MENA Leadership Center)

Pray for peace — and for international leaders to put the needs of their people first. 

“I also invite people to pray that whatever is happening right now will advance the gospel. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. But I know that this is my prayer,” says Sharaiha. 

Please pray for wisdom, patience, and endurance for the MENA Leadership Center. In the months ahead, they will offer new training on refugee trauma care as well as a program on mentorship and coaching. 

“Let’s remember who we are, and whenever we talk as Christians about ‘Let’s do this. Let’s do that,’ let’s remember, ‘Would Jesus say this?’ This is very important, to put the filter of the Bible [on] whatever we say,” Sharaiha offers. 

“Let’s focus on the most important thing, which is sharing the gospel. It’s not about winning or losing; it is sharing the gospel.”

Header photo: a radioactive sign at Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine (Photo courtesy of Kilian Karger via Unsplash)

Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) supports Christian ministry in Central Asia. SGA’s Eric Mock explains, “In the sense of combating extremism, they push all faiths down. What this has meant is a tremendous amount of pressure on all faiths, [including] on Christianity.”

Christian family in Central Asia. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

While each country and community in Central Asia is unique, SGA receives reports from ministry partners about the increasing pressure they are experiencing for their faith.

“What they are writing to us about now is that it is becoming a little more complicated for them,” says Mock.

“In fact, some of the pastors are even arrested or brought down to police stations to explain what they’re doing. Some churches have had law enforcement break into the churches and interview each of the people, directing them never to come back and gather again.”

The difficulties are not limited to government censorship and law enforcement. Christians and ministries in this Muslim-dominant region deal with challenges on multiple fronts.

Mock says, “When they hold a Christmas celebration such as an SGA Immanuel’s Child-supported Christmas program or summer camps or orphans ministry, they not only face increasing difficulties from the government, but they also face persecution from the predominantly Muslim society. Even children who are coming to faith in Muslim homes are kicked out of the Muslim homes if they hold to their faith.”

As you consider this report, please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Central Asia living out the Gospel. “None of them ask us to pray for an end of the persecution. They only pray that they would be abundant lights,” says Mock.

“We look upon changes in government and the persecution that comes from these Islamic groups as a detriment, but the believers see it as evidence that they’re displaying Christ in their community.”

Learn more about SGA’s ministry work here.

Header photo: Samarkand, Uzbekistan (Photo courtesy of AXP Photography/Unsplash)

In a hearing in mid-October, Susanna was supposed to receive another report from the Special Task Force that might reveal the truth about her husband’s fate. 

However, the case is far from over.

Malaysia is No. 49 on the World Watch List from Open Doors. (Courtesy of VOM USA on Facebook.)

“They (the Malaysian government) clearly do not want to admit government involvement. They don’t want to admit that the Special Branch (of the police) was going after a Christian pastor, a Christian leader,” says Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA. 

“It seems like what the government is doing is they are trying to blame an individual who was a contract worker in the Special Branch of the police.”

The individual in question is Saiful Bahari Abd Aziz. His gold Toyota was seen at or near the scenes of not only Raymond Koh’s abduction in 2017 but also that of a social activist called Amri Che Mat, who disappeared in 2016. 

“Rather than saying the Special Branch is corrupt and that this (Koh’s kidnapping) was a government action, they’re going to try to paint the picture of ‘Well, yeah, that guy did have a police contract, but it was just him. He’s a rogue officer. It wasn’t a systemic thing,’” Nettleton says.

As much the Malaysian government wishes to distance itself from Saiful, it’s pretty hard to deny its ties.

“It’s not like he signed a contract three months before the abduction of Raymond Koh. He had been involved with the Special Branch for more than a decade by that time,” Nettleton says. “It’s going to be interesting to see what happens now in the next hearing, and see how Susanna and her attorneys will respond to that theory.”

The government is also claiming “forced disappearance” is the wrong term in Koh’s case, since they didn’t outright deny Koh had been abducted. At least on paper, the police made an investigation, Nettleton says.

Malaysia flag (Photo courtesy of Mkjr/Unsplash)

“There’s a fair amount of smoke and mirrors that’s going on. ‘Let’s argue about what what we call it (forced disappearance or something else),’ instead of talking about ‘Where is Pastor, Raymond Koh? What happened to him?’” Nettleton says.

This is an ongoing story we’ll keep you updated on. But there’s something each of us can do now for our brother and sister in Christ, Raymond and Susanna Koh. 

“I would encourage people to pray specifically for the judge in this cases to have wisdom and discernment and courage to stand up and say, ‘No, this is not about what the government wants. This is about finding out the truth,’” Nettleton says. 

Pray also for Susanna, who has been deeply encouraged to know that Christians around the world are praying for her and her children as they wait. 

For more, listen to an October 2024 podcast episode from Voice of the Martyrs Canada titled “Malaysia: Where is Pastor Raymond Koh?” Learn about what Christians in Malaysia often endure by visiting the World Watch List from Open Doors.

Header photo courtesy of VOM USA. 

With 30,880 civilian deaths, the report found Christians were disproportionately targeted. Christians accounted for 16,769 of civilian deaths; 6,235 Muslims were killed. The rest had no known religious affiliation.

Much of the violence in northern Nigeria came from Fulani herdsmen. Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says, “What aggravates it is the constraint of grazing land, and then the fact that the Fulani are Muslim and the farmers are Christian. So you have that religious tension that comes in there too.

“There are a lot of dynamics that are at work here; but fundamentally, Christians are being killed and…the government largely is non-responsive to these atrocities.”

(Photo courtesy of Unknown Nations)

Unknown Nations works with some Christians in southern Nigeria to go into the North with audio Bibles. But Kelley says those with the greatest heart to reach Muslims in northern Nigeria with the Gospel are Christians at risk in the North.

“That’s been our focus is, as we pray…how do we mobilize the Christians in the North? They will be the ones who will reach the Fulani. They will be the ones who reach the Hausa and the Kanuri.”

Pray for the resilience of faithful Nigerian Christians sharing Jesus in persecution. Ask God to open the eyes of Fulani Muslims to the truth of the Gospel.

“Until we get a heart for the nations that we will maybe never meet this side of eternity for the fact that they are separated from Jesus and an eternal presence with Him – until we get that conviction – then things are not going to change.”

Header photo courtesy of Tope A Asokere/Unsplash.

Since 2022, USCIRF has recommended the State Department designate Afghanistan as a country of particular concern (CPC). Each year, the State Department fails to do so.

However, last year, the State Department did designate the Taliban as an entity of particular concern (EPC).

After the State Department’s 2023 decision, USCIRF released a statement criticizing the decision and pointed out that the State Department often highlights Afghanistan’s particularly severe religious freedom violations.

Earlier this month, USCIRF released its annual report with recommendations for 2024.

The Voice of the Martyrs USA’s Todd Nettleton points out, “The [2024] report calls for Afghanistan to be listed as a country of particular concern. It does not call for the Taliban to be listed as an entity of particular concern.”

(Photo courtesy of VOM Canada)

Although USCIRF stops short of recommending an EPC designation, it does at least call out the Taliban’s violations of religious freedom in its assessment of Afghanistan.

Still, is that enough?

“I wonder what the logic and the expectation is behind that,” says Nettleton.

“We know the Taliban is the government of Afghanistan. They’re running the country now. So, if you say the Taliban is bad, you are saying the Afghan government does not respect religious freedom, so I understand the logic of it. But I would be interested to hear their background and what the thinking was that went into that.”

The CPC and EPC designations are more than just arbitrary labels. Countries and entities on these lists from the State Department typically face stricter sanctions and political action from the US government, which can lead to positive changes for religious freedom.

Nettleton says, “I just would encourage people to pray for leaders…. These are recommendations. We wait now to see months from now what the State Department will do with these recommendations. But hopefully, it will be something that is a part of our foreign policy.”

Ask God to strengthen persecuted Afghan believers to continue following Christ. Pray that, no matter what happens on a political level, the Gospel will be unabashedly proclaimed to reach those seeking truth in Afghanistan.

Header photo courtesy of VOM USA.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA (VOM) says, “Religious freedom, for many people, is kind of a ‘page 27 issue’ instead of a ‘page one issue.’ So…unfortunately, it doesn’t get the media attention that other issues do.”

Still, there is a lot to unpack in USCIRF’s latest report.

Along with the recommendation to redesignate 12 countries of particular concern, the religious freedom watchdog also recommends an additional five countries as CPCs — Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

“Later this year, the State Department will be the one who actually issues the list of countries of particular concern and the special watch list and entities of particular concern.”

(Photo courtesy of VOM USA)

The big question now is: Will the US State Department adopt these recommendations?

Nettleton explains, “The thing about it is the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, they have one issue. They have one priority: Religious freedom.

“When you come to the State Department, religious freedom is one of many priorities. They want to talk about trade. They want to talk about countries we’re in conflict with. We want to get other countries to help us. So can we really afford to call them out and embarrass them on religious freedom?”

This complex political reality is why the State Department sometimes does not adopt USCIRF’s recommendations to designate certain countries as CPCs.

“As someone who cares about religious freedom, I would say that’s unfortunate,” says Nettleton. “I wish the State Department did put more priority on the issue of religious freedom.”

As Christians, we can pray over this list of recommendations in the USCIRF report. Pray for both the persecuted Christians to be spiritually encouraged in their Gospel witness, and for persecutors to have their eyes opened to the glory of Jesus Christ (like the biblical example of the Apostle Paul.)

(Photo courtesy of VOM Canada)

Also, Nettleton says, “I think the key is to pray for wisdom for leaders as they are making decisions – and I think particularly at the State Department where there are multiple competing priorities, to have discernment and to have wisdom to bring about the best possible outcomes.”

Finally, pray for greater religious freedoms to see the Gospel proclaimed around the world!

Learn more about how VOM supports persecuted Christians.

Header photo courtesy of Aaron Burden/Unsplash.

Azerbaijan is a Muslim-majority country. Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) says, as such, “There are times [when] there are missionaries and pastors who are beaten for their faith, who pray over and over that their summer camp or their Christmas outreach can happen without violence. So it is very hard for them.

“But as I say that, at the same time, I can also tell you that in some of these difficult settings, the positive report that many of the Christian believers have among the community protects them from that violence.”

Flag of Azerbaijan (Photo courtesy of Hikmat Gafarzada/Unsplash)

In several Azerbaijan villages, Christians are winsomely living out the Gospel. Their Muslim neighbors notice their examples of faithfulness and positive impact on the community.

Believers and churches supported by SGA are caring for the sick, orphans, and widows, showing God’s love to troublesome kids, and giving aid to struggling families.

In one village, Mock says there was “a mother that has not fed their child in two days that’s wailing in the background. The pastor heard about that, and they showed up with food, diapers, and formula. All of a sudden, this child has a chance. His mother has a chance.”

In these outreaches, Azerbaijani Christians are building relationships and even answering questions about the Bible.

“They want to be witnesses for Christ wherever they are, so we don’t wait for the winds of political change. What we do is we’re faithful in the communities that God has placed us into.”

Ask God to give local Christians the courage and wisdom to share biblical truth, even in the midst of challenges. Pray for Azerbaijanis to find hope in the Gospel.

Header photo courtesy of Zaur Ibrahimov/Unsplash.

On Thursday, the United Christian Forum based in New Delhi reported 525 violent incidents against Indian Christians within the first eight months of 2023 — up from 505 incidents over the entirety of 2022.

Notably, the report doesn’t even include incidents from Manipur as many parts of that state are still inaccessible. Tribal Christians in Manipur are being targeted and killed by the majority Meitei ever since conflict erupted in May this year.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Regan Miller with Mission India says Christian persecution in India takes many forms. “Some people lose their lives in the worst case scenario. Other times, pastors are attacked [and] churches are burned down.

“[There are] some things we don’t think of too. Like if someone becomes a Christian, the locals might cut them off from the village water supplies so that they can’t access water. Or I’ve heard stories where someone becomes a Christian and the village leaders tell everyone not to hire that person for a job or not to allow them in the local shop to buy groceries.”

To help you learn and pray, Mission India is releasing a week-long devotional leading to the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) on November 5.

Mission India works with and encourages Christians in India suffering for the name of Jesus.

Miller shares, “They don’t say that their prayer is for persecution to end. They say that their prayer is for courage and for the ability to keep spreading the Gospel. They’re so confident in their faith and so strong in following Jesus that it’s all worth it for them.

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

“That’s what you’ll find in this devotional as we highlight the story of one of these families. I won’t give too many spoilers but it’s really amazing to see how they respond.”

Sign-ups for Mission India’s devotional are open now! Click here to sign up.

Churches can also register for Mission India’s free devotional and receive a Church Resource Pack. It includes videos, announcement slides, a bulletin insert, and the study itself.

In the meantime, pray for our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in India. Ask the Lord to give them the courage and strength they desire to witness His love to their oppressors. Pray for softening hearts to the Gospel across India.

Header photo courtesy of Mission India.

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says much of this persecution is happening in Africa. “You can trace the spread of radical Islam from North to South. We see more and more Africans raised up in that kind of Islamist militancy that wants to create a caliphate, have Islamic Sharia law, and be in control. We see more attacks against Christians, more churches burned, and more pastors killed.”

Nettleton says many people have become Christians from Muslim backgrounds in these countries. They are prime targets for persecution.

Religious nationalism

In other places, religious nationalism is causing persecution against Christians.

Nettleton gives an example from India. “The Prime Minister of the country happens to have come out of that ideology. They believe every Indian is a Hindu or should be a Hindu. If you’re not a Hindu, you should either convert or go find somewhere else to live.”

“Some of these Hindu nationalists will literally talk about the soil of India being Hindu soil.”

That’s why various states across India have passed so many anti-conversion laws. Nettleton says one group of Hindu nationalists broke into a church, beat up a pastor, and then called the police on the pastor they had attacked. He was arrested and taken to a police station. He was accused of trying to convert people away from Hinduism.

It’s a similar story in China, Nettleton says. “Xi Jinping has tried to unify the country under his rule and communist rule. They see Christians as a foreign religion, a source of foreign influence.”

How to pray

Ask God to strengthen Christians in these 18 countries. Pray the love of Jesus would change hearts.

Header photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs USA on Facebook.