Churches Worldwide to Pray for 388 Million Persecuted Christians on November 1 Day of Prayer

NASHVILLE — As Christian persecution escalates in many countries, Southern Baptists will join believers around the world on Sunday, November 1, in praying for the estimated 388 million Christians suffering extreme persecution because of their faith in Jesus.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the International Mission Board (IMB) are encouraging churches to observe the annual Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, and they are joined by The Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors U.S., and Iran Alive Ministries, each pleading for prayer for those serving Christ in lands hostile to the Gospel.

ERLC President Evan Lenow said Baptists have historically defended religious liberty for all people, recognizing that genuine faith cannot be compelled by governments. Even as Americans give thanks for their freedoms, he said, believers must remember the countless Christians worldwide who face opposition, imprisonment, and persecution for following Christ, and pray that they remain faithful, bold, and unwavering in sharing the Gospel.

IMB President Paul Chitwood pointed to the nearly 3,500 Southern Baptist missionaries serving around the world, through whom more than 2 million people heard the Gospel in the past year. Those missionaries, he said, continually meet brothers and sisters who pursue their faith at great cost — and who face hardships, risks, and persecution themselves. Prayer, Chitwood said, is the work fellow believers can do to lift the persecuted to the Lord, asking Him to sustain them, comfort them, and bring them justice.

The Voice of the Martyrs is spotlighting this year the testimony of Bassam, a Christian in the Arabian Peninsula who suffered persecution after converting from Islam. "For many years, I was spiritually asleep," Bassam said, "but once I found Christ, I could not stay silent. No matter what happens to me, I will tell people about Jesus." He asked believers to pray for those who leave Islam to follow Christ — that they would know Christ is near, endure persecution with joy, and forgive their families in a way that leads them to faith.

Hormoz Shariat of Iran Alive Ministries asked Christians to pray especially for believers jailed in Iran — 14 connected with his ministry are currently in prison, three of them on death row. He told of one imprisoned Iranian Christian who, in deep distress, suddenly felt peace and joy fall on him, and believed God showed him he had received the power of other people's prayers.

Open Doors, which publishes the annual World Watch List of the countries where Christians suffer most, is focusing this year's prayers on the church in Syria, where Christians are rebuilding with physical and emotional wounds after a deadly church bombing, seeking to remain salt and light in their communities.

The IMB, The Voice of the Martyrs, and Open Doors each offer free resources to help churches observe the day. The persecuted church's first request has never changed: remember those in prison, and pray.