[Image: International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, November 1, 2026: a woman with a headscarf wrapped across her face looks out a window, with]
Millions of Christians worldwide face persecution for their faith, reminding us that the global Church is one family in Christ. Let us pray for their strength, protection, and boldness, and seek ways to support them, trusting that God is on the throne!
PRAYER FOCUS – Grace Church, October 28, 2026
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE
PERSECUTED CHURCH
NOVEMBER 1, 2026
Article prepared by Bob Evans
The Church of Jesus Christ is one family!
When we talk about “The Persecuted Church,” we are talking about our brothers and sisters, fellow members of the Family of God.
Galatians 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” NIV
Hebrews 2:11 “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family, so Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” NIV
Christians are called brothers and sisters, meaning they share a mutual obligation to love, support, care for, and pray for one another.
“Globally, more than 388 million Christians face high levels of discrimination and abuse, with North Korea holding the number one spot as the most dangerous place to follow Jesus.” (Open Doors Intl.)
Key Global Statistics – 2026
- 4,849 Christians were murdered for their faith
- 4,712 Christians were detained or imprisoned without trial
- 3,632 churches or Christian properties were attacked or closed
- Sub-Sahara Africa accounts for the vast majority of violent deaths, led heavily by Nigeria
WORLDWIDE – 1 IN 7 Christians are persecuted for their faith
AFRICA – 1 IN 5 Christians are persecuted for their faith
ASIA – 2 in 5 Christians are persecuted for their faith
And where is the Church, the Family of God, seeing its greatest increase? In Africa and Asia!
These persecuted brothers and sisters have names and faces. I know some of them. I’ve heard their stories, have been in their countries, churches, and homes; their faces are embedded in my mind.
NIGERIA – “Christian communities in Central Nigeria are wracked by violence. Churches face regular attacks, children are kidnapped, entire villages emptied. Many of the attackers are Muslim Fulani herders.” The conflict between Muslims and Christians across Nigeria claimed more than 7,000 Christian lives in 2025. According to the United Nations, violence has displaced 3.5 million people. Despite all this “terror,” Christians are continuing to reach out to Muslim neighbors with the hope of introducing them to Jesus Christ. And just this week more than one thousand Children’s Workers from the ECWA Church denomination met in Jos to talk about how they could reach the children and build the family of God more effectively across Nigeria.
INDIA – India’s Christians make up just 2% of the country’s population of 1.4 billion. Compare that to around 79% Hindus and over 14% Muslims. Data compiled by human rights groups indicates a disproportionate rise in violence against Christians over the past decade. In 2025, local monitoring groups documented nearly 900 incidents across multiple Indian states, including physical assaults, disruptions to church services, and threats targeting worshippers. (Christian Solidarity International)
In the state of Uttar Pradesh, a mob descended on a home where a prayer meeting was being held. They raised false allegations of forced conversions and then called the police. Following this attack, 10 or 11 people were taken to the police station, detained and questioned, some for the entire day; among them was a 13-year-old girl. The police questioned them and found out that they had received no money or pressure to attend the gathering. Everyone came here to pray of their own will, but they still kept them. The accusers were never charged for any offense. The pastor was later arrested and spent more than four months in jail on charges that he broke the Anti-Conversion Law, which criminalizes religious conversions deemed carried out through force, fraud, or inducement. There was no evidence against the pastor. Critics say that the law is often weaponized to target minority communities.
Observers say that Prime Minister Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP Party is behind much of this persecution, which in some cases has included physical beatings even of women and children while gathered to worship their Savior.
CHINA – A true story from a friend - “My former home church is one of the biggest underground churches in my city. There are over 1,000 people. But of course, they cannot all gather together. We have many branches scattered all over the city. We usually keep the number of people in each branch to around 30 people. Two months ago, on a Sunday morning, when our fellow brothers and sisters were gathering at one of the branches, more than 50 policemen broke into their place. They ordered each one not to move. The policemen took pictures of each one of them, including children, and collected their identity information. The policemen said they did 3 things which had broken the law: One – they were gathering without registration. Two – they were teaching children the Bible. Three – they had connections with foreign people or organizations. Then the preacher was handcuffed and taken away. After that, children’s Sunday Schools at all branches had to stop or move online. Many online groups of the church also had to cease. Please pray for this dear preacher and his family and all the people in this branch and the whole church.” It is estimated that there may be more than 100 million believers in China, which would be close to 10% of the population.
FINLAND – Persecution of Christians is not only found in the developing world. Paivi Rasanen, a member of Finland’s Parliament, was convicted of Hate Speech by the Finnish Supreme Court for co-authoring, 20 years ago, with Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, a booklet called “Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity.” They were forced to pay thousands of Euros in fines. The case is in appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, according to Alliance Defending Freedom International. The decision will determine if European Law upholds the freedom to express one’s beliefs publicly, said the ADF attorney representing Ms Rasanen.
RUSSIA – The Russian Government, under President Vladimir Putin, is seemingly returning to the former Soviet anti-God ways and putting pressure and surveillance on true Gospel preaching churches, schools and mission organizations. Many Evangelical pastors have been arrested, even when preaching. Churches have been shuttered and Christians harassed by the local Government agents. Churches have been told to submit names of congregants who have studied in the West and particularly those who have attended Evangelical Colleges and Seminaries. The libraries of Bible Colleges and Seminaries have been raided, and English/Western authored Commentaries and Theology Books have been confiscated. Child Evangelism Fellowship and East West Ministries have been shut down. Christian ministries that have links to Western organizations are under surveillance, and the transfer of funds to Russia is almost impossible, as it is with organizations in many countries that are hostile toward the Gospel.
After reading through these updates, what are we going to do?
First, never forget – BUT GOD!
Our hope is not in man but in our Omnipotent God, the all-powerful deliverer. To Joshua
God said, “Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord
your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Memorize this, share it with
others and particularly with those facing severe difficulties.
Here are some ways to help:
- Ask God to comfort and strengthen persecuted believers who “are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
- Pray for the Church to be confident in Christ’s ultimate victory on the cross, remembering John 16:33 – “In the world, you have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
- Pray God will give persecuted believers, even those in the United States, the perspective and grace to “count it all joy” and trust “that the testing of their faith will produce steadfastness.” (James 1:2-3)
- Pray for believers around the world who endure persecution to continue speaking God’s Word “with all boldness.” (Acts 4:12)
- Ask God to use their witness to draw many people to Himself
- Ask God to show you how you can assist our brothers and sisters in a tangible manner, through giving, communicating, or even visiting with them.
Take Religious Persecution personally just as the Lord Jesus did. Remember that the Bible teaches that the Global Church is “One Body – One Family” and when one part suffers, every part suffers. (I Corinthians 12:12 – 26)
GOD IS ON THE THRONE!
RESOURCES for Above Article
Open Doors International – idop.org
International Missions Board – imb.org
IDOP (International Day of Prayer) idop.org
World Magazine – August Issue
DW Media – Germany
National Association of Evangelicals
Personal Friends and Contacts
[Image: Open Doors World Watch List 2026 cover: "Where following Jesus costs the most," with a man in a plaid shawl holding a dark green book]
[Image: Page 4 of World Watch List 2026 report: map of Mexico, Central America and Colombia highlighted in orange, with statistics on Christian persecution]
[Image: World map infographic of anti-Christian incidents: 224,129 forced from homes, 25,794 attacks on homes and businesses, 5,202 sexual assaults, 4,849]
[Image: World Watch List 2026 map of the Americas showing countries ranked by persecution level, with Mark 9:23 quote and a legend for extreme and very high]
[Image: Map of Asia, Africa and the Middle East with numbered countries shaded in red and orange and listed in a key below]
Find out more about each country and how to pray
Complete World Watch Report HERE
[Image: International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church graphic showing six people of varied ages in a collage, with the idop and Christian Aid Mission]
[Image: Children smiling and gesturing at the camera with a group of other kids behind them]
[Image: Woman with eyes closed sitting at a table while family members place hands on her shoulders and hold her hands in prayer, with oranges and food in]
[Image: A large crowd of women in headscarves and children sitting together on a pink cloth outdoors, with men standing at the back]
[Image: I Commit to Pray campaign materials from The Voice of the Martyrs: a smiling older woman in a patterned headscarf, and two bookmarks listing 10 ways]
Additional Resources for Prayer
https://www.persecution.com/idop/
https://www.opendoorsus.org/pray/idop-resources
Also available as Markdown.