As conflict continues to unfold in Iran, a Christian leader says the crisis is not only bringing hardship but also creating unexpected opportunities for mission within the country’s underground Church.
According to Todd Nettleton, vice president of Voice of the Martyrs USA, the difficult conditions have unexpectedly opened doors for ministry among believers who are navigating life amid instability.
Nettleton shared that one underground Christian fellowship connected to VOM was forced to evacuate its city due to ongoing attacks. Rather than dispersing, the group chose to remain together and continue practicing their faith as a unified community.
“They turned it into a church camp,” he explained. “They spent time out of town, studying God’s Word, worshiping together, encouraging each other, and really growing as a body of believers.”
He added that believers are actively sharing their faith during this period of crisis, as many people are grappling with questions about life and death.
“They are proactively talking to people about Jesus in a time when everything is in chaos, in a time when people are dying, and so people are thinking about eternity. They're thinking about, ‘Hey, what happens after I die?’” Nettleton said.
Despite disruptions such as communication shutdowns, Nettleton noted that Christians in Iran have already developed resilience under restrictive conditions, making them better equipped to adapt.
“In that sense, I guess the believers and other Iranians were used to or prepared for that,” Nettleton said. “Because of that, many of these conversations are happening in one-on-one contexts in cafés or in a home.”
Iran continues to rank among the most difficult places in the world for Christians, according to Open Doors and its 2026 World Watch List, with believers facing raids, imprisonment, and social pressure from families and communities.
Those who convert from Islam to Christianity face especially severe risks. Even so, Nettleton said reports from contacts in the region indicate a growing sense of hope among believers.
“One of the things that I heard from our Middle East team after the war started was that they were consistently hearing a sense of optimism from the believers they were talking to,” he said.
He also noted that none of the Christians connected with VOM have sought assistance to leave the country despite the dangers.
“Not a single Christian had reached out to us and asked that. They were saying, 'This is a turning point; this is a spiritual turning point for Iran. We want to be here. We want to be here to see the fruit of that and see the harvest of that,'” he said.
Nettleton said this perspective reflects both hope and anticipation about the future of the country and the potential for change.
“So there is a sense of optimism and a sense of excitement about what Iran is going to look like after this and what could change in the midst of all this,” he continued.
He encouraged Christians around the world to support Iranian believers through prayer as they continue their work under difficult circumstances.
Voice of the Martyrs USA, which supports persecuted Christians globally, works closely with Iranian church networks by equipping local workers to share the Gospel in hostile environments and by distributing Bibles to those facing persecution.
