Topic · 12 stories
Christian Persecution: Reporting From the Persecuted Church
More than 388 million Christians live under high levels of persecution and discrimination — roughly one in seven believers worldwide. Open Doors' 2026 World Watch List recorded 4,849 killed for their faith in a single reporting year, around 72 percent of them in Nigeria.
This is our running file on the persecuted church: the attacks, the court cases, the sealed buildings and the congregations that kept meeting anyway. Every story links its sources. If you want to respond rather than only read, start with the guide on how to pray for persecuted believers — it is built around what they actually ask for.
Every story on christian persecution
Police Raided His Church With Machine Guns. Attendance Went Up.
An armed police unit stormed Wera Forum in Duisburg over an allegation its source later admitted was false. The pastor says he left with a broken nose. The church has since grown past 1,000 across four locations.
A Pastor Killed, a Reporter Under Fire: Nigeria's Daily Attrition
A pastor and a church worker were killed, and the pastor's son critically wounded, roughly five miles from an earlier attack site. A reporter documenting it was shot at while filming.
Sealed Doors, Open Homes: Algeria's Church Goes Underground
Since 2006 at least 58 Protestant churches have been shut in Algeria, and no EPA-affiliated congregation has been granted a licence. The church did not stop meeting. It stopped meeting in buildings.
The Weekend Kingdom Briefing: Baptism, Belonging, Freedom and Costly Worship
This weekend's briefing follows public baptisms in Britain, new research on young men's loneliness, international religious-freedom appointments and believers who worship under pressure.
New Religious-Freedom Appointments Put Global Persecution Back in Focus
The U.S. religious-freedom commission welcomed several appointments while calling for a swift Senate confirmation process for ambassador-designate Cissie Graham Lynch.
Worship at Any Cost: Believers Gather Under Pressure Across Six Nations
From an unfinished church in Mexico to a burned church in Nigeria, believers continue to gather—and ask the global Church for specific, sustained prayer.
‘God Has Left Me for a Purpose’: A Nigerian Widow Chooses Healing After Unthinkable Loss
Open Doors tells the story of Asabe, a Christian mother from Plateau State who survived a 2025 attack and later found strength through Scripture, church fellowship and trauma-informed care.
Nepal Floods: Churches Grieve, Serve and Ask the Global Body of Christ to Pray
After catastrophic flash floods swept through communities near Nepal's northern border, local believers are grieving lost family members while churches and relief partners organize practical aid.
From 29,000 to Zero: Persecuted Christian Refugee Admissions Collapse
In fiscal year 2024 the United States resettled 29,000 Christians fleeing persecution. In fiscal year 2026 the number is tracking toward zero — a first in at least a quarter century.
A Nigerian Woman Left Islam for Christ. A Court Just Ruled in Her Favour.
In Nigeria, leaving Islam for Christianity can mean losing your family, your home, and your safety. For one woman living under threat after her conversion, the courts did something almost nobody expected.
Nigeria Accounts for 72% of Christians Killed Worldwide — and a Governor Just Drew a Line
Of the 4,849 Christians killed for their faith worldwide in the last reporting year, 3,490 were in Nigeria. In September, Plateau State's governor ordered security agencies to shut down unauthorised religious enforcement.
24/7 Prayer House Transforms Crime-Ridden City in 18 Months
Crime rates dropped 67%. Teen pregnancy fell by half. Three major gangs disbanded. This is what happened when a small group of believers started praying 24/7 for their city.