Refugees & The Persecuted Church

Supporting Persecuted Christians in Iran and the Middle East

Love is practical. When Jesus preached about the kingdom of heaven, he also fed and healed the people. The New Testament is full of examples of the body looking after those in need, particularly within the family of God.

Transform Iran supports Christian refugees in the Middle East and persecuted Christians in Iran through practical and pastoral means.

Building a Secure Church Network in Iran

Planting and overseeing hundreds of churches in a country facing such significant persecution is a serious responsibility. We protect the physical lives of the Christians in Iran by providing a carefully managed secure network of churches based on decades of experience in the underground Church movement.

Our communications are considered, and the network carefully guarded. We give training and advice on security protocols and are in constant prayer covering the believers serving in Iran.

Even amid chaos and constant threat from the authorities trying to shut down the network, our pastor and mentor worked hard to keep us safely connected. She made sure our group was not cut off from communication with other believers outside Iran.

When Persecution Strikes: Advocacy and Escape

When believers are in danger or imprisoned, we step in. We advocate for the imprisoned and help those whose lives are in danger to escape. We then provide for their immediate needs and reestablish them in places of safety outside Iran.

After 11 years, I had to leave everything behind. I couldn’t even say goodbye.

Almost without exception, these believers are still envisioned for the people of Iran. They escape with heavy hearts unsure how they will ever be able to impact this great nation again. Once settled, we are able to give them new opportunities to serve through one of our network of ministries from outside Iran. This is a huge source of strength and encouragement to these otherwise defeated believers.

As refugees, they have many new hurdles to face, particularly in relation to legal papers, registrations, employment rights, access to education and applications for acceptance to a country in the West. Our team is able to help with all this.

When they forced us to leave our city, I couldn’t find a place to live. Because we were foreigners, landlords wanted a full year’s rent upfront, which was impossible. We stayed in a hotel for so many nights, the cost became unbearable. We were hopeless. I had a sick child, no furniture, and no place to go.

Supporting Refugees with Basic Needs and Job Opportunities

Transform Iran also helps these refugees with basic survival from clothing, food and medical aid to fuel to heat their homes in the winter. Many have escaped with only a small case (if even that!).

We also help them find work where possible (restrictive options for refugees). Where we have the funding opportunity, we employ as many as we can ourselves – we certainly have much that needs doing across the ministry. Any training that is needed (IT, web design, TV production ) is provided by our own team.

Still Not Safe: The Hidden Cost of Refugee Limbo

For many Iranian refugees, the trauma doesn’t end when they cross the border. It continues for years as they live in constant fear of being uprooted again – with no legal protections, no sense of belonging, and no guarantee of safety.

Refugees don’t have the same rights as the people around them, making it easy for landlords, employers, peers, or even healthcare and education providers to take advantage. Without a stable legal framework, many can’t plan for the future. Dreams of marriage, family, and a fulfilling career are put on hold, while the fear of sudden deportation constantly lingers, even after many years of waiting.

We’d better not get married. We’d better not have children, because we don’t know what the future holds, or if we’ll get forced back to Iran, or if we’ll ever get to leave. We just don’t know.

We have children in our group who have said that they’ll be sitting in class, and suddenly the police will turn up and take children out of class and send them to deportation camps.

One of our young people, a fourteen-year-old boy, was in the hospital for a long time after being severely beaten. He suffered internal bleeding, organ failure, and other complications — simply because his peers, other teenage boys, decided he shouldn’t be a Christian because he has a Muslim name.

A Loving Community: Healing and Hope for Refugees and Their Children

Transform Iran offers critical support through trauma counseling, discipleship, advocacy, and community-building among displaced believers. Our mission is not just for their survival, but for restoration, dignity, and hope.

We also invest actively into children’s ministry to provide a strong, loving, non-judgmental and non-oppressive community around each child – one that holds them close, reminds them they are deeply loved and valuable, and introduces them to the truth and love of Jesus.

The Middle East Refugee Crisis Is Growing

The refugee crisis in the Middle East is real. Inflation is at staggering heights (Turkey’s annual inflation exceeding 80% in 2022 – Reuters) and opportunities for refugees are scarce.

How You Can Support Them

Transform Iran is committed to standing with our brothers and sisters who have already sacrificed so much. You can also stand with them in support.

Pray for Iranian believers facing persecution, and for Iranian refugee families and children facing a different set of challenges and unknowns.
Give to help us provide practical support for those who’ve risked everything for Christ. (Choose gift designation “Helping the Hurting”.)
Learn more about what’s happening inside Iran and how God is moving, even through persecution. Sign up for our newsletter to get powerful stories, prayer points, and ways you can stand with the persecuted Church.

We are completely alone again. But we’ll see what God has planned for us.

There’s no other way to say it. You saved my life.