“Muslim-background Iranians are leading a quiet but mass exodus out of Islam and bowing their knees to the Jewish Messiah—with kindled affection toward the Jewish people. The Iranian Awakening is a rapidly reproducing discipleship movement that owns no property or buildings, has no central leadership, and is predominantly led by women.”
If reading this paragraph from our promotional material for Sheep Among Wolves Vol. II generates excitement in your heart for what the Lord is doing in the Middle East, then this article really isn’t for you. You’re welcome to read it, but it’s primarily written to those who feel hesitant to rejoice, particularly because of those last few words at the end.
Since the release of the film in 2019, friends (and critics) of the ministry have shared feedback about the persecuted church in Iran and FAI’s whole-hearted endorsement of what the Lord is doing through them. While most of it has been overwhelmingly positive, a few concerns have made their way to my ears. The concerns stem mostly from misunderstandings about the leadership structure of the underground church. And the exception come from those who take issue with the advance of the gospel in Iran being “predominantly led by women.”
The primary reason for misunderstanding the leadership structure of this disciple making movement is context (or in this case, a lack thereof). For the majority of us, when we hear about women in leadership, we plug in our own familiar context to fill in the blanks of what that could look like. But the landscape of disciple making in Iran looks far different than our long-established, formalized church denominations in the West. Think less Beth Moore taking over a Baptist megachurch and more Fatima leading her friends and family through a Bible study in her living room.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what the Lord is doing in places where public expressions of Christianity result in persecution, excommunication, and death. Jesus is saving people. Many of those people are part of a disciple making group. Each person in a group is leading another group. Most of those people are women (that’s Jesus’ doing). Each of those women are being discipled in a group and are obediently reproducing other groups of disciples that do likewise. As these groups mature and flourish they are transformed into New Testament defined Churches.
And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.[1]
This verse describes the leadership structure of the Persian Church. Because the Persian Church has modeled their structure after what Paul and the early church exemplified. Leadership cascading down through multiple generations. Every generation is being discipled and every generation is discipling another. No one is left un-discipled.
Consider how beneficial this could be to our Western model of discipleship.
I’m aware of some concerns (and criticisms) about the rapid growth rate of the persecuted church. As well as the worry that new believers run the risk of becoming arrogant. I have had the honor of spending time with leaders of the persecuted church of Iran on several occasions. My opinion of them has been formed by firsthand experience. And in my experience, I have not met a humbler Church. Our Persian bothers and sisters are meek, selfless, forgiving (even of their persecutors), gentle, and hilarious. They have learned the secret of not taking themselves too seriously. Persecution has a way of crushing pride and arrogance. It’s simply not something they’re dealing with. Praise the Lord.
I hope this serves as a salutary response to those with genuine concern for our Persian brothers and sisters.
For those who remain unsure of the persecuted church being predominately led by women, may the remainder of this article serve as a correction for dramatically underutilizing the most advantageous force of gospel advancement we have available… women!
“But women can’t be elders.”
This isn’t a discussion about the qualifications of an elder. This isn’t a Timothy and Titus exegesis issue. This is an issue of obedience. The reason the persecuted churches in Iran and Afghanistan are currently the fastest-growing churches on the planet is because of their obedience to reproduce the gospel. Each person saved in a disciple making group is obediently reproducing more (if not several more) obediently reproducing disciple making groups. The growth is exponential because the Word of God is treasured supremely and obeyed immediately. And it just so happens that the majority of the people the Holy Spirit is revealing Jesus to are women. And those women did not excuse themselves from obedience to reproduce the gospel 30, 60, and 100 times![2]
The church in Iran wouldn’t be the fastest growing on earth if weren’t for women. And what would you say to that? “Stop what you’re doing, this is invalid. I know that you’re making disciples who read obey and share the Word in their native tongue, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, making disciples, transforming families, leading many to the Lord even in the face of severe persecution and death because you’re so in love with Jesus and as humble as can be, but it doesn’t count cause you’re girls. Shut it down.”
No! What they’re doing is beautiful. It’s precious. It’s glorious. It is the advance of the Kingdom and if it weren’t for the women it wouldn’t be happening. If our response to this amazing work of God (and it is a work of God since only God can justify and save a human soul) is to criticize and invalidate it, we may have reason to suspect jealousy in our hearts.
The book of Acts and several of Paul’s letters are full of women whom he mentions and addresses specifically. We just assume Priscilla was in the kitchen making dinner for the boys. Yet Paul frequently and affectionately referred to the Church that meets in her home and described how she and her husband explained the Gospel more accurately to a new believer.[3] She was an integral part of the first house church network in history. Though, she probably did make some bussin’ meals!
We must take into account the entirety of what Scripture models to us, not just what Paul said, but also what Paul demonstrated. The early church flourished with men and women in leadership. It’s time we stop putting obstacles in the way of the Great Commission because we choose to interpret what Paul modeled through a lens of what Paul wrote rather than interpreting what he wrote through a lens of what he modeled. It’s a small course correction that could dramatically alter the impact we’re having on the Great Commission. I think it’s worth revisiting with new eyes and fresh humility and to let the Word of God breath life into our disciple making in the West.
It’s a good thing the women are driving this thing because men aren’t. And I know that stings a little bit, but oh well. The goal isn’t to feel good about our contribution to the Great Commission, its to complete the thing. People are hearing the Gospel of the Kingdom in their native languages while they’re being discipled and making disciples. This is cause to rejoice, not to critique.
So, let’s celebrate with our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church. Let’s pray to have their type of courage in the days ahead. And let us not only accept, but insist on having women leading multiple generations of reproducing disciples, because boy do I want to see my Maker! I long for the day that Man with nail-pierced hands will split the sky and come back for his Bride, and by golly, if women can help get that done faster so He can come back sooner, let no man’s opinion hinder that Day from coming.
Amen and Maranatha!
Jordan Scott lives in the Muslim world with his wife and children. He is the host of THE WAY podcast and author of A Call to Compel: The Simplicity, Urgency, and Joy of Making Disciples, available now from FAI Publishing. Jordan can be reached by email at jordan@faimission.org.
[1] 2 Timothy 2:2, emphasis added
[2] Matthew 13:23
[3] Romans 16:1-7; Acts 9:36; Acts 18:26
