EXCLUSIVE // Iranian Underground Church Speaks Out on Chaos in Iran // FAI ONLINE

It has been a tumultuous three months inside the Islamic Republic of Iran. Street protests which began last November have steadily grown in size and scope to become the largest grassroots movement to oppose the regime in its 40-year history. The demonstrations began, at least ostensibly, in reaction to a sharp hike in fuel prices. Despite a harsh crackdown by the regime, which included the murder of hundreds in the streets and the injury and arrest of tens of thousands more, the movement spread, drawing huge crowds in the capital of Tehran and across the country from Ahvaz in the southwest to Mashhad in the northeast. Then in January, the already-burgeoning movement went into overdrive after the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani and the subsequent downing of a Ukrainian commercial airliner, which killed all 176 passengers, half of them Iranian nationals.

We had the opportunity to speak with a leader in the Iranian underground church last week about the implications of these events and how they have affected the disciple-making movement in Iran. Our source was not rattled by the recent upheaval inside his country. “We’re used to protests, flooding…we’re used to chaos” he said casually, adding that quiet is actually more suspect than chaos in Iran. He explained that the assassination of General Soleimani by the US military was actually a sad day for Iranians. While most Western governments and media described Soleimani as a patron of terrorism and a warmonger, many Iranians - including many in the underground church -viewed the IRGC commander as “a protector” and “a national hero” who kept Iran safe from ISIS at a time when Shi’a Muslims and Christians were being slaughtered and the spread of the Caliphate in neighboring Iraq seemed unstoppable. Soleimani’s death brought national unity, or as our source described it, “a re-engagement of the government with the people” after six weeks of street protests and violent crackdowns had ravaged the national psyche in Iran.

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That sense of national unity ended one week later after the Iranian regime admitted to inadvertently shooting down the Ukrainian airliner with anti-aircraft missiles. Although it was a mistake, the regime lied about their involvement for three days, until incontrovertible evidence surfaced online, forcing Iranian President Rouhani himself to admit his military’s responsibility for the tragedy and to apologize. Our source described the massive public shift in Iran from goodwill to mourning to anger at the regime. “They want revolution…if there was two steps of approach back [towards] the government and people uniting with the government because of Soleimani, now there is a huge valley between them. Soleimani disappeared out of everyone’s mind, and now it’s just the plane.”

The protest movement has raised new questions for the underground church in Iran. “What do we do with the protests and everything?” our source asked. “Do we go out? How do we minister? How do we engage? Sometimes the chaos just brings frustration because every time we start getting some good momentum, something happens, and this is another [example].”

But despite the uncertainty, our source made it clear that the underground church actually prefers the dysfunction of the oppressive regime. “The people of the church don’t want regime change…[they] love the pressure, because more people come to Jesus this way. It’s just [about] ‘How do we execute Jesus’ best strategy during the chaos?’ That’s what everyone’s thinking, feeling and wondering.”

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These questions about strategies for disciple-making carry weight for Christians in Iran who must carefully consider every word and action taken in public to reach the lost in their nation. The regime crackdown against the street protests has raised the stakes for Iranian believers even higher. “It’s more dangerous, because random people are getting killed, and so, because of the crackdown and the street protests, we had to put everything on freeze.” The temporary halt in outreach may seem like a setback for the Iranian churches, but our source describes it as an important test for local fellowships, to see if they are ready to stand on their own in the Lord. “Here’s a good test to, say, as we let go of people and churches, will they grow? We will find out soon enough.”

As chaotic as Iran has become in the last three months, our source believes that the situation inside the country may worsen. “What if civil war breaks out? I think that’s the big thing that everyone is thinking [about]…How do we minister in civil war? That’s a huge prayer point, and we’re creeping towards that. If full-blown civil war breaks out, like in Syria, what do we do? We need believers to pray that God will give us strategy [to develop] tactics within…our discipleship program, so that we can bring hundreds, thousands, millions to Jesus during this very difficult time in the country.”

We ask our global partners to join the FAI family in intercession for our Iranian brothers and sisters. You can learn more about the Iranian underground church and their disciple-making movement by clicking on the above graphic for the FAI film Sheep Among Wolves II, and you can stand with the Iranian church in this critical time by clicking on the "Learn More” link above to sow directly into their ministry through the FAI website.