Project: WE0001-63104

If you had told Martin Luther that one day the Gospel would echo through his homeland—not in Latin or even German but in Farsi and Dari—would he have believed you?

Over the last decade, more than five million refugees—many from Iran and Afghanistan—have found shelter in Germany. And by God’s grace, many are also finding something greater: Christ. Even though Iran is officially ninety-nine percent Muslim, it is estimated that up to one-third of the Iranian population is secretly Christian.

In close collaboration with local partners, LCMS missionaries provide Word and Sacrament ministry to Iranian and Afghan refugees in Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Cottbus, and Wolfsburg. They baptize and teach Persians, while also raising up and mentoring Farsi-speaking men who wish to become Lutheran pastors. They translate Lutheran liturgy and hymns into Farsi, sometimes retaining the original melodies, sometimes using Persian tunes to make Lutheran doctrine more accessible to these young Christians. All these are made available on the website nurezendegi.org, a tri-lingual (Farsi, German, English) repository, which greatly facilitates Gospel outreach and provides Lutheran resources to the Persian community and the Church reaching out to them —even beyond Germany—into Iran itself.

Through this quiet, faithful work, about 2000 Persians have been baptized into saving faith in Germany in recent years. Some are now studying to become pastors. We are also planning to use our resources and experiences to expand our work into other countries in Eurasia. We cannot directly preach in Tehran or Kabul. But the converts can—and do. They share Christ with family back home. They lead underground Bible studies. It’s not just mission work—it’s a wildfire of grace, spreading across borders we cannot cross.

We pray that one day the repressive Islamic regimes in Iran and in neighboring Afghanistan will collapse, at which point many Lutheran pastors will be needed to shepherd these young believers and further spread the Gospel. The Persian Project is laying the groundwork for the coming Gospel explosion in Persia by bringing many Iranians and Afghans into the Lord’s flock and forming future ethnic pastors even today.

Budget Goal for the entire Persian Projects in FY2026: $125,000

Project ID : WE0001-63104

Give Online: https://www.lcms.org/givenow/germany-foro

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The Persian Project in Germany

Checks should be made out to: LCMS Memo line: WE0001-63104

Mail to:
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Mission Advancement
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-6861