International Christian nonprofit and ministry Open Doors released its World Watch List for 2026 confirming Christian persecution is at an all-time high in 15 nations, including Nigeria and Syria.

The data released needs to be understood within a broader context, Wissam al-Saliby, president of 21Wilberforce, said.

“Around the world, violent conflict, domestic unrest, and human rights violations are increasing,” al-Saliby said. “When peace and security are threatened, when freedoms of expression and assembly are curtailed, freedom of religion is inevitably violated, and faith communities face greater pressure, discrimination, and threats of violence.”

“This dynamic is especially pronounced in countries where churches and Christian communities are growing,” al-Saliby said. “For Christians, it is essential to understand this bigger picture of where the world is heading in order to respond wisely and effectively.”

Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List

Ryan Brown, CEO of Open Doors, told Baptist Press the increase in attacks on the church throughout the world is the result of the church advancing and the enemy’s work toward fighting the church.

The World Watch List ranks countries by their persecution scores. The score is a point system measuring from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating severe persecution and danger for Christians residing in a specific country.

To compile the score, the World Watch Research Unit works with researchers to measure freedom of worship across six areas: private life, family life, community life, national life, church life, and violence. A score of 81-100 is considered “extreme persecution,” 41-60 “high,” and 61-80 is “very high.”

The World Watch List, according to Baptist Press, ranked North Korea first for the 24th year, with Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan, Libya, and Iran ranked second through 10th.

Baptist Press also reported the following from Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List:

• 224,129 Christians were forced to leave their homes and go into hiding or leave their respective country.
• 67,843 Christians were beaten, threatened, or physically or psychologically abused, 163 of whom were in Mexico.
• 5,202 Christians were sexually assaulted, harassed, or forced to marry non-Christians, with an estimated 1,000 of those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• 25,794 attacks were made on Christian homes, shops, and businesses.
• 4,849 Christians were killed for faith-related reasons, 3,490 of them in Nigeria.
• 4,712 Christians were detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, or imprisoned, with more than 1,600 of these incidents occurring in India.
• 3,302 Christians were abducted.
• 3,632 churches or public Christian properties were attacked or closed, with about 1,000 of those in China.

Open Doors’ World Watch List is “an important tool for awareness,” al-Saliby said. Advocating for religious freedom, peace, and security can be built on that awareness, he explained.

“At 21Wilberforce, our advocacy for religious freedom and for peace and security is always shaped by country-specific contexts and developed in close dialogue with local Christian leaders,” al-Saliby explained.

“We listen carefully to understand their capacity, their margin of maneuver, and their sense of calling—where they believe God is leading them to advocate.”

Risk Theory announced the successful launch of a new church-focused insurance program—KingsCover—developed in cooperation with Texas Baptists and insured by Amherst Specialty Insurance Company. The program is initially available to Baptist churches throughout Texas, with plans to expand availability to additional denominations and select states in the future. KingsCover was created in response to increasing challenges facing churches nationwide, including rising premiums, reduced capacity, higher deductibles, and limited access to comprehensive coverage. The program offers full replacement cost property coverage, including wind and hail, supported by an innovative claims model designed to reduce friction, eliminate inefficiencies, and enable faster recovery following a loss. For more information on KingsCover, contact info@kingscover.com.

Wayland Baptist University plans a program expansion of the Ben & Bertha Mieth School of Nursing to the university’s Plainview campus to strengthen academic opportunities in the West Texas region. Upon completion of their pre-nursing requirements, students and others will be able to apply to the program. Wayland officials say the immediate focus of the program expansion is on academic offerings and instructional delivery rather than facilities, reflecting the university’s commitment to support students at the start of their academic journey.

Baylor University Provost Nancy Brickhouse announced James R. Brockmole, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, has been selected as Dean of Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, effective July 1. Brockmole began his academic career at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland before joining the Notre Dame psychology faculty as an associate professor of psychology in 2009. He was promoted to full professor in 2017 and appointed department chair in 2023.

Houston Christian University President Robert Sloan announced a planned transition in leadership for the HCU athletic department with current Director of Athletics Steve Moniaci moving into the role of special advisor to the president for athletics. Current Deputy Athletic Director Stan Williamson is being promoted to director of athletics, effective March 1.

East Texas Baptist University welcomed students back to campus January 12 for the start of the spring 2026 semester. ETBU President J. Blair Blackburn addressed students, faculty, and staff during chapel, launching the spring chapel series “The Way of Wisdom,” centered on Scripture that shapes understanding, cultivates a love for what is good, and guides students to live wisely throughout life. Throughout the semester, the ETBU community will gather in chapel to seek this wisdom together.

WASHINGTON––U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, both Southern Baptists, joined others at a press conference Jan. 14 urging federal authorities to block interstate abortion pill prescriptions.

Also on hand was Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who announced Jan. 13 her indictment of California physician Remy Coeytaux on the charge of “criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs,” alleging he prescribed the abortion cocktail of mifepristone and misoprostol for a Louisiana woman. 

Louisiana law punishes the crime by financial penalties and one-to-50 years of hard labor, Murrill reported.

Joining the three were U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and several pro-life congressional and state leaders in their appeal to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice to outlaw the interstate shipment of abortion-inducing drugs.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission applauded efforts to end interstate prescriptions for abortion-inducing drugs, especially commending Murrill for issuing an indictment.

“The state of Louisiana is to be commended for its aggressive legal efforts to protect preborn children and their moms from predatory purveyors of medical abortion,” Miles Mullin, ERLC executive vice president and chief of staff, told Baptist Press.

“Many pro-life states have passed similar laws since [Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization], so we can expect to see more of these efforts by their attorneys general in the months and years ahead,” Mullin said.

Still, federal action is the best route to saving unborn lives, Mullin said.

“In reality, there is no way that California, or other pro-choice states, will honor any sort of extradition order for those supplying abortion drugs. Neither will abortion doctors in those states stop mailing abortion drugs across state lines to pro-life states, unless the federal government takes action,” Mullin said.

“Once again, this leads to the conclusion that there is still much work to be done at the federal level to save preborn lives, starting with enforcement of the Comstock Act. Please join us in praying that our leaders in Washington, D.C., would have the fortitude to take that important step. Now is the time for action,” Mullin continued.

Lankford, a Southern Baptist, represents Oklahoma, one of 14 states banning medical abortions as recently as June 2024, according to USAFacts.

“What’s happening right now on the national level is abortion pills are being mailed into my state to go around state law to facilitate the death of children in my state,” Lankford said at the press conference.

“There is always a death that’s involved in this drug, but it is also incredibly dangerous for the mom as well. So, we’re speaking out on this, challenging the FDA and [Health and Human Services] to live up to our values,” Lankford continued.

Louisiana indictment

Murrill charged Coeytaux with violating Louisiana’s prohibition on abortion “by means of an abortion-inducing drug,” and a state law prohibiting aiding and abetting in the procurement or distribution of such drugs, according to Murrill’s press release.

“This is not health care; it’s drug dealing,” Murrill said, accusing doctors of “flagrantly and intentionally placing women in danger. We’ve seen the proof of that, with women showing up in emergency rooms after taking these pills and being coerced into abortions.”

In October 2023, Coeytaux, who resides in Healdsburg, Calif., sent a pregnant woman in Louisiana the abortion pills for a fee of $150, Murrill said in a bill of information. The pregnant woman ingested the medication and ended her pregnancy.

Louisiana sent an order to California for Coeytaux to be extradited to Louisiana for trial, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom has refused to comply, Politico reported.

It is Louisiana’s second indictment of an out-of-state doctor on such charges, following the January 2025 indictment of New York physician Margaret Carpenter, her company Nightingale Medical PC, and a third individual. New York also refused to extradite Carpenter for trial.

In her battle against medication abortions, Murrill also testified Jan. 14 before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee about the dangers and interstate proliferation of the medication.

“Abortions have tragically increased in Louisiana since, despite its pro-life laws,” Murrill testified. “The pro-abortion Society of Family Planning reports that, from April to June 2024 alone, mail-order abortion drugs—sent illegally into Louisiana from doctors and activists in other states—accounted for an average of 617 abortions in Louisiana per month.”

The number exceeded 800 such abortions in December 2024, she said, “and continues to trend upward, eclipsing 900 abortions per month in Louisiana in 2025.”

Murrill is a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit to block interstate abortion pill prescriptions, citing the dangers inherent in the pills being prescribed without in-person exams by physicians. 

Press conference

At the Washington press conference, Perkins and others lamented and criticized actions under the Biden administration intended to protect abortion access through the availability of medication abortions. The effort has bicameral Republican support in concert with that of state leaders, Perkins said.

Speakers said the abortion pills are at least 20 times more dangerous than Tylenol.

“The reason we’re holding this press conference,” Perkins said, “is really to drive home the issue of the states. This is coming from conservative states, states that should be aligned with this administration. And if there are those that don’t care about the life issue, they should care about the politics of this.

“This is going to be a political problem for those who have sold out the pro-life movement,” Perkins said.

Celebrating Churches is a new feature column to celebrate Texas Baptist church and minister anniversaries, baptisms, ministries of local churches, and other items and events of note for local churches. To learn more about this new column and/or to submit an entry for inclusion, email news@baptiststandard.com.

First Baptist Church of Midland is celebrating their 140th anniversary as a church. Darin Wood is the senior pastor. The celebration featured special recognition of previous ministry leaders, such as Todd Still; Jim Denison, pastor from 1988 to 1994; and Randel Everett, pastor from 2011 to 2014.

Alliance Church and One Accord Fellowship have joined their ministries to assist and grow English- and Spanish-speaking ministry in a “1 Mission, 2 Languages, 3 Campuses” campaign for kingdom collaboration. The goal is to serve the 47,000 people in Lubbock who need this type of ministry.

Part of celebrating churches is helping them grow and develop. The Baptist Standard’s Equip column is full of resources for the growth and development of the church.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn.—The changing religious landscape in the United States includes a decline in the total number of Protestant and Southern Baptist churches.

In 2024, Lifeway Research estimates 3,800 new Protestant churches were started in the U.S., while 4,000 churches were closed. This is based on analysis of congregational information provided by 35 denominations or faith groups, representing 58% of all Protestant churches.

“Some individual denominations release annual numbers related to church plants and church closures, but we are grateful many more were willing to contribute unpublished numbers to help us understand the bigger picture of Protestant churches today,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.

“Given recent declines in Americans identifying as Christians, churches show a remarkable ability to remain open, even with fewer attendees on average.”

The 200-church gap between those closed and those opened represents a significant improvement over the 2019 numbers.

In the most recent previous analysis, 1,500 more churches closed than opened. Five years ago, there were 4,500 closures compared to 3,000 openings. Ten years ago, however, Lifeway Research found more Protestant churches were planted (4,000) than closed (3,700) in 2014.

Using the U.S. Religion Census 2020 estimate of approximately 293,000 Protestant congregations in the U.S., the 4,000 closures in 2024 represent almost 1.4% of all U.S. Protestant churches.

Lifeway Research’s analysis of the Southern Baptist Convention found 1.4% of active Southern Baptist congregations disbanded or closed and 0.4% left or were disaffiliated between 2023 and 2024.

In 2024, 906 of the 49,380 active Southern Baptist congregations from the previous year were no longer part of the convention, including 715 that disbanded or closed, and 188 that left or were disaffiliated. 

However, many new churches were planted, and some existing churches became affiliated with the SBC. So, the SBC had 183 fewer congregations in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the SBC’s most recent Annual Church Profile.

The number of Southern Baptist congregations peaked in 2017 and has declined each year since. However, the 715 that disbanded or closed in 2024 represent the smallest annual loss during the decline.

“The immediate impact of COVID appears to have passed. Denominations have discovered those that closed during quarantine and never reopened,” McConnell said.

“However, the typical church in America has fewer attendees than it did 20 years ago. These assemblies are often weaker than prior generations. But at the same time, new churches are flourishing and a subset of churches are growing,” McConnell added.

Existence expectations

Most pastors aren’t planning on their churches shutting down any time soon, but a few have concerns.

The vast majority of U.S. Protestant pastors don’t expect their church to be among those closing. A Lifeway Research study found 94% of pastors believe their churches will still exist in 10 years, 4% disagree, and 2% aren’t sure.

Even among those who believe their churches have an extended future, some are concerned. Fewer than 4 in 5 (78%) strongly agree they expect their church to have at least another decade.

Smaller church pastors are most likely to be worried. Those leading churches with fewer than 50 in attendance are the least likely to agree their church will still exist in 10 years (88%) and most likely to disagree (8%).

“The typical American church has always been small. But the aging of church attendees and higher cost of living mean even a church with the same number of attendees may have fewer resources than a generation ago,” McConnell said. “However, those churches would say their power is not found in numbers or the strength of the attendees, but in the God they serve.”

Church planting priorities

A recent Lifeway Research study found more than a third of U.S. Protestant churches have participated in helping to start new churches. But while 36% say they were involved in planting new churches, the levels of participation vary.

Around 2 in 5 of these churches have helped with training (42%) and coaching (38%) for church planters. Three in 10 (30%) have been involved with church planting assessments. Just 2% of all churches have accepted direct financial responsibility as the primary sponsor of a new church in the last three years.

Not only do new churches help offset the losses of churches that close, but newer congregations are statistically more likely to be growing than others.

Specifically within the SBC, the only group of churches that demonstrated overall membership growth in the past five years is those founded in the last 25 years, according to Lifeway Research analysis.

Those churches that began in 2000 grew by 12%. Membership among congregations founded between 1950 and 1999 (-11%), 1900 and 1949 (-13%) and before 1900 (-11%) all declined.

“While the American church landscape changes slowly, it is not standing still,” said McConnell.

“The future of Protestant churches in America lies in reaching new people with the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. Most growth in the U.S. happens in new communities. Church planting is vital to share the gospel in these new communities as well as communities in which the population is changing or previous churches have closed,” McConnell added.

Methodology

Estimates of the number of 2024 Protestant church starts and closures are based on unofficial reports Lifeway Research gathered from 35 denominational groups that represent 58% of U.S. Protestant churches. The pattern in this large sample was applied to the non-reporting and non-denominational groups to provide the overall estimate.

The SBC analysis utilized the final Annual Church Profile congregation file for 2024 compared to 2023. Lifeway Research conducted a postmortem analysis to determine what happened to each congregation in the 2023 dataset not found in the 2024 dataset. This analysis was possible thanks to information shared by data administrators and clerks in each state convention.

James Darnell to First Baptist Church of Monahans as youth pastor, from First Baptist Church in Roswell, N.M., where he served as an intern.

Dallas Baptist University students, coaches, and friends were on campus to witness the baptism of Women’s Soccer goalkeeper, Sam Jones. This was a time when they watched a servant leader follow through in faith, leaving her old self behind, and resting in the knowledge God has control of her future. Looking back on her baptism, Sam describes how this was one of the most humbling and joyful experiences of her life. Being surrounded by her coaches, family, and teammates as she took this step in her faith made her feel deeply loved and supported. “I felt completely covered in love—God’s love and the love of the community he placed around me,” Jones said.

Baylor University announced the largest gift in the Baylor Baseball program’s history—a gift from Magnolia, the Waco-based and nationally recognized lifestyle company founded by Baylor alumni Chip and Joanna Gaines. The gift will name Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark and support the program’s anticipated capital projects. The Gaineses, who are also Baylor grads, rose to national prominence through their home-renovation projects, building Magnolia into a multi-platform, global brand, and launching Magnolia Network following the success of their HGTV series “Fixer Upper.”

Wayland Baptist University is launching a new digital and financial literacy initiative aimed at expanding educational and workforce opportunities for students in rural communities through collaboration with the NASDAQ Market Lab. The initiative, “Empowering Students with Digital and Financial Skills for Workforce and Community Advancement,” will be introduced during a public event at 5 p.m., Jan. 29, in the Nunn Business Building on Wayland’s Plainview campus. Guests are asked to RSVP by Jan. 22 by calling 806-291-1037 or emailing easterb@wbu.edu.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is excited to announce registration is now open for the spring 2026 semester at the UMHB Arts Academy. Participants of all ages and skill levels in music, theatre, and dance are invited. Classes include instrumental and vocal lessons, musical theatre, dance, and early childhood groups. With expert instructors, supportive programs, and a welcoming environment, the UMHB Arts Academy is a place to build confidence and learn new skills.

Paul T. Sloan, associate professor of early Christianity and chair of the Department of Theology in the School of Christian Thought at Houston Christian University, was named the 2025–26 winner in the biblical studies category of the Christianity Today Book Awards for his book Jesus and the Law of Moses: The Gospels and the Restoration of Israel within First-Century Judaism.

As the next step in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s long-term strategy to evaluate its property usage in keeping with its student-focused core value and to prioritize seminary resources, the seminary announced Jan. 13 Student Village Apartments and Townhomes have been sold to Bellrock Real Estate Partners, a Fort Worth-based company.

“This transaction creates an opportunity to partner with Bellrock in ways that will enhance the residential experience for our students,” said Southwestern Seminary President David S. Dockery.

“We are encouraged by Bellrock’s commitment to investing in the property and to working collaboratively to ensure it continues to serve the needs of the seminary community,” Dockery added.

Bellrock co-founder Anthony Wonderly emphasized the firm’s commitment to thoughtful ownership and continuity for residents.

“We understand the importance of this community to Southwestern Seminary and its students,” Wonderly said. “Our goal is to invest responsibly, improve the quality of life for residents, and position the property for long-term success while maintaining continuity for those who already call it home.”

The sale of Student Village represents a key component of Southwestern Seminary’s broader financial turnaround since 2022, Dockery said.

The institution has implemented disciplined financial management, reduced operational expenses, and experienced growth in operating revenue, resulting in the elimination of all short-term and long-term debt and cash reserves in excess of $20 million.

Turnaround following financial crisis

This turnaround follows a period of financial crisis under former president Adam W. Greenway, who resigned from Southwestern Seminary in Sept. 2022.

According to a previous report by the Baptist Standard, Greenway’s resignation was linked to reports of a major budget deficit and significant turnover of faculty, staff, and administration, resulting in the need for more financial guardrails to prevent spending irregularities and provide trustee accountability. 

Greenway’s tenure followed predecessor Paige Patterson’s efforts to expand faculty and lead the seminary in taking on several expensive building projects during a period of enrollment decline, contributing to Southwestern’s further financial instability, according to the report. 

Sale part of longer-term strategy

Dockery contrasted the sale of Student Village with the 2023 sale of seminary’s former B.H. Carroll Park housing complex.

While the Carroll Park sale helped address the seminary’s then “financial crisis,” he said the sale of Student Village “is an aspect of a longer-term strategy to serve students well and to prioritize the campus resources, all of which are an aspect of implementing the space and property utilization guidelines and priorities approved by the [seminary] board in the fall of 2024.”

The Student Village community, located at 2000 W. Seminary Drive, includes a total of 376 residential units, consisting of 252 traditional apartment units constructed in 2012 and 124 townhomes built between 1976 and 1995. The mix of apartments and townhomes provides flexible housing options well suited to seminary students and their families.

In April 2023, the seminary’s board of trustees created a space and property utilization task team composed of trustees and seminary personnel with a commitment to institutional stewardship and discovering the best way to utilize Southwestern’s campus, property, and assets in order to advance the seminary’s mission. In 2024, trustees approved guidelines and priorities for the task team. In the summer of 2025, the board authorized the sale of the property.

In recent months, seminary administrators have met three times with residents of Student Village to inform them of the prospective sale, Dockery noted.

Serving students is a priority

“Every aspect of the decision-making process was always shaped with the theme of how to best serve our students,” he said.

“We have worked hard to ensure a good transition for the students. We pray that current and future students will benefit in the new year and in the years ahead. Our priority all along in this process has been to find ways to strengthen this aspect of student life.”

Dockery also said Bellrock has communicated plans to make a significant capital investment in the community following the acquisition with both short-term and long-term improvements. Planned improvements include interior unit upgrades, enhanced safety and security measures, refreshed landscaping, and the development of new or improved gathering spaces intended to foster community among residents.

The partnership with Bellrock, Dockery added, is structured as an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time transaction. The two organizations will continue to work together closely as improvements are implemented and as the community develops. 

The seminary will remain involved in key areas that affect student experience, including security and facilities coordination, helping to ensure continuity for staff and student workers who have long served the Village.

“We believe the Lord has provided a way for a strong and ongoing partnership so that the student village will continue to be a vital part of seminary life for many years to come,” Dockery added.

The transaction was brokered by Jason Harrell of Transwestern, representing the Southwestern Seminary.

Additional reporting by Faith Pratt, reporter for the Baptist Standard.

A Protestant pastor and five friends and family members were released from prison Jan. 10 after nearly six months of incommunicado detention in Nicaragua’s Granada Department, as reported by Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Evangelical pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas, with the La Roca de Nicaragua Church Association, was arrested in July 2025, as reported by Baptist Press in November.

Vargas was released along with his sister, two brothers-in-law, a church worship team member, and a family friend, according to the Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners in Nicaragua.

The group was among 20 political prisoners whose release was confirmed in a statement posted on X.

CSW sources reported Vargas is under house arrest and surveillance, and movements are restricted.

“While we are grateful that these individuals will be reunited with some of their loved ones after nearly six months in incommunicado detention, neither Pastor Rudy Palacios Vargas nor his friends and family members should be under house arrest or precautionary measures. Their release does not undo the injustice committed against them,” CSW’s director of advocacy and Americas team leader Anna Lee Stangl said.

CSW is calling on the Nicaraguan government to grant Vargas and others arrested “full freedom without condition, and to immediately release all remaining political prisoners.”

“We call on the international community to maintain pressure on the Ortega-Murillo regime to ensure human rights are upheld and that their crimes do not go unpunished,” Stangl said.

Baptist Press also reported the U.S. State Department in 2022 designated Cuba and Nicaragua Countries of Particular Concern for “engaging in or tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

TEHRAN, Iran—Christians have been shot as police respond to protests across Iran, a U.S.-based evangelist told Baptist Press, with Southern Baptists requesting prayer for persecuted Christians and others across the nation.

Communicating through Starlink satellite and bypassing the government enforced internet blackout in Iran, Iran Alive Ministries founder Hormoz Shariat told Baptist Press he learned Jan. 11 a Christian man had been shot in Iran, Christians are in harm’s way because they are ministering amid protesters, and at least one wounded man accepted Christ through a Christian’s intervention.

“Yesterday as I was doing a live broadcast, and then news came, and a person outside Iran called and said: ‘My nephew has been shot in Iran. He’s a Christian and he’s hiding in a home. Please pray for him,” Shariat told Baptist Press. “Christians are on the streets and some of them in the past (protests) have been killed.”

Christian death tolls rising

As the names have not been released of an estimated 500-1,000 or more killed in protests the past two weeks, Shariat said he cannot verify how many Christians might be among the dead in the latest round of demonstrations.

“But it’s very likely there are Christians among them,” he said, “because Christians are out there.”

At least one wounded person accepted Christ after a Christian nurse took him into their home, treated his wounds, and shared the gospel, Shariat said he learned Jan. 11.

“This person called and he said: ‘I was wounded on the streets. And then somebody took me home as I was fleeing and bleeding. The person was a nurse, and they dressed my wound. And then I realized they are Christians, and they shared the gospel with me, and I just came to Christ,’” the newfound believer said.

As deaths mount but details remain elusive, Nathan Rostampour of The Summit Church in Raleigh, N.C., is urgently asking believers to pray for Iranians risking their lives for freedom amid a growing humanitarian crisis.

Urgent prayers requested

“This is a moment for the church to rise,” Rostampour, The Summit’s Persian Ministry director and an International Mission Board trustee, told Baptist Press Jan. 9. “Men and women are being beaten, imprisoned and killed in the streets simply for demanding freedom, dignity, and the right to live. When the world cannot see, injustice multiplies. When voices are silenced, lives are lost.”

Please pray for Iran, Rostampour pleaded.

“We urgently ask the international church to stand in the gap and become the voice for those who have been forced into silence. Please help bring awareness by speaking out,” Rostampour urged. 

“Post on social media, talk about this in your churches and call on news agencies, leaders, and institutions to report the truth of what is happening. The people of Iran are crying out, and they need the world to hear them. Silence is not neutrality—it is abandonment.”

Christians are bringing light amid the evil, with many treating the wounded at homes to avoid certain arrest at hospitals, Shariat said. Christians are also taking food and water into crowds of protesters amid Iran’s humanitarian crisis.

One Christian couple prepared 50 sandwiches, put them in their backpacks along with bottles of water, and distributed the food to protesters, Shariat learned through Starlink.

“They (Christians) go among the protesters and they feed them, they give them water, and they share the gospel,” Shariat said. “Christians, we are called to be salt and light in every area.”

Concerns about Iranian retaliation

As U.S. President Donald Trump threatens military intervention in Iran on behalf of protesters, Shariat voiced concern about Iran’s promised retaliation.

“Pray for Trump and Israel because they’re saying they are considering intervening. May God use (Trump and Israel) and not the enemy, that they will be a positive influence in Iran,” Shariat said.

“And another prayer is that the Iranian government has enriched uranium. They can build four to five atomic bombs, and we need to bind that spirit of death. In Islam, as you know, killing and dying for the cause of Islam is honorable. So, once they have the atomic bomb, nothing stops them.”

During his daily satellite broadcasts in Iran from his homebase in Dallas, Shariat said, he reminds Iranian Christians of their purpose and encourages them to persevere as others commit suicide.

Shariat described a Starlink video of a young Iranian man telling police to kill him because he had no life anyway.

“A young person was telling the police or those anti-protest forces: ‘Kill me. I’m young, but I never had a life. I never lived. Kill me,’” Shariat said. And another Iranian who was contemplating suicide decided it would be more effective to die publicly.

“And he said: ‘I’m not going to die in the privacy of my home if I want to (commit) suicide. Why don’t I go out?’” the young man pondered. “And if they kill me, at least my life counts for something.”

Specific prayer requests lifted up

Both Shariat and Rostampour shared specific prayer requests.

Rostampour, in touch with a broad-based but scattered Christian community in Iran through his work at The Summit, requests:

• Pray that brothers and sisters in the church of Iran will be protected, strengthened, and encouraged. “In the midst of extreme persecution, they continue to pray, serve, and faithfully follow Jesus from inside the country. Many gather in secret. Many risk imprisonment, torture, or death simply for worshiping Christ. Yet they remain steadfast, interceding not only for their own survival, but for the salvation and freedom of their nation.”
• Pray for the church in Iran to be strengthened, unified, fearless, and filled with hope.
• Pray for an immediate end to the violence and the killing of innocent people.
• Pray for truth to be exposed and for justice and accountability to prevail.
• Pray for comfort for grieving families and healing for the wounded and traumatized.
• Pray for restored communication and the breaking of information blackouts.

Shariat, among his previously stated requests, also requests prayer for Iran Alive Ministries, which has plans to plant dozens or hundreds of churches in Iran when the country becomes open to the gospel.

(RNS)—A former professor at a Georgia Baptist college is suing a Christian publication for defamation, saying he was falsely accused of sexual abuse.

Lawyers for Jeremy Lyon, who taught Old Testament and Hebrew at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Ga., alleged Associated Baptist Press, known as Baptist News Global, published “fabricated” allegations of abuse against him in a pair of stories about an abuse scandal at the school.

According to the lawsuit, attorneys for Lyon said BNG failed to contact the professor before naming him in the June 2025 stories and that the publication “fabricated information to support the false and defamatory accusations” against Lyon. The professor “categorically denies” the allegations against him, according to the suit.

In an email, Mark Wingfield, editor of BNG, said the independent publication stands behind its reporting.

“BNG operates with the highest ethical standards of professional journalism,” he said in a statement published on the BNG website. “We have been at the forefront of covering sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention, and thus it is not surprising some would attempt to repudiate our witness. We stand ready to defend our work.”

The news stories in question reported a law firm representing an alleged abuse victim had included abuse accusations about Lyon in a letter to the school’s leaders. The letter, according to BNG, primarily contained abuse allegations against Bradley Reynolds, a former vice president at Truett McConnell, and accused the school’s administration of covering up misconduct by Reynolds. Reynolds was indicted in December for allegedly lying to authorities in Georgia.  

That letter also accused school leaders of mishandling a second case of alleged abuse, saying they pressured a different alleged victim in that case to drop her complaint against Lyon.

According to BNG, the letter was part of a trove of documents sent to leaders at Truett McConnell by the law firm Shein, Brandenburg & Schrope in North Decatur, Ga. 

Truett McConnell’s president, Emir Caner, was fired in September, after the school’s board investigated how past allegations against Reynolds were handled.  

Lawyers for Lyon alleged BNG’s reporting about him was based on one source and raised questions about whether the letter in question actually came from a legal firm, according to the legal filing.

“There is no law firm ‘representing a woman against Dr. Lyon,’” according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on Dec. 22. “No ‘complaint’ has been asserted by any law firm against Dr. Lyon.”

Attorneys for Lyon declined to comment to RNS. 

A copy of the letter cited in the BNG report was sent to RNS by an anonymous source. That letter contained no identifying information about who authored it. Shein, Brandenburg & Schrope did not respond to a request for comment about the letter. 

Lyon no longer teaches at Truett McConnell. The accusations were based on alleged incidents in 2021 and 2022.

In the complaint, attorneys for Lyon say he was fired as an adjunct at several schools as a result of the allegations and was removed from his role as president of the Creation Theology Society.  

“Dr. Lyon’s damages continue to increase, as he is unable to find work in his professional field as a result of the statements in the articles and instead is currently working in retail at a significantly reduced income,” according to the complaint.

Lyon’s lawsuit is the fourth defamation claim filed in response to the abuse scandal in the SBC, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Former SBC President Johnny Hunt and former seminary professor David Sills sued the convention, as well as several Baptist leaders, after their names were listed in a 2022 Guidepost report that accused SBC leaders of mistreating abuse survivors. 

Most of the claims in Hunt’s lawsuit were rejected by a federal court judge in 2025. The trial in the Sills case is on hold while the judge considers whether or not to dismiss the case.

And in 2023, a Tennessee pastor sued the SBC’s Executive Committee after a denominational committee informed his church about a past abuse allegation. The pastor eventually lost his job as a music teacher and had a job offer at a new church rescinded. That case is currently under review by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Lyon would be the first Baptist figure during the SBC abuse scandal to sue a publication for publishing allegations of abuse.

The floodwaters that tore through Kerr County last summer are long gone, but the work of rebuilding is not.

Across Kerrville, Hunt, Ingram, and surrounding areas, Texans on Mission volunteers continue to show up through the Revive Kerrville initiative, repairing homes damaged by the July floods and walking alongside families navigating the long road to recovery.

“We’re serving at more than seven homes this week alone,” said Ryan Welch, TXM missions and discipleship coordinator. “Disasters happen fast, but recovery doesn’t. A lot of groups move on. We don’t.”

Crews are tackling everything from roofing and fencing to painting and finishing work, the kind of repairs that often come after emergency response teams leave and insurance timelines slow.

At one home, volunteers rebuilt a fence completely washed away by the river. Inside, others worked to finish painting so the homeowner could move forward.

Driven by God’s love

“God tells us to love one another, and when you see a need to meet it,” said Makenna James, a Texas A&M University student volunteering with Revive Kerrville. “Being here is a way to live that out.”

James said serving months after the flooding has been especially meaningful.

“Right after a disaster, everyone wants to help,” she said. “But later on, when the attention fades, that’s when people are really left dealing with what happened. That’s when it matters most.”

College students from across the state are working alongside experienced volunteers, learning construction skills on the job while building relationships with homeowners and one another.

“We’re helping rebuild a shed that was damaged in the flood,” said Isaac Garcia, a Texas A&M-Kingsville student. “This kind of work costs money. To be able to give our time, skills, and help someone who’s already lost so much—that’s how we show Christ’s love.”

For homeowners, the steady presence of volunteers has brought both progress and encouragement.

“It’s been a real blessing working with a Christian organization,” said Debbie Dossey, a Hunt resident whose home was damaged in the flooding. “They pray with you. They care. And the quality of work has been incredible.”

Joy found in homecoming

Dossey said returning home brought moments of joy and reflection.

“Every day, I find something that survived that I didn’t even remember we had,” she said. “Being back home lets you finally breathe and also start processing everything that happened.”

Brian Keeper, who lives along the river, said the emotional toll of the flood didn’t fully set in until cleanup began.

“The trauma wasn’t just that night,” Keeper said. “It was realizing neighbors were gone, and that the history of my family was stored in this house.”

Working with TXM, he said, made a difference.

“They show up smiling. We pray in and pray out,” he said. “In the middle of all this loss, it’s been people who have given me hope for the future.”

Community amidst tragedy

For students Jonathan Wolf of Texas A&M and Clayton Hargrove of Texas State University, the experience has strengthened both their faith and their understanding of community.

“It shows people they haven’t been forgotten,” Wolf said. “That God hasn’t given up on them.” Hargrove agreed.

“We’re not just here to clear things out and leave,” he said. “We’re here to help rebuild and keep walking with them.”

As recovery in Kerr County continues, Texans on Mission leaders say the work is far from finished and neither is their commitment.

“This is long-term,” Welch said. “We’re here for the whole journey.”