WHAT WE DO
OUR MISSION
WHAT WE DO
TRAINING LEADERS
WHAT WE DO
CHURCH PLANTING
WHAT WE DO
SCRIPTURE
WHAT WE DO
DISCIPLESHIP
WHAT WE DO
MEDIA
WHAT WE DO
WOMEN, MEN & MARRIAGE MINISTRY
WHAT WE DO
CHILDREN & YOUTH
WHAT WE DO
BOOKS & RESOURCES
WHAT WE DO
MINISTRY AMONG REFUGEES
WHAT WE DO
ADVOCACY & RELIEF
Elam's mission
Our mission is to strengthen and expand the church in the Iran region and beyond.
To accomplish this we:
TRAIN Persian-speaking leaders for fruitful, effective ministry
EQUIP the Persian-speaking church with Bibles and resources for evangelism and discipleship
SEND the Gospel through trained evangelists, church planters and the media into the Persian-speaking world.
Our vision
Our desire is for all the people of Iran to have the opportunity to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and follow him as disciples. We pray that Iran will continue to grow in becoming a missionary-sending nation, reaching many others for Christ.
RAISING UP FAITHFUL CHURCH PLANTERS AND LEADERS
As the Iranian church grows, there is a pressing need to raise up more leaders to plant house churches and fellowships, as well as further discipleship within this young church.
Planting churches, evangelizing and discipling believers is risky - and often costly - in the Iran region. Nevertheless, by God’s grace, many Iranian believers feel called to this ministry and are eager to be trained for this work. We train emerging leaders through Bible-focused, relational programs which help them grow in character, knowledge and gifting. Over and over we have seen God using this training to establish emerging leaders for long-term, faithful ministry. We also provide ongoing, advanced training and mentoring for existing leaders, helping them stand firm and remain fruitful in challenging situations.
STANDING WITH TRAINED CHURCH PLANTERS
As more and more Iranians are drawn to Christ, they need to be gathered together for fellowship. The Christian life is not intended to be a solo journey, but a community pursuit. With above-ground churches closed by the government, underground house churches provide much-needed opportunities for fellowship.
We support a growing number of courageous church planters and church leaders serving on-the-ground. Providing them with mentoring, pastoral care, ongoing training, resources and support is vital for encouraging healthy church growth.
WEEKLY FELLOWSHIP RESOURCE
Thanks to resources such as the Safar discipleship journey, informal family groupings of new believers are forming frequently, without the impetus of an on the ground church planter. For these groups, we provide the “Weekly Fellowship” resource, which helps them gather for regular worship and function as a local expression of the body of Christ.
PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTING PERSIAN BIBLES AND NEW TESTAMENTS
Warnings about Christianity and the banning of the Bible in Persian (the national language) by the much-distrusted Iranian government has made many Iranians curious about Christianity. As a result, many Iranians want to read the Bible for themselves. When they do, many are encountering the saving and redeeming love of Jesus.
Since the completion of the New Millennium Version of the New Testament in 2003, we have seen that distributing physical copies of the New Testament in Persian is one of the most effective methods of evangelism for Persian-speakers today. More than 2 million New Testaments have been printed to date, but many more are needed to reach the 83 million people in Iran.
As Iranians give their lives to Christ, having a copy of the complete Bible is vital for their spiritual growth, for instilling a passion for the Scriptures, and for gaining understanding of its teachings.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A PHYSICAL NEW TESTAMENT AND BIBLE
In Iran, a high respect is given to hard copies of religious texts. This is why making available hard copies of the Bible continues to be important in this context. We print and distribute the New Millennium Version of the Bible in modern Persian, translated by Elam in partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators. We also continue to make the full Bible available digitally.
QUALITY CHRISTIAN CONTENT VIA SATELLITE TV & ONLINE
In a closed country like Iran, media and technology have opened doors to reach and disciple millions of Iranians. Though banned, some claim the percentage of households that have access to satellite TV in Iran is around 70%. And most Iranians have access to a smartphone or computer. Telegram, a popular secure social media platform, has around 50 million monthly users – despite being periodically blocked by the Islamic Regime.
As such, we produce high-quality Christian content for dissemination via media and technology to reach large numbers of Iranians with the Gospel. We also provide widespread discipleship materials, Bible teaching, Sunday school curricula, and worship materials to strengthen house churches and fellowship across the Iran region.
FOSTERING A CULTURE OF DEEP DISCIPLESHIP
There are now hundreds of thousands of believers in Iran – research suggests more than a million – in need of intentional discipleship. And the number is growing every day. Our vision is that these new Christians would become deeply-rooted, courageous followers of Christ, so that the church in Iran can be a vibrant witness down through many generations.
The growing number of new believers presents a challenge: there are simply not enough trained church leaders to disciple everyone. Every ordinary believer must therefore come to understand the call to become a disciple, be a disciple maker, and actively participate in the larger Body of Christ. For these reasons, it is vital to provide the Iranian church with tools and resources that make discipleship readily accessible and foster a culture of deep discipleship across the church.
SAFAR 1-TO-1 DISCIPLESHIP JOURNEY
The Safar discipleship journey was created by Elam to mobilize discipleship on a larger scale than ever before within the Persian-speaking church.
Safar is designed to be used 1-to-1 in a highly relational process that allows for deep personal engagement, accountability, and focus on Christian living. All those using Safar are encouraged to participate in corporate worship and fellowship with the larger Persian-speaking church as a vital part of their discipleship.
By mobilizing Persian-speaking Christians to use Safar for discipleship, new believers can become deeply rooted, faithful followers of Christ who are themselves equipped to disciple others.
CREATING SPACE FOR HEALING THROUGH FOCUSED DISCIPLESHIP
Across Iranian society, many men and women - and consequently, many marriages - are in need of healing. Women are legally devalued and many have been treated as second-class citizens in their homes and communities. Meanwhile, men are allowed up to four wives and an unlimited number of temporary wives (a practice called sighe – which functionally legalizes sexual exploitation), and pornography is a common addiction. Consequently, when an Iranian becomes a Christian, there is often a great need for focused discipleship and counseling.
We provide biblical teaching and mentoring for women and men as well as safe spaces of fellowship and prayer where they can come to know wholeness in Christ. Over and over we have seen men and women experience profound healing and become strong witnesses in their families and communities.
REACHING AND DISCIPLING THE NEXT GENERATION
Our heart is for all Iranian children and youth to have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and experience God’s love. Our vision is for them to experience the Gospel’s transformative power and begin to the use their gifts to lead and serve in their churches and communities.
Young people from a Muslim background who come to faith in Christ face potential rejection from non-believing family members and society. But, by God’s grace, it is increasingly common for entire Iranian families to become Christians at around the same time. We also see more and more youth sharing the Gospel with their parents, relatives and peers, despite the risk of persecution. We seek to equip the Persian-speaking church to more effectively prioritize, reach and disciple young people as well as to engage parents in discipling their children. With this increased focus on youth and children, we believe the church can grow more deeply and even more rapidly.
PROVIDING MATERIALS FOR TRAINING, DISCIPLESHIP, AND EVANGELISM
To support our training programs and facilitate discipleship and evangelism in the region, there is an ongoing need to develop quality resources. We continue to translate and produce resources ranging from seminary level to pre-evangelistic books. These resources are made available both in print and digitally.
DISTANCE LEARNING
Elam offers three distance-learning programs: an accredited B.A. Theology course through Global University, a Christian service course for lay leaders, and a discipleship course called “Christian Life” for newer believers.
Contact us for more information.
REACHING PERSIAN-SPEAKING REFUGEES WITH THE GOSPEL
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians and Afghans have left their home countries and come to other nations, particularly in the last few years. The exodus has presented the global church with a significant missional opportunity. Many Iranian and Afghan refugees are curious to find out what Christianity teaches about Jesus and are knocking on the doors of local churches.
As Iranians and Afghans come to Christ in the diaspora, many have shared the Good News with family and friends still in Iran and Afghanistan. As a result, more doors have opened for Scripture distribution, discipleship and the planting of new house churches or fellowships in the Iran region.
Through partnerships, resource-provision and training opportunities, we inspire and equip local churches and organizations to reach and disciple Persian speakers in their midst.
Need help reaching and discipling Persian speakers in your community? We can help.
STANDING WITH THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING
The pain of persecution is very real for many Iranian Christians. Christians from a Muslim background continue to be particularly targeted by the Iranian authorities. When discovered, house church members are arrested, interrogated and sometimes tortured. When released, they are warned not to continue with any Christian activities. Some endure long prison sentences. Others have faced financial loss, the deprivation of education or employment, and threats to the safety of their loved ones.
Despite the pain, persecution is not the end of the story. Countless Iranian Christians testify to God’s provision amidst the trials.
We remain committed to advocating on behalf of Iranian Christians, to mobilizing prayer and helping those suffering persecution because of their faith. Further, in the wake of humanitarian crises - including the COVID-19 pandemic - we support church planters as they seek to bring relief, sharing the love of Christ through word and deed in their communities.
Our mission is to strengthen and expand the church in the Iran region and beyond.
To accomplish this we:
TRAIN Persian-speaking leaders for fruitful, effective ministry
EQUIP the Persian-speaking church with Bibles and resources for evangelism and discipleship SEND the Gospel through trained evangelists, church-planters and the media into the Persian-speaking world.
Elam’s mission
Our mission is to strengthen and expand the church in the Iran region and beyond.
To accomplish this we:
TRAIN Persian-speaking leaders for fruitful, effective ministry
EQUIP the Persian-speaking church with Bibles and resources for evangelism and discipleship SEND the Gospel through trained evangelists, church-planters and the media into the Persian-speaking world.
