Disciple or die, Asian evangelicals told
Luke Randall
Date posted: 25 Jul 2026
Over 200 evangelicals from 25 nations across Asia focused on disciple-making at this year’s Asia Conference on Church and Mission (ACCM) in the Philippines.
The landmark Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA) event, hosted in Manila in partnership with the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), was held under the banner “Disciple or Die 3.0”, which the alliance describes as “a call to move from discussion to decisive, measurable action” as it looks to “transform” the Asian church into a continental movement of disciple-makers.
Venezuelan believers face discrimination after quake
Luke Randall
Date posted: 24 Jul 2026
Christians may be getting less support in the wake of the Venezuelan earthquakes because they are perceived as not supporting the government, reports suggest.
Devastating earthquakes plunged Venezuela into a humanitarian crisis, with the church being among the first to respond to ongoing need, supporting many who the authorities have been unable to reach.
Iran: What does ceasefire collapse mean for Christians?
Luke Randall
Date posted: 23 Jul 2026
Hardliners in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) are wanting to keep the US-Iran war going as they believe it will usher in global Islamic rule, a Christian think tank says.
The Lindisfarne Centre for the Study of Christian Persecution also says that there is an ongoing risk of further arrests and corrupt judicial proceedings against believers in Iran.
Leipzig church closes mission café after attacks
Luke Randall
Date posted: 19 Jul 2026
A church in Leipzig, Germany, has closed its mission café two years after its inception following ongoing hostility and attacks on its premises believed to be related to its views on issues of sexuality.
Zeal Church opted to end the venture following intense media scrutiny and ongoing incidents involving the smashing of windows, graffiti and toxic substances, prompting distress to those inside and extensive repair costs.
Kyrgyz Baptist crackdown
Luke Randall
Date posted: 12 Jul 2026
Baptist churches in Kyrgyzstan are the latest religious group to be targeted by National Security Committee (NSC) secret police officers, with raids and fines being imposed on believers.
NSC officers have carried out raids on Council of Churches Baptist congregations, which refuse to officially register with the state. They have become the latest religious minority group to be targeted, in addition to crackdowns on other communities.
letter from New Zealand
Winter... and a woman who is glad she is not Alan
Charley Ballinger
Date posted: 10 Jul 2026
It’s winter here in New Zealand, and for most parents of school-age kids, that means one thing: Saturday sports.
A large proportion of children play for local clubs, and it is a great way to develop skills like teamwork and self-discipline. Maybe it’s part of why the All Blacks are so good. But for me, as a Christian whose children go to a local Christian school, it’s a great way to make friends with people who don’t know Jesus.
letter from Kenya
William Taylor encourages Kenyans to stay Rooted
Kip’ Chelashaw
Date posted: 8 Jul 2026
For the past six years, the annual Rooted Conference has served as an important gathering of believers here in Kenya in that it provides a chance for many of our church members to gather and feast on the gospel.
This conference, which is held annually, centres its vision on the apostle Paul’s exhortation that is found in Colossians 2 v6-7: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”.
updates from the mission field
Bringing light through literacy in Africa
Serving In Mission UK (SIM UK)
Date posted: 6 Jul 2026
For more than 50 years, refugees have been living in camps near the Ethiopia/Sudan border due to both historical and ongoing conflicts. But all hope isn’t lost: through education, God’s Word is coming alive.
Spiritual, physical, and educational needs in the refugee camps are great. Among the many people forced to flee from rebel control in the region, women and children arrive having had no schooling and unable to read or write in their own language.
Denmark: Openness
Luke Randall
Date posted: 6 Jul 2026
Young people in Denmark are increasingly open to the reality of God and to reading the Bible, while their predecessors have “little interest” in faith, according to a new study.
New research concerning the nation’s relationship with Christianity commissioned by the Danish Bible Society revealed that almost two thirds of 16–30-year-olds are searching for meaning in their lives and almost half believe a god or higher power exists.
Outcast women with debilitating condition get help
Jo Lamb
Date posted: 5 Jul 2026
A high-impact partnership between Terrewode and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is helping women outcast by their society.
According to World Health Organisation estimates, over 2 million women and girls worldwide are living with untreated fistulas, a condition that involves the constant flow of urine following an obstructed labour. In many countries where women give birth without access to medical assistance, fistulas cause discrimination, isolation and can even lead to loss of life.
Organised crime threatens religious freedom in Mexico
Luke Randall
Date posted: 3 Jul 2026
The Mexican government is not doing enough to protect citizens from violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), a new report says.
Organised crime and independent governance in indigenous villages are proving problematic, it states.
Moses leads Sinai Bible trek
Lydia Houghton
Date posted: 3 Jul 2026
A Bible translation leader has hiked to the top of Mount Sinai – guided by Moses!
Steve Lancaster, director of Bible translation organisation The Word for the World UK, was doing a sponsored climb to raise funds to buy 10,000 Bibles for the Sena people of Malawi (one, pictured, is seen receiving a Bible after the walk).
Woman’s podcast sermon chat is ‘problem’ – Mohler
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 2 Jul 2026
Discussion about the role of women in the US-based Southern Baptist Convention is continuing after a major step was taken towards formalising restrictions on their role in church leadership.
The Truth & Unity Amendment, brought forward by SBC president Al Mohler, which seeks to explicitly ban female pastors in SBC churches, was passed with 75% of the vote at the 2026 Convention. Mohler called it “a definitional issue for the SBC” – a denomination of around 48,000 cooperating churches across 50 states.
'Detrans' clinic planned
Luke Randall
Date posted: 30 Jun 2026
A detransition clinic is set to open in Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston following a settlement with the Texas Attorney General, making it the first initiative of its kind in the USA.
The service will exist to help correct transition care administered by doctors at the hospital, enabling children to undergo corrective surgery to return to their gender assigned at birth after they were wrongly treated at the pro-trans facility, potentially signifying a “cultural shift away from radical gender ideology”.
Technology boosts Bible translations to 800 mark
Luke Randall
Date posted: 30 Jun 2026
The Bible has been translated into its 800th language, with the second 400 taking just 1.5% as long to complete as the first 400, Wycliffe Bible Translators have announced.
The latest milestone means an estimated 6.2 billion around the world can now read Scripture in their own language, 500 million more than in 2020. The landmark 800 figure also points to an ongoing remarkable upward trend in translation efforts, with the number of languages which have the whole Bible translated having doubled since 1998, with the first 400 taking 1,900 years to complete, and the next 400 just 28.
Anglican Church in North America reviews discipline process
Emily Pollok
Date posted: 30 Jun 2026
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has engaged a third-party review of the disciplinary process of Bishop Stewart Ruch III, who was acquitted last year of all canonical charges regarding the mishandling of abuse allegations in his diocese.
Ruch, who is bishop of the ACNA’s Upper Midwest Diocese, which includes 18 churches, was formally charged in 2022 but was cleared unanimously in December following his ecclesiastical trial.
Bangladesh: Persecution
Luke Randall
Date posted: 29 Jun 2026
There has been a sharp rise in persecution towards Christians in Bangladesh following recent elections which saw Islamic parties secure their highest number of seats in the nation’s history.
While persecution was already trending upwards before the national vote, increased political power for Islamic parties appears to have “emboldened” Muslims further, leaving those belonging to minority religions, including Christianity, at increased risk of persecution unless perpetrators are held “accountable” by the authorities.
60-year Scripture translation finished
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 28 Jun 2026
A translation of the Bible into Wolof, Senegal’s native language, has been completed after 60 years of work spearheaded by one woman.
Contemporary Wolof is the main language of Senegal, a country on the Western side of Africa with a population of more than 19 million – though its formal language is French.
