Praying for the Persecuted: The Anglican Persecuted Church Network
This blog post was originally published on Anglican Compass on September 24, 2024, and is reposted with permission.
As Anglicans, we have been taught about the power of prayer in the Kingdom of God. But do we realize such prayer should focus on fellow Christians, and especially on those who are persecuted for their faith?
It’s sobering, but also joyful, to learn about the persecuted church around the world. At the Anglican Persecuted Church Network, we organize prayer for the persecuted church and coordinate for action.
Prayer for the Persecuted
Right before Jesus suffered death on the cross, in John 13, he shared with his disciples a new command: to love one another, saying that this loving unity within the Body of Christ is the most important method of winning the world to Christ:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. –John 13:33-34
Moreover, when Paul is teaching on spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6, he calls us to pray continually for the saints, and then specifically asks for prayer for himself, to continue to proclaim the gospel in his persecution:
To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. –Ephesians 6:18-20
We read about how Paul and most of the apostles died for their faith. However, most of us think that since those events occurred centuries ago, it isn’t a real issue today—until we learn otherwise.
Learning About the Persecuted Church
In 1998, I heard for the first time how Christians today still face persecution for their faith. In fact, Open Doors estimates that over 365 MILLION Christians today suffer from very high persecution for believing in Jesus. Shocked and moved by God to care deeply for them, I started hosting prayer events for the persecuted church.
In addition to monthly prayer meetings focused on a different country each month, I began hosting several large events each year. These have included IDOP (International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church) in November and, for many years, a spring International Banquet for the Persecuted Church. Speakers have focused on countries such as China, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, and Nigeria, where believing in Jesus may cost you your life.
One of the amazing facts is how many Christians there are in nations where the faith is persecuted. Here are a few statistics courtesy of Open Doors:
Iran: 1.2 million Christians
Sudan: 2.0 million Christians
Pakistan: 4.1 million Christians
China: 96.7 million Christians
Nigeria: 102.9 million Christians
When my Anglican parish, St. James Anglican Church, Costa Mesa (previously in Newport Beach, California), lost its building due to its stand for the gospel, God used this for good by opening up the ministry to other churches, who stepped in to host the event. This resulted in even more unity in the Body of Christ, bringing different denominations together to pray for our worldwide Body of Christ.
Forming the Anglican Persecuted Church Network
Many people in the church remain uninformed, but fortunately, today there is growing momentum among Anglicans to obey God’s call for prayer and action on behalf of the persecuted church.
The birth of APCN at the 2019 New Wineskins Global Mission Conference.
The Anglican Persecuted Church Network (APCN) was born at the New Wineskins Conference in 2019. The Holy Spirit moved during the New Wineskins conference to add many to our membership after an inspiring address by Dominic Sputo, author of Heirloom Love and founder of The Alliance for Persecuted Christians, a ministry dedicated to supporting and caring for suffering Christians.
I am grateful to serve alongside our co-founder Faith McDonnell, who also serves as Director of Advocacy at Katartismos Global and as Co-Leader of GAFCON’s Suffering Church Network. With Faith’s strategic location in Washington, DC as a strong advocate and with my location in southern California as a prayer leader, we strive to impact the whole country with a passion for prayer and advocacy for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Work of the APCN
What are some of our methods of working for this desired impact?
First, we organize for prayer. We regularly post prayer intentions on our Anglican Persecuted Church Network Facebook group. Additionally, we host occasional Zoom calls to pray together. We encourage all our participants to then bring these prayers into their own congregational lives.
Second, we share ideas for action, such as participating in the International Religious Freedom Summit. Faith and I both spoke at the 2021 rally near the US Capitol to protest Beijing, China hosting the 2022 Olympic Games, and Faith regularly speaks at various rallies in Washington, DC.
Finally, we are blessed to be a part of the New Wineskins Missionary Network under the leadership of Jenny Noyes. At New Wineskins, we give MAP (Mission Awareness Presentation) talks, and we plan to hold a pre-conference at the New Wineskins conference in 2025.
A Call for Commitment
Do you long for significance in your life? Do you long for the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father? Maybe the Holy Spirit is working on your heart, as he did on my heart, to use all your gifts and talents for his Kingdom.
In 1 Peter 2:4-7, the apostle Peter says that the Body of Christ is like “living stones” being built up into the spiritual temple of God where Jesus is the chief cornerstone, as a holy priesthood of believers. So we have the immense privilege of being ONE with some very courageous “living stones”! Our prayers and support for the persecuted “living stones” can be the glue that holds the Body of Christ together and makes us strong, for the advancement of his Kingdom. Is he calling you to join us in this holy enterprise of prayer and support?
Learn more about us at www.newwineskins.org/persecutedchurch
As the Lord leads you, take the bold step to join us at https://newwineskins.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/43/responses/new
A Very Special Conference
Seeking to bring the entire APCN together in person more often, we are currently hosting our first-ever two-day conference called “One Body: Hope for the Persecuted Church” on Friday, September 27, and Saturday, September 28, in Arlington, Texas. We will be blessed with 11 fantastic speakers, focusing on the persecuted church in China, Sudan, Nigeria, and Pakistan with special guests from Armenia. We extend a special invitation to readers to register for this incredible conference now at www.newwineskins.org/apcn-event!
I also invite you to sign up soon for the 2025 New Wineskins Global Mission Conference and for our APCN Pre-conference as part of it! Check it out at www.newwineskins.org/2025conferenceupdates. Super Early Bird registration starts in October!
Thank you for caring!
Patricia Streeter is the co-founder of the Anglican Persecuted Church Network, the Global Mission Initiative Advocate for the Diocese of Western Anglicans, and a volunteer for Open Doors USA. She speaks at and organizes many events to draw attention to the persecuted church worldwide.