OPEN DOORS
Open Doors works in over 60 countries, supplying Bibles, training Church Leaders, providing practical support and emergency relief, and supporting Christians who suffer for their faith. In the UK and Ireland Open Doors works to raise awareness of global persecution, mobilising prayer, support and action among Christians.
The ministry of Open Doors has its origins in one man and one journey. In 1955, a young Dutchman went to Warsaw and discovered the existence of a persecuted church. He became known as Brother Andres and from 1955 to 1967 he travelled throughout Eastern Europe, delivering scriptures, encouraging persecuted believers and recruiting others to help him. The publication of 'God's Smuggler' in 1967 catapulted Andrew to worldwide renown. An entire generation caught the vision of supporting the persecuted church.
Open Doors' purpose is to strengthen an equip the body of Christ living under or facing restriction and persecution because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and to encourage their involvement in world envangelism by:
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Providing Bibles and literature, media, leadership training, socio-economic development and through intercessory prayer;
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Preparing the body of Christ living in threatened or unstable areas to face persecution and suffering; and
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Educating and mobilising the body of Christ living in the free world to identify with threatened and persecuted Christians and be actively involved in assisting them.
Open Doors have 7 Core Values;
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We are: Part of the Body of Christ; a "People to People" People.
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'Persecuted Church' driven.
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People of the Bible.
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People of Prayer.
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Living and Working by Faith.
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Devoted to Jesus Christ with his Commission.
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Motivated solely for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 12:26 says "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it". When one member suffers, all member suffer with him, all doors are open and God enables his body to go into all the world and preach the gospel.
Open Doors have been asking God to give them a vision of how the church in the UK and Ireland can stand shoulder to shoulder with persecuted Christians - churches can help by becoming a partner church.
Madeley Baptist Church is a partner Church and as a partner church we are asked to :
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Hold at least one persecuted church service per year.
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Pray regularly as a whole church.
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Engage with emergency appeals as and when Open Doors launch them.
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Share petitions that call on our political leaders to support persecuted Christians.
As a partner church Madeley Baptist Church has an Open Doors representative who would really appreciate it if you remember persecuted Christians in your prayers. To guide you in this we receive regular emails from Open Doors in order to inform us of the latest news and to guide us in our prayers. Please see below and press the link to open the articles. In addition The World Watch List is Open Doors annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. If you click on the World Watch List link above you can explore the country profiles to find information, stories and prayers for each of the countries on the World Watch List.
World Watch List 2025 Trends (Below - In Brief, for further information click on the link)
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North Korea again number one. Since the first World Watch List in 1983, North Korea has been number one 23 times - that's almost 70% of the time. The persecution of our North Korean family has worsened in the last year following a rise in reported incidents of violence. It coincides with stricter regulations announced by the North Korean authorities in early 2024.
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4,476 Christians killed worldwide. Last year 4,476 believers worldwide were killed for their faith. Most were from Nigeria, with 3,100 which is fewer than 2023. However, other countries in sub-Saharan Africa have seen rising numbers of Christian deaths, including Burkina Faso, where 201 believers lost their lives - that is more than a fivefold increase on 2023.
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Kyrgyzstan biggest riser, jumping 14 places. There's also been a rise in violence elsewhere in the world, including Central Asia, where churches and believers are being increasingly targeted as authoritarian governments seek to further repress religious freedom. No country rose further in this year's rankings than Kyrgyzstan, jumping 14 places to 47.
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210,000 Christians driven from home. The last year has seen at lease 209,771 Christians forced from their homes to go into hiding or exile because of the faith, almost half of whom are from Nigeria - and that's despite around half of all Nigerians being Christian. It reinforces the escalating dangers facing believers across sub-Saharan Africa because of rising extremism.
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Protestant Churches targeted in Algeria. In 2023, almost all of Algeria's Protestant Churches had been ordered to close. Last year, all remaining churches were closed or forced to stop regular services. Like other countries, such as Afghanistan and China, believers are increasingly having to be creative and courageous in how they gather - if at all.
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Heightened violence in Mexico. Mexico is number 31 - the highest it's been since 2005 and the only country in Latin America to rise in the latest rankings. Organised crime is rampant in many areas, and Churches and believers who seek to counter it make themselves targets. There has been an increase in the number of believers killed and abducted.
Rachael Mortimer, 09/06/2019