This article was originally written by Diana Chandler and published to BaptistPress.com Feature image courtesy of IMB.

NASHVILLE (BP) – As Christian persecution escalates in many countries, Southern Baptists will join others Nov. 1 in praying for the estimated 388 million believers suffering extreme persecution because of their faith in Jesus.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the International Mission Board (IMB) are encouraging the Church to pray for persecuted believers in observance of the annual day, with others including Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), Open Doors U.S. and Iran Alive Ministries also pleading for prayer for the those serving Christ in lands hostile to the Gospel.

“From our nation’s founding, religious liberty has been recognized as a fundamental freedom and protected within our constitutional framework,” ERLC President Evan Lenow told Baptist Press. “As Baptists, we have historically defended this freedom for all people, recognizing that genuine faith cannot be compelled by governments or institutions.

“Even as we give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States, we must remember the countless believers around the world who face opposition, imprisonment and persecution because they follow Christ,” Lenow said, adding that the ERLC would “continue advocating for the Baptist distinctive of religious liberty wherever it is threatened at home and abroad, believing that this freedom opens a door to share the Gospel around the world.”

Lenow encouraged Southern Baptists to join the ERLC in praying that persecuted Christians would remain faithful, bold, and unwavering in sharing the Gospel.

IMB President Paul Chitwood remembered persecuted Christians and the nearly 3,500 missionaries Southern Baptists supported in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, allowing more than 2 million people to hear the Gospel.

“Every year, as your Southern Baptist missionaries are on the frontlines of pushing back lostness with the Gospel, they meet more and more of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who pursue their faith at great costs,” Chitwood told Baptist Press. “Likewise, your missionaries face hardships, risks, and persecution.”

IMB offers free downloadable resources here to help churches and others observe the day of prayer.

“Prayer is the work we can do as fellow believers to lift them to the Lord, to ask Him to sustain them, comfort them, and bring them justice,” Chitwood said. “May the Lord open our eyes to the plight of the persecuted Church. May He grant those hurting His sustenance, comfort, and peace, even today.”

Whatever the circumstances of their persecution, persecuted Christians request prayer more than anything else, VOM Vice President Todd Nettleton has long told Baptist Press.

The observance “is a practical response to their number one request,” Nettleton said in a press release. “I hope every church will ‘Remember those in prison’ (Hebrews. 13:3) during their services this November 1st.”

VOM offers complimentary resources here to help Christians observe the day, spotlighting this year the story of Bassam, a Christian in the Arabian Peninsula who suffered persecution when he converted from Islam.

VOM shared Bassam’s personal prayer request.

“For many years, I was spiritually asleep. I did not know the truth of who God is,” Bassam told VOM. “But once I found Christ, I could not stay silent. I had to tell people about Jesus. No matter what happens to me, I will tell people about Jesus.”

“Pray for those of us who leave Islam to follow Christ,” he asked. “Pray that we know Christ is near. Pray that we endure persecution with joy. Pray that our ability to forgive our family will lead them to faith in Christ.”

Hormoz Shariat leads Iran Alive Ministries, spreading the Gospel amid war, persecution and other ills in Iran.

“I remember one person told our team, ‘I was in jail, and I was in so much distress. I was so disheartened, hopeless and in fear. Suddenly, I felt so much peace and joy fall on me. I asked God what had happened, and He told me in my heart that I had received the power of people’s prayers,’” Shariat said of a persecuted Iranian Christian. “I want to encourage believers to pray specifically for the Christians in jail in Iran.

“We currently have 14 people that we know of in our ministry that are in jail. Three of them are on death row,” Shariat told Baptist Press. “So, please pray for all Christian prisoners, especially these 14 who are connected with Iran Alive.”

Persecution Watchdog Open Doors, which releases the annual World Watch List of the 50 countries suffering the most Christian persecution, is also offering resources for the day, focusing in particular on the persecuted in the Middle East.

“In 2026, Open Doors invites you to pray for the church in Syria. After a deadly church bombing, Christians were left with physical and emotional wounds,” Open Doors said in promoting prayer. “They need your prayers as they rebuild and remain as salt and light in their communities.