Women are the driving force behind the growth of church in Iran

Women are leading the efforts in spreading the Gospel in Iran despite the risk of imprisonment and rejection by their families, according to a research conducted by the global charity Open Doors.

The report titled "Women Rebuilding the Future of the Church" revealed that women in Iran are taking on the role of evangelists, house church leaders and Sunday school teachers. Under Iranian law, women do not have equal standing with men, but more women are actively involved in ministry in the country than in many Western nations, according to World Watch Monitor.

Although conversion away from Islam is banned in Iran, it is estimated that there are around 800,000 believers in the country, many of whom came from Islamic backgrounds.

Azada, a woman who runs a church, said that Iranian women who turn to Christ gain the confidence they never had before, and they find that they "are loved, they are wanted, and they can come to God just as they are, without any shame."

"Many women risk imprisonment and torture by being active evangelists. And because God gives them the strength to take this risk, each day new people, men and women, get to know the love of Christ and get to know their true identity: beloved children of God," she added.

Another convert named Shifa was inspired to launch an online church group after her cousin, who told her about Jesus, was imprisoned for her faith, leaving her with no one to answer her questions about the Bible. She no longer lives in Iran, but she can still connect with other Iranian converts through her online church.

"What I didn't have then – pastoral care and someone to disciple me – I can give to them now. The Bible alone is not enough. To grow as a Christian you also need your fellow Christians to grow and to pray with," she explained.

Iran is currently ranked on the Open Doors World Watch List as the eighth most dangerous country to live as a Christian. At least 193 Christians have been arrested or imprisoned for their faith in the country last year, according to the charity.

One of the Christian women who were imprisoned for their faith was Maryam Naghash Zargaran. She has undertaken two hunger strikes to protest against the denial of her access to medical treatment for her long-standing health issues. She was granted temporarily leave, but she has been forced to return before her treatment could be completed. Her sentence was recently extended by six weeks to make up for the time she spent out of prison.