Pray For
- physical safety of FM church planters and those who gather in house churches in the area ripe for terrorism and political unrest
- the gospel’s success in an area of religious pluralism that includes people of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Yazidi and majority religious backgrounds
- multiplication of leaders to reach thousands of towns and villages in northern Iraq (Kurdistan) without a gospel witness
PRESENT MINISTRIES
The church in Iraq ministers to more than 30,000 refugees, consisting of various people groups and ethnic identities. The church has recently re-entered southern Iraq and has established house churches in a major city. However, most of the ministry in Iraq is centered in the north, in the Kurdistan area.
ORIGINS
The first Free Methodist Church in Iraq was started in 2003. The intense conflict and persecution of Christians that ensued forced most Free Methodists to flee the capital city for the relative safety of northern Iraq (Kurdistan). Many of those displaced began to meet in house fellowships, and in 2007 the first government-sanctioned Free Methodist church was established. As the political and religious unrest escalated, the FM church there was closed in 2013.
Visit the IME website
Prayercast | Iraq
Eyes of Faith
Reborn in Christ
Recent Heartbeat Articles
Transformed by Forgiveness
After an earthquake struck their village and the surrounding area, severely damaging their home, Hanada’s family immigrated to the neighboring...
Sana’s Story
On a visit with her family, Sana revealed her feelings and distrust of the new faith that brought her and her family so much trouble. Sana is a...
A Journey To Awakening
Although I was born to a family of the majority background and grew up in Syria, I had an extraordinary attachment to the church and loved being...
One Woman’s Journey to Belief
My name is Nina.* I was born in Iraq, but in 2014 ISIS attacked our village. The entire village, including my family, became refugees. We moved from...
Learning Firsthand
In Iraq, Haris* had heard about Christians. He had heard they are good people. Haris, his wife and his son learned this firsthand when they found...
The Happiest Day of My Life
I am Kibar. I was born in Syria to a religious, fundamental Muslim family. My father and mother prayed often and taught my three sisters and me to...
COUNTRY STATISTICS
Mission District
- Established FM Church Buildings: 4
- FM House-Church Planting Projects: 70+
- FM Work Opened: 2003
- Church Planters: 30
- Church Planting Coaches: Aseel, Deler, Hany, Joanne, Simar and Weam
Join the ministry in Iraq
Church Planting & Development
Support for Iraq Church Planting and Development (CPD) will help resource the following strategic initiatives:
- Pastors’ salary supplements
- Church planting
- Ministry training
- Ministry to refugees
Extra Mile Project
Iraq Set Free Project
Sending a team of medical and mental health experts to Iraq to train the team on the ground in basic care for survivors of human trafficking/sexual abuse.