An Evangelical church in Mashhad has been demolished, without warning or explanation.

The church, which once offered Persian-speaking services before its forced closure more than two decades ago, was demolished on the morning of 4 June.

It is one of several churches to have been demolished or repurposed in recent years, such as the Adventist church in Tehran and Assemblies of God Church in Gorgan.

The church, which was Presbyterian, was once one of two churches to offer Persian-language services in the conservative city, but both were forced to close years ago. The other church was the Assemblies of God Church once pastored by Rev Hossein Soodmand, a Christian convert who was executed for his “apostasy” in 1990. 

A former member of the Mashhad Evangelical Church, Rev Mansour Khajehpour, told Article18 about his memories of the church:

“The Mashhad church building was a holy and blessed building,” he said. “The lives of many people were changed in this church.

“During the eight years of the Iran-Iraq war, the church was a safe haven for fellow Christians fleeing war-torn areas. This church was active in many services to the people of Mashhad. 

“Over the years, it was a safe haven for many. I myself took refuge in the church when my father kicked me out of my home because I converted to Christianity. I converted to faith and was baptised in that church, but today the building no longer exists.

“It has been reported that the building was ‘abandoned’ and ‘uninhabited’, but this was not by chance. Government officials had expelled the Christians from this church and even the caretaker. About 25 years ago, people affiliated with security agencies attempted to destroy the church by deliberately starting a fire, but fortunately it was contained.

“In 1981, when I entered the Evangelical Church of Mashhad, our city had only two Persian-speaking churches, but today, there are many underground churches in the city. At that time, the population of both Persian-speaking Christian churches probably did not reach 100 people. But today, thousands of Christians are present and active in service in this city.”

The Synod of the Evangelical Church of Iran in the Diaspora also released a statement on the church’s destruction, which said: “We were deeply saddened to hear this news. The idea of ​​destroying a Christian place of worship in the third decade of the third millennium and depriving them of a small four-walled building for worship is difficult, but it is a bitter reality in our time.

“We, the Evangelical Christians of Iran, have always loved and respected our dear compatriots and our country… We have rejoiced with their happiness, mourned with their sorrow, and always prayed for their blessings, and now we are being disgracefully punished and deprived of a humble room for worship.”