Voice of the Martyrs Hosting 30th Annual International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians Event

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Todd Nettleton has been with Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) for 28 years and serves as its vice president. The ministry itself has been around since 1967. It was founded by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand and his wife, Sabina, who lived in the Eastern European country of Romania. They founded VOM after their imprisonment for their Christian witness during Romania’s time as part of the old soviet bloc and Communist Russian rule. Nettleton graciously agreed to an interview with Crosswalk about the upcoming International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians.

What brought about the idea for International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians?

As the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians comes up on its 30th year, Nettleton told Crosswalk, “The thing I like to make sure people understand is that it wasn’t an American idea,” and that, “this is what persecuted Christians ask us to do. When we sit down with them and say, ‘How can we help you?’ the first thing they say is, ‘Pray for us.’ And so, having a day when churches come together, ministries come together and say, ‘Okay, on this day we’re all going to pray together, and that’s the genesis for the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians.”

Nettleton is hopeful that this event inspires churches and ministries to pray for and come alongside persecuted Christians beyond once per year, and that churches and ministries are doing this throughout the entire year.

How did November 1st get selected for the prayer date?

Nettleton said that in America, the event generally takes place on the first Sunday of the month, which just happens to be November 1st this year.  As a contrast, he noted that Canada holds theirs on the second Sunday of the month of November.  

Which countries are most notorious for persecuting Christians?

“When you say most notorious, I would have to say North Korea. I think North Korea is the most closed country. It is the one that is the most perpetually recognized as one of the worst, or the worst persecutor of Christians.”

He added that, “I think there are some others that are less well known. One of those is Eritrea, Africa [which borders the Red Sea and Ethiopia in Africa]. Some people would call it the North Korea of Africa because it is also a harsh persecutor of Christians. There are multiple pastors and Eritrean [Christians] that have been in prison for more than 20 years, so it is a place of great suffering as well, but less well known.” 

Nettleton said Eritrea is a country that functions very much like a communist country and that, “…the leader of Eritrea was educated in China, and so he has that sort of communistic idea that religion is bad, religion is a threat to the government, it has to be monitored, it has to be controlled, and that’s what really motivates the persecution.”

He noted that while there are some “legalized” religions allowed in the country, they’re very controlled because the government really wants people to answer to it rather than God. “…and so those that are legal are not necessarily immune from persecution,” he said.

Eritrea is on the list of the top 15 countries that are considered the worst persecutors, as noted by Christian Global Relief.  It also states that Christian persecution is growing, not shrinking. Approximately 388 million Christians endure high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith as of 2026. This is an increase of eight million from the previous year. 

What is the 10 / 40 window, and are all countries that persecute Christians located there?

“The 10 / 40 window is sort of a [rectangular] window in the world that’s 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north [latitude] on the globe, and it’s the place where the vast majority of unreached people live in the world. If you think about that window, it goes across India, more than 1 billion people, Pakistan, Iran, the Middle East, China, and most Southeast Asian countries. Not all places where Christians are persecuted fall within that window, but there are a significant number that do,” he said.

A great deal of the ministry that VOM does is located in that window. A map of the 10 / 40 window can be viewed here.

What would you most like for American Christians to know about persecuted Christians and their communities?

Besides the importance of praying, Nettleton also hit on the significance of American Christians making intentional efforts to remember the persecuted Christians. He pointed out that, “Hebrews 13:3 says to remember those who are in prison as if you were in prison with them. So we have a Biblical command not to be ignorant and not to ignore, but rather to remember,” he said.

He went on to note that this type of remembering involves “putting ourselves in their shoes and trying to see the world through their eyes.”

In addition, when people think about someone who’s been beaten for their faith and even been in prison for a number of years, “the mental picture that we have is somebody who’s really depressed and discouraged and downtrodden. But I’ve had the privilege to go and sit down with so many of these brothers and sisters, and by and large they are not depressed, they are not discouraged, they are not downtrodden. Actually, they’re excited. They’re excited about what God is doing in their countries; they’re excited to see the church grow, and even when they suffer, there’s an outlook of enthusiasm and positivity that God is going to use this: ‘I trust God, even in suffering.’ They’re not depressed and downtrodden; they’re actually joyful,” he said.

What are some of the best ways that believers can support persecuted Christians and their communities?

Nettleton gave three things to remember: 

1. Commit to pray.
2. Educate yourself so you can pray more effectively and specifically (follow news reports and information from ministries about what’s happening in the lives of persecuted Christians).
3. Obey whatever God asks you to do.

Besides opportunities to give, VOM also offers opportunities to encourage those who are in prison with letters. Their Prisoner Alert website has details about how to connect with those who are in prison, petitioning officials, email alerts, ways to pray, even a magazine for keeping up with what’s happening. Prisoners typically can’t respond because prisons and countries won’t allow it, but Nettleton noted that word has gotten back to him about how much the letters mean to those who are in prison, and that prison guards read them first, so there is the possibility of impacting them as well. In addition, prisoners get treated less harshly when mail comes to them frequently. 

VOM also has a radio website with programs, testimonies of persecuted Christians, and podcasts that Nettleton hosts and produces. Visit VOM Radio to check that out.

For other ways to come alongside those who are persecuted, or for more information about Voice of the Martyrs and how you and your church can participate in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, click here.

Photo Credit: Voice of the Martyrs

Elizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.