Pray for Turkish Christian Believers
Türkiye has only a few thousand Protestant Christian Believers among more than 87 million people. Many have faced misunderstanding from family and friends, and churches are small. Pray for courage, unity, and steadfast faith.
Father, keep Turkish Christian Believers steadfast, and let them know that their labor for You is never wasted.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Pray for Turkish church leaders
Since 2020, more than 200 foreign Christian workers and their families, around 350 people in all, have been expelled or barred from returning under national-security codes, many after decades of service. Pray for Turkish pastors and elders now carrying more of the work, and for new leaders to be raised up.
Lord Jesus, as Paul once appointed elders in the churches of this land, raise up Turkish leaders to shepherd Your people.
So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Acts 14:23
Pray for the ancient churches
Armenian, Syriac, and Greek Orthodox communities have lived in this land for centuries but are now very small. Pray for these historic churches to know a living faith, and for their members who remain.
Father, strengthen the historic churches of Türkiye, and keep them faithful.
Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
Pray for the earthquake region
The earthquakes of February 2023 killed more than 50,000 people in southern Türkiye and destroyed whole neighborhoods. Pray for families still rebuilding their homes and their lives, and for Christian Believers who continue to serve them.
Lord, be a rock and fortress for those whose world collapsed, and let them find their security in You.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
Psalm 18:2
Capital: Ankara
Languages: Turkish, with Kurdish, Zazaki, Arabic, and many others
People groups: 85
Unreached people groups: 61
Unreached frontier people groups: 39
Türkiye bridges Europe and Asia, from the busy streets of Istanbul to the plains of Anatolia, the Black Sea coast, and the mountains of the east. Few lands hold more of the Bible’s story. The apostle Paul was born in Tarsus and planted churches across Anatolia; disciples were first called Christians in Antioch; and the seven churches of Revelation stood on the western coast. Today, almost every one of those cities is a place where Jesus Christ is barely known.
Turks
The majority, about 61 million people, for whom Turkish identity and Islam are closely connected.
Kurds
About 13 million Kurmanji-speaking Kurds, living mainly in the southeast and in the large cities, many shaped by decades of conflict and displacement.
Alevis
About 4 million Alevi Turks, with their own distinct religious tradition.
Zaza
About 1.7 million people in the east, speaking Zazaki.
Refugees and migrants
Türkiye hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations. Around 2.2 million Syrians still live in the country, even after more than 700,000 returned home following December 2024. Afghans, Iraqis, and many others have also found refuge here.
Smaller peoples
Including Laz, Circassian, Arab, and Bosniak communities, and small Armenian, Syriac, and Greek Christian communities.
Of Türkiye’s 85 people groups, 61 are unreached and 39 are frontier, communities with almost no followers of Jesus Christ and no known movement toward Him. More than 95% of the population lives in frontier groups.
For many, to be Turkish is to be Muslim. A Turk who follows Jesus Christ may be seen as having betrayed family and nation, and may face pressure at home and at work.
Christianity is often viewed through history and politics, as the faith of foreigners or of minorities, rather than as good news for Turks and Kurds.
The expulsion of foreign Christian workers has left many small congregations without experienced leaders, and has made long-term ministry harder.
Language and geography add to the challenge. Many Kurds, Zaza, and other peoples of the east have little access to Christian resources in their own languages, and the Church is concentrated in a few large cities.
Yet Turkish Christian Believers are faithful, and through Scripture, media, and personal friendships, Turks, Kurds, and refugees are still coming to Jesus Christ.
Pray for the Turkish people
Pray for the 61 million Turks, among whom very few have heard the Gospel clearly from a Turkish Christian Believer.
Lord Jesus, You still stand at the door. Let Turkish families hear Your voice and open their hearts to You.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation 3:20
Pray for the Kurds
Pray for the 13 million Kurds of Türkiye, for Scripture and resources in Kurmanji, and for Kurdish Christian Believers to reach their own people.
Father, let Your light rise over Kurdish homes and communities.
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1
Pray for the Alevis and the Zaza
Pray for Alevi and Zaza communities, many of whom are searching for spiritual truth, and for Christian Believers who can share the Gospel with them sensitively.
Lord, meet every sincere seeker, and let them find You.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
Pray for refugees
Pray for Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi, and other refugees in Türkiye, for those deciding whether to return home, and for churches that welcome them.
Father, shelter refugees under Your wings, and let them find refuge in Jesus Christ.
The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.
Ruth 2:12
Pray for young Turks
Many young Turks are increasingly secular, questioning, and connected to the wider world. Pray for students and young professionals to encounter Jesus Christ.
Father, open the eyes of young people across Türkiye to the hope of Your calling.
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
Ephesians 1:18
Gracious Father,
We bring Türkiye before You, the land where Paul carried the Gospel and where the early churches once flourished. You know Istanbul and Ankara, the villages of Anatolia, the Black Sea coast, and the mountains of the east. You know the Turks, the Kurds, the Alevis, the Zaza, the refugees, and every smaller people in this land.
Strengthen Turkish Christian Believers, and raise up faithful leaders to shepherd Your Church. Sustain the ancient churches, comfort those still rebuilding after the earthquakes, and let refugees find refuge in You.
Let the light that once shone in Antioch, Ephesus, and Smyrna shine again. Open the hearts of Turks and Kurds, Alevis and Zaza, young and old, to Jesus Christ, and let churches be planted in every city and region where He is not yet known.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
