Intercessory Overview
As a former Soviet republic on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan’s churches developed in the wake of the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Although Azerbaijan is rich in oil and gas reserves, corruption and the country’s authoritarian government have impeded economic growth. Nevertheless, poverty has been reduced and the country’s infrastructure is gradually improving.
Major Religion
85% of Azerbaijanis are Shiite Muslims and 2% are Christians.
Persecution
Families are the main persecutors of Christians. Azerbaijan has a shame-honour culture in which those who leave Islam are considered to have brought shame on the family. The government also pressures Christians with heavy fines.
What it means to follow Christ in Azerbaijan
For many years now, churches have been denied the ability to register legally. Secret police attend and sometimes raid church meetings, which the government classifies as illegal. In 2015, the government published a list of banned religious books that included the Old Testament. Those caught with banned religious literature are fined. The government is tightening restrictions and often asks church leaders to submit lists of members’ names. Some pastors and leaders feel this is an attempt to gather information for later use against church members or pastors. Many Christians faithfully share Christ with neighbours and family members despite legal pressure and possible fines.
Access to Bibles
Bibles are difficult to obtain. Churches can purchase them, but they cannot be printed legally.
Prayers
- Pray that believers will use technology effectively to proclaim the gospel.
- Pray for President Ilham Aliyev and the government.
- Pray for front-line workers reaching those in small towns and villages.
- Pray for unity and friendship among churches and pastors.
More Prayers
- God raised up an Azeri Church, even amidst trials! Only 40 known Azeri believers lived in the country in 1991. Now there are more than 10,000, with the majority in Baku. Even more ethnic Azeris follow Christ inside of Iran. Some Azeri believers create their own music, literature, poetry, and other indigenous forms of worship. Even so, most Christians in Azerbaijan are primarily of foreign ethnicities. Pray for good fellowship among all the believers.
- Azerbaijan remains a politically volatile nation. The conflict with Armenia remains unresolved, with both sides manipulating the suffering of many for their own advantage. Regional tensions – involving Russia and its southern republics, Turkey, Georgia, Iran and with NATO – complicate matters further. Azerbaijani military spending is at an all-time high, and no long-term solution to any problem has been found, with most players being intransigent on key issues. Pray for stability and a genuine will to make peace in and around Azerbaijan.
- The Church faces intensifying opposition, even as it grows. Many churches find intimidation, surveillance and obstructionist tactics increasingly common. Despite these, there is relative freedom to share the gospel sensitively – many Azeris are Muslim out of cultural affiliation rather than deliberate choice. Pray that Christian witness to the majority Muslim population may be with humility, wisdom and love.
- Nagorno-Karabakh existed as an almost entirely Armenian enclave from the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994 until September 2023. While formally part of Azerbaijan, it functioned as the Republic of Artsakh. After the victory of the Azerbaijan armed forces, virtually the entire population of Armenians fled Artsakh to Armenia. Allegations of ethnic cleansing and even genocide were brought against Azerbaijan. Pray for the end of ethnic-based conflict in the region; this will take a true work of God. Pray that the centuries of hatred might be overcome through Christ, the one who reconciles.
- The unreached:
- Most Azerbaijani towns and villages have never been evangelized.
- The poor and displaced. Employment opportunities (outside of the fortunate few in the oil industry), clean water supplies and long-term solutions related to the 800,000 displaced are all needs. There are many untapped ways of showing Christian compassion to them.
- The Caucasus peoples are mostly Muslim and un-evangelized. The only exceptions are Georgians and Udi, who are traditionally Orthodox. Pray for the Lezgi, Avar, Tsakhur, Kryz and Buduq peoples, the most populous of these peoples.
- The Indo-Iranian-speaking minorities of Talysh, Tat and Kurds are unreached.
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