House Churches Grow Amid Intensifying Persecution Worldwide, ICC Report Finds
July 24, 2026
A new report from U.S.-based watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC) shows Christian communities continue to expand in some of the world’s most hostile environments even as an estimated 380 million believers experience persecution each year because of their faith.
Christianity Daily reports that the ICC’s “Global Persecution Index 2026” found that churches are gaining members in countries where religious activity can result in arrest, imprisonment or death.
That growth is linked to underground congregations and digital networks that allow Christians to worship beyond direct government control.
The report points to Iran’s house church movement as one of the fastest-growing in the world, supported by secret networks and online evangelism despite the threat of arrest, imprisonment and, in some cases, execution under blasphemy and national security laws.
The report also mentions Chinese Christians are gathering in private homes and through encrypted online meetings despite extensive government surveillance.
In India, militant Hindu organizations associated with the governing Bharatiya Janata Party have attacked Christian and Muslim minorities, while several state governments have enacted laws restricting religious conversion.
According to Christianity Daily, during the year ending in July 2025, ICC recorded more than 1,100 Christians displaced from their homes in India and 276 reported cases of physical or psychological abuse.
Researchers reported, “Yet amid repression, faith continues to grow. Reports from underground networks in India and Pakistan indicate steady increases in conversions and discipleship.”
According to the report, in North Korea, small underground Christian networks operate “entirely in darkness,” while continuing to worship, broadcast Christian radio programs and smuggle religious materials into the country.
ICC’s index examines 22 countries, 13 of which have been designated Countries of Particular Concern.
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