Jordanian Christians Celebrate Century-Old Legacy Under Growing Regional Pressures

Faith Facts

• Churches in Jordan gathered on May 29 to commemorate 100 years of organized evangelical ministry in the nation
• The World Evangelical Alliance’s secretary general urged Arab leaders to strengthen relationships with global evangelical movements
• The celebration at Amman Baptist School highlighted the perseverance of Christian witness in a predominantly Muslim Middle Eastern nation

Faith communities across Jordan united at the Amman Baptist School on May 29 to celebrate a remarkable milestone: one hundred years of organized evangelical ministry in the Hashemite Kingdom. The gathering brought together believers who have maintained their Christian witness despite decades of regional upheaval and the challenges facing religious minorities throughout the Middle East.

The centennial celebration served as both a commemoration of past faithfulness and a call to action for the future. The secretary general of the World Evangelical Alliance seized the opportunity to address Arab leadership directly, encouraging them to engage more deeply with the global evangelical Church and recognize the value Christian communities bring to their nations.

Jordan has long stood as a relative beacon of religious tolerance in a turbulent region, allowing Christian communities to worship and organize more freely than in many neighboring countries. Yet the pressures facing believers remain real, with Christian populations across the Middle East declining significantly over the past century due to persecution, economic hardship, and emigration.

The evangelical movement in Jordan traces its organized roots back a full century, when missionaries and local believers established formal structures for worship, education, and outreach. The Amman Baptist School itself stands as a testament to this legacy, having educated generations of Jordanian students in an environment that honors both academic excellence and Christian values.

For American Christians, the perseverance of Jordanian believers offers both inspiration and a sobering reminder of the cost of discipleship in regions where faith can mean social marginalization or worse. While believers in the United States enjoy constitutional protections that are the envy of Christians worldwide, our brothers and sisters in Jordan must navigate complex political and social realities to maintain their witness.

The call from the World Evangelical Alliance for Arab leaders to engage the global Church recognizes a strategic reality: Christian communities have historically contributed to social stability, educational advancement, and humanitarian service far beyond their numbers. Countries that protect and partner with their Christian minorities often find them to be bridge-builders between East and West, agents of reconciliation, and sources of moral clarity in divided societies.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has periodically spoken in defense of Christian minorities, recognizing their importance to Jordan’s national fabric. Yet the broader trend across the Middle East remains troubling, with ancient Christian communities facing existential threats in Iraq, Syria, and Egypt.

The centennial celebration in Amman should encourage American evangelicals to strengthen their support for persecuted believers worldwide. This includes prayer, advocacy with our own government to prioritize religious freedom in foreign policy, and direct partnership with churches and ministries serving in challenging environments.

As we reflect on a century of evangelical witness in Jordan, we’re reminded that the Church has always thrived not despite opposition but often because of it. The faithfulness of Jordanian believers across ten decades testifies to the enduring power of the Gospel and the courage required to live out Christian conviction in cultures that do not always welcome it.

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