Iraq
Christians in Iraq at present comprise about 4 percent of Iraq's population of 20 million. This was not the case in the 1970s, but political and social changes and two major wars led many Iraqi Christians and Muslims to emigrate from the country. Christians already had been in the minority, but the drastic decline of the last 25 years means there now are more Iraqi Christians outside of Iraq than inside this war-torn country.
Christianity in Iraq dates from the apostolic era and is
one of the oldest organized churches in the world. In spite of the division in the
church at that time Iraqi Christians were pioneers in spreading
the gospel to Persia and Arabia.
Presbyterians and other Reformed and Anglican missionaries have been in Iraq since the early 1800s. In a later stage they formed what became known as the United Mission to Iraq. The United Mission worked very actively in education, health care and church development until late 1960, when the Iraqi government nationalized all schools and hospitals. Since then the five Presbyterian congregations have continued their ministry to their own people but have done very little outreach. Only in the last year or so have the five congregations been able to come together under the Assembly of the Presbyterian Churches of Iraq. During the last five years the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has tried to support the congregations in Iraq and help them reconnect with other Presbyterian churches in the region, such as the Synod of the Nile in Egypt, the Synod of Syria and Lebanon, and most recently the Reformed Church in Kuwait. Some PC(USA) congregations have been able to establish partnerships with Presbyterian congregations in Iraq. |
