September 15, 2025
The Lausanne Movement has appointed Wheaton professor Dr. Yousaf Sadiq a global co-leader to support the persecuted church worldwide through the Lausanne Initiative for the Persecuted Church. According to Lausanne leadership, this initiative is the result of prayer and conversations that have been ongoing for nearly a decade.
Dr. Sadiq attended the Fourth Lausanne Congress (Seoul-Incheon 2024) in South Korea in 2024, which convened 5,000 Christian leaders from around the world. Seoul-Incheon 2024 provided opportunities for Christian leaders to recommit to the shared mission of proclaiming and displaying Christ to the nations, placing an emphasis on standing with the persecuted church, which encompasses over 380 million Christians worldwide.
At Seoul-Incheon 2024, Dr. Sadiq recognized the pressing need for a Lausanne network to support Christians who suffer for their faith in Christ and shared this with Wheaton President Philip Ryken ’88. President Ryken, who presented a plenary address at the congress, affirmed the need for a Lausanne issue network dedicated to serving the globally persecuted church and encouraged Dr. Sadiq to explore this idea further.
Dr. Sadiq then identified a critical gap that exists in persecuted environments, characterized by a scarcity of resources designed for and created by Christians experiencing hostility in their environments. He believes focusing on the resource gap will amplify the voices of those navigating persecution, significantly embolden testimony, foster radical discipleship, and enable Christians to better live out the Great Commission.
Between October 2024 and April 2025, Dr. Sadiq engaged in numerous meetings with prominent leaders who support the persecuted church to share his vision for a network dedicated to caring for persecuted Christians and to pursue collaboration with them.
Dr. Sadiq expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work with the global persecuted church and collaborate with others through this initiative, saying “I hope the stories of the resilience and faith of persecuted Christians witnessing for Christ amidst adversity can serve as an inspiration to the global body of Christ.” Dr. Sadiq noted his gratitude to Drs. Jamie Aten and Kent Annan at the Wheaton College Humanitarian Disaster Institute, "who provided incredible support."
Dr. Sadiq is an adjunct assistant professor of core studies at Wheaton College, where he teaches a unique class on Global Christian Persecution. He is also the Senior Fellow for the Wheaton College Humanitarian Disaster Institute.
—Juliana Bacote