28 January 2026 

Armenia: Hard-Pressed, but Not Crushed

On a cold and foggy December morning in 1988, 20-year-old Seyran found himself digging through the ruins of a building destroyed by an earthquake that had decimated parts of Armenia. For hours, he sifted through rubble and checked the faces of the dead, searching for his teenage sister, Ruzanna. Finally— miraculously—he heard her voice and rescued her while more than 40,000 others lost their lives.

But his body paid the price. Over the coming years, Seyran experienced increasing, eventually debilitating, pain as a result of the hours he’d spent straining against the weight of rock and ruin. He once spent six months in bed while he was unable to work, unable to walk, and unable to afford treatment.

Seyran struggled to survive. His community had been devastated; hospitals were demolished in an instant and essential items like bread vanished overnight. He first found shelter in a tent, later moving into a metal container that would become his home for nearly two decades.

It was several years after the earthquake when Seyran heard about Jesus for the first time. He began to consider God, but continued to live without the hope of Jesus. One day, Seyran had a vision. A man in white appeared before him. Seyran could see his hands and feet, but the man’s face was hidden in a blazing light. Seyran remembers feeling “very sinful, dirty,” while the man was “light and holy.” Seyran asked for forgiveness for his sins. The man placed his hand on Seyran’s head and he was immediately flooded with peace. “It felt like heaven,” he recalls. After years of diminishing strength, intense poverty, and disabling pain, Seyran was ready to spend eternity with Jesus.

“Jesus, I am ready,” he prayed. “You can take me home. I am ready to die.”

But God did not call Seyran to heaven that day. Instead, God gave him a mission. “Stay here and preach the gospel,” Seyran sensed God saying. Caught off guard, he argued, “I don’t know the gospel. I cannot speak or preach.” Still, the message continued: “Stay here and preach.”

In obedience, Seyran purchased a Bible and began studying. God opened his eyes to the truth of Scripture through revelation and education. In 2003, he met believers from a newly-planted Church of the Nazarene—the first of its kind in Armenia. Seyran began attending European Nazarene College, and he was eventually ordained. He started pastoring the young Akhuryan Church of the Nazarene. God was leading, but life continued to be a struggle for Seyran.

Thieves robbed the Akhuryan church, stealing all of the fragile congregation’s construction materials. Neighbors turned against them for refusing to bow to a local saint as they threatened church members after services. For four years, Seyran received terrorizing threats—promises to cut off his head and capture his two young daughters for trafficking.

“The pressure was so heavy at times that we even considered leaving the ministry." Seyran admits. “But for the sake of Jesus, we endured, and the Lord kept us safe.”

Today, Seyran states that many of those struggles are behind them. “We have wonderful young people,” he says, “and the church is slowly growing.” Still, challenges remain. Many are afraid to attend church openly. Poverty separates families, children grow up without parents, and ongoing conflict persists. “All of these weigh heavily on our community,” Seyran says. “Even today, we continue to live in the midst of a Christian struggle. Yet we press on, overcoming every difficulty for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Thanks to Everyday Eurasia for sharing Seyran’s story.

As the first nation to officially adopt Christianity in the late 3rd century, Armenians are proud of their faith heritage. Many are cultural or nominal Christians, however, and are not aware they can have a personal, intimate, and saving relationship with Jesus Christ. 

The Church of the Nazarene officially entered Armenia in 2002. Armenia is one of the 43 world areas that make up the Eurasia Region, where 18% of our Nazarene missionaries serve. Interestingly, 6% of Nazarene missionaries come from the Eurasia Region. 
However, several challenges exist for Nazarenes in Armenia. Armenians often view evangelical churches as cults and regard them with suspicion. Unemployment and migration prevent people from settling in the communities where our church is ministering. While many women are spiritually open to the gospel, it has been more difficult to reach men.

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