Churches Face Threats and Questioning

Worship in Sri Lanka
Pray with Sri Lankan believers as they seek to faithfully worship God.

Churches in Sri Lanka have frequently faced harassment from community members, Buddhist religious leaders and civil authorities. To read previously published reports on some of these cases, go to our country report. The following three incidents that occurred in mid-March demonstrate some of the challenges regularly experienced by Christians.

  1. On March 14th, the pastor of the Assemblies of God church in Padukka was on his way to the place of worship when he was stopped by a group of villagers. The group demanded that the pastor leave the town, which they deemed a "Buddhist village," and then declared that the Christians were no longer allowed to worship in the area.

    The pastor reported the incident to the local police, who called both parties to the station to give their statements. The Buddhist villagers made several false allegations, but the officer stated he had no authority to shut down the church. After learning that the church was registered with the government, he warned the villagers against harassing the pastor. However, the police did request that the church temporarily pause their activities to prevent any potential escalation of conflict.

  2. Fifteen kilometres away in the city of Ranala, the pastor of Calvary Church received a phone call on March 15th from the local police station. The officer in charge demanded that the pastor stop all religious activities, claiming he had received multiple complaints. He demanded that she either conduct worship activities elsewhere or obtain a court order allowing worship services to continue in the village.

  3. Three days later, on March 18th, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department visited a home belonging to the mother of a pastor who leads another Calvary Church, one located in Padukka. In addition to asking the mother several questions about her religious activities, the officers requested her daughter's contact information, as well as that of her daughter's husband. The mother was then shown a WhatsApp message about the action being taken against the church in Ranala. The message included her daughter's name and address. Eventually, the officers left without any further ordeal.

Pray that God will strengthen and encourage Christians throughout Sri Lanka, using their passion for the Gospel, as well as their personal testimonies, to shine God's light and lead their spiritually lost neighbours to His Son Jesus, the "Light of the world." Ask the Lord to also grant wisdom to the three mentioned church leaders as they face undue pressure and harassment from opposing community members. May these pastors continue to remain steadfast in their faith, exemplify the love of God in both word and deed, and patiently persevere in prayer --- mindful to also intercede for the salvation of their persecutors.

  • Current Ministry Projects

    VOMC supports persecuted Christians in Sri Lanka as they witness for Christ in hostile environments through Biblical training, legal aid, and advocacy, as well as rehabilitation and emergency assistance.

    Project Funds: Equipping the Saints, Legal Defence, Relief & Development, Families of Martyrs

  • Country Information

    Population
    23,326,272 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Sinhalese (74.9), Sri Lankan Tamil (11.2), Sri Lankan Moors (9.2), Indian Tamil (4.2), other (0.5)

    Religion (%)
    Buddhism (70.2), Hinduism (12.6), Islam (9.7), Roman Catholic (6.1), Evangelical Christianity (2.0)

    Leader
    President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (Sept 2024)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system
    Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and Jaffna Tamil customary law

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Sri Lanka

    Let's unite our hearts in prayer for those in Sri Lanka who are being persecuted for their faith, thanking God for what He is accomplishing despite the opposition. Ask that His people will be encouraged, strengthened and equipped by the promises of the Bible – the Sword of the Spirit – knowing that He is watching over His Word to perform it (Ephesians 6:17; Jeremiah 1:12). May they not only overcome the strategies of the enemy, but also serve as effective witnesses to those in need of eternal salvation and deliverance from spiritual captivity.

Sri Lanka News

  • Church Pressured to Halt Christian Activities
    A church congregation in Sri Lanka
    A congregation in Sri Lanka.
    Photo: VOMC

    Members of the Way to the Comfort Ministry Church in Seethwaka, Sri Lanka, are receiving ongoing demands to cease all Christian activities in their village. On January 26th, Buddhist monks approached the church leadership and insisted that the pastor stop holding worship services, claiming that only Buddhist practices are permitted within the village. They further accused the pastor of forcibly converting people to Christianity and receiving foreign aid.

  • Church Services Restricted to Pastor's Family
    A woman is raising her hands in worship.
    Photo: VOMC 

    In July, a complaint against the Jesus Jeewamanai Revival Church in Polgahawela was issued by some villagers and Buddhist leaders who opposed the worship services that were taking place at the pastor's home. In response, police requested that the church restrict the number of people attending the gatherings, particularly by limiting participants who were visiting from outside of the community, until guidance was received from the authorities on how to handle the situation. For more information about this incident, go to this report.

  • Church Building Pelted with Stones; Worshippers Restricted Access
    Christians are seated on floor mats as they pray together. Two women are in the foreground.
    A group of Christians praying together.
    Photo: VOMC
     

    The Jesus Jeewamanai Revival Church in the town of Polgahawela has been the target of attacks perpetrated by disgruntled members of the community who oppose their place of worship. On July 7th and 11th, stones were thrown at the church building. Then, on July 14th, before the Christians' Sunday services were scheduled to begin, villagers blocked the road leading to the building in order to prevent the congregants and their pastor from accessing the facility.

  • Arrests During House Church Construction
    People are in and around a small building under construction.
     
     

    On June 13th, the pastor of God's Kingdom Gospel Church in Kandapola, Sri Lanka, was constructing a house church building, together with the support of other pastors and church leaders, when he was approached by a junior manager. The pastor was questioned by the manager as to whether or not the Christians had permission to build a church.