Persecuted Christians in Mexico caught between cartel violence and local hostility

Persecuted Christians in Mexico face violence from criminal gangs, oppression in indigenous communities and systemic neglect that leaves their persecution unaddressed. 

But at GCR, we are seeing the hand of God move to empower believers, strengthen pastors and spread the Gospel in unique and exciting ways. Despite these challenges, we remember the words of Psalm 9:9: “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”

Cartel violence

Widespread cartel activity has spread throughout Mexico. As Christianity Today recently reported, rural churches are especially vulnerable to threats and violence. Many churches across Southern Mexico have stopped meeting as criminal gangs are extorting and kidnapping pastors and churchgoers.

GCR’s field teams observed another terrifying phenomenon also reported by Christianity Today: surveillance by cartel spies has become a routine reality for rural churches. Some pastors in the western state of Jalisco hold their church in rotating locations to avoid the cartels, while others meet exclusively online. 

“In some cases, there were no services because there was no quorum,” Constantino Varas, president of the Convención Nacional Bautista de México, told Christianity Today. “Families had to flee because gangs were recruiting all the young people, and there were no people to gather with.”

At least 145,000 children and teenagers are at risk of recruitment into criminal organizations. Families GCR met in Jalisco described the horrifying and destabilizing effects that forced recruitment of youth by cartels has had on their community. Many said that their children had vanished after responding to fake job offers found on social media. 

Drug dealers also demand that leaders, including pastors, send “volunteers” to assist in their extortion. Those who don’t could be beaten or fined. “The persecution has intensified in recent years, as criminal groups form alliances with local leaders who were already exerting pressure on evangelicals,” according to Christianity Today. The article continues, “The criminal organizations in these areas leverage the special treatment and accommodations Indigenous communities have been granted by Mexican law to run their communities according to their ancestral practices.”

Indigenous persecution and systemic neglect

Tragically, some indigenous persecuted Christians in Mexico are targeted by their own communities. Many in the southern state of Chiapas, which is home to one of the largest indigenous populations in Mexico, practice a blend of Catholicism with practices from ancient spiritual traditions that include animal sacrifices. When people leave this behind for Protestant Christianity, they often face persecution and ostracization. Often converts are expelled from their villages and their houses are burned down. While this kind of persecution has been decreasing, it’s still prevalent in very isolated regions.

Additionally, the guerrilla revolutionaries of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation control much of Chiapas. The Zapatistas’ ideology combines Marxism, Catholicism and ancient Mayan tradition, and they have been known to persecute Protestant Christians.

Our team observed Christian converts being denied access to resources such as water, land, and schools by oppressive leaders, witnessing firsthand how indigenous converts are systematically marginalized. Believers are even threatened with violence for attending church.

Authorities rarely classify violence against persecuted Christians in Mexico as religious persecution, leaving churches alone to navigate threats. Despite the obvious pressure cartels put on minority Christians, this oppression is reportedly too widespread to be called “systematic hostility or ill-treatment encountered by an individual or group because of their religious beliefs,” as Teresa Flores, director of the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Latin America, told Christianity Today.

GCR’s response—and yours

Our mission at GCR includes ensuring the survival of persecuted people, spreading the Gospel across the globe and creating more freedom for the oppressed.

Ensuring survival and creating more freedom

GCR partners have been hard at work developing and implementing training for pastors to help ensure the safety and survival of persecuted Christians in Mexico. Based on needs observed by our field teams, this curriculum includes teaching leaders to recognize cartel tactics, such as forced recruitment patterns. We are also working to equip churches to conduct “low-profile” ministry, which can include small-group discipleship and digital worship, and provide protocols for responding to threats and relocating at-risk families.

GCR-supported training includes modules on digital security, covert communication and trauma counseling for congregants affected by kidnappings. Through these measures, GCR is empowering them to resist coercion.

Spreading the Gospel

One of the most exciting ways that we are seeing God moving in Mexico is through the distribution of audio Bibles. These devices, along with SD cards containing Scripture and videos that can be shared discreetly, allow people to hear God’s Word in their native languages. Since many indigenous people are illiterate or don’t speak Spanish, this kind of access to the Bible and other resources is a literal godsend. These tools allow communities who may lack access to the internet or safe spaces to gather to engage with Scripture together and in secrecy, often transforming homes into spiritual spaces where the Bible is listened to like a radio.

“These Bibles aren’t just resources—they’re lifelines,” said a GCR field team member in Chiapas. “Believers clutch them like shields in places where faith could cost them their lives.”

How you can help persecuted Christians in Mexico

First, pray for Mexican pastors targeted by cartels and believers in Chiapas, Jalisco, and all of Mexico facing displacement. Pray for an end to the violence, coercion, and kidnapping. Pray that the Gospel would reach all who need to hear it.

You can also partner with GCR to fund persecution training and distribution of audio Bibles and other resources in high-risk zones. With your help, more believers can be empowered to live in safety and hear the Word of God.

Lastly, please share this story to raise awareness of Mexico’s underground church and keep an eye out for more reports on the persecuted church in Mexico to come. God is moving in Mexico and we want you to hear and be part of that story.

About the author

Chandler Peterson is a writer and editor for Global Christian Relief where she shares stories of Christian persecution. Read the latest Christian persecution stories on our website and learn more at GlobalChristianRelief.org.