Building Discipleship in the Persian Anglican Community

The Persian Anglican Community exists to reach Persian-speaking people across London, helping them encounter the Christian faith, grow as disciples and develop as leaders. Led by Revd Basir Amini, the community is also creating welcoming spaces where people can find friendship, support and belonging, regardless of their faith background.

“Our purpose is to reach out to Persian people living within the Diocese of London, to share the good news of Jesus, disciple people and raise up new leaders,” said Basir. “We want to help people discover and use their gifts and support them in their calling and ministry.”

The community works across the diocese, with a particular focus on Kensington Episcopal Area, while also maintaining connections with churches in other areas. Alongside his role leading the Persian Anglican Community, Basir serves as a curate at Holy Trinity Hounslow.

Creating Community and Belonging

A key priority for the community is supporting people who have settled in the UK from Iran and other Persian-speaking contexts. Many experience isolation and loneliness after moving to a new country, and church communities can offer both practical support and meaningful relationships.

“Many of our people are immigrants and struggle with loneliness,” Basir explained. “One of the things the church can provide is a safe place where people can come, belong and receive support. While our focus is mission and discipleship, we also want to create space for people who are not yet looking for Christian faith but who need community.”

Discovering the Way of Life Resources

The partnership with the Diocese of London’s Way of Life team began through a conversation with the Dean of Mission in the Two Cities Episcopal Area. Basir had been searching for discipleship resources that reflected the richness of the Anglican tradition.

“We have resources for evangelism, but it can be harder to find discipleship material in an Anglican context,” he said. “I was connected me with Mirjam and we decided to try one session.”

The response exceeded expectations. Around ten people attended the first gathering and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

“Every person who attended asked if Mirjam could come back,” Basir recalled. “I was honestly surprised by how positive the response was.”

Participants particularly connected with practices such as Shared Silent, Listening Groups and Dwelling in the Word. Basir believes these reflective approaches resonate deeply with Persian culture and offer a meaningful way for people to deepen their relationship with God.

“Some people started using these practices in their own prayer lives,” he said. “They found them very helpful and continued to use them in their personal time with God.”

Translating Resources into Farsi

Building on this success, the community has worked with the Way of Life team to translate several prayer practice resources into Farsi. Basir was directly involved in reviewing and refining the translations, ensuring they were both linguistically accurate and theologically accessible.

“Translation is not only about words,” he said. “We wanted to make sure everything was understandable through the lens of Christian faith and worked well in Farsi.”

The translated resources are now available through the Way of Life website and plans are underway to print copies for leaders and small groups within the Persian Anglican Community. Basir hopes the materials will support Bible studies, discipleship groups and emerging leaders.

Building Strong Foundations for Growth

Leadership development is already a major part of the community’s work. Through a partnership with the Church Mission Society’s training programme formerly associated with CCX, the community is currently supporting around 22 to 25 emerging leaders who are leading their own Persian-speaking communities.

Looking ahead, Basir sees discipleship as one of the greatest opportunities and challenges facing the Persian church.

“When people first hear the gospel and experience God’s love through the church community, something starts to happen in their hearts,” he said. “But without discipleship and support to help them grow, people can gradually drift away.”

His hope is that strong discipleship resources, rooted in prayer and spiritual formation, will help establish firm foundations for Persian Christians across London and beyond.

“We want to build strong foundations and equip people to grow in their faith,” he said. “My hope is that these resources will not only help our own community but also be used by other dioceses facing similar challenges.”

As the partnership between the Persian Anglican Community and the Way of Life team continues to develop, it offers an encouraging example of how prayer, discipleship and thoughtful translation can help people from different cultures encounter Christ and grow as disciples together.