Thousands of organizations across the globe support the religious ministry. Some focus their efforts domestically, while others help send missionaries to foreign countries. These groups usually consist of volunteers and trained missionaries who want to bring positive change to a particular area using faith-based efforts.
In some instances, missionaries serve domestically but work “against” their governments or local faith leaders. This often occurs in countries where the regimes in power force people to follow one particular religion. In some areas, this work can be dangerous if there is general hostility toward an entire religion. To remain safe, incoming foreign missionaries and supportive nationals must often keep a low profile in such countries.
Sheep Among Wolves is a documentary covering this scenario about missionaries in a hostile environment. The film is about a Christian faith organization with missionaries working in the Middle East, specifically Iran. The main goal of these missionaries is to create disciples of Jesus Christ, specifically in this area of the world with other strict ideologies.
The subtitle of the Sheep Among Wolves documentary is “the Iranian regime is losing control of the Iranian people to a sweeping movement of women who follow Israel’s messiah.” The film’s production company, Frontiers Alliance International (FAI) Studios, further explained on its website that Iran is home to one of the fastest-growing churches today, led by mostly women who remain undercover during their efforts.
This area of the world is dominated by Islam and Sharia Law. Some followers of the law believe harm should come to anyone who does not follow Islam. The documentary deems this Christian movement the “underground church,” as many of the women cannot be identified due to safety reasons. This sparked the name, Sheep Among Wolves.
The documentary, which is in two parts, covers the work of missionaries who are not affiliated with any non-profit organizations or businesses and do not own any property or bank accounts designated for their church. The Sheep Among Wolves films state that the movement is led entirely by Iranian nationals and former Muslims. This underground church has no central leadership but is affiliated with Global Catalytic Ministries.
Sheep Among Wolves discusses the differences between sharing Christianity in the Middle East and in the western world. The documentary’s goal is to bring an understanding of this dangerous mission work back to churches in the west. The film aims to educate western Christians on how to remain faithful and endure in the event of current or future religious persecution.
The documentary also discusses the difference between everyday Iranian life and what is depicted in the media. Some westerners believe many Iranians are hostile toward the west, but the documentary states that a small percentage of government and religious leaders control that image through the media. The film states that more people have converted to Christianity in Iran in the last 40 years than in the previous 1,400 years.
Sheep Among Wolves was first released in 2016 by FAI Studios, founded by Dalton Thomas. Thomas is the director of the two-part documentary and other films and documentaries produced by FAI Studios that also have religious and biblical themes, including Covenant and the Controversy and Days of Noah.
Global Catalytic Ministries 