Following Algeria’s closure of nearly all evangelical churches in waves of repression that began in 2017, Christians have been forced underground in what they describe as an internal exile, Morning Star News said.
Christians in the 99% Muslim country gather discreetly in homes, garages or under olive trees, isolating many who are deprived of regular spiritual guidance. Some turn to the internet and social media, where heresies proliferate, thus fostering internal divisions, the spread of false teaching and the rise of conflicts.
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Despite such challenges, some Christians express gratitude to God, viewing this period as a spiritual cleansing to build stronger and more mature churches.
“Believers maintain fraternal bonds within small family groups,” said one Christian community leader. “We celebrate Holy Communion and baptisms privately, and dedicate significant resources to charitable aid, in accordance with biblical commandments.”
‘Undeniably difficult’ situation
One church leader continues to serve by visiting families in various villages to offer moral and spiritual support. Like all pastors mentioned in this story, his name cannot be published for security reasons.
“The situation is undeniably difficult because we are deprived of fellowship,” he said. “But God’s work must not stop. We desperately lack Bibles and Christian books, as customs officials systematically confiscate them even when friends bring them from the West.”
Along with blocked book imports, police searches and confiscated equipment, Christians have increasingly been shut out of regular fellowship since authorities effectively left the evangelical umbrella group, the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA), without legal status. When the EPA re-applied for legal status in August 2014 and July 2015 following implementation of the 2012 Law on Associations No. 12-06, authorities withheld mandatory registration receipts, leaving the umbrella group in a legal limbo that provided the pretext for forced closures of most affiliated churches from 2017 to 2019.
Since Law 12-06 blocks the official registration of the EPA, security forces have sealed shut 46 of the group’s affiliated 47 churches, leaving only a church headquarters in Algiers operational thanks to the presence there of some foreigners and diplomats.
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Algeria ranked 20th on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published by Morning Star News.
