Secret Church

10 steps to a secret…

OK, so you’re up for it – getting up early and meeting secretly with other Christians to worship Jesus and stand with your persecuted family. Here’s some simple tips to get you started.

If you want a full overview, plans and suggestions just download our super dooper Secret Church leaders guide and materials to help plan and promote your Secret Church service.

1. Get a date and time sorted

You can choose whatever time you like. But we think a dawn service – or a very late night one – will present a real challenge and give a memorable insight into the lives of secret Christians.

“I meet with the others at night, from midnight to two o’clock. We do this because of safety reasons, but also because most of us work during daytime.”
Pasha, an Iranian secret believer

2. Sort a venue

Find somewhere unexpected. Somewhere out of the way. Get creative. Hold your Secret Church meeting in a barn, in a field, in some woods. Is there a basement or cellar you can use? Or a disused shop? Whatever the case, choose somewhere no one else would notice.

“I used to meet up with another lady high in the mountains. One day we were singing and all of a sudden a young guy stood behind us. We gave him some food and drinks and then he left. On the way back we could only pray he would not report us. Thank God, he didn’t.”
Hea Woo, a North Korean Christian, spent years in a labour camp because she was a Christian

3. Spread the rumours

Tell people what is happening. This is where you have to excite people about the event. You will probably want to tell them when it is happening, but not where. Use the poster downloads to help promote your service.

4. Create a secret network to spread the message

Because people don’t know where it is happening, you will have to find a way to keep them informed. Maybe you do it by email. Maybe you do it by text. (In many parts of the world Christians cannot publicly advertise their meetings. Instead they use mobile phones, or even word of mouth.) Maybe you set up a chain of communication, so A tells B who tells C who tells… well, you get the idea. But you need a way of contacting people nearer the time.

5. Plan your secret church service

Use our leaders guide to find ideas on what to do during your service.

6. Sort out the venue

Before the service, get the venue ready. Do you need sheets on the windows? A secret sign on a doorway or gate?
Find more ideas in our leaders guide here…

7. Wake everyone up!

Text, email or phone people to tell them where to meet. If you’re doing the dawn service you may want to text them on the morning itself and literally wake them up! Or perhaps you send out an email the night before. Tell them where you want them to go and what sign to look out for. You might tell them to go to a street and look for the sign…

8. The secret service

Everyone arrived. You might sing hymns silently, memorise Bible verses, share communion using fruit or honey. These are the kinds of things that secret Christians do to worship under the radar.

9. Identify

At the end of the service people will be given a Secret Church ID Card. This will help them to identify with the Secret Church and challenge them to go deeper.
You’ll find some sample ID Cards in the Secret Church pack or to order more, just drop us an email to let us know how many you need…

10. Let the secret out!

Tell people what you’ve done. After the service feel free to let the secret out. Tell the world what you’ve just experienced. Tweet it. YouTube it. Facebook it. How did you feel? What did God say? One of the best ways in which we can serve the persecuted, Secret Church is to tell the world that it exists!