BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (BP) — An untold number of Christians have died for their faith, with nearly 4,500 killed in 2024 alone. Day of the Christian Martyr on June 29 honors those killed since the gospel was first proclaimed, and encourages Christians to persevere.

Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) Vice President and Spokesperson Todd Nettleton said the day VOM founded in 2019 complements the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians, observed Nov. 5 on the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention calendar as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. The November observance undergirds Christians still on the battlefield.

“The Day of the Christian Martyr really developed out of a desire to look backwards,” Nettleton said. “It is looking backwards at those who gave their lives for the cause of Christ. So it’s really a chance to honor their memories and to be inspired by their example.

“And that includes brothers and sisters who gave their lives just a few years ago, a few months ago, all the way back into the history of the church.”

Alongside the observance, Getty Music will team up with VOM to engage churches and other groups in a Global Hymn Sing on June 29 of “Christus Victor (Amen),” designed to proclaim God’s triumph over sin and death and offer a glimpse of all nations before His throne.

Paul Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board IMB), affirmed the IMB’s commitment to spreading the gospel abroad while remembering IMB missionaries who have given their lives doing so.

“The Day of the Christian Martyr is an important day for the International Mission Board because many people have been martyred for believing the gospel message that Southern Baptist missionaries proclaim,” he told Baptist Press. “But our mission is clear: to address the world’s greatest problem — lostness — by sharing God’s solution, the gospel.

“Spiritual lostness is a greater problem than even physical death. At the IMB, we are committed that, working together, we will not stop proclaiming the gospel until the name of Jesus is exalted in every nation, all tribes, peoples and languages.”

Chitwood said that while Southern Baptists are among the many who have given their lives to fulfill the Great Commission, IMB is “motivated by their sacrifice” and “will push for gospel advance until the Great Commission is complete and we stand before the throne and before the Lamb in that great multitude.”

VOM is marking the day by remembering Apostle Thomas and Kande Mudu, a Christian in India who was killed by radical Hindu nationalists in 2020 because he would not recant his faith. Kande was among a growing number of Christians in India who are persecuted for their faith in a community that grew after Thomas first took the gospel there in the first century. According to tradition, Thomas was martyred in Mylapore, India in 72 AD.

“Kande’s courage in the face of persecution reflects the same spirit we see in Thomas,” Nettleton said. “And his story is not an isolated one. Christians are still being persecuted today in more than 70 nations.”

Brent Leatherwood, who fights for religious freedom as president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said the sacrifices of martyrs should prompt us to pray for Christians currently suffering persecution globally.

“Whether it is terrorist groups freely operating in countries like Nigeria and Syria or state-sponsored persecution as we see from the Chinese Communist Party, Christians the world over routinely endure egregious violations of their religious freedom and many are murdered for following Jesus Christ,” Leatherwood told Baptist Press. “While we must not hesitate to condemn and confront these atrocities, let us never forget to first and foremost pray for our brothers and sisters enduring such attacks as well as those living in regions hostile to Christians.

“Their commitment to continue proclaiming the good news proves not only that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the church, but neither will terrorists or tyrants.”

VOM offers free resources for Day of the Christian Martyr in English and Spanish, including a sermon outline, church bulletin inserts, brief videos, prayer cards, social media graphics and a discussion guide for children and families.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.)