A Legacy of Church Growth in Armenia

Yerevan, the capital and largest city of Armenia, stands as a historic center of Christianity. Armenia was the first nation to declare Christianity its official religion and Asatur Nahapetyan has faithfully served there for nearly 30 years alongside his wife, Jazmine, and their four children. Through his leadership with BMA Global and as president of the European Baptist Federation, Asatur has played a pivotal role in church planting and spiritual development in the region.

Asatur credits past BMA leaders Grady Higgs, Jerry Kidd and Jeff Franks for their instrumental roles in expanding Baptist ministry in Armenia. Since the early 1990s, when the Soviet Union dissolved, the evangelical movement has flourished. At that time, there was only one Baptist church in Armenia. Today, there are over 150 Baptist churches, 60 church plants, a thriving seminary and numerous ministries reaching creative access countries.

Asatur’s journey to ministry was not without its challenges. As a young man, he initially felt called to mentor teenagers, but his path changed when he was conscripted into the military during the Soviet era and became involved in the Perestroika Conflict. After the war, he drifted away from his faith, hesitant to pursue God’s calling. However, at 22, he surrendered his life to Christ and committed himself to ministry.

Since then, he has been instrumental in fostering a dynamic church multiplication movement. Despite Armenia’s deep-rooted Christian heritage, the country is almost entirely surrounded by non-Christian neighbors, making ministry efforts both significant and challenging.

Under Asatur’s leadership, the Baptist community in Armenia continues to grow, offering theological training, mentorship and church-planting initiatives. The seminary plays a key role in equipping future leaders, while outreach efforts extend beyond Armenia’s borders to impact neighboring countries.

Asatur remains committed to spreading the gospel and asks for continued prayers for the ministry’s expansion, the strengthening of church leaders and the perseverance of believers in Armenia.

The BMA Global community celebrates the progress made in Armenia and remains dedicated to supporting Asatur and his team as they work to advance the kingdom of God in a historically rich but spiritually challenging region.