Release International

Release International is an international Christian ministry based in the United Kingdom that supports Christians who are persecuted or otherwise suffering because of their faith. Its work is directed toward people and communities affected by imprisonment, violence, displacement, discrimination, and other forms of religious oppression. The organization operates through local Christian partners in approximately 30 countries, combining spiritual solidarity with practical assistance. The ministry's stated areas of concern include the families of Christians who have been killed because of their faith, prisoners of faith and their relatives, Christians experiencing oppression or violence, and Christians who have been forced to flee their homes. Rather than presenting itself primarily as a commercial product brand, Release International functions as an advocacy, support, communications, and fundraising organization within the Christian charitable sector. The organization was established in 1968 under the name Christian Mission to the Communist World. Its origins and inspiration are associated with Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor who spent a total of 14 years in Communist prisons from the late 1940s through the mid-1960s. Wurmbrand's account of imprisonment, Tortured for Christ, became an influential appeal to Christians in Western countries to support believers suffering for their faith under Communist regimes. Release International traces its institutional heritage to this wider movement, although the available reference material does not identify Wurmbrand as the organization's formal founder. In 1992, the ministry adopted the name Release International. The change reflected the broadening of its focus beyond the historical context of Communist persecution to a wider international concern for persecuted Christians. Its work is described in terms of raising the voice of persecuted Christians, providing tools and resources that help them continue their Christian lives and witness, building fellowship between UK Christians and persecuted believers, learning from their discipleship, and exercising stewardship in support of them. A key communications activity in the United Kingdom is Voice, a free quarterly magazine. The publication informs UK Christians about persecution and provides material intended to help readers pray for and support Christians in affected communities. More broadly, Release International presents prayer, pastoral care, practical assistance, advocacy, and partnerships with local churches and Christian organizations as interconnected parts of its mission. The ministry subscribes to the Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith, positioning it within the evangelical Christian tradition. Publicly available reference material identifies it as an active UK-based organization with international activity, but does not provide enough verified information to establish a current executive roster, detailed financial profile, legal structure, or official website URL in this record.

Release International was established in 1968 as Christian Mission to the Communist World. Its historical background is linked to the experience and advocacy of Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor imprisoned for a total of 14 years under Communist rule between the late 1940s and the mid-1960s. Wurmbrand later documented his experiences in Tortured for Christ, a widely circulated Christian book that urged believers in Western countries to respond to the suffering of Christians imprisoned or persecuted for their faith. The organization developed from this wider Christian response to religious persecution. Its original name emphasized the Communist context in which the movement emerged. Over time, the ministry's work came to encompass persecuted Christians in a broader range of countries and circumstances, including imprisonment, violence, discrimination, displacement, and the effects of attacks on Christian communities. In 1992, the organization changed its name to Release International. The new name marked a transition from an identity focused specifically on the Communist world to one reflecting a wider international mission. The ministry works through local Christian partners, seeking to provide support that is appropriate to local conditions and to maintain relationships with Christians directly affected by persecution. Its stated beneficiaries include the families of Christian martyrs, prisoners of faith and their families, Christians facing oppression or violence, and Christians compelled to flee their homes. The organization's approach combines prayerful concern, pastoral support, practical assistance, advocacy, and communication with supporters in the United Kingdom. It also emphasizes fellowship between Christians in the UK and persecuted Christians abroad, presenting the latter not only as recipients of aid but also as examples of Christian discipleship. In the UK, Release International communicates its work through the free quarterly magazine Voice, which reports on persecution and supplies material for prayer and Christian engagement. The ministry states that it subscribes to the Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith, confirming its evangelical theological orientation. The available reference material describes Release International as active in approximately 30 countries and headquartered in the UK. It does not establish a complete chronology of country programs, a current leadership structure, financial results, or a specific legal entity name. Those areas therefore remain undocumented in this dossier.

• 1992

  Name changed to Release International

  [1]Release Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The organization adopted the name Release International as its mission broadened beyond the specifically Communist context reflected in its original name.

• 1968

  Organization established

  [1]Release Internationalen.wikipedia.org

  The ministry was founded under the name Christian Mission to the Communist World, emerging from a Christian response to the persecution of believers under Communist regimes.

An evangelical Christian ministry that connects UK supporters with Christians facing persecution internationally, combining advocacy, prayer, pastoral solidarity, practical aid, and local partnerships.

• Magazine and Christian communications

  Voice

  A free quarterly magazine published in the United Kingdom. Voice communicates information about Christians experiencing persecution and provides material intended to help UK Christians pray for, understand, and support persecuted believers internationally.

1. 1Release Internationalen.wikipedia.org