In 1834, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) appointed the Rev. Justin Perkins as its first missionary to what was then known as Persia. The American Presbyterian Mission established the first indigenous evangelical (i.e., Presbyterian) churches, the first modern schools in Iran, the first schools for girls, the first modern hospitals, clinics and nursing schools, and the first college and college for women in Iran. It was widely recognized that in the 1930s and 1940s. Most of the professional leadership of the country were graduates of the American Presbyterian Alborz College.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Iran was a Synod of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) until 1934, the centennial year of the commissioning of Samuel Perkins, when it became independent. For many years, a significant number of the Persian-speaking Christians in Iran were nurtured through the mission work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
We do not currently have mission co-workers in Iran, but we support partners who work there.