The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) is an international

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

whose mission is to defend the

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

of persecuted Christians.

History

The organization was founded in 1967 by Richard Wurmbrand, a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

, also a Pentecostal, and Romanian of Jewish descent who spent fourteen years in a Communist prison for his faith in Christ in the Socialist Republic of Romania, which held a policy of

state atheism State atheism is the incorporation of positive atheism or non-theism into political regimes. It may also refer to large-scale secularization attempts by governments. It is a form of religion-state relationship that is usually ideologically ...

. The US organization today is a $50 million ministry providing practical and spiritual assistance to persecuted Christians in 68 countries. In 2016, VOM-USA completed more than 1,500 ministry projects, providing help to more than 5 million people. There are a number of Voice of the Martyrs organizations around the world. Each mission is autonomous (and not all use the "Voice of the Martyrs" name), but they cooperate through the International Christian Association (ICA). While each country's mission has its own focus and management, they also cooperate through the ICA by sharing information and jointly funding international projects. Each office is funded through donations. There is no world headquarters or main office for Voice of the Martyrs, as each organization is an independent, self-supporting entity. /sup>

Early history

''The Voice of the Martyrs'' was founded in 1967 under the name "Jesus to the Communist World" by Richard Wurmbrand, a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

of Jewish descent, who had worked with the underground church in Romania after it was taken over in 1944 by the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

, which held a policy of

and implemented antireligious legislation. As a consequence, he was imprisoned for 14 years for preaching

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism, monotheistic religion based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, life and Teachings of Jesus, teachings of Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. It is the Major religious groups, world's ...

. His wife, Sabina, was imprisoned for three years, including being held in a labor camp and forced to work on building the Donaukanal. The Wurmbrand family was eventually freed to the West after a ransom was paid for Richard's release. In 1966, Wurmbrand testified before the Internal Security Subcommittee of the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

about the treatment that Christians received under

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

governments, raising worldwide interest in Christian persecution, and through his influence several missions were founded around the world to help support Christians who suffered under Communist persecution. After the fall of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, these missions expanded their focus to include those suffering

religious persecution Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or their lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within societies to alienate o ...

in Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist societies.

Financial accountability

The US office of The Voice of the Martyrs is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and reports 95% of revenue is derived from public support. In 2016, 81.8% of donated funds were used towards ministry purposes, which break into the following categories: Persecution Response, Bibles to Captive Nations, Front-Line Ministry, and Fellowship & Inspiration. Of VOM-USA's income, 12 percent was spent on administration and 6.2 percent on fundraising. The ministry is now registered as a

Religious Order A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practic ...

and as such it no longer annually files form 990 with the IRS. VOM-USA is accredited by the

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is an American financial standards association representing Evangelical Christian organizations and churches, which qualify for tax-exempt, nonprofit status and receive tax-deductible c ...

(ECFA), and financial information about VOM can be found on ECFA's web site. Audited financial statements for the past three years are also available at VOM-USA's web site.

Publications

Each individual mission office publishes a regular newsletter for distribution in their own country. Each issue focuses on stories of the

persecution of Christians The persecution of Christians can be historically traced from the first century of the Christian era to the present day. Christian missionaries and converts to Christianity have both been targeted for persecution, sometimes to the point of ...

, and offers testimonies as well as outlets for readers to get involved with persecuted Christians. The subscription to the 12-16 page newsletter is free. Each mission also has other efforts to communicate the testimonies of persecuted Christians and stories of God's faithfulness to them. VOM-USA produces a weekly radio program, which is currently heard on more than 700 radio stations across the United States and has reached the top spot on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

"Religion and Spirituality" podcast chart. Missions also produce video content, including videos to promote The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, which is honored on the first Sunday in November.

Controversy

In 2012, the executive director of VOM-USA, Tom White, committed suicide after allegations of child abuse were made against him. Within two weeks of his death, VOM-USA mailed a letter to every name on the ministry mailing list to inform readers of his suicide and the allegations that had been made. In 2014, Michael Wurmbrand, the son of founder Richard Wurmbrand, was fired from his position at VOM-USA's office after calling for an independent investigation into the overseas activities of Tom White. He was concerned that more children might have been molested. Michael released a statement concerning the firing which criticized the unwillingness of the board to do an investigation, the $28 million new headquarters, concerns about the criminal record background of one of the VOM-US vice presidents, and other related concerns. In 2017, allegations were made public by dismissed employees against the leader of Voice of the Christian Martyrs - Nigeria. The allegations have been supported by former students at the school run by VOCM, including alleged victims. As of May 2018, Nigerian authorities have charged and released on bail the director, Isaac Oluwole Newton-Wusu, a defamation case has been filed against the accusers in Nigerian court, a defamation case has been filed against the director by the accusers, and a civil suit has been filed by several of the alleged victims for threats made by the director. Prior to these allegations becoming public, VOM-USA had cut off funding to VOCM-Nigeria after the mission refused to address overcrowding in a children's home operated by VOCM. In 2020, Eric Foley, with Voice of the Martyrs Korea, was accused of violating the inter-Korean exchange law for launching Bible balloons from South Korea into North Korea.

Other VOM Missions

AustraliaBelgiumBrazilCanadaChile/ Czech RepublicFinlandGermanyItalyThe NetherlandsNew ZealandPolandPortugalSouth AfricaSouth KoreaUnited KingdomUnited States

References

{{Authority control Persecution of Christians International human rights organizations Christian advocacy groups Human rights organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1967 501(c)(3) organizations Anti-communist organizations