Though Christians around the world may be in isolation, a digital church in Iran is providing fellowship and teaching for believers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the closure of physical church services, congregations and churches around the world are meeting online to teach, train, counsel, and connect Christians while in lockdown.

One virtual church in Iran, Heart4Iran, launched long before worries of the pandemic were on the horizon, reports Mission Network News.

Mike Ansari from Heart4Iran says the group launched the church online in October 2019.

"The conditions in Iran do not afford us the healthy and thriving church model that we are used to in the West," Ansari says.

According to Ansari, most Iranian believers come from an Islamic background. "These are converts," he says. "They are isolated believers."

Mohabat Virtual Church was created by Heart4Iran to continue fellowship for believers in Iran online, despite physical and social distancing measures, and to continue to train the next group of Christian leaders in Iran.

Ansari says about 1,000 people participated in the first virtual church they launched in Iran. "One individual ... from Afghanistan gave his heart to Christ.

"This is telling us that there's a huge demand, especially with a  younger audience," Ansari explains.

The church is mostly facilitated through social media, with services being broadcast on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and the website www.mykelisa.com every Thursday.

Beyond sermons, a message of hope is the priority for Mohabat Virtual Church. As Iran is the epicenter of the coronavirus in the Middle East, the church is fully staffed with people to preach, deal with technical issues, and connect one-on-one with congregation members.

"These are individuals that all come from a Muslim background, understanding their own people," says Ansar. "They’re available through our call center. Every single individual, every single phone call, every single chat is important to us. Is important to the kingdom.

"We try to engage them and pray with them. And let them know that they are not alone in their journey."

Ansari says the church also hopes to begin a Sunday school program in the next few months.

The past few years have been a time of significant growth for Christianity in Iran and Ansari says God's work is just beginning there.

Ansari says it is a resurgence of Christian beliefs. "It's a miracle," he says.

"The organic reemergence of Christianity in Iran is an amazing phenomenon."

 Iran is currently listed as the ninth-worst country for the extreme persecution of Christians on the Open Doors USA's 2020 World Watch List.