In this series
This past year we saw big changes under the second Trump administration as well as violence in the US and abroad. The news team looked back on what we covered to rank what we saw as the most significant developments for the church.
11. Ministry Scandals
Several high-profile leaders made headlines over confessions or allegations of misconduct. Former Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing a minor in the 1980s. After allegations surfaced online, Newsboys singer Michael Tait confessed to substance abuse and sexually assaulting multiple men. His scandal highlighted the lack of moral accountability in the Christian music industry. As the Anglican Church in North America weighed a high-profile case about abuse cover-up, its archbishop also faced allegations of sexual harassment.
10. Artificial Intelligence in Ministry
The growing AI industry captured public attention this year in a new way, and generative AI made its mark in Christian spaces too. Christian engineers working on these powerful AI models wrestled with burnout and purpose. What were these tools creating? In one case at ChatGPT, it looked like it would be erotica. Elsewhere it was Bible videos. In November, an AI-generated artist hit the number one spot on Apple’s top 100 chart for Christian music.
9. Abortion Pills Debate
In a move disappointed pro-lifers called a “stain on the Trump presidency,” the US Food and Drug Administration expanded the availability of abortion pills by giving the green light to another generic version of mifepristone. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, more than 60 percent of abortions take place through medication, making the fight over their legality today’s primary abortion battleground.
8. Ongoing War in Ukraine
Ukrainian evangelicals, numb and bombed out, lived through another year of war in their country as Russia’s attacks continued. They were suspicious of Trump’s early cease-fire proposals after he berated Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in a high-profile Oval Office meeting. Meanwhile, Ukrainian refugees rebuilt lives elsewhere.
7. Persecution in Nigeria
Heeding the outcry of Christians who have suffered kidnappings, mass killings, destroyed churches, and a worsening crackdown on religious freedom, President Trump designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern.” Nigeria is the seventh-deadliest country for Christians, Open Doors determined in its 2025 World Watch List, with the country’s religious minorities persecuted by extremist jihadist group Boko Haram and militants linked with Fulani herders.
6. Chinese Church Leaders Arrested
Fears of a new wave of persecution against Christians in China rose after police detained and arrested pastors and staff members of a well-known house church this fall. Despite the crackdown, family members living abroad continue to preach over Zoom to congregations who meet in smaller groups inside houses or private restaurant rooms. And around the world, Christians have called for the release of the arrested leaders of China’s Zion Church.
5. End of Israel-Hamas War
A US-brokered cease-fire ended two years of war in Gaza, freeing remaining hostages and restoring food aid. The shrinking Palestinian Christian minority in the Holy Land was relieved but wary of plans for lasting peace. Israel and Hamas continued efforts to influence US perceptions of the war.
4. USAID Shutdown
The Trump administration’s sudden shutdown of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had immediate fallout for Christian aid groups and the people they serve around the world. Clinics serving those with HIV/AIDS struggled to access lifesaving medications. Cuts disrupted food for starving children and medical care for pregnant mothers. The agency’s dismantling reverberated in Christian operations from Africa to Iraq to Latin America.
3. Winding Down of US Refugee Program
In less than a year’s time, the Trump administration has all but strangled the US refugee program, in effect “slamming the door” on persecuted Christians. Americans hoping to continue ministering to refugees have faced stop-work orders, reimbursement delays, and a near-total ban on any refugees but white South Africans entering the country.
2. ICE Deportations
Early in 2025 a report predicted that 10 million Christians could be deported from the US under President Donald Trump’s immigration plan. Hispanic pastors saw many in their congregations stay home out of fear of arrest, and some Trump-supporting Latinos felt betrayed by the extent of the crackdown. CT documented one of the first ICE detentions at a church, a new practice that a federal judge affirmed. But then the raids hit Christians elsewhere. International students lost visas at Christian colleges. Persecuted Iranian Christians were arrested. Longtime leaders in Saddleback Church’s Hispanic ministry were deported. In cities targeted for raids, like Los Angeles, churches learned how to band together to support immigrants in their communities, setting up systems to take care of the children of those arrested or to visit immigrants in detention.
1. Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed at age 34 when shot at a rally on a Utah campus. The tragic incident propelled a national conversation over rhetoric (including Kirk’s comments on race) and political violence, spotlighted Kirk’s significant role in rallying young conservatives, and spurred followers to carry on Kirk’s legacy of speaking out for his Christian faith, with some showing up at church for the first time and tens of thousands crowding into his stadium memorial.
