Posted 05/17/2024

Statement From the Board on Recent Allegations

The Voice of the Martyrs exists to serve persecuted Christians in the most difficult and dangerous places to be a Christian, and to be a voice on their behalf to the other members of Christ’s body around the world. This biblical mission is based on the command found in Hebrews 13:3 and was born from the compelling vision of our founders, Pastor Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, to support those persecuted for their faith in Christ.

Beginning July of 2022, members of the board received allegations and complaints from current and former employees attempting to discredit VOM’s leadership. After a lengthy process reviewing the complaints and listening to former and current staff, including some who brought the allegations, and much time in prayer, opportunities to improve communications and processes were identified and implemented. The Board did not find evidence to support the allegations of wrongdoing.

No board is a perfect board, and no president is a perfect president. However, with God’s help, the VOM board has always prioritized fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with utmost care and duty and keeping VOM on mission. We use every challenge as an opportunity to learn and move forward with continuous improvement, making adjustments as needed and appropriate. We strongly believe this has been Cole’s commitment as VOM’s president as well. We see him striving to learn, receive correction, change and grow in order to better lead VOM. The board is very pleased with the work of Cole and our leadership team! We fully stand behind them and are grateful to God for each of them and the value they, both individually and collectively, bring to this mission.

As a ministry, we will continue to press forward to serve persecuted Christians more effectively and to be their voice in the years ahead. Thank you to all of our friends around the world for their support and graciousness as we serve our persecuted Christian family together.

About VOM

The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) serves persecuted Christians in the world’s most difficult and dangerous places to follow Christ. Pastor Richard Wurmbrand and his wife, Sabina, founded VOM after being imprisoned for their Christian witness in Communist Romania. Since 1967, VOM has been dedicated to inspiring all believers to a biblical faith by telling the stories of persecuted Christians, thereby inspiring a deeper commitment to Christ and the fulfillment of his Great Commission, no matter the cost.

The Voice of the Martyrs continues this mission around the world today through the following purposes:

  1. To encourage and empower Christians to fulfill the Great Commission in areas of the world where they are persecuted for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  2. To provide practical relief and spiritual support to the families of Christian martyrs.
  3. To equip persecuted Christians to love and win to Christ those who are opposed to the gospel in their part of the world.
  4. To undertake projects of encouragement, helping believers rebuild their lives and Christian witness in countries where they have formerly suffered oppression.
  5. To promote the fellowship of all believers by informing the world of the faith and courage of persecuted Christians, thereby inspiring believers to a deeper level of commitment to Christ and involvement in His Great Commission.

Statement of Faith

  1. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
  2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  3. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for us, in His present rule as Head of the Church, and in His personal return in power and glory.
  4. We believe that all men and women are lost and face the judgment of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and that repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
  5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a godly life.
  6. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of eternal life in the presence of our Lord, and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment.
  7. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the church.
  8. We believe that we must dedicate ourselves to prayer, to the service of our Lord, to His authority over our lives, and to the ministry of evangelism.