Church Receives Government Recognition in Azerbaijan

At the end of July, the Church announced that it had received government recognition in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is the most populous of the three Caucasus nations with 10.6 million people - more than the combined populations of neighboring Armenia and Georgia where the Church has maintained an official presence for decades. The Azerbaijani population is homogeneously Muslim (97.3%), and there is a small number of Christians in the country (2.6%) who are concentrated in urban areas, particularly Baku. The Church operated a small branch in Azerbaijani capital city of Baku during much of the 2010s, although this branch appeared to be discontinued and a member group functioned thereafter. The news release indicated that a member group continues to functioning in the country. Back in the 2010s, the Baku Branch was comprised entirely of foreigners. It is unclear whether there are any Azerbaijani Latter-day Saints in the country today. Very few Azerbaijanis have joined the Church abroad. There are no Church materials in any of the local languages of Azerbaijan, including the official language of Azerbaijani (which is a Turkic language that is highly intelligible with Turkish). Azerbaijani has a poor record for religious freedom (especially for Christians), and it appears unlikely that full-time missionaries will be assigned to serve in the country. Azerbaijani law prohibits proselytism by foreigners. Instead, the Church in Azerbaijan will likely function as it does in the Gulf States in regard to enjoying official government recognition to rent property, have a bank account, etc., but without any formal missionary program due to religious freedom restrictions. The Church's government recognition came as a surprise, as very few religious groups are granted registration when they apply to do so, and registration requires information on the personal background of at least 50 members in the country to be submitted with the application. More information on religious freedom in Azerbaijan can be found here.