From Iran to Freedom: A Pastor’s Journey
FLEEING IRAN
David Nasser is an Iranian-American evangelist, author, speaker, leadership consultant, and Teaching Pastor at New Vision Baptist Church in the Nashville area. Born in Iran around 1970, his early life was shattered by the 1979 Iranian Revolution. As the son of a high-ranking military officer under the Shah’s regime, his family lived on a military base and suddenly became targets when Ayatollah Khomeini’s forces seized power. At age nine, during a school assembly, a soldier called Nasser forward by name, pressed a gun to his forehead, quoted the Quran, and threatened to kill him as an example to supporters of the old regime. The principal intervened, but the trauma was immediate: “They’re killing everybody who’s anybody… using fear.” Soldiers later dragged his father from their home; one of his father’s colleagues was publicly tortured to death. These events convinced young Nasser that “religion” (specifically the Islamic revolution) had victimized his country, leading him to declare at age nine that he hated God because he believed God hated him first.
His family devised a daring escape. Pretending his mother needed emergency heart surgery, they secured round-trip tickets to Switzerland and offered everything they owned to sympathetic doctors. At the airport, gripping his terrified father’s shaking hand, Nasser heard the warning: “If they find out we’re escaping, they’re going to kill us right here on the spot.” They reached Switzerland, then Germany, applied for U.S. asylum (initially denied in the midst of the American hostage crisis), and after about nine months in exile were granted entry. Nasser’s mother even prayed to “the God of America named Jesus” for help getting in. They settled first in Texas, then Alabama (his father had prior training at Fort Hood), where his father opened a French restaurant.
LIFE IN AMERICA
Life in America brought new pain. During the height of anti-Iranian sentiment, Nasser faced relentless bullying, harassment, and identity crises. He felt like an outcast. Outwardly he adapted—new clothes, haircut, car for high school—but inwardly he remained broken. At age 18 (around 1988, after graduating Vestavia Hills High School), a friend invited him to Shades Mountain Baptist Church. Unbeknownst to him, church members had repeatedly helped his father’s struggling restaurant by busing tables and volunteering. Their radical hospitality disarmed him. Youth group members visited his home weekly, shared the gospel, and showed persistent love. One night, reading the Bible (after failing to burn one in anger), he encountered the story of Peter walking on water and surrendered his life to Jesus. His family initially resisted—“You can’t be a Christian; we are Muslims”—but one by one they came to faith. Nasser was briefly disowned but taken in by church friends. He later reflected: “My story is not about an Iranian kid who turned out alright. It’s about a church that showed up and kept showing up.”
EVANGELIST AND SPEAKER
Nasser has spent nearly four decades as an evangelist and speaker, sharing this testimony of tragedy turned testimony in churches, conferences, and beyond. He is the author of the memoir Jumping Through Fires and the widely read 40-day devotional A Call to Die (releasing a 25th-anniversary edition). His message centers on surrender, hospitality, and flourishing in Christ. He and his wife live in a historic farmhouse in Franklin, Tennessee, where they enjoy time with their grandchildren. He continues to serve as Teaching Pastor at New Vision Baptist Church while traveling globally for speaking and leadership consulting.
OPERATION EPIC FURY
In March 2026, amid the U.S.-Israel military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury targeting Iran’s clerical regime, Nasser returned to national media—most notably on Fox News Sunday (March 1 with Shannon Bream) and America’s Newsroom. He recounted the gun-to-the-head incident and family escape, then expressed urgent hope for his homeland: “We’ve been asking God for this for so many years… This is both scary for our family members back home, but exhilarating.” He called Iran’s potential shift “the dawn of a new season” and an “incredible moment,” praying for protection and provision for those still there. Nasser voiced desire to help rebuild if the country moves from theocracy to democracy: “I want to be a part of the solution—for that 9-year-old little boy that I once was.” He highlighted the underground church in Iran (the fastest-growing in the world, with an estimated 4–8 million believers despite conversion carrying a potential death sentence) and prayed the upheaval would spark not only political liberation but spiritual revival. “My prayer for Iran is that ultimately this will bring about more than the liberation of a nation… but that this will actually bring out revival.”
BULLET POINTS
Personal Information
• Birth & Early Life: Born circa 1970 in Iran; fled at age 9 during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
• Family: Son of a high-ranking military officer under the Shah; parents and siblings later converted to Christianity. Married; lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with wife; enjoys time with grandchildren.
• Residence: Franklin, Tennessee (near Nashville).
EDUCATION
• Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, Alabama (Class of 1988).
Ministry & Leadership Roles
• Teaching Pastor, New Vision Baptist Church (Nashville area).
• Evangelist, author, and international speaker (nearly 40 years).
• Leadership consultant focusing on hospitality, convictions, and fundraising.
• Known for sharing testimony of escape from Iran and God’s redemption.
Key Publications
• Jumping Through Fires (memoir of his Iran-to-America journey).
• A Call to Die (40-day devotional; 25th-anniversary edition forthcoming; over 250,000 impacted).
• Other books and co-authored works on faith and calling.
Recent Political/Current Events Involvement (March 2026)
• Multiple appearances on Fox News (Fox News Sunday, America’s Newsroom) discussing Iran’s potential liberation amid Operation Epic Fury.
• Advocates for democracy in Iran and prays for nationwide Christian revival via the underground church.
• Personal connection: Escaped persecution; now hopes to help rebuild for the next generation.
Online Presence
• Official site: davidnasser.com
• Active in speaking engagements worldwide.
CREDITS
David is the author of four books and co-author of two others aimed at helping readers discover and flourish in their God-given calling. He and his wife live in Franklin, Tennessee.
