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The establishment of the church in Turkey can be traced back to the events following Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection in Judea. On Pentecost, Jews from regions such as Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:9-10). Many witnessed the Holy Spirit's outpouring and Peter's sermon, leading to around three thousand conversions (Acts 2:41). These individuals became the first Christians in Anatolia upon returning home.
One notable account from early church historian Eusebius in his Church History (1.13) recounts a letter from Abgar V, the king of Edessa. Abgar, suffering from illness, wrote to Jesus requesting healing. Jesus replied that He could not come but would send a disciple. After Pentecost, Thaddeus was sent by the apostles, and upon praying for Abgar, the king was healed. This miracle led Abgar and his people to embrace Christianity, marking the beginning of Syriac Christianity in the Mardin region.
Despite Jesus’ command to spread the gospel beyond Jerusalem (Acts 1:8), significant outreach did not occur until after Stephen's martyrdom. Jews from Cilicia and Asia played a role in this event alongside Saul (Acts 6:9ff.; 7:58 - 8:1). Born in Tarsus, Saul moved to Jerusalem as a youth for formal Jewish education (Acts 21:39; 22:3). His dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus led him to spend time in Arabia and Jerusalem before returning to Tarsus (Acts 9:30; Gal. 1:21). Meanwhile, those fleeing from Stephen's death spread the message as far as Antioch, initially targeting Jews and later Gentiles. A thriving church emerged, attracting many believers (Acts 11:19-24). Barnabas then brought Saul from Tarsus to help nurture these new followers, and it was in Antioch that they were first referred to as Christians (Acts 11:25-26).