India (MNN) — In India, 98% of the 1.4 billion people don’t follow Jesus Christ. It’s not because they heard the Gospel and rejected it. Most Indians have no idea who Jesus is.
Church Planters with Mission India are a critical bridge between their unbelieving neighbors and the Good News of Christ.
That’s why Mission India works exclusively with local Indian believers for Church Planter Training.
(Photo courtesy of Mission India)
Erik* with Mission India says, “We go through a very complex and detailed process of identifying Christians in India that want to be Church Planters and then we spend a year training them.
“There’s in-class training and then there’s field training. Over a course of a year, they’ll go through the training process with the end goal of reaching hundreds of families and planting two churches.”
However, church planting in India is not without its challenges. India is a pluralistic society with a complex history of interfaith relations, and there are some who view the spread of Christianity as a threat to their own traditions and beliefs.
This has led to persecution and violence against Christians, particularly in rural areas.
In addition, there are legal restrictions on conversion and on foreign funding for religious organizations, which can make it difficult for new churches to establish themselves.
“Persecution is a huge prayer need,” Erik says. “On a daily basis, we get reports and stories back of partners and other churches being persecuted. So not only do we pray for strength and courage for those Church Planters and people doing ministry, but we also pray for the persecutors.”
Despite these challenges, church planting in India continues to grow and the Holy Spirit is stirring hearts with the Gospel.
(Photo courtesy of Mission India)
Erik says, “Each year, we hear an insane amount of stories of what God is doing through the Church Planters…and how that ripples across families and communities. It’s very humbling to see God work and take the passion and align that to plant churches to bring change to communities all over India.”
Tomorrow, we’ll share a story from a Mission India Church Planter. In the meantime, you can support a full year of training for a Church Planter with Mission India for just $200 a month, which comes to $2,400 a year.
Click here to support Church Planter Training with Mission India!
“It’s quite an investment, but it is so worth it,” says Erik. “The change that you can help drive in that nation through one person is incredible.”
Header photo courtesy of Mission India.
*Full name omitted for security.
