About India
India is an Asian subcontinent which dominates South Asia and the Indian Ocean both geographically and politically. There are 28 Union States and 7 Union territories. There are 2,599 distinct People Groups in India and 2,329 People Groups are considered unreached according to the Joshua Project. Constitutionally there are 22 official languages. The official language is Hindi (spoken by 40% of the population). English is a subsidiary official language. India is the world's largest functioning democracy.
The caste system reflects ancient social and occupational hierarchies, but its origins are disputed and unclear. Today, the four major divisions are: Forward Castes, Other Backward Castes, Dalit/Bahujan/Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Around 4,700 castes and 25,000 subcastes function as clearly defined, hierarchically arranged, endogamous hereditary groups. This system impacts life much more profoundly in rural areas than in cities. Discrimination based on caste is constitutionally illegal but caste based discrimination persists throughout much of India.
Recent Prayerline Posts
JAMMU & KASHMIR. By the grace of God, one indigenous ministry in Jammu & Kashmir has been able to expand into four districts of this difficult state. As the ministry grows, so do the needs. An important goal of this ministry is to help believers to become self-supporting through sewing centers. There are some believers who know about tailoring ...
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KARNATAKA. A ministry in Karnataka is thankful for the funds already sent by Christian Aid to construct a church in one of the villages. Due to increased labor and material costs, additional funds are needed for its completion. The leader writes, “The believers are greatly praying for this need and hope to dedicate the church this summer.” ...
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JAMMU & KASHMIR. This mission has seen over 400 new believers, mostly from a Hindu people group, come to the Lord since the start of its ministry in 2004. Follow-up and regular discipleship are extremely important in these remote areas. Thanks to generous gifts provided through Christian Aid supporters last year, the ministry was able to purchase two motorbikes. ...
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ANDHRA PRADESH. Many women who come to this ministry’s outreach tailoring centers have been abandoned or otherwise hurt in some way. They are often depressed, aggressive and apt to turn to theft. But God is touching the lives of these needy women as ministry workers show them love, share the Word, and teach them tailoring. Many have accepted Christ as Savior through these efforts. ...
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MEGHALAYA. This particular ministry has been working in this state since 2000, with a focus on reaching the Debarma, Jamatia, Reang and Santhali people groups. COM’s eight workers oversee 19 churches, but have no support. Pray as Christian Aid seeks out missionary sponsorship, which will help in strengthening the body of Christ. Support for a missionary begins at $50 per month.
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ANDAMAN ISLANDS. The government prohibits access to protected tribes living in the A&N Islands. Since 1979 this indigenous ministry has developed strategies for visiting and developing friendships with unreached tribes residing in restricted areas. SEM wants to obtain a special permit that would allow them to transport tribals to and from hospitals and for other necessary travel, thus establishing regular contact. To accomplish this, they need a 4-WD ...
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Indigenous Missions Projects in India
Updated September 19 - Originally posted May 29, 2012 - India
In much of South Asia, months pass without rain. If the yearly monsoon season does not come in time, or fails to produce sufficient cooling rains, crops die, farm animals perish and people suffer greatly. Is this what God wants? Surely not! Read more.
Posted April 23, 2012 - South Asia
Give a native missionary in India, Bangladesh or Nepal a bicycle, and know with certainty that your gift will be used every day to reach a lost soul with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It will be used to travel greater distances to teach new believers precious truths from the Bible. Read more.
Posted April 23, 2012 - South Asia
Imagine the joy of a woman living in poverty in India, who is able to sell the beautiful garment she has created, to feed her family or help put a roof over their heads. Imagine the greater joy she felt upon hearing those beautiful words of Jesus for the first time through the sewing/tailoring ministry established in her village. Read more.
Related Stories
She saw them in a dream: the needy ones. Children blind and lame surrounded her, and the angel, or someone, said, “They´re your responsibility.” Read more.
April 2, 2012 - India, though part of Asia, is a sub-continent with over 1600 “nations” contained within its borders. No greater convergence of diverse peoples, religions and languages exists on this planet than this great homeland of more than 1.2 billion people. Read more.
February 23, 2012 - Punjab Ministries of India regularly conducts outside evangelistic outreaches in North India. In 2011, when the missionary team held an open- air meeting in one of the villages, they reported a wonderful work of God among the crowd of about 250 people. Read more.
The Scriptures provide us with many more examples of collaboration among believers (see Philippians 4 and 2 Corinthians 8). This principle remains an important tool to build God’s kingdom today. Read more.
...Missionary Singh determined to "lose his life" for the sake of the gospel. In 1983 God called him to begin a ministry which has grown to be an effective instrument for evangelizing the poorest villages of the Himalayas. His son now shares the leadership with his father who is unable to meet the physical demands of travel. Read more.
When you think of a bicycle, you might picture a day of exercise and fun with your family. When a native missionary thinks of a bicycle, he thinks of the speed with which he can reach a village and the number of people he can tell about the love of Jesus. With a bicycle, distances between villages diminish as one sets out to preach the Word. Read more.
Living in the high country of North India, Uttarakhand State, Bir Singh, a young man in his early thirties, sits outside at his loom and weaves cloth from silk, cotton and wool. He supports his family in this time-honored tradition. A Jaunsari living in the rugged hills, Bir Singh is more easily able to share his faith in Christ because the people know him. He is one of them. His community now has ten families who are believers in Christ. Read more.
...The Juango turned away from the "genuine God" when their ancestors made an oath with the Maran Buru, or "spirits of the great mountains," when migrating to their present lands. To appease the spirits, they began practicing sorcery, sun worship and other rituals. Read more.
There are several cities located in northern India having a population of more than two million people. Within these cities are pockets of Urdu-speaking communities, where a native missionary* and his wife began their ministry. But this has not been an easy mission field. Religious tensions persist, so Muslim minorities are fearful of entering the mainstream of society. They rarely leave their own neighborhood, except for reasons of business, health or other necessities. Read more.
India has the largest number of unreached people groups (UPG) in the world. With its population exceeding one billion and the languages spoken there numbering in the hundreds, it is clear that native missionaries are the best people to reach those who have yet to hear the good news of salvation through Christ. Read more.
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