Massive Growth of Christianity Reported in India

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

Though the Christian church in India goes back to the time of St. Thomas the Apostle, church
growth in India has been slow until now. India is predominately Hindu (74%), with some
Muslims (20%) The truly exciting thing is that the percentage of Christians has increased
substantially from 2.5% a decade ago to about 5.8% today. That represents a huge increase in
the growth rate. Something is happening!

Missiologist and church growth expert C. Peter Wagner has been receiving reports that the
percentage may actually be 25% Christian at least in parts of this large country most of
the growth coming in the past 10 to 15 years. And the growth may not all be in traditional
churches. A substantial part may come from Jesus-follower groups within the Hindu culture.

In this huge and very diverse country, its difficult to get accurate statistics regarding religion,
but anecdotal stories indicate exciting changes. According to Christianity Today, Operation
Mobilization, one of Indias largest missionary groups, has grown to include 3,000
congregations in India, up from 300 in less than a decade. A hospital-based ministry in north
India has seen 8,000 baptisms over the past five years after a decade of only a handful.

Everybody knows about the massive scale of growth among Dalits, says Operation Worlds
Jason Mandryk. Somewhere between 70% and 90% of Christians in India are Dalits, low-caste
groups, so that many higher caste Hindus view Christianity as a low-class religion, worthy of
contempt.

Now we see signs of growth in the middling castes and among the under-35s, Mandryk says.
Theres a new dynamic for the urban, educated generation. Theres growth happening in
upper castes as well.

Wagner writes, It is becoming more and more common for whole villages or other people
groups to all decide to follow Jesus Christ together at one time. There are reports of both new
churches and traditional denominational churches seeing signs and wonders in the Spirit.

However, there is intense persecution from a radical Hindu movement that is afraid of the
growth of Christianity. You hear of churches being burned, of pastors being persecuted and
occasionally killed. But, in a way, Hinduism is its own worst enemy. It is based on a caste

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system in which the top 15% dominate the country. Christianity is beginning to declare that
the gospel is a message of deliverance, not just for heaven. It is a message of freedom. The
truth is that God made man in his image. And that message of deliverance seems to be
catching on across India.

The key to this growth seems to stem not from some charismatic leader, political change, a
major scandal in Hinduism, or social upheaval, but from intercessory prayer! I encourage you
to make India a personal prayer focus. Pray for congregations, for leaders, for evangelism, for
disciplining new believers, for converts from both Islam and Hinduism. God is at work in
India.

You can learn more about Christs work in India from:

Operation World http://www.operationworld.org/indi

ABC/USA International Ministries
http://www.internationalministries.org/places/india
Tim Stafford, Indias Grassroots Revival, Christianity Today, July 2011, pp. 28ff.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/july/indiagrassroots.html

Copyright 1985-2017, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor joyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A

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