'Kindly pray' — The quiet plea for help from a persecuted pastor in India
It's more dangerous than ever to be a Christian in India. My friend found that out on Easter.
Through my work with The India Pastors Project (TIPP), a ministry I co-founded with Chuck Myers more than four years ago, I’ve met many faithful men who bravely shepherd churches on the other side of the world.
We meet over Zoom, usually in the middle of the night my time, to study the Bible together and to pray for one another.
One of those men — a gentle, devoted pastor in a large Indian city — has stayed in touch with me over the years. He’s invited me to teach his students. He’s shared his joy in ministry. And now, he’s sharing his fear.
He lives with his wife and dozens of orphans they care for in a building that serves as both church and home.
Recently, persecution in his area has grown more intense. On Easter, local radical Hindus hurled bricks at his church, damaging the building. They also stole their water tanks. And they threatened him, telling him to leave the area.
When my friend went to the police, they told him they couldn’t help. They wouldn’t help. Local politicians, they said, support efforts to rid the area of Christians.
Now my friend is moving. He has found a building to rent outside the city and has begun to rebuild his life and ministry in secret.
I’m withholding the name of my persecuted friend to protect his identity. But just to clarify for those familiar with our TIPP ministry: the pastor I’m referring to is not Pastor KP, whom some of you have met during his annual visits to the U.S. Pastor KP lives hundreds of miles away from my friend.
Escaping persecution
My persecuted friend and I text each other frequently. Here is what he texted to me last week:
“We have finally, by God’s grace, found a place for $1,600 a month. That’s the cheapest place we found, but they are asking for 2 months advance rent. It’s a little smaller than what we have right now, but we can adjust.
“We have to relocate by tomorrow. Things are getting very bad. Kindly pray.”
After my friend got a moving truck, he texted me this:
“Things did not go according to plan. When the truck came to transfer our items, a few people surrendered the truck. They did not do anything, but were curious who was using it. So we had to cancel our trip as we don’t want the locals to know that we are relocating as they can follow us and know our new location. So we will try it again at midnight or early morning in a couple of days. Kindly pray.”
Here is what he texted me today, May 7:
“By God’s grace we were able to move some of our stuff today. It was very difficult, but we were able to move a few things.
“We just brought the small truck to move things, and people were very curious if we were moving out and people were asking the driver why he came here. We will try for a second trip in two days.
“All of the orphans have been moved to the new location along with basic needs.
“I am still in the old location because we don’t want people to know that we moved yet.
“Kindly pray.”
Christian persecution in India
This is not the first time we have had TIPP pastors persecuted in India. Last year, Hindu radicals burned down the home of a pastor while he was attending one of our conferences. The Hindus had earlier warned him to stop preaching the gospel in their village.
Nearly 1.5 billion people live in India, making it the most populous country in the world, just recently passing China.
According to government estimates, less than 3 percent — or 45 million — of them are Christians.
Muslims, who also face persecution from Hindus, make up about 15% of India’s population.
Despite Christians being such a small segment of India’s population, they generally have faced little persecution over the decades.
Open Doors, a Christian ministry that supports persecuted believers worldwide, has an annual ranking of the 50 most dangerous countries for a Christian.
In 2000, India was not even on the list. But it appeared at No. 32 in 2010 and moved up to 15th in 2016. It currently ranks 11th, barely ahead of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. North Korea tops the list, as it has for many years.
Also, India’s constitution guarantees all persons the right to freely profess, practice and try to grow their religion — no matter the religion. But that often is not the case in practice.
So, what has happened in India over recent years that has made the country so dangerous for Christians?
Hindutva Nationalism: Hindutva (not Hinduism itself) promotes the idea that India should be a Hindu-only nation. Christians are seen as foreign or Western, even though the faith has been in India for nearly 2,000 years. I have frequently been told that Indians view Christianity as an “American religion.”
Fear of Conversion: Christian evangelism and growth, especially among tribal peoples, is viewed as a threat to Hindu dominance. Radical groups claim Christians convert people “by force” or “fraud,” although there is no proof of their allegations.
Political Incentives: Targeting Christians (and Muslims) helps mobilize Hindu voters, especially during elections. Politicians may ignore or even support anti-Christian violence to appease radical groups.
Social Control: Christianity often uplifts marginalized groups, challenging traditional caste hierarchies. This empowerment threatens those who benefit from the status quo.
Misinformation and Propaganda: Rumors of mass conversions, foreign funding, or disrespect toward Hindu gods fuel suspicion and resentment. Some media and religious leaders spread fear and false narratives.
Of course, this persecution is not representative of all Hindus, but rather of radical elements exploiting religion for power and control.
History of Christianity in India
Christians have been living in India almost since Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
The Apostle Thomas is believed to have arrived on the southwestern coast of India, likely in Kerala, around A.D. 52.
He is said to have preached the gospel, established several churches, and converted some local Jews and Hindus.
Tradition holds that he was martyred near Chennai (formerly Madras) around A.D. 72, and a shrine known as St. Thomas Mount marks the spot.
Fast forwarding, the British were involved in India since the 1600s and directly ruled the country from 1858 to 1947 as a formal colony under the British Crown. Even though the British played a major role in spreading Christianity globally over the centuries, it had little success advancing the faith in India.
Hinduism and Islam were deeply embedded in Indian society, and British officials often discouraged missionary activity that could spark unrest.
Also, leaving one’s caste or religion in India could result in severe social ostracism, deterring many from openly converting.
The British left more of a political and administrative legacy than a religious one in India.
A Call to Prayer
My friend’s story is just one among many. Thousands of Indian pastors and believers face daily pressure, intimidation and danger simply for following Jesus.
Please pray for my friend, for his wife, the orphans they care for, and the church he shepherds. Pray for wisdom, protection and courage as they rebuild in secret.
Pray also for India’s Christians as a whole — that they would remain faithful, that the gospel would continue to spread, and that those who persecute them would one day be transformed by the love of Christ.
We may never set foot in these places ourselves, but we can kneel for them.
Kindly pray.
We will pray for them!