Charismatic upsurge India

"Sikhism taught me that there’s a god, the Bible showed me how to find Him.”

Ramjit Singh 

Ramjit was born a Jat Skikh, but had descended into depression and alcoholism after leaving the Indian Navy and returning to the Punjab. Things had got so bad that he considered suicide: 

“I had left home for the railway tracks to throw myself in front of a train, when a man, with a huge glow on his face (possibly Jesus himself), met me and asked me to go home to my daughters.”

Today, Ramjit Singh plays an active part in the First Baptist Church, Kot Mit Singh, Amritsar and he is just one of a groundswell of conversions to Christianity in Punjab. 

There are now reportedly over 65,000 pastors ministering in Punjab (source: India Today), while the Indian online news publication OpIndia reports a jump from 1.5% to a possible 15% in Christianity in the area. 

Amidst this tsunami of conversions are a host of notable pastors; ‘leading lights’ of the charismatic movement such as Apostle Ankur Yoseph Narula. Apostle Ankur converted to Christianity in 2008 and started his ministry with just three members. Today, his Church of Signs and Wonders has an estimated 300,000 members worldwide, with satellite ministries in the USA, Canada, Germany and the UK. 

And he is not alone; there are many other rising stars of Christianity in the Punjab. These are often professional people; doctors, engineers, businessmen, some of whom have given up their professions to concentrate on ministering to their enthusiastic congregations, while others preach part-time on a Sunday. Many ‘new’ pastors are also harnessing the power of the internet and reach out to their followers on a variety of social media platforms, such as YouTube. 

The pastors and new believers are not confined to the more affluent. The villages of the Punjab have also seen a similar tide of conversions. Here, the village pastors often start their ministries from their own homes, even preaching and worshiping from the roofs of their houses. And despite their new faith, many do not see a contradiction in retaining their cultural traditions, for example the wearing of turbans, and other cultural practices. 

Time will tell if this astonishing rise is sustainable, but importantly long-term what this will mean for religious tolerance India-wide and the very fabric of Indian culture. Meanwhile at Sovereign World Trust, we are looking at ways in which we might define opportunities to provide some suitable teaching material to those who might benefit in Punjab. The upswell in Christian conversions was originally flagged-up to us by one of our longstanding Indian recipients and we are keen to respond appropriately to support those new to Christianity in the area.