Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Jul 02: India, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh
India
Republic of India
Asia
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Geography
Area: 3,166,000 sq kmA further 121,000 sq km of Kashmir, a contested area, is administered by Pakistan and China. Geographically and politically, India dominates South Asia and the Indian Ocean. There are 28 Union States and 7 Union Territories.
Population: 1,214,464,312 Annual Growth: 1.44%
Capital: Delhi
Urbanites: 30.1%
HDI Rank: 134 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Peoples: 2,533 (88% unreached) All peoplesUnreached Peoples Prayer Card
Official language: Constitutionally there are 22 official languages. The official language is Hindi (spoken by 40% of the population). English is a subsidiary official language Languages: 456 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Hinduism| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 71,011,000 | 5.84 | 3.7 |
| Evangelicals | 26,290,283 | 2.2 | 3.9 |
| Hinduism | 902,711,323 | 74.33 |
Challenge for Prayer
The growth of Indian cross-cultural outreach agencies – in number, size and maturity – is remarkable and has occurred despite increasingly intense opposition in many cases. In 1973, there were 420 missionaries. In 2009, India Missions Association (IMA) alone represented over 235 organizations and 40,000 missionaries. Encouraging progress has also been made in upgrading training, improving the quality of ministry, planning strategically, setting goals, initializing research and partnering with others. Pray for:a) Indian mission-agency networking structures. These play a key role in furthering cooperation, setting goals and facilitating fellowship. IMA is the main one, along with National Prayer and Church Transformation Initiative, UP Network, BORN, CONS and others.
b) An increase in effective research. Numerous agencies research India’s harvest fields and harvest force. The OMID database, IMA and several associated members gathered data on each state, city, language, people group and even Pincode zone of India. Never before has there been such clarity about the unfinished task! Pray for ongoing research initiatives, which need to move from quantitative data to missiological strategy. Pray also for the effectiveness of the research in helping churches to visualize and fulfil the Great Commission.
c) The Asian Theological Association-India and the Indian Institute of Missiology, which accredit, facilitate and network mission-training schools. There are over 150 such schools; almost all started since 1980. IET started 27 of these.
d) The mission agencies themselves, for their leadership to be strategic, for provision of pastoral care and support to their workers, for fruitfulness in ministry and for spiritual unity. Newer, emerging missions are approaching the size and impact of older, established agencies.
e) Indian missionaries serving in other lands number over 500. Living costs for them are much higher and support is difficult to raise, given the immense need within India itself. Pray for provision of all of their needs. Reverse mission is becoming more common – such as Mizo Christians sending missionaries to the Welsh, who evangelized them in the 19th Century.
f) OM graduates. OM's impact through implanting a missions vision is vast. The Association of OM Graduates links together 40,000 full-time Christian workers. Many of these lead some of the most effective agencies in India today.
g) A widening of ministry to other needy sections of the population. Hitherto, half the cross-cultural missionaries worked among tribal groups, and many of the rest among the downtrodden, marginalized or needy sections of the population. Few today work among the urban middle class and the higher castes. This needs to change, but most workers feel inadequately prepared for such challenges.
h) Better and closer relationships between local churches and mission agencies. Many mission agencies are supported by multi-congregational, informal prayer networks. Because greater accountability is needed between field workers and sending churches, mobilizing churches for more involvement is an increasing need. Publications by IMA and Mission Educational Books help churches gain mission awareness.
i) Expatriates serving in India now number only 1,000. Visas are increasingly difficult to arrange; student, business and medical visas are the best way forward, when done with authentic engagement in those disciplines. Some specialized roles could be filled by expatriates, for example in support of existing Indian ministries pioneering in sections of the population not easily reached by indigenous workers. International advocates are needed to adopt people groups and areas and to raise prayer support.
For an additional 14 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of India.Tripura
India
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Challenge for Prayer
Christians have been persecuted by animists and by extremist Hindu groups. Of late, there have been attacks as well as false propaganda against the Church, accusing it of collusion with rebel groups. Pray that Christians might walk blamelessly in a region of strife and resentment and continue to express and demonstrate the love and grace of Christ, even to their accusers and persecutors.For an additional 3 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Tripura.Uttar Pradesh
India
See Prayer Information
Challenge for Prayer
The scale of human need and suffering is immense. Cities are crowded and polluted. Rural areas have no amenities, little infrastructure or power, and a severe shortage of health care facilities. Water-borne diseases are widespread. The large majority of the world’s polio cases occur in Uttar Pradesh. The majority of children are undernourished. In the political arena, poor governance, corruption and short-term mentalities combine to stunt progress. Pray that the gospel might be made manifest in easing suffering and righting wrongs.For an additional 4 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
