Challenges for Prayer

1 India has more (and larger) people groups with no Christians, churches or workers than any other part of the world

2 The leaders of the nation and its constituent states need prayer:

a) That they might continue to uphold the constitution by maintaining religious freedom

b) That they may resist growing pressures to pass discriminatory 'anti-conversion' laws,

c) That they may be more committed to tackle the serious ills of society

3 Hinduism is the world's third largest religious system

a) Hinduism has emotional appeal,

b) The Hindu caste system is a major unresolved issue

c) Hindutva extremism has become a major issue

4 The Church in India is, at the same time, both vital and growing, and nominal and in decline

a) Much of organized Christianity is based on people movements

b) The need for change in the Church has never been greater

c) Biblical Christianity is thriving:

d) The growth of the Church during the 1990s was significant

5 The training of Christian workers is fundamental for the health and growth of the Church

a) Degree-level seminaries, of which there are over 40

b) Bible schools which now number over 300,

c) Training centres for indigenous workers,

d) New, creative ways for multiplying leaders must be sought

e) The House/Cell Church Movement is rapidly spreading in many parts of the country

Peoples

The racial, ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity together with the caste system complicates any analysis of the population.

Castes

Races and Languages

Forward castes (FC) 15.4%; Backward castes (OBC) 56.6%; Scheduled castes or Dalit (SC) 18.1%; Tribal or Adivasi (ST) (580) 9.5%; Other 0.4%; Indo-Aryan 75.3%; Dravidian 22.5%; Austro-Asiatic 1.13%; Sino-Tibetan 0.97%; Other 0.1%.

Literacy 62% (44% in 1981). Functional literacy much lower. No longer the world's least literate country. Official languages Hindi (language of Union, 66% speak it); English (legislative and judicial language and language of wider communication, 19% speak it). Scheduled languages 18. All languages 1,652 (1971 census). The SIL Ethnologue lists 407 living languages.

Languages with Scriptures 53Bi 42NT 40por 68w.i.p.

Economy

Predominantly agricultural with 64% of the labour force, but rapid industrialization and urbanization is taking place. HDI 0.545; 132^nd/174. Public debt 22% of GNP. Income/person $370 (1.2% of USA).

Politics

Independent from Britain in 1947.

Religion

India's constitution provides for full religious freedom of worship and witness for all religions.

Churches in India

Missionaries from India

over 44,000 in 440 agencies of which 60% are working cross-culturally in India, 440 in foreign countries.

Expatriates to India

approx. 1,000 in 184 agencies.

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Geography

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Area 3,166,000 sq.km. A further 121,000 sq.km. of Kashmir is administered by Pakistan and China.

Population (2000) 1,013,661,777 +1.66%AGR

Capital Delhi 11.3 million.

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