24 Feb Planting a Church In India: What You Need to Know

How to Plant a Church In India

India is one of the most populated countries in the world with over 1.3 billion people; out of this number, only 2.3% know about Jesus. (source) HBI Global Partners is a Christian mission organization dedicated to reaching the Lost in India. They do this mainly through church planting.

So, How do you plant a church in India? As a church-planting organization, here are some tips we use when it comes to starting a church:

• Have a Desire to Start a Church and Minister to Others
• Build Support By Sharing Your Vision
• Gather Your Congregation Through Evangelism and Relationship
• Study Regulations in the Area You Plan on Planting the Church
• Be Trained to Lead a Congregation
• Keep Records of Everything
• Let God Lead You Through The Process

While India church planting may seem like quite an undertaking, there’s nothing too big that God can’t handle! HBI Global Partners has planted over 11,000 churches across 23 Indian states, and that number continues to grow. Keep reading to get an in-depth look at our tips for church planting in India.

Have a Desire to Reach Others

Before you decide whether or not to plant a church, you’ll want to make sure you have a real desire to reach others and to be apart of the church planting process. We’re all called to different things, and some people aren’t called to be pastors or church planters.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart…” Psalm 37:4. God has planted your desires in your to help you fulfill the call He has on your life. If one of the desires of your heart is to plant a church in India, then that is quite possibly what God is calling you to.

You can reach others and teach them about God, whether you’re a pastor or not. However, if you’ve been called to reach them in this way, you’ll know it. You’ll have a desire for it. Take time to reflect and see what your heart desires when it comes to teaching others about Christ.

Build Support By Sharing Your Vision

When starting any ministry, one of the first things you’ll need to do is build financial support. The best way to do this is by sharing your vision with others. Share what you’re going to accomplish with God and the desire that He’s put on your heart.

Through your testimony, people are getting a taste of the vision you have. By hearing what you’re doing, they can be compelled to contribute to your cause.

Not only does this strategy work for building financial support, but it also works for building a team of people around you to help you fulfill this vision. Individuals will be called to help you complete your task, but if they don’t know what you’re doing or what your vision is, then they’ll never know what they’re called to help you with.

The vision is what will keep your church build moving forward. The vision God has given you will be the picture that continues to drive you forward even when things get tough.

Reach People Through Evangelism and Relationships

One of the most intimidating processes of planting a church is figuring out how you’re going to reach people. This can seem especially intimidating in India, where speaking of your Christian faith publicly can be a big risk. God will lead you in the direction you need to take to accomplish this task.

An easy way to find your congregation is by building relationships with people in the community. One of the best ways to show the true power of Jesus is to simply live your Christian life in front of others. That’s the best evangelism. What you do under stress, rejection, or confrontation can resonate with others more than trying to explain your beliefs ever could.

People trust others they know more than a stranger who just walks up to them on the street. If you take time to build relationships with others in the community, you’ll soon have people who will want to learn more about what you have and what you have to say.

Learn the Regulations of Starting a Church

No matter where you are, there will be regulations and laws you have to learn and abide by when planting a church. In Matthew 22, Jesus said to render to Ceasar what is Ceasar’s, and render to God what is God’s. God still wants you to obey the laws of the land, even when you’re trying to plant a church!

To put it short and simple, taking the time to study and know the rules and regulations of planting a church in India now can save you from a lot of hardship down the road. Failing to comply with certain standards or laws can mean that your ministry will be kicked out of the country altogether. It’s safer to cover your bases ahead of time rather than waiting to see what happens as time goes on.

Take time to get the know the environment around the area you plan on planting your church. In India, there can be hostile environments that can threaten the growth of the church. Knowing these things can help you take the proper measures to exercise safety as well as know what to expect when you visit with officials.

Be Trained to Lead a Congregation

While God may have called you to plant a church and be a pastor, it doesn’t mean that extra training could help. There are many aspects of running a church that the general public forgets; from financial and administrative management to spiritual guidance and teaching proper doctrine, planting a church has a lot of moving parts.

Receiving proper training on how to manage a church plant can go a long way. In a way, a church is like a business; for it to function as it should, there should be adequate management of each department. You have to learn to communicate with many different personality types and situations with compassion and understanding.

Knowing the doctrine you believe backward and forward will help you to better explain the Word of God to your congregation. As a church leader, you’ll get many questions about a wide array of spiritual matters that you will have to help guide people through. Knowing what you believe and being led by God will help you to serve your congregation better.

Attending a training center or a training class can help you when it comes to planting a church. This can help you prepare for what’s ahead as well as helping you build maturity in your spiritual walk.

HBI Global Partners has bible training centers all over India where nationals are getting trained to go out and plant churches.

Keep Records of Your Church Plant

When it comes to making a financial investment like planting a church, you need to be sure to keep an accurate record of everything. From expenses to donations and everything in between, financial and administrative records are important to your success.

Develop a system for keeping files and records organized. If you’re not an organized person, finding someone with this gifting will be important. Having a system for gathering information from people and putting it on record is vital for any church.

Keeping a record of contact information for your congregation is important. Whether you need to contact them for pastoral care, volunteering, or if inclement weather canceled a church service, being able to reach out when you need to shows that you care.

Let God Lead You Through the Process

The most important thing to remember when planting a church is that God is here to lead you through the process. Planting a church can seem overwhelming and frustrating with the amount of administrative work and research you have to do; however, God is here to lead you through the decisions.

Remember, God has a plan to prosper you and give you hope. (Jeremiah 11:29) He won’t call you to something that He can’t make happen. By letting Him be a light unto your path, you’ll know what steps to take and what decisions to make.

God gave Dr. Paul Gupta a vision of reaching the lost in India with the Word of God. Being led by God, Dr. Gupta was able to plant churches in India and create HBI Globa Partners. By yielding to God, Dr. Gupta was able to reach a vast number of people.

Let God lead you through the church planting process! He’ll give you ideas and favor that you never knew you had! He’ll open doors that no man could open.

I hope this article was helpful! HBI Global Partners has been planting churches for many years. To learn more about the strategies we’re using to reach people, click here.