India (MNN) – From tighter paperwork to tighter pressure, India’s latest Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) regulations could make ministry even more difficult for Christian organizations.
India recently updated the FCRA with stricter reporting requirements on non-profits. The new regulations also limit ministry activities to government-approved locations, and ban the use of foreign funds for religious conversion.
John Pudaite with Bibles For The World (BFTW) explains, “This allows the government to take action specifically by canceling their registration for any organization that reports or is reported to have had conversion activities.
“We as the Body of Christ are growing, we are sharing our faith in India, and we’re seeing people come to the Lord even more than ever before, I might say. Now, because of these restrictions being placed on us, it is going to make it tougher and tougher to defend ourselves.”
Boxes filled with Bibles, ready for distribution in India. (Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World)
Beyond the conversion language, ministries must now register every state where they operate. Pudaite says, “Each area of operation has to be specified. So if we have churches [and] schools in certain states, we have got to declare each one of those states…which implies we’re not approved to work in other states.”
The expanded reporting requirements also raise concerns.
“They are trying to reel all those in and make them all subject to these new regulations,” says Pudaite. “So if you fail to disclose a social media account or something like that, they can use this as a basis to cancel your registration under FCRA.”
Even so, BFTW sees God continuing to work across India as people are hungry for spiritual truth.
Pudaite says, “The requests for Scriptures that we’re receiving from partners in India – whether it be for Scriptures for evangelism or Scriptures for new believers – just continue to grow day by day. I mean, we’re seeing more this year than ever before.
“In spite of all the attempts of the government of India to restrict the growth of the Body of Christ, we continue to see new growth and can just praise God and give Him the glory for this!”
(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World)
That growth makes faithful ministry – and careful compliance – more important than ever.
Pudaite urges, “We need to pray for the Christian organizations and churches that are working inside India… that they may be wise as serpents and harmless as doves… so they can continue to do the work that God has entrusted them with.”
Please pray for Christian ministries across India as they navigate these regulations while continuing to share the hope of Christ. Pray also that government leaders would come to know Jesus as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Learn more about Bibles For The World and its ministry in India at biblesfortheworld.org.
Header photo: The Secretariat Building in New Delhi, India. (Photo, caption courtesy of Zoshua Colah/Unsplash)
