Ruthvik, a partner of Heart Bible, part of OneWay Ministries, says: “So now every ministry or NGO receiving funds from outside India must comply with its requirement.”

Over the past decade, India has steadily tightened FCRA enforcement. As a result, thousands of organizations have lost their registrations, leaving only about 28% of those ever registered under the law still able to receive foreign funding. Christian ministries have faced additional pressure.

A man sitting amidst bags and objects on the streets of Delhi (photo courtesy of
Mrj Cinematic via Pexels)

For some ministries, losing registration means bank accounts receiving foreign donations are frozen or blocked, making it impossible to continue programs. “They just block the mission or mission organization’s account,” explains Ruthvik.

Some ministries have had to reduce or suspend programs serving vulnerable communities after losing access to foreign funding. Christian organizations also face additional suspicion, with authorities accusing them of using humanitarian aid to persuade Hindus to convert.

“Now the government is claiming that these organizations are giving aid, money, or chocolates just to convert people from Hinduism to Christianity,” adds Ruthvik.

According to him, many of the people served by Christian ministries come from historically marginalized lower-caste communities, where discrimination remains a reality despite legal protections. These ministries have earned trust by serving people whom others often overlook. Ruthvik adds:

“Lower-caste people are not allowed to enter temples. They’re not even allowed to drink the water. That’s when Christian organizations came, and that’s how they helped people understand, ‘We’re here for you.’”

As restrictions make it harder for some ministries to operate, vulnerable families can become unintended victims.

Even so, there is hope.

“Whenever there is persecution, we need to realize that the Church is also growing,” adds Ruthvik.

Pray that Indian churches will have wisdom, endurance, and the resources they need to continue serving people despite growing challenges.

Visit OneWay Ministries to learn more about the current ministry in India.

Header photo: A young boy in rural India holds a sign (photo courtesy of Parij Photography via Pexels).

“The law does much to nothing [to stop, or] even promotes, the disruption, the burning, those things, of churches,” Woolford says. 

A fact-finding team from People’s Tribunal, a forum of activists and intellectuals, visited 12 districts in Odisha and interviewed more than 300 Christians about the conditions they face. They found there has been a “complete breakdown” of constitutional protections. 

Christians report assaults, boycotts, police intimidation, and forced displacement. They tell stories of being beaten half to death while authorities refuse to arrest the culprits. Many are intimidated into signing compromise agreements after being attacked to avoid legal proceedings. 

Image courtesy of Ravi Mittal on Pexels

Shipping Bibles to Odisha has become increasingly difficult, yet Woolford remains confident in their mission. 

“We continue to focus on God’s Word, God’s law that trumps any man’s law, and we have been able, with Holy Ghost creativity, to continue to send containers filled with Bibles,” Woolford says. 

“Nothing’s going to stop the Word of God. It’s the only thing that doesn’t return void.”

Mission Cry recently shipped four containers of repurposed Christian materials. 

Mission Cry shipment of Bibles and Christian books to India. (Photo courtesy of Mission Cry)

“That will be about 130,000 Bibles, seminary and Christian books. Those four containers will be put together as offices for the seminary and staff and evangelistic team while they’re building a building there,” Woolford says. 

Support the shipments

People in English-speaking countries looking to donate resources should not be intimidated by the language barrier. Woolford says recipients want English-language materials and even prefer them.

“Each one of these containers costs us around $11,000, but that sends half a million dollars’ worth of free Bibles and Christian books,” Woolford says. “And so if those that are listening want to help contribute to this next upcoming container, that would be great.”

Pray that the shipments make it into the country and the Mission Cry team remains safe. The persecution may be intense, but the peaceful, loving response of Christians to hatred has brought many to Christ. Pray that incoming Bibles would encourage believers and bring unbelievers to faith. 

Header image courtesy of Parij Photography on Pexels

On June 12, the Chhattisgarh state government ordered that schools must institute prayer three times during the school day. The morning assembly will consist of patriotic songs, the Deep Mantra, Saraswait Vandana, Guru Mantra, and excerpts from the biographies of great personalities. Students are then to say a food prayer at midday meal and two more mantras at the day’s end.

Image courtesy of Yogendra Singh on Pexels

A group of social activists and former government officials petitioned the court to not allow the order to stand, arguing that it violated constitutional principles of secularism and fundamental rights. However, the Chhattisgarh High Court ruled that the petition to end these prayers was premature, since there have not yet been any cases of students being forced to recite these prayers against their wishes. 

Greg Musselman with Voice of the Martyrs Canada explains of India, “They do want to have at least the veneer of religious freedom. That was enshrined when they became a nation, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. But you have this radical BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Chhattisgarh under these anti-conversion laws, and they feel that they need to instill their religion.”

The Hindu nationalist BJP argues that the prayers are for promoting moral instruction, allowing them to evade their Constitution’s religious freedom guarantees like a runner evading a defender in American football. 

“They try to say, ‘Well, it’s part of our culture and that is what we’re doing. We’re not trying to indoctrinate them.’ But that’s exactly what they’re trying to do,” Musselman says.

Image courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada

The legal battle may not be over

The court said they would hear another petition against the law if a student was forced to participate in the prayers.

Reverend Akhilesh Edgar said in a statement for the Progressive Christian Alliance that “The dismissal overlooks the real and immediate coercive atmosphere created by a government circular that uses the…school setting where children have little agency to opt out without fear of stigma or exclusion.”

Musselman says, “But I think we really need to be praying that this would be overturned, the government will listen to not only outside voices, but inside within the country as well, those saying ‘No, no, we don’t agree with this.’” 

Pray that further challenges would come to the court order and that they would be successful. Pray also for wisdom and courage for Christian parents in Chhattisgarh, who face difficult decisions and conversations with their children. 

Visit Voice of the Martyrs Canada to find out more about India and how you can pray for the people there. 

Header image courtesy of Swastik Arora on Pexels

“The believers are really feeling isolated,” Musselman says. “They don’t feel protected. You have the attacks, you have situations where they’re not given the basics of life, and then you have the family dynamic as well, where they are now rejected.”

An environment of fear

Image courtesy of Charu Chaturvedi on Unsplash

State propaganda and harsh anti-conversion laws create fear among believers, or those considering following Jesus. The believers in India that Musselman has talked to say they will not deny Jesus, but it has become very, very difficult to help their families. 

“We’re involved with the theology of persecution and discipleship, and teaching these pastors. They already understand persecution, but it gives them a greater understanding of the challenges that you’re going to face for following Jesus,” Musselman says.  

The discrimination is often the worst in small villages, where believing in Jesus can mean a complete ban from society, whether that is by exclusion from the communal water well, being forced to walk through different fields, or social rejection. 

“I’ve seen it, not only in India, but in Nigeria and other places, where people that are your neighbors and have been your friends turn on you, especially if you have left either the tribal religion or Hinduism to follow Jesus,” Musselman says.

“Now you’re ostracized, you’re marginalized, and unless your faith is rooted strong, it’s very tempting, and it does happen, where people do leave their relationship with Jesus.” 

Hope remains

Image courtesy of Tofin Creations on Unsplash

Yet he has seen God bring many lost people back to Himself, and despite everything, pastors are going door-to-door with the Good News and preaching against hating your enemies.

“When I talk to these believers, the reason they get into trouble and imprisoned and ostracized from family is because their desire is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Musselman says.

Pray that believers in India would receive godly wisdom and refuse to compromise against pressure. Despite how difficult it is, pray that they would not let hate enter their hearts at their persecutors but that they would continue to lovingly share the Gospel.

Header image courtesy of Akhila Katuri on Unsplash 

Raina Miller with Mission India explains, “This time of year, we get really excited because 10-day Bible clubs are running in India, and this is a special program that’s 10 days long, and it’s full of fun, singing, games, and learning about Jesus.” 

Image courtesy of Mission India

She says that local Christians run these clubs during the summer to minister to children from poor families. Many of their parents are day laborers who work from dawn to dusk to feed them, which means the kids are left unsupervised all day. This increases the risk that they fall into drugs, theft, or just plain loneliness. The Bible camps step in to provide structure and, most importantly, the love of Jesus. 

The Good

Miller gives two very different stories about the response to these clubs this summer. The first came from the state of Odisha, where a retired ministry worker was asked by locals to organize a VBS program for nearby churches. Since he was familiar with Mission India, he used their curriculum. 

“There was a huge turnout,” Miller says, “and there were tons of kids from all across town that got to hear about the love of Jesus. This is happening beyond what we had even planned. It was just a matter of some local Christians [who] knew of our curriculum and decided to use it.” 

The Bad

The reception is not always so kind in other areas. In the state of Telangana, a very different response came to one of Mission India’s Bible clubs. 

“There was a 10-day Bible camp that was going well. Kids were learning about Jesus, and some anti-Christian activists showed up and surrounded the Bible club and intimidated the leader, who was a young lady named Mondi,” Miller says.

Image courtesy of Mission India

“They insisted that the kids hand over their Bible club books, their curriculum. The Bible club ended up having to be canceled.”

Pray for the Gospel to Spread!

Mondi is an indigenous believer Mission India equips to share the Gospel. Despite the camp closing, she can continue to have a quiet influence on the kids in her area. God is at work in India, even as it becomes more difficult to share faith now that 13 of India’s 28 states have passed an anti-conversion law.  

“So no matter what the legal situation is, the gospel is being spread. Passionate Christians in India are eager to spread the gospel — so eager that they’re going above and beyond, welcoming kids in unofficial formats to hear about Jesus long after their training with us has ended. That is something to celebrate,” Miller says.

Pray that Bible clubs happening the rest of the summer would see peace, direction, and open doors for the Gospel. Disruptions like the one in Telangana are always possible, so pray against these intrusions. You can visit Mission India to help make these 10-day Bible camps possible. Just $1 allows a child to attend the full 10-day club, helping to cover teacher training, leader training, club materials, and activities.

Header image courtesy of Mission India

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)

If enacted, it could make life even harder for the state’s small Christian community.

The Gateway Of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra. (Photo courtesy of Sarang Pande/Unsplash)

Raina Miller with Mission India says, “What is interesting about Maharashtra specifically is that it’s less than 1% Christian in this state. So it’s really devastating to see that they would have anti-conversion laws in place that would make it even more difficult to spread the Gospel when we’re already starting with such a small population of believers.”

The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 includes the requirement that anyone seeking to change their religion must give 60 days’ notice and obtain government approval.

For Christians, it’s another tool that could be used to silence believers and pressure those interested in learning about Jesus.

Miller says, “When there’s anti-conversion laws in place, it means that there’s that much more fear and intimidation being put towards our programs.

“So there’s a greater risk in that the people leading the programs have a greater chance of getting in trouble. There might be more of a legal risk of, ‘If I spread the Gospel in an anti-conversion state, I could be fined or imprisoned.’”

Amid the challenges, Mission India continues to see God at work.

“Every time that persecution increases, somehow we see the spread of the Gospel speeding up too. It says in Genesis, ‘What was intended for evil, God used for good.’ We refer back to that often in terms of persecution.”

(Photo courtesy of Mission India)

Miller shares, “Our partners in India have told us that their prayer is not for persecution to stop, but for God to give them the strength to keep spreading the Gospel.”

Pray that believers in Maharashtra would remain faithful and courageous as they share the hope of Jesus Christ. Ask God to strengthen His Church and open doors for the Gospel, even if the new law takes effect.

You can support Mission India’s critical Gospel work in Maharashtra and throughout India at missionindia.org.

Header photo:

Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs USA says persecution remains a reality for many Christians, especially at the local level. They are a small minority in the country. According to the 2022 census, Christians represent approximately 0.30% of Bangladesh’s population.

“They face mob violence, they face attacks at the village level, they sometimes face attacks within their own families,” says Nettleton.

Bangladeshi man sitting next to water, Sadarghat, Dhaka, Bangladesh (photo courtesy of Refat Ul Islam via Unsplash)

The current Bangladeshi government, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has made public statements supporting religious minorities:

“The controlling [BNP] party in the government has talked about being a rainbow country where people of different stripes — Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians — all have a place, but carrying that forward, especially at the village level, can be very difficult,” says Nettleton.

Despite those commitments, many believers say daily life can be challenging. In some communities, Christians remain outsiders in the eyes of their neighbors and can become easy targets for discrimination and abuse.

Another concern is the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist party, in the neighboring Indian state of West Bengal, which borders Bangladesh. Movement between Bangladesh and India is common, with many people crossing the border legally and illegally for work, family, and other reasons.

Nettleton explains the ideology behind India’s ruling Hindu nationalist movement: “This is a Hindu nationalist party whose philosophy is that India is a Hindu country; only Hindus really belong there.”

Some Bangladeshi Christians worry that the spread of Hindu nationalist ideas could contribute to increased pressure on religious minorities and lead to the kind of persecution seen in other parts of India.

Pray for the Gospel to advance in Bangladesh. Pray also that God would protect believers in Bangladesh and neighboring India as they seek to follow Christ faithfully.

Visit Voice of the Martyrs USA to learn more about the persecuted Church and discover ways you can stand alongside believers facing persecution.

Header photo: Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh (photo courtesy of Somogro Bangladesh via Pexels).

Punjab’s population is majority Sikh, a monotheistic religion that reveres its holy scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. A recent amendment to Punjab’s sacrilege law has increased the consequences for anyone accused of desecrating their holy book. 

Joe Handley serves pivotal leaders, empowering them to catalyze Christ-centered movements around the world.   He explains that the new legislation was sparked by someone tearing up a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib. The amendment increases possible prison time for offenders and also gives immunity to police in the process, among other changes. For Christians who already faced challenges under the previous, milder regulations, this is bad news. 

“Punjab is one of the states where the Sikh community and the Christian community have actually had a pretty harmonious relationship generally. So this is alarming,” says Handley.

Sikh men at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India (Stock photo courtesy of Sarbjit Singh via Unsplash)

Sacrilege laws are distinct from the anti-conversion laws spreading across Indian states. Punjab does not have an anti-conversion law on the books. However, the effects of its new anti-sacrilege legislation look very similar.

Punjab’s new law focuses on how the Sikh scriptures are treated. But it could be the start of an even more slippery slope. 

“In this case, they found the Sikh sacred text ripped up and left on the ground: that’s one form of [breaking the sacrilege law]. But others are worried, ‘could it be other forms of communication?’” says Handley. “The fear is you could just use something somebody says. [It] may not even be meant to be a disparaging comment. It could be just saying, ‘I disagree with that religion.’”

The change of law in Punjab is only one part of the broader picture of religious freedom in India. But with those concerns comes another long-term perspective. 

“The Church of Christ has lasted for centuries in these pressurized environments, but we may have to adapt in massive ways for the future of the gospel,” Handley says. “Thank God that the gospel is never at risk. Our lives may be at risk, we may be pressured in our faith, but the gospel will stand in the midst of it.”

Pray for religious freedom to be championed in Punjab. If God allows challenges to grow there, pray for resilience and faithfulness for believers as they consider how to respond.

“For instance, one of the people I know, his church was under enormous pressure. They had to completely adapt and move to a ‘house church’ model of church,” says Handley. “That doesn’t mean they’re meeting in a home — that’s just a term that could mean a different form of church, not meeting in a church building or a rented facility.”

Header photo: An Indian woman holds her Bible (Photo, caption, courtesy of IMB)

“The RSS, which is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist organization, has gone on an international PR [public relations] campaign,” John Pudaite of Bibles For The World says.

“With visits to the US, Britain, and Germany, [the RSS is] trying to downplay their role in the persecution and oppression against minorities, both Christian and Muslim, in India.”

International Christian Concern describes the Western tour as the RSS’s attempt to “whitewash” its public record. In early May, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlighted declining religious freedom conditions in India.

“There is definitely religious persecution happening all across India. It continues at the rate of at least two incidents per day,” Pudaite says.

Members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, marching with the Saffron Flag. 2016
(Suyash Dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Like the Nazi Party in Hitler’s Germany, the RSS is closely tied to India’s current political leadership. As a result, persecution often goes unpunished.

“The RSS is the ideological backbone of the BJP; many of the leadership of the BJP are also RSS members,” Pudaite says.

How persecution unfolds

Spurred on by RSS ideology, Hindu nationalists frequently use anti-conversion laws and mob violence to persecute Christians.

On May 27, Hindu nationalist groups disrupted a private Christian event in Madhya Pradesh over allegations of forced conversions. In Punjab, new 2026 legislation intensifies existing measures, paving the way for an anti-conversion law and threatening believers.

“There are other activist organizations within India that are actually more on the forefront, carrying out the attacks on pastors, priests, churches, places of worship, even home worship,” Pudaite admits.

“They (the RSS) are trying to present themselves as primarily a cultural organization and distance themselves from any of the ongoing persecution and abuses,” he continues.

“They might not act directly under their RSS banner when these things are happening, but they certainly are behind the scenes, instigating a lot of these activities.”

Yet hope remains. While persecution increases, “At the same time, we see a surge in demand for God’s Word,” Pudaite says.

“In the last month alone, we have distributed 400,000 gospels of John across India in 11 different languages. There’s tremendous hunger for God’s Word, and Christians who are very inspired, very motivated to share their faith.”

Partner with Bibles For The World here to help believers distribute Bibles in India.

Header image depicts a 2013 Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh parade in Udaipur. (Daniel VILLAFRUELA, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)