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K.P. Yohannan is the founder and president of Gospel for Asia, a Christian organization based in Carrollton, Texas, and the Metropolitan of Believers Church,

Biography

Early life

K.P. Yohannan was born in 1951 and raised in a St. Thomas Syrian Christian family in Kerala, India. He was 16 when he joined Operation Mobilization, an evangelical missions movement, and served with them for eight years on the Indian subcontinent.

Education

K.P. Yohannan went to the United States for theological studies at Criswell College (at the time Criswell Bible Institute) in Dallas, Texas. He graduated with a B.A. in Biblical Studies, becoming the school’s first international student to graduate. He was also conferred an honorary degree of divinity by Hindustan Bible College in Chennai, India.

Ministry

During his early years in Dallas, Texas, K.P. became an ordained clergy and served as a pastor of a Native American Southern Baptist church for four years. Although being the shepherd of his local church was greatly rewarding, he could not forget the millions of suffering and needy people in India and the neighboring nations. Then in 1979, he resigned from his church to give full attention to mission work in Asia and to share the love of Christ among the unreached peoples.

He and his wife Gisela decided to give away their own possessions to help spread the good news of Jesus on the Indian subcontinent. They started by helping 2 dozen national workers in the first year. Then in 1979, K.P. and Gisela officially founded Gospel for Asia. After three decades the organization, now serves in 17 nations. Yohannan argues that Western missionaries are ineffective, and that it is more appropriate to provide financial support to missionaries from the relevant country; Gospel for Asia does this.

Yohannan was consecrated a bishop by K. J. Samuel, moderator of the Church of South India, which resulted in some controversy.

Family

K.P. Yohannan is married to Gisela, who served with him in Operation Mobilization. They met in 1973. In 1974, they were married in Germany, Gisela’s country of birth. They have two children, Daniel and Sarah.

Controversies

Yohannan has been involved in a series of controversies, among them include the fact that he is not a ordered bishop, but rather a commoner, that he purchased lands in Kerala using charity money and being filed by Kerala's High Court.

1) Kerala Government files petition aganist K P Yohannan in High Court :- The Government Of Kerala accussed that K P Yohannan, head Gospel of Asia a Christian missionary organisation at Thiruvalla, holds its land and alleged that during pendency of the case, the respondents had illegally transfered various estates in favour of other companies.

2) Government seeking help of central agencies in K P Yohannan's case :- Kerala home minister had requested the help of central investigating agenies in tracking the money trail of Rs 1048 crores received by Gospel Of Asia.

3) Gospel for Asia Charitable Trust accused of land grab :- The Gospel For Asia Charitable trust headed by K P Yohannan and comprising his brothers K P Chacko and K P Mathew has been accused of land grab by the Government Of Kerala based on a state intelligence report.

4) Gospel For Asia under investigation :- The State Government Of Kerala had made a submission in the High Court that the home department is investigating the functioning of Gospel For Asia headed by K P Yohannan.

5) Church Of South India on crisis over the consecration of K P Yohannan as Bishop :- As a tradition in Episcopal churches one priest can only become a bishop. In the case of K P Yohannan he never was an ordained priest. He was only a local paster. He influenced CSI Bishop in an unethical way and got himself ordained as a episcopal bishop. India's main stream episcopal churches they were not accepting K P Yohannan as an Episcopal bishop. In India and Kerala K P Yohannan and Belivers church they adopted Episcopal churches and following faith of church of east. The irony is that in United States , American and European countries he is acting as a Pentecostal Evanchalist.

6) Rs 1040 crores collected for charity and rehabilitation of Orphans used to purchace 2800 acres of land in Kerala :- Various media allegation forced the State of kerala to order an enquiry aganist K P Yohannan. He collected money especially United States, Europe and American countries for the rehabilitation and welfare of orphans, leprosy patients, widows, drinking water and community development. But the church officials are cooking accounts and deverting this blood money for making their personal assets like buying rubber estates in Cheruvally Pathanamthitta, Cardamom Plantation in Munnar and investing huge money in the real estate sector and construction of shopping malls. Recently kerala government issued a notification Belivers Church and K P Yohannan could not buy single inch of land in Kerala.

Print and radio

Dr. Yohannan is the author of eight books published in the US and has authored more than 200 books published in India. His book Revolution In World Missions, has over 2 million copies in print.

K.P. Yohannan’s radio broadcast, "Road to Reality," is heard on over 800 radio stations throughout the USA, Canada, U.K., New Zealand and Australia. He has also been heard on the Athmeeya Yathra (Spiritual Journey) daily broadcast for the past 25 years. This is broadcast in 14 nations in 110 Asian languages. His television channel in the name of AY Broadcast Foundation aired on 31 May 2011.

In his book Armies Of God: A Study In Militant Christianity, British-born, Malaysia-based academic Iain Buchanan has criticized K.P. Yohannan for welcoming the 2004 tsunami by calling it "one of the greatest opportunities God has given us to share His love with people". According to Iain Buchanan, such evangelicals thrive on suffering and disaster.

References

1. Wooding, Dan. "Gospel for Asia's K.P. Yohannan a Quiet Revolutionary". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
2. "Believers Church general assembly begins today". The Hindu. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
3. "Believers Church decries violence". The Hindu. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
4. ^ "About K.P. Yohannan"., Gospel for Asia
5. ^ Bergunder, Michael (2008). The South Indian Pentecostal Movement in the Twentieth Century. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 0-8028-2734-9.
6. Van Rheenen, Gailyn (1996). Missions: Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Strategies. Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-20809-2.
7. Jacob, George (10 February 2003). "Crisis brewing in CSI". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
8. Philip, Shaju. "An archbishop's spiritual factory". The Indian Express. Retrieved January 30, 2012. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
9. Bland, Vikki. "Yohannan: Persecution is Part of the Deal". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
10. "Crisis brewing in CSI". George Jacob.
11. "God's own country". Debashis Bhattacharyya.
12. "Kerala files petition against Harrisons Malayalam and Gospel for Asia founder". MDT/PTI.
13. "Kerala files petition against Harrisons Malayalam and Gospel for Asia founder". MDT/PTI.
14. "An archbishop's spiritual factory". Shaju Philip.
15. "Church trust accused of land grab". TIMES NEWS NETWORK.
16. "Probe on into functioning of Gospel for Asia, HC told". Express News Service - KOCHI.
17. "Crisis brewing in CSI". George Jacob.
18. "God's own country". Debashis Bhattacharyya.
19. Yohannan, K.P. (2004). Revolution in World Missions. Gospel for Asia. ISBN 1-59589-001-7.
20. Neustel, Lauren (1 March 2011). "Revolution in World Missions (Review)". Online Journal of Christian Communication and Culture. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
21. Evangelical Christianity: Devils in high places, Sunday, Mar 27, 2011, Yogesh Pawar, Mumbai, DNA

External links

• K.P. Yohannan's official web page
• Gospel For Asia

Template:Persondata

• Indian evangelicals
• Indian missionaries
• 1950 births
• Living people
• Southern Baptist ministers
• People from Kerala