What is South Asia?
South Asia consists of 7 nations around the sub-continent of India which are: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives. Some include Afghanistan as well to South Asia.
People and Nations of South Asia:
Why is it the Last Frontier?
South Asia is considered the ‘Last Frontier in Missions’ because of its vast majority of lost people (1.8 Billion) and the largest number of Unreached People Groups (3,600), which constitute about 90% of the population.
This month, we focus on prayer in this region because there is an urgent need to be aware, to pray, and to be engaged in this bloc, seeking a spiritual breakthrough in missions.
As the above chart shows, South Asia has the largest segment of unreached and lost people compared to any other region.
History of Peoples in South Asia
- The origins of the of the South Asian peoples can be traced to an early settlement at the height of the Great Indus Valley Civilization as long ago as 3300 BCE.
- This civilization was in the present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Northern part of India. Most of the region was under the Mauryan Empire from 322 to 185 BCE. Hinduism and Buddhism flourished in most parts of South Asia and Asia in general during this period in the context of a growing Indian Culture.
- An Arab General called Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Pakistan and inspired subsequent invasions which facilitated the spread of Islam to much of South Asia.
- British Empire took over the region from the 18th Century onward, annexing such nations as India, Afghanistan, and present-day Pakistan.
Historical and Racial Classification of People:
Ancient India was inhabited by four different races of people who were the indigenous people or the original people of India. Later, the Aryans came as invaders. They came to India in the following order:
- First, the Negritos, (Negroloids) – Before 4000 BC.
- Second, the Proto –Australoids – 4000 BC.
- Third, the Mongoloids – 3000 BC.
- Fourth, the Dravidians – 2500 BC.
- Fifth, the Aryans – 1500 BC.
- Mixed Race – Aryans and Dravidians – 1500 – 500 BC.
Understanding the Social and Cultural Institutions of South Asia:
The Castes, Tribes, and Communities:
South Asia at large and India in particular is a vast land of thousands of ethnic groups classified into tribes, castes and communities. They represent a diversity of religions, languages and cultures.
- The oldest inhabitants of the land are officially classified as Scheduled Tribes and one popularly known as Adivasis, which means ‘the ancient inhabitants.’
- Then there are the Dalits. Officially, they are classified as Scheduled Castes and are also known as Untouchables, Depressed Class, and Harijans.
- Then, the majority community is known as the Backward Class and Other Backward Classes.
- Finally, there are the Forward Class people. The Hindu higher castes. They control most of the business, politics, and administration of South Asia.
The Constitutional Classification of People.
One of the fundamental duties laid down in the Constitution of India is to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India, transcending religious, linguistic, and regional or sectional diversities, and is intended to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture. The Constitution recognizes five social categories and their population percentage:
1. The Scheduled Tribes:
The 580 tribal groups represent about 9.5% of India’s total population.
Many of the tribal communities are poor and under- developed, socially oppressed and economically exploited by the non-tribal people.They are non-Hindus and therefore they are very responsive to the gospel.
2. The Scheduled Castes:
They represent about 18.1% of the total population.
According to the Hindu Caste System they are considered as “Outcastes” and “Untouchables.” They have been poor, landless, backward, subjugated, exploited and under-developed and therefore are in need of special help from the Government.
3 & 4. Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes:
57.5% of the total population and considered as the “majority people of India”.
The Government felt that there were still some communities which were poor and backward and therefore they were classified as Backward Class and recommended several benefits and privileges for the welfare and development of these communities.
5. Forward Classes.
They represent only 15% of the total population yet they are very influencial people controlling politics, businesses, administration and other sectors of the country.
These are rich and developed communities and under the Hindu Caste System considered as the first three major caste (higher castes). Because of this caste privilege they monopolized the benefits of the society and developed themselves and now most of them are rich and developed people.
For this reason the Government considered them as Forward Classes.
(Source: Dr. S. D. Ponraj)
The Hindu Caste System:
In the Hindu caste system, society is organized into separate groups or castes. Every person is born into an unchanging group or caste that remains his or her status for the rest of his or her life. All lifetime activities are conducted within one’s own caste. In Hinduism, the basic system originated around five main caste levels:
- Brahmin: priests, teachers, and judges
- Kshatriya: warrior, ruler, or landowner
- Vaishya: merchants, artisans, and farmers
- Shudra: workers and laborers
- Dalits (Untouchables or Harijan): outcasts and tribal groups.
The Religious Landscape of South Asia.
Hindus make up about 68 percent or about 1 billion, and Muslims at 31 percent or around 600 million of the overall South Asia population, while Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, and Christians constitute most of the rest. However, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism dominates as majority religion of most nations of South Asia. Each nation identifies their religion as their national or ethnic identity which posses a challenge not only to preaching the Gospel but also for those who accept it, who find it challenging to identify as disciples of Christ in such context.
Note that there are more Muslims in South Asia (600 million) than all the Muslims in Middle East and North Africa (500 million)!
Major Religious and National Identities:
- Islam: Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Maldive Islands.
- Hinduism: India and Nepal.
- Buddhism: Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
Reaching the People of South Asia.
The above mentioned People classifications, religious caste systems and social structures cause major challenges to reaching the people of South Asia with the Gospel. According to Operation World:
“The vast majority of Kingdom increase in this region is through the faithful witness of indigenous believers sharing the good news village by village and town by town. But the gospel has rarely jumped across ethno-linguistic or caste boundaries. This is changing as the South Asian Church increasingly commits to reach the least reached groups in its region – of which there are literally thousands. Predominantly in India but also in Nepal, Pakistan and elsewhere, ministries specifically seek to communicate, in a focused manner, the life-giving gospel to these unevangelized groups. This will take great patience and faith, since new languages, new cultures and new methods of ministry must be learned – with no guarantee of immediate response.”
People Groups of South Asia:
The Joshua Project classifies the people of South Asia to around 4,000 People groups, of which around 3,600 are considered Unreached!
This means that these people groups don’t have believers, Pastors, Churches, Bibles in their language, or a sufficient number of leaders and resources who can reach their people!
Definition: “An unreached or least-reached people is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside assistance.“
In other words, they will never be reached with the Gospel unless Missionaries and Church Planters are sent to them.
If one church is to be planted among each people group at the ratio of 1 church for 50,000, you need at least 36,000 Church Planters to start with!
The Assemblies of God in South Asia.
The Assemblies of God churches are growing in each nation in South Asia.
There are 5 National General Councils which are fully indigenous and have churches growing and multiplying despite the opposition and persecution.
The All India General Council comprise of 3 General Councils; South India, North India and East India councils, which together have over 10,000 Churches and Ministers. The ministries in these councils are growing despite the anti-conversion laws and other religious opposition and persecution.
Bangladesh AG has a growing Church Planting movement among the Muslim communities and Sri Lanka AG is actively planing Churches among the Buddhist and Hindu people.
Nepal, after being closed to the Gospel for 2,000 years, has been opened during the past 30 years now has one of fastest growing and multiplying church planting movement. It is an amazing testimony of God’s grace how this nation where the Church was persecuted and restricted centuries is now exploding beyond all expectations!
Pakistan is considered to be one of the most dangerous countries for a Christian to live due to persecution, especially the blasphemy laws which are used against Christians. The Assemblies of God Pakistan is growing and serving the Lord under such trying circumstances.
There are 2 nations where the Church does not officially exist, yet God is working among them.
Bhutan is a Buddhist Nation where Christianity is forbidden and Maldives is officially 100% Muslim nation where you must be a muslim to be a citizen. In both nations a convert to Christianity will lose their citizenship, yet, the Lord is working among them people coming to the Lord.
Pray for the Leadership of the AG in Southern Asia for God’s protection, wisdom and favor.
Southern Asia Missions is the national Missions movement of the Assemblies of God in South Asia which has mobilized the AG Churches in nations in South Asia to be missional and to send out missionaries cross-culturally and cross-nationally. This missional movement began in sending missionaries from Churches in South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to North Indian states has now developed in to a mature Missionary sending movement with over 400 missionaries sent out. Other nations too are engaging in this missionary sending endeavor.
In 2014, the AG Leadership of the nations of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan held the first Missions Congress where they adopted 100 Unreached People Groups (UPGs) to pray, support and send missionaries to them. This effort has borne fruit in reaching many of those people groups. Some of these People Groups for the first time in 2000 years, now have Christian believers, Pastors and Churches in their own language and community!
The gigantic task of reaching the remaining 3,000 UPGs is challenging – but not impossible!
This year again in June, the AG Leaders from 5 nations joined together to adopt 500 Unreached People Groups to plant churches among along with the MM33 initiative. Report: Next week.
Please join in Prayer for South Asia:
- Pray for a renewed compassion and a love for the lost people in South Asia.
- Pray for the opening of the eyes of the lost people who are veiled by various religious worldviews and ideologies.
“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light,and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:17-18 - For the Churches in South Asian Nations to who are under tremendous pressure, opposition, and often persecution to be strong and persevering.
- Pray for the leaders of the AG Councils in each Nation to be visionary and to have spiritual insight and revelation to see God’s purposes to be fulfilled in this region.
“God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” Ephesians 1:17-19′ - Pray for sending out of more missionaries and Church Planters to serve among the Unreached People Groups in South Asia.
‘But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. ‘2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - Pray for the breaking down of strongholds that keep people in generational bondages hindering them from responding to the Gospel.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. “ 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 - Pray for Bible Translations work to reach the Unreached People to give the Gospel in their ‘heart language’
- Pray for various ministries involved in Evangelism through literature, media, mercy ministries, and other methods.
Thank you for Praying for South Asia.
Sources:
- People Group Strategy for the Evangelization of South Asia – Dr. S.D Ponraj.
- Operation World.
- Joshua Project.
- Worldatlas.com
- Pressbooks.pub