Equipping and Training Pastors and Evangelists in India

9 Min Read

Sep 8, 2025

Across India, thousands of pastors and evangelists are courageously sharing the Gospel in places where persecution is rising, poverty is crushing, and formal training is rare. At Set Free, we believe every church leader deserves the tools, encouragement, and protection to shepherd God’s people well. That’s why we’ve launched Level One Pastor Training—to equip pastors with biblical understanding, provide them with an officially recognized certificate, and ensure they can continue their ministry without fear of being silenced.

Our team traveled to India to train ten pastors who collectively care for more than 700 other pastors across India. For the first time, we also welcomed female evangelists into the training—women who are boldly carrying the hope of Jesus into their villages. Please note, we have changed names to protect these pastors.

Asha’s Story: Training Female Evangelists

Asha is living through a difficult chapter in her story. During COVID, she lost her sister, her mother, and her father. She is also a widow, and in her cultural context, that reality brings additional pain. Widows in India are often shunned, unwelcome at social events, and considered “bad luck.”

In her native Telugu dialect, Asha told us, “I feel like God has forgotten me.” The sadness in her voice was unmistakable, echoing Naomi’s cry in Ruth 1: “The Lord has turned his back on me.”

Over several days together, we opened the book of Ruth with Asha and the other women. We taught practical principles they could take back to their villages to share with women and children. But more than training tools, we sat together in the truths of Ruth and Naomi’s story.

As those truths took root, something changed in Asha. Her countenance lifted. She grew confident—quick to answer, eager to write ideas on the whiteboard, ready to read aloud. For the first time in a long time, she began to understand the redemptive heart of God.

Here’s why this matters so much: female evangelists are critical to the spread of the Gospel in India. In many tribal villages, men from outside are not allowed to enter—but women are welcomed. That makes women like Asha the frontline of the Gospel. When they bring the hope of Jesus, trust is built—and doors open for pastors to plant lasting churches.

Pastor Testimonies: Bold Faith Under Pressure

Arjun: From Violent Drunkard to Village Shepherd

As a teenager, Arjun was feared in his community. Addicted to alcohol, he was known for his violent behavior. But in desperation during a health crisis, he cried out directly to God—and was miraculously healed.

Today, Arjun pastors in the same village that once rejected him. At first, people scoffed, remembering his past. But as they saw God’s power through answered prayer and healing, the church began to grow.

Recently, the government threatened to demolish his small church building and forbid him from preaching because he lacked official recognition. He also faces the threat of being forbidden from operating as a pastor because he has no formal recognition or training.

For pastors like Arjun, our Level One Pastor Training provides both biblical confidence and legal protection to continue shepherding their churches. Arjun said, said, “I want so much to
receive the training and earn the certificate. This will make all the difference in our freedom to operate as Christian pastors. I even dream of having a building in which 300 of our members may gather so we can worship God together."

Daniel: Rescued to Rescue Others

When Daniel was a baby, tragedy nearly claimed his life. During a cyclone, his mother—overwhelmed and feeding crowds—held him too close to a fire, and he was fatally burned. In panic, she thought she had lost her son. But a humble vegetable seller stepped forward and prayed for him in Jesus’ name. To everyone’s shock, Daniel revived. His mother immediately gave her life to Christ.

As he grew, Daniel wrestled with deep spiritual questions. For 21 days he fasted and wrote his questions down, asking God for answers. At the end of this time, he had a vision of intense light and heard the Lord speak through Nehemiah 1:3. God made clear that his calling was to bring hope to his own people living in “great trouble and disgrace.”

Today, Daniel preaches weekly across seven villages, riding a rented motorcycle for the equivalent of 20 cents. Though naturally shy as a child, he now boldly preaches to hundreds—even thousands. Disruptions and persecution come often, but he refuses to stop.

His dream is to train other leaders who can stand beside him in evangelism. With Level One Pastor Training, Daniel is being equipped to multiply the ministry God began in him the day He brought him back to life.

Ravi: A Village Transformed

Ravi’s life began under a curse. At his birth, the attending nurse told his father, “Your son will die tonight.” But when a mysterious “doctor” told his father to pray in Jesus’ name, Ravi miraculously revived. Years later, when he saw the Jesus Film for the first time, he realized who had saved his life—and gave his heart to Christ.

Growing up, Ravi and his family were the only believers in a village of more than 30,000. Ravi and his family relentlessly went from door to door, sharing their faith and inviting all to Jesus. As a result, the family was forced to move out of the village and live as complete outcasts. When Ravi took a wife, only the Muslims and Catholics would attend the wedding. Not even his own extended family came.

Finally, in 2007, the village leaders came as a group asking for prayer for a health issue that was getting worse and worse. When Ravi prayed an instantaneous and miraculous healing occurred. As a result, the entire village declared itself to be “Christian” in a move that is common in Indian culture: the villagers adopt the religion of the village leaders. Ravi immediately began to teach them about the truth of God.
Still, those who were still faithful to Hinduism tried repeatedly to kill Ravi. At one time they pursued him into the forest. He took refuge in a tree. From the branches Ravi looked down at the men seeking his life, but he was invisible to them.

Today, Ravi pastors ten churches, each with 600–800 members, in one of the most persecuted regions of India. He has already shared Set Free’s training with over 800 pastors and dreams of carrying the Gospel to neighboring Nepal.

Suresh: A Voice for a Forgotten Tribe

Suresh grew up in a tribe living in near stone-age conditions—shunned as outcasts, accused falsely of cannibalism, and surviving on wild grasses and honey. The core of their belief system was that they were to worship the dead bodies of people who died in their village, believing these disembodied spirits would carry their requests to the gods in the afterlife.

Christianity came to his tribe when an evangelist told them about Jesus and Suresh's father believed. Not long after, a child in the village died. The villagers offered animal sacrifices to the gods asking for the child to be restored, but to no avail. Knowing Suresh's father was a Christ-follower, village leaders told him if his prayers to Jesus resulted in the child being restored the whole village would follow Jesus. His father prayed in faith, and the child was immediately restored to consciousness. This was the simple beginning of Christianity in Suresh’s tribe. His village became a “Christ Village”, though they knew virtually nothing about what it means to follow him.

Mentored by Christian leaders, Suresh learned to adapt to the wider culture—wearing clothes, eating new foods, and engaging beyond his tribe. Over time, God used him to lead 108 tribal pastors. Many in his tribe have experienced healing and even resurrection through prayer.

Yet, Suresh grieves for the next generation. Without solid biblical training, he fears they will lose their faith. The Level One Pastor Training equips him to ground his people in truth and stand strong against persecution.

Anand: Rescued for Ministry

As a child, Anand was nearly lost to human sacrifice. Left for dead, he revived in a rainstorm and was later rescued by a Christian leader who gave him a home. Today, Anand dreams of becoming a pastor himself.

Like many young men rescued from sacrifice and slavery, he is waiting for confirmation from God and the elders in his community. But his heart is clear: he wants to carry the same Gospel that saved his life into the lives of others.

Rising Persecution in India

The reality for pastors in India is sobering. Without a government-recognized certificate, they can be:

Forbidden from preaching
Barred from gathering believers
Threatened with imprisonment
Forced to close their churches

More than 15,000 of Set Free's pastor partners are at risk today. Most serve among Unreached People Groups in areas of intense persecution. The Level One Pastor Training we provide is more than education—it’s protection, giving pastors the freedom to continue their ministry legally and boldly.

How You Can Help Support Pastor Training

So far, 871 pastors have earned certificates through this program, though none have yet been officially registered with the government. Registering each certificate costs just $17 per pastor. The cost of training, certifying, and protecting a pastor is $25 total.

With 15,000 pastors in need, our first-phase goal is to raise $375,000.

Your gift today will:

Train a pastor in biblical truth
Provide them with a government-recognized certificate
Protect their church from closure
Equip them to train others through a multiplying “train the trainer” model

This is a race against time. Every $25 gift equips and protects another pastor—another church—another community of believers.

[Give Now to Support Pastor Training in India]

Hope for the Christian Church in India

Through the pastors and evangelists mentioned above, God is writing powerful stories of redemption in India. Through Set Free’s Level One Pastor Training, thousands of leaders are being equipped to shepherd well, preach boldly, and endure faithfully—no matter the persecution they face.

And with your partnership, the Gospel will continue to spread to the hardest and most unreached places on earth.