Climate: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north.
Terrain: upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north.
Environment Issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources; preservation and quality of forests; biodiversity loss.
Languages: Hindi 43.6%, Bengali 8%, Marathi 6.9%, Telugu 6.7%, Tamil 5.7%, Gujarati 4.6%, Urdu 4.2%, Kannada 3.6%, Odia 3.1%, Malayalam 2.9%, Punjabi 2.7%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.1%, other 5.6% (2011 est.)
Government Type: federal parliamentary republic
URGENT is engaged in the following activities within India:
-
Church Planting
-
Resources
-
Training
-
Humanitarian Efforts
Training Christian workers is an important need that is immediately urgent and essential in the long term. The life and health of the Church depends on the proper development of pastors, teachers, evangelists and missionaries. In churches, poor discipling and lack of teaching and modelling of biblical life and leadership are problems. India’s strong philosophical tradition and religious, cultural and ethnic diversity make adequate training crucial, but most workers are sent out with very little specific preparation for their ministry context. There are over 100,000 full-time workers in India; about half are pastoring local churches. There is, on average, one trained pastor for every six congregations.
-
Pray for the cultural barriers of the caste system and Hinduism to be overcome by the Gospel.
-
Pray for the Good News of Jesus Christ to reach every village and town.
-
Pray for justice and hope in a nation plagued by oppression, poverty, and disease.