Chennai: A trailblazer in radio and television evangelism, a patron of numerous educational and healthcare establishments in Kerala and a founder of Metropolitan of the Believers Eastern church — K.P. Yohannan, also known as Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan I, became a renowned missionary from the region who gained international recognition.
Born in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district — a place with a legacy of missionary movements — the 74-year-old, who penned more than 250 books, died on 8 May in the US due to cardiac arrest following a car accident the previous day.
Dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, and the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) have expressed their condolences.
His funeral will be held in St. Thomas Believers Eastern Church Cathedral in Thiruvalla, the date for which is yet to be announced.
Yohannan, who is the founder of the non-profit Gospel for Asia, frequently found himself in the news due to financial mismanagement claims linked to his organisations.
His enduring impact is that of a missionary with an entrepreneurial vision, who, despite his global acclaim, always centered his efforts around Kerala and his hometown of Thiruvalla.
According to a public policy expert from Pathanamthitta, Yohannan’s influence in Kerala stems more from his educational and healthcare institutions than from the church he established.
“He established fantastic schools in so many places, and his hospital is world-class,” he told ThePrint.
Yohannan served as the patron of Thiruvalla-based St. Ignatius Theological Seminary, the Believers Church Residential School, and the Believers Church Medical College Hospital.
After his passing, the Believers Church’s governing body, the Synod, formed a nine-member Episcopal council headed by Archbishop H.G. Dr Samuel Mor Theophilus to oversee the church’s operations until a new Metropolitan was elected.
Previously, Yohannan faced criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for allegedly converting Hindus to Christianity.
Addressing the conversion allegations, Yohannan, in a 2012 interview with a local television channel, said that his church, with a presence in nearly every state, has never engaged in forced conversions.
“If India’s future needs to be safe, religion and politics should be segregated,” said Yohannan, adding that politicians use religion to get votes when there is religious harmony among people.
Nonetheless, in the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his church showed support for Anil Antony, the BJP candidate for Pathanamthitta.
Also Read: ‘Love jihad’ & Manipur — how BJP’s prospects look among Kerala’s Syrian Christians
Becoming an evangelist
Born on 8 March, 1950, into a family of Mar Thoma Syrian Church adherents at Niranam village in Pathanamthitta, Yohannan’s journey as an evangelist began in his youth.
His early evangelical work was with Operation Mobilisation (OM), a Christian missionary group focused on engaging the youth.
Niranam holds significance as the site where Apostle St. Thomas is believed to have established one of the seven-and-a-half churches in AD 54, marking the early spread of Christianity in Central Travancore, including Thiruvalla.
Yohannan dedicated nearly eight years to the mission, a period he often cites as pivotal in shaping his path to priesthood.
“During my seven years as a young person serving in India with a mission movement, I lived and worked with people worldwide. I learned to follow Jesus by first following others who were already following Him. I learned what it meant to walk with God and how to be godly by observing the godly examples around me,” Yohannan wrote in his blog post in 2019 titled ‘Learning to follow Christ’.
His tenure with OM included extensive travel across India and internationally for educational and evangelical purposes.
In 1974, Yohannan relocated to Texas to pursue theological studies. Five years later, he established Gospel for Asia — a missionary and humanitarian organisation — with his wife Gisela. That same year, he stepped away from church duties to focus entirely on his mission work.
According to Christianity Today, an evangelical Christian media outlet, over the next 45 years, the organisation trained more than 1 lakh people to “preach the gospel and plant and pastor churches in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka”, and other places in Southeast Asia.
“The organisation raised $93 million in a year, and in 2005 it was supporting about 14,500 indigenous evangelists and pastors in same-culture and near-culture ministry,” the magazine reported.
Yohannan inaugurated the Kerala branch of Gospel for Asia in 1981, with its headquarters in Thiruvalla.
In 1985, he launched a 15-minute Malayalam radio programme called Athmeeya Yathra (Spiritual Journey), which quickly resonated with listeners throughout Kerala — making him a household name. The broadcast expanded to over 110 languages, and eventually, a magazine and television channel bearing the same name were introduced.
The program is fondly remembered for its focus on social issues and anti-alcoholism campaigns rather than direct preaching, which garnered significant attention statewide. Yohannan’s approachable style, marked by clear, simple language and relatable anecdotes, struck a chord with his audience.
Expansion and challenges of GFA
Originally established in Texas, Gospel for Asia (GFA) expanded its reach globally over the years, eventually rebranding as GFA World. The organisation shifted its focus primarily to humanitarian efforts across Asia and parts of Africa.
According to GFA World’s official website, the organisation is dedicated to aiding those affected by natural calamities, establishing medical facilities in impoverished regions, and ensuring the availability of potable water. It also runs various programmes aimed at improving the lives of children and women.
GFA World played a pivotal role during several major crises, including the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the devastating floods in Kerala in 2018, and the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka in 2019, according to media reports.
Apart from its charitable endeavours, the organisation has also had its fair share of controversies concerning alleged financial misconduct.
The GFA lost its membership from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) — an American financial standards association representing Evangelical Christian organisations and churches — for the alleged financial malpractices.
Meanwhile, according to the Sermon Index, a database for conservative churches and missions, the ECFA investigation revealed that GFA World misallocated $19.8 million intended for missionary activities to construct its Texas headquarters.
The report also alleged the organisation hid the fund sources, adding that the GFA sourced millions in donations by claiming urgent needs while its affiliate institutions had money.
In 2019, Yohannan settled a three-year-long lawsuit filed against him and his family in the US for $37 million for misuse of donations. A similar lawsuit involving $170 million was also filed in Canada in 2022, which was also dismissed, according to media reports.
Also Read: How a North Indian Muslim woman saw Wayanad—inclusive mosques, mangalsutras for non-Hindus
Believers Eastern Church
Yohannan founded the Kerala-based Believers Eastern Church in 1993 and became the first Metropolitan of the religious institution. Spanning 14 countries, the church comprises 57 dioceses.
According to the official website of the church, the faith of the institution is rooted in the “holy tradition of ancient church”, including the Holy Scripture, the apostolic doctrines, and the Nicene Creed.
Yohannan’s public institutions arguably had much more influence in Kerala than his church. Nonetheless, the church was not immune to controversy, facing accusations of financial impropriety.
In 2020, the Income Tax department conducted raids on Yohannan’s properties in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, resulting in the confiscation of Rs 54 lakh from the trunk of his car.
In 2017, the central government, alleging that the church had received over Rs 1,000 crore in foreign contributions, prohibited the Believers Church from accepting any further foreign funds.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
Also Read: With ‘national leader’ pitch, UDF banks on KC Venugopal’s homecoming in Kerala’s Alappuzhake