K. P. Yohannan

K. P. Yohannan[2] was born in 1950 and raised in a St. Thomas Syrian Christian (Mar Thoma Syrian Church) family in Kerala, India. At age 8 he became a follower of Jesus.[8] He was 16 when he joined Operation Mobilization, an evangelical missions movement, and served with them for eight years on the Indian subcontinent.[9] Through an invitation from Dr. W. A. Criswell, K. P. Yohannan moved to the United States in 1974 for theological studies at Criswell College (at the time Criswell Bible Institute) in Dallas, Texas.[10][11][12] He graduated with a B.A. in Biblical Studies, becoming the school’s first international student to graduate. He eventually was also conferred an honorary degree of divinity by Hindustan Bible Institute & College in Chennai, India.[9] Though his degree is honorary, he often uses the title of "doctor" when in the United States.

KP Yohannan with former Prime Minister of Nepal, Madvah Kumar Nepal

Six months into his undergraduate degree, K. P. Yohannan[13]became an ordained clergyman and served as a clergy of a Native American Southern Baptist church for four years near Dallas, Texas. In 1979, K. P. Yohannan and his wife Gisela started an organization known today as Gospel for Asia, which resided in Carrollton, Texas until 2014, in which year it was moved to Wills Point, Texas. In the first year, they helped provide financial support and training to 24 missionaries.[14][12] In 1979, he resigned from his church to devote his attention full-time to mission work. In 1981, he started a chapter of Gospel for Asia in Kerala and in 1983 created an Indian headquarter in Tiruvalla.[10] GFA supports more than 50 Bible colleges in various countries.[10][15]

K. P. Yohannan is married to Gisela,[16] who served with him in Operation Mobilization. They met in 1973.[10] In 1974, they were married in Germany, Gisela’s country of birth. They have two children, Daniel and Sarah.

In August 2018, Believers Eastern Church announced that the bishops and leaders in the church would take up "ecclesiastical" names in church duties, and K.P. Yohannan would now be known as Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan Metropolitan in relation to church duties.[17] Across the United States and the Western world, he continues to go by K. P. Yohannan as an author, speaker and missionary statesman.

K. P. Yohannan is the author of 39 books published in the US and has authored more than 200 books published in India.[9][20] His books include Revolution In World Missions.[21]

K. P. Yohannan's radio broadcast "Road to Reality" is heard on over 900 radio stations in the US, Canada, U.K., and Australia.[9] 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 113 Asian languages. Athmeeya Yathra now includes a television station and print media.[11][22]

The Income Tax department conducted raids at the residence and offices of KP Yohannan Seizes Rs 57 Lakh From Car Boot.[30][31][32] The Ministry of Home Affairs had barred the Believers Church and three other associated NGOs from accepting foreign funds. It was claimed in 2008 that the church received more than Rs 1,000 crore in foreign funds over an 18-year span.[33] [34] Income Tax raid unearths huge cash and more than Rs.500 crore hawala operations by self styled Christian denomination head KP Yohannan of Believers Church & Gospel Asia.[35][36][37][38]

The operations of Gospel for Asia and Believers Church were scrutinized after Believers Church purchased a 2,268-acre (9.18 km²) rubber estate in Kerala, India.[39][40] Opponents claimed the church had diverted foreign funds to amass land for itself and for uses other than declared purposes.[41] Further, it was alleged that the rubber estate, which Believers Church purchased from Harrison's Malayalam Ltd., was on leasehold from the government and not saleable.[42] Hence, Believers Church was accused of illegally holding government land.[43] At a later time, Harrison's Malayalam was accused of forging their land title, leading to continued debate about the legality of the sale.[44]

Former Ernakulam District Collector Dr M G Rajamanickam, who was appointed as the Special Officer of the government to confiscate the illegal and excess estate lands under the custody of various companies, had issued an order in May, 2015, confiscating the 2,268 acre of land from Believers’ Church." However, this ruling was appealed and now there is further complication because the local government wants to build an airport on this estate.[45] News outlets are reporting that the local government wants to buy the property. However, it is also reported that "The government does not need permission from K P Yohannan to set up airport in the Cheruvally estate, BJP national executive member V Muraleedharan said."[46]

K. P. Yohannan says that the claims were politically motivated and that the workings of Gospel for Asia and Believers Church are transparent.[47][48] Further, the rubber estate is an investment to help fund social services among underdeveloped communities[40][49] and not a personal land grab as opponents have claimed.

The controversies regarding the purchase of estate have been cleared by the Kerala High Court. The findings pointed out by Dr. M G Rajamanickam in his report have been completely rejected by the court. The court came down heavily on the government and the officer for playing "robin hood" [50]with the owners of the estate. A long standing controversy for Believers Church comes to an end with a clean verdict from the high court of Kerala.[51][52]

There were two RICO anti-fraud lawsuits active against Gospel for Asia, naming K. P. Yohannan as one of the defendants among other Gospel for Asia leaders.[53] One of these lawsuits went to arbitration and the other reached a settlement after three years in which both parties agreed “all donations designated for use in the field were ultimately sent to the field.”[54] Gospel for Asia denies any wrongdoing.[55]