Pastor James* (name has been changed) is from India and he is currently leading and helping to plant a church in Tennessee among South Asians. We have asked Pastor James to join us today to shed some light on how he is seeing the South Asian people respond given the current global climate, how they're doing in light of the government shutdown, how they are really dealing with the pandemic in light of their financial situation and employment.

Share with us a little about yourself and the current state of your church? We know you're in the very early stages of planting a church.

South Asia includes India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal and sometimes Afghanistan too but I've been here in the U.S. for a little over nine years. God brought me here through my work. I've always felt a calling into full-time ministry. I'm not in “full-time ministry” currently since I work a full-time job.

We've soft-launched our church, if I may call it so, in January 2020 but then obviously in March we had stay-at-home orders and we thought the responsible thing of course to do is not to meet because we're right now about thirty or so people, including kids.

We've been only a month and a half into meeting as a church if you may call it that so we've been for the last four weeks getting on the phone every day at 9:00 p.m. to pray for 30-45 minutes. That actually has just revealed that even as young as we are as a congregation or as a church, we have already you’ve formed. God has used this to reveal to us how serious we're taking the situation as well as how we're serious in taking prayer as a congregation. There's a bunch of us that are meeting every day and nobody's being forced to. We just laid it out there and people are on the call every day. We are all praying for the situation in our city and state, in this country and all over the world and especially with us being people with parents and family who are back in India and Sri Lanka.

It's not a very comfortable situation knowing that your parents are in lockdown. India especially has been in lockdown for weeks and it will be at least a month by the time they lift the shutdown. My parents, for example, are at home just the two of them. Things are not bad with them you know but the thought that we are not there with our parents and their they're not here with us…it's a weird scenario.

How are South Asians doing with the current pandemic situation and stay at home orders?

From what I've heard, I don't think South Asians have been hurt by this too much financially because a majority of South Asians, especially Indians, work in IT and therefore you know people like me have been working from home since the time there's been this stay at home order so economically, no I don't think anybody has been really affected by this.

Most if not all Indians are using grocery delivery service to shop for groceries.

Not sure if majority have really been affected emotionally at this point. Most Indians have kids with them in the house or in their apartment so that keeps them busy as well so as long as they are being kept there, keeping busy, I don't think it has affected or is taking a big toll on the South Asian community. Now again, I can mostly speak only for the Indian community and those that are working. Indians have the opportunity to continue to provide for their families and work from home.

What is the volume of South Asians within Middle Tennessee? And why here?

I think the census we had in 2010, right before I got here I think at that point in Tennessee we had around maybe 20,000 altogether I'm guessing that has increased tremendously in the last 10 years. We know the majority of South Asians in Tennessee are Indians and most of them again are in Greater Nashville. When I say Nashville, South Nashville has a lot of families who tend to settle down there because of the good schools that are there. A lot of them are in apartments and a lot of them buy homes. There is a new trend that has been happening in the last, maybe two to three years, of people that are working in the downtown area but buying in South Nashville. Recently, a lot of you people now want to buy new homes are in the East Nashville area because of those two reasons and it’s because cheaper compared to South Nashville.

You mentioned 20,000 Indians ten years ago in Tennessee. Right now our statistics in Middle Tennessee alone show there’s about 20,000 South Asians and they're expecting this number to grow. 9 Hindu temples maybe more than that…

What would make our witness or our reach toward the people of India or South Asia effective in our approach to really share the love of God with those who need to hear the gospel? To at least give them an opportunity to know Christ…how can we be effective in doing that at this time specifically at this time during the Coronavirus time and then beyond?

I don't see any difference in terms of the concept or how we can reach out in terms of what we need to do before Corona, during and even after. Basically, it's being in people's lives. The method is different now obviously. It's more online. It's more calling people up and all of that instead of being seeing them at work, visiting them or going out together but the main thing is to keep being in their lives or having them in our lives. Either way it's the same thing. Using Whatsapp as a medium to message or video call. That's all I do by being in touch with them even if they are coworkers. I would use any form of chat. The method is still the same but the thing is also bringing God into our conversations which again is the same but being intentional and making sure that they know that we care.

It doesn't stop there. It's awesome letting them know that we're praying for them or praying for them right then and there. It's all of those things. Really bringing God into the context of our conversations is very important and we try to be intentional that way so that concept never changes.

It's letting them know, making it evident, that we have a relationship with our God and that we also pray for them and letting them know that we care. But caring for them is not enough. Praying for them is. It’s imperative. There's no way that caring for others is enough. I mean everybody cares for everybody. Everybody could give others money and help with all of those things. Even non-believers do but the difference is we pray for them.

A friend of mine actually a Nepali non-believer, a Hindu guy, said this very well. He said Hindus wish for us but Christians pray for us. He's seen that there's a difference between saying, “oh I wish you well. I hope you get better.” What does that do? Christians actually pray for us, he said. That's the truth. That's how we need to be. We should pray and we should display care but pray more importantly.

The South Asian community is open to a casual conversation with anybody who approaches them to get to know one another, knowing that there are respectful boundaries.

If Americans are reaching out it's something that they need gauge and feel out by having a conversation and if you feel there's some kind of resistance or being closed off, they’re not necessarily trying to be rude. It could also be that they're a little nervous because the way they talk, their lack of being able to converse properly. It's probably because they are just feeling vulnerable and that's something that people don't know really. Gauge by having an initial conversation.

What would be one or two ways that we can pray for you and your ministry?

We started this church not to just be another church, a bunch of people that already know Christ to get together and have fun. That’s not our motivation behind what we’re doing. But we do need a bunch of like-minded people who already know Christ who we can work together, mentor and outreach to their co-workers who don't know Christ. So enough of us that have the heart to do that and the desire to really.

So the biggest thing we would ask you guys to pray for us is unity, like mindedness and favor to reach out to these non-believers and be in their lives, those who need Christ. That's the biggest we need. That's our vision that's what we need to keep at the core of our existence; being able to reach out and disciple others so to keep that focus.

The obvious next one is we need to grow not just virtually but also in number. As the time goes by, I personally would like to see us grow 250 people by the end of the year. That's what I thought in January but even through this whole lockdown thing, I'm still believing that.

Pray for people. Indians here are flourishing because they have a lot of money and that money helps them to fill the void in their heart. That is a big obstacle because they are very well-to-do here.

God has to bring people to a place where they're really desperate and seeking and understanding, that money is not buying them happiness and the god that they serve is not giving them happiness.

You cannot bring someone to Christ who is not seeking they have to ultimately want it.

Best way for people (Americans specifically) to reach out to South Asians?

We create a context for them to come into in which we do and on a regular Sunday as well. But even through events that we do every now and then- Christmas, Easter, Indian Independence Day…all of those we create a context and that can be done by Americans too. Do it. Doesn't have to be an event. What is the context? The context could be a barbecue in your backyard, inviting them over for dinner, kids play date or the library…

Can be very small. Have 10 people into your house and pray over your food before you eat. That's our easiest strategy that we use. That says to them that we take prayer seriously and we have a relationship with God, we thank God for our friends who God has brought into our lives and pray for them, for God to bless them with every need that they have.

It also sets a tone for conversations for everything in our lives in the future of our relationship because we are people of prayer. We have shown them that from the beginning that we believe in God, we're serious about our lifestyle, that we are spiritual people. You can be an example where you stand in terms of being people of integrity.

A lot of times it's easier for an American to share their faith with a South Asian because South Asians have their antennas up with each other.

They don't go thinking these guys have to convert me but also when you do it (share your faith) try to make it clear that you know Christianity is not a Western religion. Try to make it clear that becoming a Christian or following Christ does not mean it makes you automatically lose your Indian or South Asian identity.

South Asia people think Christianity is a Western religion various reasons, starting from our names. Christian names are different from South Asian. We speak a lot of English too. So things that by our own undoing make South Asians in general think, non-believers, “If I'm becoming Christian, I'm losing my culture and my cultural identity, my national identity.” I've become someone that's not Indian for example. It’s something that’s really emphasized.

Even our events we make it a point to wear traditional clothes in our big events so they know we're Christians but they know, “hey they look just like us. They act like like us.” So it's very important that they ultimately realize that you don't need to lose your cultural identity as as South Asian.

If you’d like to listen to our full interview with Pastor James or get in touch with him, please email us at info@ilcoalition.com. We have chosen to hide his name and ministry name for security reasons.

South Asian Pastor talks about Church Planting and Evangelism Amidst COVID-19