By August 1999 it will have 1 billion of the 6 billion people on the earth. 80 percent Hindu and 12 percent Moslem. As reported in the March Tribune, there has been some persecution of Christians, with the greatest concentration of anti-Christian sects in the north. It is thought that the Apostle Thomas brought the gospel to India during New Testament days. In our day, India has been almost completely closed to missionary work.
New missionaries have extreme difficulty entering the country.
Over 100 years ago, Baptist missionary E. S. Jelley began mission work in a western state of India. His ministry passed to his son and now to his grandson Carroll Jelley and his family, who are BBFI missionaries in this country. Besides the BBFI, as far as we know there is little other independent Baptist missionary work being done. A startling discovery of fundamental Baptist churches Don Tackett, son of longtime BBFI pastor Elijah Tackett, is director of the independent Baptist ministry called Third World Baptist Missions, is listed as an evangelist in the BBFI directory and is a graduate of Baptist Bible College. Tackett feels that one of his greatest ministries is an international partnering ministry.