What Mission India does

Mission India is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based 501(c)(3) Christian missions organization founded in 1978 by John DeVries, operating exclusively in India. It delivers three sustained program lines: Adult Literacy Classes (launched 1984), Church Planter Training (launched 1985), and Children's Bible Clubs (launched 1990). The organization staffs its field operations entirely with Indian national missionaries, leveraging local linguistic and cultural fluency to deliver literacy instruction, children's discipleship, and indigenous church-planting support across diverse Indian regions.

The business model is donor-funded rather than commercial. Revenue is generated through individual recurring sponsorships — notably the Pathfinders child sponsorship program at $20 per month per child — alongside church partnerships, planned-giving arrangements through Barnabas Foundation and the National Christian Foundation, and a growing line of devotional books and curriculum products. The organization states that 83% of funds flow directly to ministry programs, with 17% covering overhead, and maintains ECFA accreditation as a stewardship signal to U.S. evangelical donors.

Strategically, Mission India has in 2022 undergone a leadership transition from founder John DeVries to Todd VanEk, partnered with Barna Group on the Children's Bible Clubs program, launched a VR curriculum for Adult Literacy, and introduced new devotional publishing. These moves point to a deliberate effort to modernize delivery, diversify revenue, and broaden institutional donor access, while preserving the core programmatic structure that has defined the organization for over four decades.

Name

Mission India

Legal name

Mission India

Website

https://missionindia.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Mission India is a Grand Rapids-based 501(c)(3) founded in 1978 that runs Children's Bible Clubs, Adult Literacy Classes, and Church Planter Training across India, staffed entirely by Indian national missionaries and funded through individual sponsorships, church partnerships, and planned giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Mission India receives donations from individual supporters who give one-time or recurring gifts. The Pathfinders monthly giving program allows donors to give $20/month to enroll children in Bible Clubs. One-time gifts support specific programs including 10-Day Bible Clubs ($1/child), Year-Long Bible Clubs ($24/child), Adult Literacy Classes ($40/adult), and Church Planter Training ($2,400/church planter).
2. Planned Giving: Mission India offers planned giving options including gifts in a will, charitable rollover (IRA), income for life, advised funds, and non-cash assets. They partner with Barnabas Foundation and NCF for these services.
3. Church Partnerships: Churches can engage with Mission India through various partnership programs, potentially including sponsorship of specific projects or programs.
4. Book Sales: Mission India sells devotional books including 'Why Give?', 'Why Pray?', 'Measuring What Matters', and 'Living Beyond Yourself' for $7.99 per book (or $5/book in case quantities of 52).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Mission India delivers three locally-staffed programs in India: Children's Bible Clubs (10-Day summer clubs and Year-Long after-school discipleship), Adult Literacy Classes (year-long literacy education to a 5th-grade reading level integrated with Bible-based curriculum), and Church Planter Training (one-year program equipping local Indian believers to plant self-sustaining churches). The organization supplements these core programs with devotional books, the Pathfinders monthly giving subscription, an Experience India VR curriculum for U.S. churches, and prayer email programs, all funded through donations.

Product overview

Mission India operates as a ministry organization with three core programs designed to spread the Gospel in India: Children's Bible Clubs (offering 10-Day summer programs and Year-Long after-school discipleship), Adult Literacy Classes (year-long education programs with spiritual components), and Church Planter Training (one-year program to establish self-sustaining local churches). The organization supplements these programs with devotional books (Why Give?, Why Pray?, Measuring What Matters, Living Beyond Yourself), the Pathfinders monthly giving program, the Experience India VR curriculum for churches, and the India Intercessor prayer email program. All programs are delivered through partnerships with local Indian Christians rather than Western missionaries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children's Bible Clubs Children's Bible Clubs reach children in India through 10-Day summer programs (similar to Vacation Bible Schools) and Year-Long after-school clubs that provide daily discipleship, tutoring, Bible teaching, hygiene instruction, songs, prayer, games, and Scripture memorization, leading many children and their families to faith.
• Adult Literacy Classes Year-long Adult Literacy Classes teach uneducated adults in India to read, write, and count at a 5th-grade level. The holistic curriculum covers reading, writing, math, entrepreneurship (soap, jam, candle making), health and hygiene, and spiritual development; 2 out of every 3 classes transition to become churches.
• Church Planter Training One-year Church Planter Training equips local Indian believers to establish self-sustaining churches, combining four months of in-class instruction with three months of hands-on fieldwork. Each Church Planter aims to establish two new churches during training and learns discipleship, prayer, and Gospel-sharing.
• Why Give? Devotional A 40-day devotional by late founder Dr. John DeVries revealing five profound reasons why joy flows from generosity. Sold at $7.99 per book or $5 per book in case quantities (52 books/case).
• Why Pray? Devotional A 40-day devotional by late founder Dr. John DeVries exploring how prayer transcends words to become a satisfying relationship with God. A free chapter excerpt is available for download.
• Measuring What Matters Written by former President and CEO Dave Stravers, this book explores the strategic value of numbers in Great Commission activities, using biblical and modern examples to make the case for tracking and evaluating ministry efforts.
• Living Beyond Yourself Written by current President & CEO Todd VanEk, this book shares insights and stories from experiences in India to help readers live a life more in line with the heart of God and the Great Commission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of Adult Literacy students graduate with a 5th-grade level education
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Barna GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022In 2022, Mission India partnered with Barna Group to release 'The Great Disconnect' research revealing the US Church's apathy toward global missions. This partnership also produced a missions audit to help churches evaluate their missions strategy.
• Barnabas FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission India partners with Barnabas Foundation to offer supporters complimentary planning services and assistance with complex gifts. Barnabas Foundation provides专业的 gift planning guidance to help donors maximize their Kingdom impact through vehicles like donor-advised funds and charitable trusts.
• National Christian Foundation (NCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCF, through contact Jamie Kuiper, offers creative solutions and tax-smart strategies to help donors give more efficiently, steward resources wisely, and make the biggest possible impact in their areas of greatest passion.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• International Mission Board (IMB): The Southern Baptist Convention's global sending agency for missionaries. Comparable as a US-based evangelical faith mission organization with India field presence, though it operates through sending Western missionaries rather than exclusively equipping locals.
• The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM): US-based evangelical missions agency with India field operations and church planting focus. Comparable in faith-based mission approach and donor-funded model, though more globally distributed than Mission India's India-only focus.
• Pioneers: US-based evangelical missions organization with church planting focus in unreached areas including India. Comparable as faith-based nonprofit with church planter mobilization, though with broader geographic scope.
• Operation Mobilization (OM): Global evangelical mission organization with India operations, discipleship training, and church planting focus. Comparable as a faith-based missions organization but operates at a broader global scale with Western missionary involvement.

Direct peers

• Compassion International: Large US-headquartered evangelical child sponsorship nonprofit operating internationally, including India. Comparable in mission (reaching at-risk children), donor model (individual sponsorship), and curriculum-driven ministry approach, though at significantly greater scale.
• Gospel for Asia: US-based evangelical missions organization focused on South Asia with church planter sponsorship, native missionary support, and similar donor funding model directly comparable to Mission India's Church Planter Training program.
• Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF): Faith-based nonprofit running children's Bible clubs and discipleship programs globally, including India. Directly comparable to Mission India's Children's Bible Clubs program with similar Good News Club curriculum and volunteer-led model.
• India Gospel League: Faith-based missions organization focused exclusively on India with church planting, children's programs, and similar local-staff approach. Highly comparable peer given shared single-country India focus and church planting methodology.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/missionindiavideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/missionindia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/118241
• Instagraminstagram.com/mission.india

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mission India