I served as the writing group leader in the Gospel for Asia U.S. office from 2006 – 2011. I am thankful the Lord allowed me to be part of this important work and I still support the ministry financially and with my prayers. Now that I’ve had to time to think about some of the things I was taught during my five years with GFA, it is with a heavy heart that I realized they were deceitful and manipulative.
My devotion to the ministry was severely tested when it became apparent that K.P. Yohannan had lied to his entire U.S. staff. The incident occurred at a meeting to announce that the ministry had fired two families who were maintaining inadequate monthly support to cover their salaries. K.P. explained that the ministry could not continue to spend $4,000 a month to cover their salaries and insurance. He assured the entire staff that ministry leaders had talked to the staffers and worked with them to help raise their monthly support level but it had not worked.
A few days later I was comforting one of the wives whose family was fired. Through tears she said the firing came as a complete surprise because no leaders had ever talked to them about their support. This wife had no way of knowing what K.P. had said about her family at the meeting so she was not trying to contradict him. I believe K.P. lied to his entire staff that day.
I also realized the ministry teaches a warped idea of spiritual authority in parent/child relationships. The Bible says “Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise) so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth (Ephesians 6:2-3). Very often ministry leaders would teach that older teens should serve at the ministry in direct defiance of their parent’s wishes. These young adults (including the School of Discipleship students and summer interns) were told it would please God if they dropped out of school or left home against their parent’s advice in order to serve. When a teen or young adult is still receiving support from their parents, such as is the case with SOD and summer interns, the parents are still in authority over that young man or woman. Teaching that a ministry can usurp the authority of the parents is theologically incorrect.
One summer intern who lived with me came to me privately asking for advice on returning to college that fall. She had been taught that college was the sinful choice and serving at GFA was the only right thing to do.
Additionally, the leaders teach that we were to place our work at the ministry above the responsibility of any family not serving with us, including our aging parents. The Bible is clear that it is our responsibility to care for our elderly parents. I Timothy 5:4 says “But if a widow has children or grandchildren these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” 1 Timothy 5:8 says “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” And Jesus himself, when he was on the cross, made arrangements for his mother to be cared for. This is our most important example. This teaching is always couched inside the call to “surrender all” to follow Christ. This is false teaching.
I pray that K.P. Yohannan will repent of lying and seek the Lord for healing of broken relationships.
I pray also that Gospel for Asia’s leaders will examine their own hearts and search the entire scripture and clearly teach what it says.