Bishop Ezra Sargunam - Chennai, India
Bishop Sargunam is certainly one of the leading pioneer church planters in India today. As the head of the Evangelical Church of India (ECI), Bishop Sargunam is the visionary behind the movement to evangelize and plant churches among all of the people groups of India. To date they have planted over 3,000 churches across the Indian subcontinent. They have consistently done this at the rate of 3 churches a week -- with a goal of one church a day!
JL has been in close partnership with Bishop Sargunam for over 3 decades. Together they have built scores of church buildings, conducted leadership seminars, funded self-support projects empowering those who are poor spiritually and financially. It was through his partnership with Bishop Sargunam that JL also did most of the Tsunami relief work after that national disaster. The Bishop continues to be a combination of the Apostle Paul, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Ghandi through his wholistic ministry to the people of India—especially the Dalits, or Untouchables.