Blog Theme: Gospel for Asia – Interview with J.D. Smith

My first post about Gospel for Asia was published April 27, 2015. Here is what I wrote to introduce the organization:

GFA LOGOGospel for Asia is a large missionary organization which supports direct evangelism, child sponsorships, Bible colleges, education, disaster relief and several other ministries. Their assets are substantial but, at their request, I am not going to address how much money they take in.* The 990s are not available on Guidestar and so it is very difficult to find out specific information about the financial situation.

GFA describes itself as a missionary organization and a church. What GFA calls The Believer’s Church is based in Wills Point, TX and apparently consists of the various churches planted around the world. According to the church website, the church has “over 2.4 million members scattered throughout 14 nations.”

Actually, Believers’ Church is based in India and is also headed up by Metropolitan K.P. Yohannan – GFA’s founder and CEO – who also goes by Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan Metropolitan. If we were buddies, I would just call him “Yo.”

My interest in GFA was triggered by a reader, Mr. Jesperson, who was once a donor. Then Bruce Morrison came along who is a Canadian pastor and a key player in confronting the discrepancies in what GFA said on paper in Canada and what they reported in India. Auditor Jason Watkins provided his expertise to help make clear the discrepancies in U.S. financial statements and other records we secured. I have talked to numerous former American and Indian staffers who have helped to paint a picture of GFA. Since 2015, I have written hundreds of posts on GFA’s finances and practices in the U.S. and around the world.

In early October 2015, Gospel for Asia was evicted from membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. GFA was a charter member and it was a rare move for the ECFA. To get a description of the reasons for the removal, you can read the ECFA preliminary report given to me by former GFA board member Gayle Erwin.

In 2017, the nation of India revoked GFA and Believers’ Church registration as a charity eligible to receive foreign donations. GFA still solicits money for use in India and still sends funds there to NGOs that have no purpose other than to funnel money to Believers’ Church.

In 2019, GFA settled a class action RICO lawsuit and agreed to pay $37-million to donors. The Canadian branch is currently being sued by a donors in Nova Scotia.

Much of my writing on GFA has related to financial practices. However, there is a human side to the story. This is what got me started and this is what former staffer J.D. Smith focuses on in today’s interview. If you are interested in group dynamics and how leaders hold members with controlling tactics, you will want to hear J.D. speak.

To watch all interviews in this “15 Years of Blogging” series, click here.

To read all posts relating to Gospel for Asia, click here.

To read more about controlling groups and Steven Hassan’s work mentioned by J.D., go to freedomofmind.com.

9 thoughts on “Blog Theme: Gospel for Asia – Interview with J.D. Smith”

  1. This makes me think back to my early interactions with both of these gentlemen in March and April of 2015. I still find some things that the Diaspora tend to say completely illogical, but again I have never been the kind of person that a cult of personality would want within a hundred miles of them. The stories of how those inside the cult would praise their fellow cult members for so many things and then when ordered to would shun the very same people and treat them like scum, from some of their own testimonies published on J.D.’s website, is a huge disconnect There is much that I have had to say and over these years I have said them.

    Now we are in an age of severe judgment coming from God to His own church. We had better repent, and yes I mean you whoever you are reading this and not some other guy, and be real and thorough about it! The violence and rage is just starting to bubble to the surface all over the world. Things will get much worse and will continue to until Jesus’ church repents and returns back to its first love. Many cities will not be safe places to live, and some already are starting to fall apart. God has shown me that this season will end very, very, very badly for KP, his family and his little cult he built with about a billion dollars he stole from donors. Jesus never spoke idly and the Father is worthy of fear for His is the power to praise and to condemn. And those conditions are totally permanent unlike any praise of man.

    1. “Fool’s glorifying themselves trying to manipulate Satan.
      Big time negotiators, false healers and women haters
      Masters of the bluff and masters of the proposition
      But the enemy I see wears a cloak of decency
      All non believers and men stealers talking in the name of religion
      And there’s a slow, slow train coming up round the bend.”
      ( Bob Dylan 1979)

      For many walk who are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction and whose God is their fleshly demonic inducements and whose glory is their shame. Being overtaken by religious, cultic and legalistic foul vile things.

      These especially are the Ezekiel 34 bad shepherds who will incur “a stricter judgement from God.” (James 3:1)

  2. So is there any reliable info on how many evangelists/pastors were/are actually working there, how many people are in the churches they planted, etc?

    1. No. Liars lie so only God knows and any good that comes out of this is fully in spite of leadership that was and is still following Satan and not Jesus Christ.

  4. And yet, you were escorted off Patheos while GFA continues to blog away on that platform.

    1. Patheos Evangelical has earned themselves a great national reputation for their devotion to systemic corruption, serial abusers, and Court Evangelicals serving Russian Nationals at the NRA and National Prayer Breakfasts. A reputation they earned all on their own.

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