𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒍: 𝐴 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑒𝑙𝑓-𝑀𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑙 𝐸𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑎

 Introduction

The gospel of Jesus Christ, once proclaimed freely with power and conviction by the apostles, has today in many places become a commercial enterprise. What began as a life-giving message of salvation, hope, and transformation has, in certain corners of the modern Indian Church, been commodified, manipulated, and monetised. This trend is especially evident among self-made preachers, entrepreneurial ministries, and prosperity gospel proponents whose practices are far removed from the apostolic faith. This article explores the concerning trend of gospel monetisation in India, especially among emerging church leaders, travelling pastors, and prosperity preachers, drawing attention to its consequences and proposing an alternative model rooted in Scripture and early church practice.

1. When Preaching Becomes a Profession for Profit

One of the most alarming signs of gospel monetisation is the way preaching engagements are handled today. When invited to deliver a sermon or lead a worship session, many preachers and singers demand an undeclared but hefty fee under the table. Organisers of conventions and church events often feel obliged to accommodate these financial demands, not wanting to “miss the anointing” or disappoint the crowd that follows such personalities. Sadly, the call to ministry, which should be rooted in a burden for souls and a commitment to the truth, has been reduced to a transactional event where the gospel is essentially “for hire.”

Even worship has not been spared. A new breed of self-appointed worship leaders, often lacking spiritual maturity or theological grounding, tour from place to place selling their “gift” for a price. What began as a genuine desire to glorify God has, in many cases, become a staged performance driven by fame, financial gain, and the need to maintain a social media following.

2. Fundraising Abroad: The Rise of Religious Empire Builders

A significant pattern in the monetisation trend is the practice of Indian pastors travelling abroad—especially to North America, Europe, and the Gulf—ostensibly to raise funds for “missions.” While a few use the funds for genuine evangelistic and church-planting efforts, many end up creating elaborate organisational empires centered around their personalities. These empires often include multiple trusts, media channels, conference brands, and real estate investments.

Rather than prioritising unreached people groups or struggling churches in rural India, many of these pastors direct the resources toward personal gain. Expensive vehicles, luxury homes, and foreign travel become their markers of ministerial “success.” Their annual foreign trips serve less as missionary journeys and more as financial campaigns. The great commission gets reinterpreted as “Go into all the world and raise funds,” while the great omission becomes the neglect of authentic discipleship and sacrificial service.

3. Kerala’s Problem of Self-Sent Pastors and Heretical Movements

Kerala, a land known for its early Christian heritage and vibrant church life, has paradoxically become a breeding ground for untrained, self-appointed preachers. Many individuals with little or no theological background start their own ministries, often in reaction to the perceived failures or restrictions of established churches. Social media provides them a platform, while popular sentiment—mixed with charismatic display and promises of blessings—ensures a ready following.

The result is the proliferation of heretical teachings. These new movements often undermine the core tenets of the gospel, introducing bizarre doctrines, twisting Scripture, and preying on the biblically illiterate. The believers, lacking theological discernment, become easy prey. A generation of Christians is being shaped not by the Word, but by sensational claims, personal visions, and prosperity promises.

4. The Gospel for Sale: Entrepreneurial Ministries and Prosperity Preachers

Nowhere is the monetisation of the gospel more visible than in the rise of prosperity preachers and self-styled apostles. These individuals, often drawing inspiration from the Western prosperity gospel, preach a message of wealth, health, and breakthrough. In India’s rapidly urbanising landscape, where millions aspire for upward mobility, this message finds fertile ground.

These preachers commodify spiritual authority. Titles like “Prophet,” “Apostle,” or “Seer” are worn like badges of superiority, and miracles are marketed like products. Offerings are solicited through high-pressure appeals, often manipulated by emotional music, scripted testimonies, and testimonies of previous “blessings.” The faithful are told that if they “sow a seed” into the man of God’s ministry, they will “reap a harvest” of financial blessings or healing.

This theology not only distorts the gospel, but enslaves the poor. Widows are encouraged to give their last rupee. Young people are told that breakthrough depends on how sacrificially they give. Meanwhile, the preachers grow rich, often flaunting designer clothing, luxury cars, and multiple homes. Their message, though cloaked in Christian language, is a betrayal of Christ, who had “nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58).

5. Gospel as Transaction: The Erosion of Ecclesial Integrity

In such prosperity-driven churches, the very nature of the church is distorted. Rather than being communities shaped by the Word and centered on Christ, these churches revolve around charismatic personalities. There is little biblical teaching, minimal accountability, and no emphasis on historic Christian orthodoxy. The gospel is reduced to a transaction: give money, get a blessing.

As a result, public trust in Christian leaders erodes. Many outsiders—especially from other faiths—now associate Christianity not with Christ, but with con-men in suits. Theological education suffers too. With success now measured in terms of Instagram followers and convention invitations, the pursuit of deep biblical training is neglected. Seminaries and Bible colleges are sidelined, while YouTube channels and WhatsApp forwards become the new pulpits.

Genuine gospel workers—those quietly laboring in rural areas, faithfully preaching Christ in obscurity—are marginalised. With little access to funds and no glamorous appeal, they struggle to support their families and ministries while the limelight is stolen by prosperity showmen.

6. A Better Way: Faithful Churches and Grassroots Movements

Despite the grim picture, there is hope. The early church did not depend on spectacle, wealth, or manipulation. They turned the world upside down through faithful preaching, deep community, sacrificial love, and empowered lay leadership. Tent-making pastors like Paul refused to be a burden to churches (Acts 20:33–35), and local believers shared resources generously and transparently (2 Corinthians 8–9).

A faithful response today must recover this model. We need:

• Churches shaped by the Word, not by marketing trends.
• Leaders who are trained, tested, and tethered to biblical doctrine.
• Ministries that grow from the ground up, not imposed top-down by celebrities.
• Networks of shared generosity, where resources are directed strategically to the unreached and underserved, rather than to maintain preacher lifestyles.
• Tent-making and bi-vocational leadership, enabling pastors to serve without being a financial burden.

Conclusion: A Call for Reformation

The monetisation of the gospel is not just an ethical crisis—it is a theological one. It distorts the nature of God, reduces salvation to superstition, and replaces the cross with commerce. The Indian Church stands at a crossroads: either we continue down the path of gospel capitalism, or we return to the path of gospel faithfulness.

Reformation is needed—not a political movement, but a spiritual renewal rooted in repentance, sound doctrine, and sacrificial living. We need to raise up grassroots theologians, disciple-makers, and church planters who will resist the lure of fame and finance and instead embrace the call to servanthood. Only then can we hope to see another spiritual awakening—one that begins not from the platforms of prosperity, but from the prayer rooms of the faithful.

“Freely you have received, freely give.”
— Jesus, Matthew 10:8

Let this command echo once more in our pulpits, our leadership models, and our stewardship of God’s resources. The true gospel cannot be bought or sold. It is the priceless treasure of heaven, entrusted to broken vessels to proclaim, not profit from.