A Life Devoted to Peace, Service, and Faith.
From a village in Andhra Pradesh to a global mission described in published profiles as spanning 148 countries.
- Born
- 25 Sep 1963
- Birthplace
- Chittivalsa, Andhra Pradesh
- Founded
- GPI & GUM
- Reach
- 148 countries*
*Per published profiles.
A Village in Andhra Pradesh
Kilari Anand Paul was born on 25 September 1963 in the small village of Chittivalsa, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, into a Hindu family. His parents, Barnabas and Santhosamma, converted to Christianity in 1966, and he became a Christian in March 1971 at the age of eight. As a child, he traveled with his evangelist father to hundreds of villages across India.
Entering Full-Time Ministry
In the summer of 1983, at age 19, Paul describes a personal religious epiphany that led him to renounce earlier political affiliations and dedicate his life to a message of peace. He spent the following years preaching across India, gradually drawing larger audiences and building relationships with public officials and faith leaders.
A Simple Mission Born
Five years after initiating an effort to rescue street children, Dr. Paul met Mother Teresa — an encounter he describes as life-changing. Through that meeting, he came to embrace a focus on the most vulnerable: orphans, widows, refugees, and victims of disaster. From this grew the Global Peace Initiative and Gospel to the Unreached Millions, organizations whose public materials describe humanitarian programs, peace rallies, and engagement with world leaders.
A Voice Across Continents
Published profiles describe peace rallies on multiple continents, dialogue with heads of state, and humanitarian programs serving street children and widows — including the Charity City model near Hyderabad and the Little Teresa's initiative. The work has been characterized in media coverage ranging from The New Republic to Indian and international news outlets.
Faith and Family
Dr. Paul, his wife Mary, and their three children — Grace, Peace, and John Paul — live near his Huffman, Texas office. Faith and family remain central to how Dr. Paul describes his motivation for public service.
An Overseas Powerhouse
In the United States, Dr. Paul holds no congregation, no weekly services, and no television program. His work moves outward — to disaster zones, refugee corridors, and the offices of heads of state.
Cash donations to Global Peace Initiative (reported), plus ~$14M in medicines and supplies.
Reported contributions to Gospel to the Unreached Millions.
Overseas, he has appeared at the edges of decades of world history, with reported meetings ranging from Slobodan Milošević and Saddam Hussein to Haitian rebel leader Guy Philippe.
At the Center of a Transition
In the summer of 2003, Dr. Paul placed himself in the middle of Liberia’s escalating civil conflict and the negotiations to remove President Charles Taylor. Taylor publicly called Paul his “religious leader,” and later credited him with persuading him to leave Liberia that August.
“I saw him transform this president — this rather maniacal guy — have him on his knees.”
Editorial note: This page synthesizes published biographical sources. Items that reflect personal claims are presented as such, separate from independently reported public work.
“The World’s Most Popular Evangelist.”
In a cover-story profile, journalist Michelle Cottle described Dr. K.A. Paul as the world’s most popular evangelist — while asking searching questions about why he was “not making it” in America. The title sits uneasily with him: in much of the world it is an honor; in America, it has come to evoke television personalities, mansions, and culture wars.
Observers have compared his work to a composite of four figures who shaped the twentieth century — Gandhi (peace), Mother Teresa (service to the poor), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (human rights), and Billy Graham (evangelism) — leaving the title itself only a partial description of the work.
- 01
Has never collected an offering at any rally — from gatherings of 300 to crowds of millions.
- 02
Since 1989, has spoken in roughly 1,100 houses of worship; 100% of offerings have gone to widows and orphans.
- 03
A unifier across faith lines — welcomed by Cardinal Sin in Manila, by 300+ Hindu priests in Gudivada, by the Southern Baptist Convention, and by Deepak Chopra's Alliance for the New Humanity.
- 04
Has never sold a book or a tape.
- 05
Where many pulpits thunder judgment on hostile rulers, he has sought audiences with them — credited with helping stop or avert conflicts in seven countries.
- 06
Owns no property anywhere in the world — including the modest house where he resides.
- 07
Reported salary has averaged under $2,000/month across his years as a U.S. green-card holder; tax returns have been made public.
Source: The New Republic, May 2004 — as referenced in the subject’s published biographical materials.
Key Moments
Born on 25 September in Chittivalsa village, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Becomes a Christian at age eight, three years after his parents' conversion.
At 19, enters full-time ministry after a personal religious turning point.
Begins speaking across the United States; expands international outreach.
Meets Mother Teresa — a turning point that shapes the mission of serving the most vulnerable.
Founds Global Peace Initiative (GPI) and Gospel to the Unreached Millions (GUM).
Peace rally in Lagos, Nigeria — reported by GPI as one of its largest gatherings.
Travels to Liberia; widely credited with helping persuade Charles Taylor to step down.