Pastor Bharat Raaya comes from a staunch Hindu Brahmin background. For the first 21 years of his life, he had no knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and lived a morally corrupt and spiritually empty life. Everything changed through a life-transforming encounter with Jesus Christ, which radically altered the course of his life and ignited within him a passion to serve God and make disciples.
Although Pastor Bharat enjoyed a successful career as a media professional, God’s call upon his life became irresistible. He was ordained into pastoral ministry in 2006, and in 2008, following God’s clear leading, he founded The Crown of Life Ministries in Mumbai, India.
By the grace of God, the ministry has grown into a church-planting movement with 20 churches across India, three churches in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Sharjah, and Ajman), and one church in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Responding to God’s call to expand this vision internationally, Pastor Bharat relocated to the United States as a church planter. On December 21, 2025, he soft-launched First Revival Church, with a vision to establish healthy, disciple-making, multicultural churches while raising leaders and multiplying churches throughout North America.
Beyond church planting, Pastor Bharat is passionate about developing leaders. Through his mentoring initiative, Unlocking Your God-Given Potential, he equips pastors, ministry leaders, church planters, business professionals, and emerging leaders to discover their God-given purpose, develop their leadership capacity, and maximize their influence through biblical principles, intentional mentoring, and practical coaching.
Pastor Bharat is married to Jennifer Raaya, who faithfully serves alongside him and shares wholeheartedly in the calling God has placed upon their lives. Together, they have partnered in ministry, encouraging leaders, planting churches, and serving communities across nations.
They are blessed with two sons, Joshua and Judah Raaya, and together they make Metro Atlanta, Georgia, their home as they continue to invest in people and advance the Kingdom of God.