Birth: 07.04.1677
Death: 19.03.1720
Native Place: Germany
Place of Vision : India
One of the greatest concerns regarding the children born in a Christian family is that they take salvation to be granted. Many young people believe that their parents’ Godliness will save them from hell, and so did Johann Ernst Grundler. Born into a Godly family, Grundler took pride in being called Christian. By choice, he pursued theological studies at Leipzig and Wittenberg. Yet, he did not know what salvation was, until he heard a sermon on true and false humility in Halle. There he gave up his arrogance of heart and became a humble new creation in Christ.
Grundler worked as a teacher for a while and then responded to God’s call to minister among the Hindus in India. With a fervent desire to lead the Indians to the love of Christ, Grundler arrived in Tranquebar in 1709 along with few other missionaries. He learned Tamil and became Ziegenbalg’s trusted collaborator in the ministry. Together they traveled on foot to the neighboring cities and towns and preached the Gospel. Their humble attitude brought them closer to the people, and in a very short period, they were able to reach the masses and point them to Christ. Apart from fulfilling his pastoral duties, Grundler also worked hard to reorganize the educational activity in the South. His prior teaching experience helped him in this task. He opened Danish and Portuguese schools for boys and girls separately with the help of other Tranquebar missionaries. He believed that evangelization could be made possible only through education and persuasion rather than through coercion and ignorance. Through these schools, he was able to meet the educational and spiritual needs of the native children.
Grundler glorified the Lord and rejoiced at his calling for such a holy work in all that he did. He was a real asset to Ziegenbalg, who hand-picked him to carry out the mission at Tranquebar after him. He remained faithful in his ministerial calling until he was also called to enter his heavenly master’s joy.
