Bishop Ezra Sargunam is a second generation Christian. His father was a little boy when he and his non-Christian parents became Christians. Later in life, his father came under the influence of great missionaries like Amy Carmichael and Rev T Thomas Walker. Bishop Ezra Sargunam was born on July 19, 1938 in an obscure village in the State of Tamil Nadu, South India. He was christened “Ezra” because his father happened to read about the life and ministry of the scribe Ezra (Nehemiah 8), during his morning devotion several hours before his birth. At the age of 17, he accepted Jesus Christ and had the assurance of salvation at a Billy Graham crusade in Madras (now Chennai). Interestingly, Bishop Sargunam was a seminary student then.
He did his graduate and post-graduate courses in Theology in Madras, Allahabad and at the Serampore University as well as in California, USA and was conferred the “Doctor of Divinity” (honoris causa) degree for his dissertation on International Development and Church Growth. He became a Pastor in 1957 at the age of 19.
He was married to Mangalam, a wonderful woman of prayer, in the year 1962, who remained a great support to him in the ministry, until she went to be with the Lord on 29th February 2008. He has two married daughters and four grandchildren.