Agape Partners International
A ministry built on love, faith, and commitment to families since 1994.
To empower individuals and families — primarily South Asian communities — through faith-based counseling, education, training, consultation, research, and publications rooted in Christian values. We serve locally and reach globally through innovative programs and outreach.
To be a global center of excellence in Christian family counseling and pastoral education, transforming communities through the love of Christ. We envision a world where every family has access to compassionate, faith-informed care and every pastor is equipped to serve.
We minister with the empathy and warmth of Christ, meeting every person in their pain with unconditional love and grace.
We uphold the highest standards in counseling, education, and ministry practice — honoring God through our commitment to quality.
Scripture and prayer are the foundation of everything we do. Our counseling is rooted in the transformative truth of God's Word.
We believe healing happens in relationship. We build bridges across cultures and borders to strengthen the body of Christ globally.
The story of Agape Partners International (API) began in 1993, when Dr. Thomas Idiculla shared his vision for faith‑based counseling with Indian Christian pastors in Boston and New York. Rooted in a desire to strengthen families at the intersection of faith, psychology, and pastoral care, that vision came to life in 1994 when Dr. Idiculla — then a doctoral student at Boston College — founded Agape Partners International, a nonprofit ministry dedicated to transforming families through the integration of faith and mental health.
From the very beginning, Dr. Idiculla's mission was clear: to bring the healing power of agape — the Greek word for unconditional, sacrificial love — to families in crisis. In a world where many, especially South Asian Christians, lacked culturally sensitive counseling resources, Agape Partners International filled a vital gap, offering guidance that honors both faith and culture.
What began as a small ministry in Boston and New England has since grown into a globally recognized organization serving communities across North America, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and beyond.
In 1995, Dr. Idiculla published Strangers in a Foreign Land, the first book to highlight the spiritual and social experiences of Indian Christians in the United States. The growing influence of this mission led to API's formal incorporation as a nonprofit in 1997, with Dr. Leslie Verghese serving as Executive Director and later Sujith Mathew joining as Treasurer.
Over the next decade, API empowered churches and leaders to bring faith‑based counseling to their communities. In 2010, the organization became an approved facilitator training and certification center for the Prepare/Enrich premarital assessment program, equipping pastors and counselors across the U.S. and five other countries to better serve couples and families.
Responding to the rising need for structured Christian counseling education, API launched its Christian Counseling Certification Program in 2012, connecting eight faculty members with pastors and counselors throughout the United States and beyond.
The learning experience expanded digitally in 2015 with the launch of API's online Learning Management System (LMS) — making certification programs accessible anywhere in the world. Within a few years, more than 500 pastors were trained across North America and South Asia. That same year, API introduced a Mentorship Program for social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, and Christian counselors, strengthening professional and spiritual support networks.
When the world faced unprecedented challenges in 2020, API responded with compassion and creativity by launching the Global Webinar Series and the weekly Family Empowerment television program. These initiatives bridged geographic and cultural divides, reaching families and church leaders across continents with messages of faith, wisdom, and healing.
In 2023, as communities navigated post‑pandemic grief, API hosted more than 70 online seminars and counseling groups, providing emotional and spiritual care to families coping with loss and trauma.
By 2025, API celebrated 30 years of ministry — training over 1,500 certified counselors and leaders worldwide — a testament to its global reach, enduring mission, and God's sustaining grace.
Now, in 2026, the mission enters a new era through the Dallas Expansion, carrying the same timeless message of love, healing, and hope into new communities with renewed passion and purpose. What began as one man's calling has become a global movement, inspiring thousands to serve, counsel, and love families as Christ loves the Church — unconditionally and sacrificially.
Guided by this vision, Dr. Idiculla is leading the establishment of a Faith‑Based Family Center in Dallas, dedicated to serving families and churches locally and globally. Rooted in a Christian psychological worldview, the center will unite pastors, mental‑health professionals, and counselors in advanced training that integrates evidence‑based assessment tools with the transforming power of God's unconditional love and the ministry of the Holy Spirit — bringing faith, science, and compassion together to strengthen families around the world.
From a local counseling ministry to a global movement — every milestone reflects God's faithfulness.
Agape — the Greek word for unconditional love — defines everything we do. Our mission has always been to bring the healing love of Christ to families in crisis and communities in need. For over 30 years, I have witnessed God use this ministry to restore marriages, transform lives, and raise up a generation of pastors who counsel with compassion and competence. We are not merely a counseling organization — we are a family committed to loving one another and the world as God has loved us.
We are proud to collaborate with leading Christian and mental health organizations to deliver the highest standard of care and training.
Your generous giving enables us to provide counseling, training, and outreach to families around the world. Every gift makes an eternal difference.
