‘For Such a Time as This’
By Jonathan Lamb, International Programme Director, Langham Preaching
Amidst growing news of the persecution of thousands of Christians across northern India, a small group of Christian leaders met in Delhi last week to explore ways of coordinating their efforts in the training of pastors and lay preachers. Across northern India there are remarkable signs of church growth. Compared to the south of the country, the region has been a tough environment for Christian witness, with far fewer resources and Christian initiatives than in the south. But the tide has been turning: leaders are planting thousands of churches in the huge northern states, and more energy is being given to their support through training initiatives of all kinds.
Recognising the overwhelming need to strengthen the churches through the training of preachers, the team of 12 leaders met for a short consultation convened by members of the Langham Partnership Regional Council for South Asia. Paul Swarup, Finny Philip and Paulson Pulikottil, themselves former Langham Scholars, sustain an active interest not only in the academic arena and in Christian publishing, but in the grass-roots needs of local churches. Specifically, they share the concern of Langham Preaching to find ways to strengthen biblical preaching in the many new emerging churches across northern India.
Drawing together agencies from various areas of northern India, the Langham Preaching consultation had the following outcomes:
• All participants recognised the benefit of exchanging training ideas. Many of them were not aware of each other’s training work, and the opportunity to receive news, learn from the example of others, and pray for each other’s ministry, was a very significant outcome of the consultation. It is hoped that the friendships established will allow for ongoing communication between the different agencies.
• The consultation determined to redouble efforts in the training of trainers, seen to be a priority need for all of the agencies involved in northern India. Given the vast scale of the work to be done, the most important need is to equip a new army of trainers who will carry forward the training of pastors and lay preachers within their own villages and towns.
• The consultation decided to establish a database which will list all available resources – appropriate training materials, books and other resources which will serve each agency in the training of preachers.
• It was decided to encourage Langham Preaching, in fellowship with several of the agencies at the consultation, to support a new training initiative in Nagaland. Here the churches have been growing rapidly, but there is a strong need for training amongst pastors. Langham Preaching will lead the initiative during 2009, carried out with help from facilitators from northern India.
• The consultation agreed to meet annually and to extend the network of those who are invited to participate.
There was a strong feeling that this was the time for energetic commitment to the cause of preaching training, and for every effort to be made to coordinate our work for the benefit of the growing church of northern India.