RIM Pastors Lead India Renewal Conference

The India Evangelical Lutheran church, sister church of the Missouri Synod, has experienced serious struggles of moral leadership, identity and mission purpose. Missionaries have been serving there over 100 years, and they have had a seminary in Nagercoil, near the tip of South India, for seventy five years. But they have not started new congregations in over sixty years. Several years ago, due to internal conflict involving numerous lawsuits, the American missionaries returned to America. Local pastors following a high liturgical traditional worship they learned from the American missionaries, were doing little to reach out to the poor, or the Hindus with their worship of millions of demons.

In the past several years, through the vision and spiritual anointing of a young worker, John Peter Kirubagaran, a new organization has sprung up which expects to be founding one hundred new missions and ministries per year. In addition to training missionaries, this United Evangelical Mission of India (UEMI), sponsors orphanages, literacy training, training for income producing activities along with bold outreach and pastoral conferences to give new inspiration and encouragement.

Dr. Don Miles, a RIM Coordinator , saw the vision and joined with John Peter. His former congregation (St. John’s in Denver) has given aid to UEMI helping provide for conferences, sponsoring orphans, and this year providing bicycles for the new missionaries and trainees. The first pastors conference in Bangalore (1998), was lead by four RIM teachers, Dr. Miles, Dr. Philip Gehlhar of DynaWord Ministries of California, Rev. Jim Ackerman of Michigan, and Rev. Mark Carlson of Indiana. The Indian pastors responded with joy and enthusiasm. Professor Monikraj of Lutheran seminary learned that Dr. Gehlhar taught New Testament Greek and asked him to stay over and take the day and one half train ride to Nagercoil to teach. Phil not only taught Greek but prayer, spiritual warfare, and spiritual power. The Spirit moved on students and faculty, who began praying for each other and were filled with joy.

In October 2000 John Peter and Don Miles organized the second pastor's conference in Bangalore. They also held two other conferences, a business men's conference and a youth conference, using laymen, (mostly from St. John's) as leaders. In addition to three of the teachers from the 1998 conference, (Miles, Gehlhar, Ackerman) they were joined by three other RIM pastors (Dr. Ted Jungkuntz of Ann Arbor, Bill Fisher of New York, a former Sri Lanka missionary, and John Sproul of Omaha). The spirit moved on the conference as these conservative Lutheran Indian pastors broke out in rejoicing in the Lord and some began dancing in praise.

After the conference. the short term missionaries visited the UEMI orphanages, and went to villages where they preached and participated in commissioning of nearly fifty new workers. In one village Don Miles asked a worker to take them to the home of a Hindu family. While there, Miles, Jungkuntz and Gehlhar, prayed for God's miraculous power to be released on the wife to have a baby. The family responded by giving their hearts and lives to Jesus. Workers reported that even the Hindu high priests are receptive to their ministry and love to learn about Jesus. When most of the group returned to the USA, Gehlhar again stayed, going to Hyderabad where he taught at Andhra Christian Theological College, which trains pastors for several groups of Lutherans (and others). The 200 students responded with joy to the messages challenging them to be a part of the great revival that God is planning for His church in India. In addition to the Sunday service and student chapel services, Gehlhar taught classes on New Testament Greek and intimacy with God.

This month (November 2001) Rev. Ferd Bahr from Milwaukee, Dr. Phil Gehlhar from California, Dr. Don Miles and wife Judy from Colorado, and Rev. Paul Koehn and wife Lori Rene from Buffalo were also in India spreading the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, they met with 600 Lutheran pastors for prayer, fellowship and encouragement. RIM was pleased to send over $4,000 to help make it possible for many of the Indian pastors to attend. To God be the glory!