The Need
Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in our country. It is one of the least reached states with only 0.18% of the population identifying as Christians. Among all those who call themselves Christians, the people who know the true gospel are a tiny minority.
Many church leaders lack the training needed to faithfully preach the Bible, and several churches struggle to resist the spread of false teaching.
Additionally, various restrictions from those in power and extreme elements of society means that Christians are faced with several challenges, and the freedom to preach the gospel is often limited.
Vision
Our desire is to see biblical and healthy churches across the country. In order to do that we want to raise church planters in the context of our local church and equip the wider church by providing biblically faithful resources and organizing seminars and conferences.
We believe that the church is not a building, but the gathered people of God. But having a building gives us safety, security, and freedom for ministry.
We also believe that the Bible teaches that the local church is to be the centre of all ministry, especially for raising and training leaders for the church.
Satya Bhawan - Training and Resource Centre
Centre for Church Gathering
One of the primary uses of the Training and Resource Centre would be as the meeting place of Satya Vachan Church. This is where weekly church services, Children’s Sunday School, Adult Sunday School, Midweek Bible studies, and other major church events will happen.
For this, we hope to have one big meeting hall and several smaller classrooms. The Centre would have adequate parking space for people attending the church, and would also have offices for the pastoral staff.
Pastoral Training Centre
We believe that God’s primary way of working in the world today is through the faithful preaching of the Bible in local churches by biblically qualified men. Along with being passionate about this in our church, we are burdened to help equip pastors of other local churches, who have not had access to good training.
The facility will be used to organise regular training programmes in the context of the local church for pastors through one-day seminars or residential conferences (a few days to a few weeks). Pastors will be trained on various doctrines and topics, especially so that they have a clear understanding of the local church and are well equipped to feed their congregations from God’s Word. Along with teaching sessions, and Q&A sessions, visiting pastors will be able to interact with church leaders and members of Satya Vachan Church. Additionally, they will also have access to theologically faithful resources through the library and bookstore on the premises.
We currently host pastors, leaders and members of other churches who visit us to observe our church, and interact with the different ministries of our church. This is an opportunity for them to observe first-hand what a church seeking to be biblically healthy looks like and what church-based ministry looks like.
Church Planters Training Institute/Centre
There is a huge need in India for well-trained biblically qualified men who can plant churches and teach the Bible and apply it to the lives of people. While we will continue to invest in men who are already in pastoral ministry, we are also committed to raising men to be pastors through our church-based seminary.
We hope to invest in the lives of students over a period of three to four years, in which time they will have access to world-class instruction as well as practical exposure to church life and pastoral ministry. The classes for the seminary as well as the library will all be in the Resource and Training Centre so that the seminary is not independent of the local church, and so that the seminary students have access to the elders of the church.
Our first batch of students graduated in 2020, and we currently have two batches of students who are doing their training and a new set who are in their pre-seminary training and will be part of the new batch.
Discipleship Centre
The need to disciple young men is crucial to encourage them to be biblically faithful men who may be church planters, elders and members.
We have a Residential Discipleship Programme for young men to grow in godliness and maturity. We have a few young men who come and stay with us after they have finished high school. They pursue their regular secular college while they stay with us, but are regularly part of the church and are being intentionally discipled by the church leaders and members. We hope that many of them would be desirous and qualify to join the seminary once they finish their degree.
Pastoral Internship Centre
We have a Pastoral Internship Programme for prospective Church planters who have finished their theological training. They are in this internship for 1 or 2 years. The interns would be members of the church.
We hope to give them practical opportunities to be part of a healthy church, and learn about Ecclesiology. The interns are involved in book discussions, trainings and service review meetings. This helps them to observe and understand the importance and the centrality of the local church in Christian ministry.
Resource Centre
One of the ways we hope to impact the church in India is by providing theologically faithful resources to pastors and Christians. Visitors will have access to the seminary’s library, and the bookstore.
FTT (forthetruth.in) is a publishing ministry of Satya Vachan Church. It desires to publish quality and affordable titles in English, translate, publish and distribute both classic and contemporary titles from English into Indian vernaculars, and develop, publish and distribute resources produced by local writers. Till date, For The Truth has published more than 50 books in English, Hindi and Telugu, with many more in the pipeline. It has also translated and published a couple of audiobooks in Hindi and Telugu.
MSJ (margsatyajeevan.in) is the Hindi ministry of Satya Vachan Church. The ministry creates and provides resources for the spiritual nourishment of Hindi church leaders and believers and for the enhancement of knowledge of the Bible. MSJ has a website which makes available online resources like articles, videos, songs, ebooks, and audiobooks for free.
How can you get involved?
Pray: Please pray for the ministry of Satya Vachan Church and its ministries.
Visit: Please plan to visit us and fellowship with us for mutual encouragement.
Refer: Please encourage others to pray for us, to visit us and to take advantage of the various resources and trainings.
Give: Please prayerfully contribute towards this ministry.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
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