I left home at 6 a.m. on Monday and arrived in Delhi past midnight. At Gandhi Airport, I met Missionary Seokheon Lee, who had arrived earlier. We checked in for the domestic flight to Bhopal at 5:55 a.m. and spent the remaining time at the airport. When we arrived at Bhopal Airport, Devdas—whom I first met 15 years ago during my first mission trip to India—was waiting for us. He was one of the early local leaders and was only twenty years old back then. Now in his mid-30s with a bit of a belly, he had grown into a leader overseeing the entire state. I was so glad to see him that we embraced for a long time.
After checking into the hotel, we headed to the mission centre. Three key leaders from each state gathered, totalling 34 participants. I also met Pastor Isaac, the principal of the Delhi Seminary whom I had only met online, and Pastor Ravin, who oversees all administration for the General Assembly in India. I also met Salmon, the leader of Telangana, where our church’s mission team went for the first pioneering work 10 years ago. That state has now grown so steadily that it has become a model among all mission fields. I was grateful that our church had taken the first steps in pioneering these important states.
The main purpose of this leadership meeting was to shift the administrative structure from being centralized under the General Assembly to being more independent and organized by state. Missionary Kanghee Ahn emphasized that for churches in India to grow healthily, everything must be centred on local leaders. So, when many churches had been established, we formed an Indian General Assembly and appointed local leaders to its key positions. As the number of churches continued to grow, it became necessary to divide the work by state—India is vast like the African continent, with a population of 1.4 billion and many languages. For effective ministry, we needed to reorganize accordingly. This also required creating administrative structures and church laws for each state.
We heard reports from each state about how they had evangelized and planted churches over the past four months, and plans were shared for how ministry would continue over the next four months. I was responsible for two evening revival services and one early morning prayer meeting. Indian churches had also faced many challenges during the pandemic. Recently, a major leader left with many churches under his care to join another mission organization offering more money, leaving a deep wound in the General Assembly. However, through the three gatherings, there was a grace that brought complete healing. I preached in my broken English, and a local leader interpreted into Hindi.
I shared the core of the gospel — that God wants to be our Father, and in turn, we must become spiritual fathers to the congregation, sacrificing for them. I also preached on Jesus’ greatest commandment: love for God and love for our neighbours. If loving our neighbours is expressed through our ministries, then loving God is the foundation of those ministries. Worship, as the highest expression of that love, must be our top commitment. I emphasized that only through worship, where we experience God’s glory, can we effectively carry out all our ministries of loving our neighbours.
During the prayer meeting, someone with severe shoulder pain that had prevented them from sleeping was healed through the laying on of hands. Many expressed their gratitude, saying they had received prophetic messages that were exactly what they needed. These leaders, who hold important responsibilities across India, felt like brothers. I felt strongly that we must continue to support these leadership gatherings so they can keep receiving grace and strength. I am thankful to all the congregation members who supported us financially and in prayer. Thanks to all of you, I was able to carry out the mission work well and return safely.
