Reconciliation comes to India

India (MNN)–The Baptist World Alliance reports that they’re seeing resolution to a thirty year power struggle in India.

The Samavesam Telegu of Telegu Baptist Churches (STBC) were engaged in a conflict of power over some property.

However, this month, a meeting of the leaders indicated the area pastors wanted peace and reconciliation. The pastors were concerned about the church’s future and evangelism.

Threatened with the expulsion of the SBTC from the BWA, cooler heads prevailed. The three factions met and came to a proposal for reconciliation. The proposal called for: court cases to be withdrawn, a property review committee to be established and a time frame for elections and final reconciliation meetings to take place.

Elections in all the field associations will be held by December 15th. On January 10th the new STBC General Council would be formed and an Assembly called to ratify the decisions.

Please pray for the Reconciliation Committee, and for the December 15 elections. Pray that the new assembly will help this process move forward for the future of evangelistic outreach in India.

If the process is successful, there will be a great celebration of unity sometime in May, 2004. The STBC has a baptized membership of 500,000 with a worshipping community of more than one million. There are significant mega churches with a membership of more than 15,000.

Hundreds of the village churches are progressing but need new leadership. The conflict has caused the seminary and other educational facilities, as well as hospitals, to fall into neglect and misuse. Pray that with unity all of the people will be energized to concentrate on winning their world for Christ.