By Ryder Kumar
During our visit for a graduation event in November 2024, we witnessed how the Lord is increasing healthy churches and spreading the equipping and training of native leaders and pastors. Our hearts are grateful for the prayers of God’s people, to whom God has given the burden of praying on our behalf. An STN graduate of 2019 who organized and coordinated the 2022 class is D., whose wife M. graduated at this event. Here is a brief story of not only a brilliant young but a man with a vision. He is now the pastor of the church he planted.
Call of God
In 2015, “God gave me the vision to witness for Him in a remote village called P,” says D. “God and His word were the only sources I knew, and I knew no one else who could lead me in my situation.” Since D. passed with outstanding grades, he desired to study medicine to become a medical doctor. Though thousands are turned away based on merit in India, D. passed the test and was accepted. D. rejected the offer to be a doctor because “I began to see the call of God within me.” For two months, D. prayed for God’s assurance of His call. During this time, he mentioned that he could not sleep and had no desire to eat. These two months kept him on the battlefield with warring questions: “Should I become a doctor or become a teacher (per uncle’s instruction), or do I have to obey God’s call? As I was going through a struggle, God spoke to me through His Word, Matthew 6:33. God assured me of His plan for my life, leading me to serve Him.”
His choice did not come without opposition. His family and community discouraged him, believing he was wasting his potential. Yet, D. remained steadfast. “I obeyed God with a determination to serve Him, being fully assured that it is God’s plan for me,” he declares. In 2012, he was baptized by Pastor Elia, who later played a pivotal role in his journey with STN.
Planting Seeds of Faith
In 2015, D. felt an undeniable calling to P. By 2016, he and his mother relocated there, living in a rented house while engaging in street evangelism across 25 villages. “I held cottage meetings and gatherings for gospel outreach,” he explains. Though financial struggles loomed—weekly church offerings barely covered a fraction of their expenses—D. remained unwavering: “I didn’t ask or appeal to anyone for money, knowing the call of God. I depended on Him alone.”
Through perseverance, the ministry grew. By 2018, he joined STN training, traveling 100 miles each month to attend classes. “The course books immensely blessed me—more than even my formal Bible school education,” he testifies. Upon graduating in 2020, he was better equipped to lead and expand his ministry.
Trials and Triumphs
As the church flourished, new challenges arose. A Muslim family that had come to Christ donated land for a church building. But just as construction began, opposition emerged. “The community refused to allow the donation unless I married a girl from their faith,” D. reveals. Unwilling to compromise his beliefs, he and his congregation were forced to leave. “We met under a tree for our church services,” he recalls. Despite the setback, his faith remained unshaken. Six months later, an unexpected blessing arrived—an unbeliever from a Hindu background donated land, allowing the church to have a permanent place of worship.
The Legacy of STN Training
Determined to equip others, D. approached STN leadership in 2021 to organize training in his region. Though initially met with doubts, his persistence won out. “I will take the challenge of bearing all expenses,” he insisted. With limited resources, he and M. made countless sacrifices—preparing meals for 48 participants while balancing personal struggles. “Where would the money come from?” M. wondered. Yet, God provided.
New classes began in 2022 with the challenges surrounding them, and D. accepted all of them. When the STN class began, M. was in her eighth month of pregnancy. The challenges encountered were extreme. During this pregnancy, M. would cook for 48 participants with some help from the volunteers, but it wasn’t easy. M. was also one of the participants in the class. So, she would cook and at the same time study to be an STN graduate.
In the midst of this, their faith was tested again. When M. became pregnant with their second child in 2023, doctors advised an abortion due to predicted abnormalities. “Why did this happen when we are serving God?” she lamented. But they stood firm in faith, refusing to terminate the pregnancy. In a miraculous turn, their child was born completely healthy, stunning doctors and strengthening their testimony.
The Future of the Ministry
Other graduates from the 2024 STN program are also now actively planting churches. One such graduate, V., a former Hindu, now leads a church of 20 believers. Another, Y., who previously thought he understood the Bible, admitted, “I realized I knew nothing after 20 years in ministry.” His STN training transformed his approach to serving God.
D. and M. continue their work, living humbly in a one-room home attached to the worship hall. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Their journey is a testament to unwavering faith, perseverance, and the power of God’s calling.
Ryder Kumar is serving as our International Director. As one of the founding members of Shepherding the Nations, it was Ryder's vision to see pastors trained and equipped for ministry that became the foundation of Shepherding the Nations.
Shepherding the Nations has identified qualified and called men who are already working in unreached areas of India and Nepal. We are providing the training to better equip them and the financial resources to support them in their ministries.
Our directors have been equipped to teach our ten-volume training curriculum. These key men are training indigenous pastors and church planters while also providing accountability, resources materials, and support. 
During our training program, we provide our ten volume set of curriculum from the Biblical Training Centre for Pastors (BTCP) in their local language. We also provide essentials resources such as Bible Concordance and Study Bible. We have been able to provide these books to all of our pastors through the generous donations of our donors. These books can be purchased for about $10 each or an entire set for $100.