Ryder & Flory Kumar have been in India for over 4 months now and a lot of things are being accomplished. They have settled into a home, set up an office for STN India, worked on administrative details (legal & financial), met with key leaders, spoken in churches and special meetings, and organized prayer groups. They have been BUSY!
What else will be happening in 2016?
A lot more time will be spent with the STN Board in India. These men will prayerfully give leadership to the movement in India and Nepal. They will plan conferences to train more men as well as spread the word about STN to individuals, churches, and other Christian organizations.
Ryder will spend more time with the men who have already been trained. These men will not only labor to establish healthy churches but will train other men to go to unreached areas. Teacher Training Workshops (TTW’s) will be offered to these men so they can effectively teach the BTCP materials to others. They will also be held accountable for their personal growth, their family life, their ministry in the churches, and their outreach to the lost.
An overwhelming number of requests are coming in for people to be trained all over India and Nepal.
New BTCP courses will be started in different regions and will be led by former students and regional directors.
Regional Directors will be appointed to oversee training and accountability in different parts of the country. Ryder cannot reach the entire country but he can work with key regional leaders who can carry out the work. The ministry will grow exponentially in the coming years as these men train men who will train men…
More men will be trained in Nepal.
The need is great in Nepal for healthy churches and we will help some of our former students train church planters to be sent into the harvest.
Investigate possible sites for an STN India Training Center.
$700,000 was donated last year for this purpose and we want to know the right location for maximum impact in the coming years. This center would double as the STN India headquarters.
On top of all that we will explore the possibility of ministry in Pakistan.
We have been praying for that country for years and hope to see healthy churches established to make disciples of that nation.
Ryder & Flory will be very busy. Please pray for them to draw near to the Lord, grow strong in their marriage, stay healthy, walk in the Spirit, and discern God’s will on a moment-by-moment basis. In a country that has such enormous needs it is easy to get overwhelmed or say “yes” to too many things. Thank you for praying that they will work hard but also find times of quiet rest and refreshment.
To carry out all of these things will require more funds.
From time-to-time our donors need to stop supporting STN and right now we have a few pastors without sponsors. For $60-100 per month these men are fully supported to plant churches in unreached areas. Please pray for the Lord to provide new sponsors for these men as well as hundreds of others that will be trained in the coming years. And pray for more donors to support Ryder & Flory as they are about $2,000 short of their monthly need. Our General Fund is currently covering these costs, but we would love to see specific donors or churches sponsor these men.
We believe God will do great things in India & Nepal in 2016. Your prayers and donations are making an eternal difference. Thank you for partnering with us. To God be the glory!
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.