by Ryder Kumar
It is my honor to present this brief report to show my gratitude to the Lord Who allowed these Conferences to take place and to express appreciation for the support of your prayers. Without these, our short term mission trips to India for the 9th consecutive year would have been futile. My heart is filled with thankfulness to God for His great faithfulness and appreciation toward each of you for your faithfulness. The equipping of pastors in India and Nepal continues! Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and financial support that made these Spring 2012 STN Conferences possible!
Ministry in the Local Church
For the past couple of years I have been visiting a church of about 200 people called El Shaddai in Hyderabad city in which I had the privilege of preaching the Word in an evening service. David Nelson and I both preached in that assembly the following Sunday. The pastor’s name is Paul Gideon, a humble man of God. Soon after leaving the city, the whole state was in chaos due to the arrest of a political leader. There were strikes, transportation vehicles burned and turmoil in the city. By God’s sovereign design, we evaded all these as we left for Delhi. Is this not an answer to prayer and a demonstration of the fact that God, who held back all these disturbances until the conference was over, is in control?
Hyderabad Seminar (South)
There were 41 participants who learned much about the doctrine of eschatology or future things! One pastor said, “My father who is a senior pastor could only teach about the second coming of Christ by referring to His appearance in the clouds and didn’t proceed further from there but now we are able to understand the chronological order and events of second coming – we are so blessed.” There was a keen interest in most of them as they not only listened to the topics of the final section of Bible doctrine survey but also asked questions.
It is my honor to present this brief report to show my gratitude to the Lord Who allowed these Conferences to take place and to express appreciation for the support of your prayers. Without these, our short term mission trips to India for the 9th consecutive year would have been futile. My heart is filled with thankfulness to God for His great faithfulness and appreciation toward each of you for your faithfulness. The equipping of pastors in India and Nepal continues! Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and financial support that made these Spring 2012 STN Conferences possible!
Lucknow Seminar (North)
There was a unique challenge at this conference due to temperatures as high as 113! Due to the heat, we adjusted the schedule to move the afternoon sessions to late evening; this change was helpful to everyone. The teaching was eye opening for many and insightful to all! One participant said, “I was struggling with the topics of the Lord’s Table and Baptism but I am now going back home without doubts.” Another participant testified saying, “I am from a tribal community which is known for lack of understanding and knowledge but I am so blessed to be here in the seminar to understand so many truths.” Two of the participants are now reaching out to another state in India to teach the BTCP courses and also desire to partner in ministry in Nepal. A couple of the pastors were pleading with us to visit their areas to start BTCP courses.
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.