By Pastor Marc Boeker
“For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth…that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” – John 17:19,20 (NASB)
This spring, a momentous event for Shepherding the Nations – India (STN India) went down in the history books. On May 17-18, 2024, STN hosted its first virtual conference for pastors and leaders across India, Nepal, and Myanmar.
Ryder Kumar, International Director, was looking for a way to provide further training to graduates in the BTCP program (Bible Training Center for Pastors). A conference would provide an excellent platform to include crucial church topics for further growth and development of the indigenous churches. Out of this desire, the PENIEL Conference was born.
Persuading to Equip and Nurture Indigenous Evangelical Leaders
Months before the conference, STN began working on visas to bring several Indian pastors to The Bridge Bible Fellowship in Reseda, California for in-person training. With much prayer, invitations were sent requesting these men to be allowed to come to the United States for an intensive time of discipleship. Their presence at The Bridge would have been both an encouragement to them as well as to their brothers and sisters in Christ who have been supporting the work in India for over 15 years. Paperwork was completed. Consulate visits were made. And they waited. And waited. And waited…
Even through waiting, one can now see God was preparing the way for a change of plans – a change of venue, a change of schedule, and a change of participants – all changes which ultimately led to an unexpected exponential increase in the number of pastors and leaders who could benefit and participate in the training. God has told his followers in times past, “the heart of man plans his way, but Yahweh directs his steps” (Psalm 16:9). The STN board’s plans were laid out, but God’s sovereign direction was needed to go beyond what was currently envisioned and provide training into homes and locations that far exceeded the STN board’s initial expectations.
While Zoom fatigue was a real thing for many during COVID, the advances in video conferencing technology that it provided have been a huge help to proclaim the truth of God’s word. In places seemingly impossible to visit, we can now sit “face-to-face” and interact on a much more personal level. For many purposes, virtual meetings can provide an opportunity for equipping the saints where an in-person meeting is out of reach for the attendees or threatens the existence of the church.
Enter PENIEL Virtual. Paul Brown, Senior Pastor of The Bridge and founding STN member was eager for this conference to continue, but with only three (3) of the original invitees able to get visas to US, the plans had to change. Moving to a virtual platform could provide the desired training along with an expanded reach inherent to a virtual conference. Excitement began to build as plans fell into place for the restructured virtual conference.
As Ryder invited church leaders from across the country one of his desires was to expand the reach of STN and the BTCP program. Many of the groups he contacted are well-educated, mature, and sacrificially serving which could serve to enhance the ministry of STN. All of the participants were encouraged to connect more closely to STN as they applied what they were taught in the conference.
By God’s grace, the gathering together of over 60 men across four countries became a reality on May 17-18. Due to the 12.5-hour difference in time zones, India experienced the conference over two days, while in the US we began welcoming guests at 5:00 AM on Friday and said our final goodbye near 11:00 PM.
In India, the conference began in the evening where three sessions were presented, each followed by a Q&A time with the participants. Randy Leinen, Executive Pastor of The Bridge began the conference with a session on transformation groups. These are small groups of 3-5 participants that provide a strong focus on bible study, accountability, evangelism, and prayer. Pastor Joe Leinen followed this by talking on the importance of small groups in the local church. Both of these ideas are somewhat foreign concepts in the Indian church. The evening concluded with a challenge toward church planting from Patrick Carmichael, Senior Pastor of Christ Bible Church.
After a night of rest, Saturday morning in India saw the pastors once again start logging in and talking together as they eagerly anticipated the final three sessions. Mike Vos, ACBC Certified Biblical Counselor, began the day with an introduction to Biblical Counseling. Thinking about what the Bible has to say about life’s problems was a solid start to the day, followed by many questions from the men. Pastor Paul completed the conference as he taught the two final sessions on Conflict Resolution and Leadership Development.
What joy it was meeting with these beloved men – leaders and teachers – eager to grow in their knowledge of the Lord and strengthen the local churches across Asia. Through God’s Spirit, we were not only friends but also brothers caring for one another as we toil for the Lord and his Church. This is the very mission of STN. God, in his sovereignty, took our humble plans for a conference to become a jumping-off point for future opportunities to provide solid biblical training and church development across Asia as he continues to unite His family around the globe.
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.