What is Equip Indian Churches?

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Transcript

Harshit Singh: Hey brothers! What is Equip Indian Churches after all?

Nathan Eda: I think before we talk about what it is, it's good to talk about what it's not. And it's not a local church. Because the biblical definition of the church seems to be believers that covenant together and do life together, help each other grow into Christ's likeness, and it's also not local. We're all from different parts of the country and so it's not a local church.

Harshit Singh: That's very helpful, yeah.

Stephan David: And I would also add that it is not a denomination, where we become a massive entity, controlling, and exercising authority over the local churches, and having a hierarchical structure. Right Reverend Doctor Bishop Harshit. So, we don't have any such thing and also we don't hire and fire people. We have no authority, zero authority over the local churches.

Harshit Singh: Okay!

Benjamin George: Yeah it's also not an organization. We don't have organizational policies and things like that. We're not a government-registered trust or society, or things like that. We are an informal network of pastors, who are friends with one another, who seek to encourage one another and that's why we exist and we want to grow that network but in an informal capacity. Harshit Singh: Yeah! I love it how you like went on to tell us what it is. So, it's an informal friendship and very organic.

Stephan David: Organic, okay!

Harshit Singh: Everybody loves it, yeah. Anything more what is EIC, anything more positive positively what it is?

Nathan Eda: And yet it is a very committed partnership one with another. And so without taking over the church, we are intentionally having our churches partner together, whether it's to see more resources come out in India. Like books, I mean so that's been one of the biggest negatives in India. That we don't have resources,

Stephan David: Yes!

Nathan Eda: And we're trying to develop resources for the sake of the church for the equipping of the church. So it is informal and yet we don't want to say, it's just us meeting together and having chai. We are trying to assist and help the church, as EIC.

Harshit Singh: So, yeah I see. One of the things that we do is we have a blog called equipindianchurches.com. Did you tell us something about it brother?

Stephan David: Yeah! That's a blog where several pastors from several churches in India contribute articles and provide resources on various topics. So, pastors and believers can be informed about what the Bible teaches about certain topics and several topics about which many are ignorant. And through this we are able to help others and disciple others and encourage others and exalt the authority of the word of God through these articles.

Harshit Singh: And yet, so go ahead

Nathan Eda: And so it just isn’t uniformity, unity without uniformity. So our churches look different. So, when we go to each other's churches, we look, it looks different and we learn from one another, where we...

Harshit Singh: It was very upper-class, trendy in Mumbai!

Nathan Eda: No, actually it is a mixture of upper class and lower class. Because in the church in Mumbai, we don't have those distinctions.

Stephan David: Same in Hyderabad, we are against a homogeneous community. We want a heterogeneous community. Where people come from different classes, castes, backgrounds, and education. And we portray to the world that this diversity of people in this church is the community which is possible only because of the blood of Christ.

Harshit Singh: Praise God! Do you want to quickly talk about the workshops that we do through EIC? Why do we do that? What are we doing?

Benjamin George: Yeah! So, the workshops that we do in different cities across India is basically talks and resources on how to help churches in those cities get healthier, based on principles of Scripture. So, we do workshops on evangelism and missions, and workshops on why the gospel should be central, we do workshops on membership and culture of discipling and expositional preaching and things like that. Things that will help churches get stronger and healthier.

Harshit Singh: One thing, I think, I want to also talk about. What is unique about EIC, which is, I think that the Lord helped us different brothers come together. And it's a homegrown movement and it's indigenous. It is very Indian in character and culture and the way we think. So, nobody is controlling us, telling us what we should do. Our agenda is not determined by different organizations. We're not a subset or a subsidiary of another organization, but it is just us. But it's not my ministry, it's not your ministry or your ministry. But it is our ministry, it's an extension of what we are doing in local churches and together we want to see the gospel.

Stephan David: And that is the reason, we deliberately named it as Equip Indian churches because we don't want to be a brand of a Western ministry, but to be completely indigenous, local. So, that it can be Indian, and impact Indian churches.

Nathan Eda: And the overarching idea is the sovereignty of God. So, God has brought us together. We were not going seeking after one another. God has brought us together. God has brought our churches together. The training that we're doing, we saw a need in our own local churches and the churches around us. And so we said let's do workshops. And to add to that, Brother here said we're not over churches. But we're also positively to serve churches and so the moment. We don't do that. I think we're all very clear that we don't want to be an organization that exists to take over the church. I think we need to reconsider EIC, if we're taking over the church and becoming a church.

Stephan David: And we use the word, maybe we can say that we don't substitute the local church, we support the local church.

Nathan Eda: Yeah that's a good way.

Benjamin George: We're not an organization.

Harshit Singh: We're not an organized organization. We're an organically organized organization. No, I think we're grateful for EIC as long as we are faithful. We are primarily, most of us, primarily pastors in local churches. And our priority, our commitment is to the local churches preaching the gospel. And if this ever overtakes that I think we need to step back and it's okay for EIC to not exist.

Benjamin George: Yes.

Nathan Eda: Yes.

Harshit Singh: If the local church is in any way affected or hurt, I mean I think we're very clear about that.

Stephan David: Yeah absolutely.Harshit Singh: Thank you brother, thank you very much.