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IGL brings to rural Indian culture the very best the gospel of Jesus Christ has to offer. IGL's focus is to lead people to Christ, but it doesn't stop there. Through its holistic ministry, the gospel is shared as indigenous pastors move from village to village with a complete package of the life-changing Word of God.
IGL's evangelism and church planting process
Proclaiming the gospel
For a period of three to five years, a barefoot pastor walks between 15 villages in a region sharing the story of Jesus with villagers. With the acceptance and approval of the village leader, a barefoot pastor is able to work openly, building relationships and sharing the gospel. Villagers who accept the Lord are encouraged to be open about their faith without concern for being ostracized or persecuted. The barefoot pastor does all he can to make Jesus known in the remote villages of India.
Baptizing believers
While pastors are anxious to baptize people into the kingdom, new believers must first show their understanding and commitment to Christ as the one and only true God. Prior to being baptized, a believer is asked to bring at least one other person to know the Lord.
Forming a church and training and equipping for ministry
Through small group Bible studies, new Christians are trained in the scriptures, learn about prayer and join together in worship. Adult literacy training is made available so that believers can become self-sufficient in their study of the Word. A key aspect of the equipping process is teaching and encouraging the believers to share their faith among family and friends. Through personal witness, new people are introduced to the Lord through the village Bible studies. As these groups mature and expand, several groups are brought together to form a congregation.
Next, the village pastor identifies potential evangelists and pastors and they enter into a full-time, three-year study program. The second year of the training is spent on the mission field in a supervised ministry experience. One of the prerequisites for graduation is the planting of at least one church with 20 members and the long-term goal that each new church would become self-propagating, financially self-sufficient and self-governing.
For more information on the Non-denominational Association of Interdependent Churches (NAIC), click here to visit the official website.
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