Church PlanterTraining

Equipping and Empowering Indigenous Leaders

Dr. Sahayadas Simon's personal passion is to motivate, exhort and train fellow indigenous leaders to serve God in their own culture and language. He believes they are the best ambassadors to their local communities because they know the languages, challenges and needs of their neighbors.

They have changed lives in Christ that demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit and are willing to share Christ's love as humble servants in their villages. What these disciples do not have is

• Resources: Most of these leaders do not have the time and financial resources to go to a seminary or Bible College to study for years; they are self-supporting and busy raising families  
• Common language. Even if these obstacles were removed, most of the colleges would be unable to train them in their native language
• Common learning styles. The majority of the unreached people they live and work with belong to oral cultures. People who may not be able to understand the gospel message when it is presented in the printed or literate learning forms that 90% of the world's Christian centers of learning continue to teach. The literate communication styles: Bibles, word studies, and preaching outlines create a huge cultural barrier preventing millions of unreached people from responding to the Gospel message.

Dr. Simon knew that the only thing these evangelists lacked to become strong workers of God - capable of delivering the Good News in ways their people can hear, understand, and respond to - was a customized strategy and training, delivered in a culturally appropriate manner. 

That vision gave birth to  the Kerusomen India Pastor-Missionary Training Ministry which addresses each of the challenges mentioned above.  

First, Dr. Simon, who is an academic dean and a professor at Trivandrum Bible College, created the training to eliminate the language and cultural barriers. Translators in multiple languages are provided at every training. 

Strategic methods to reach oral cultures - storytelling with dance, drama, and music as well as other audio and visual tools - equip students to reach non-reading audiences. Second, every aspect of the curriculum provides a thorough, biblically accurate education that prepares students for future advanced studies.    

Finally, the ministry provides all the resources its students need:  teachers, study materials, and even meals, travel expenses and lodging for classroom sessions -free of charge. In exchange, the trainee sacrifices time with his or her family and the income they would earn during the required training time.  

Today, KGM India has trained hundreds of leaders and God is raising up a strong body who is boldly reaching a forgotten audience of moms, dads, and children in India. 

KGM INTENSIVE TRAINING

The KGM training is an intensive time of teaching that is on the institute level.

 
The 19-month training curriculum requires more than two years at a Bible College. 

It includes 8 weeks of classroom training and 11 months internship:

132 classroom hours Pastoral Training
132 classroom hours Church Planter Training
1650 hours Internship and Practical Training in the field

Classroom subjects covered are:

Pastoral Training
Pastoral Care and Counseling
Evangelism and Mission
Church Planting
Manual for Ministry & Church Administration
Disciple Making
Believer Basics & Problem Solving in Ministry and Mission Fields

Church  Planter Training
Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ
Basic Christian Ethics and Home
Homiletics
Hermeneutics and Study Methods
Christian Spirituality and Personality Development
Survey of the Bible (Introductory Study)

KGM's Instructors and Vision

Led by Dr. Simon and Anju Sahayadas, the Kerusomen Foundation in India focuses on Christ-centered growth. Its emphasis on pastor and leadership training ensures that future KGM churches are planted and led by Believers well equipped to faithfully preach the Word of God with the heart of God, creating strong and sustainable churches and movements in India.

DR SIMON'S CREDENTIALS

Reverend Sahayadas Simon achieved his PhD in New Testament studies at Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong, Meghalaya, India in 2022. He also earned two Master's Degrees of Divinity and of New Testament History.

In addition to directing Kerusomen Charitable Foundation's 100 churches and it's pastor training initiative, Dr. Simon also serves as the Academic Dean to Trivandrum Bible College, an inter-denominational institution, where he teaches and recruits committed believers for the Kerusomen ministry.

Anju Sahayadas Simon, wife of Dr. Simon, is Director of Women's Ministries at Kerusomen Charitable Foundation, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. 

Anju shares her husband's passion to motivate, exhort and train fellow indigenous leaders to serve God in their own culture and language.

 In addition to vetting and training women missionaries, Anju oversees the foundations' widow rescue and women's ministries that serve at-risk women by teaching them small business and money management skills so they can lift themselves out of poverty.

ANJU SAHAYADAS'' CREDENTIALS

Anju studied at the same schools as Pastor Simon, where they met. She achieved her Bachelor of Theology Degree, she was appointed Dean of Women at Grace Bible College. She went on to earn two Master's Degrees of Divinity and of Theology in Missions.

"Our goal is to train India's youth with the knowledge and skills to empower others for spiritual and social development by proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed. May they will lead the way to win the lost, plant churches, and disciple new believers, reproducing themselves throughout our culture." Dr. Simon and Anju Sahayadas

THE ROLE OF KERUSOMEN GOSPEL MINISTRIES USA

The KGM partners across America are honored to partner with Dr. Simon and Anju in their training ministry through our Fountain Community. Learn more about how you can make a difference: