|
Name of National Alliance:
Evangelical Fellowship of India
Principal leader:
Rev. Dr. Richard Howell
General Secretary
Public email address & phone number:
mail@efionlne.org, Tel: 91-11-26431133, 26423727, Fax: 91-11-26285350
National Alliance Profile:
The Evangelical Fellowship of India was founded n 1951 as a national alliance of Evangelical Christians.
VISION: We see Evangelical Churches, Institutions and Individuals effectively witnessing to the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed and transforming the nation.
CORE VALUES:
1. Decisiveness of Christ.
2. Authority of the Bible for faith and work.
3. Centrality of the Church in God's redemptive plan.
4. Necessity to witness the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in word and deed.
5. Working towards peace and wholeness between individuals, communities and the environment.
6. Solidarity through strategic alliances for collaboration between organizations. 7. Aiming for excellence in all our work with transparency, integrity and accountability.
MISSION: We are an Evangelical Alliance called to serve Churches, Institutions and Individuals by strategic initiatives, capacity building and forging solidarity, thus facilitating the mission of witnessing to the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed, and nation building.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
Identity: Evangelical
Approach: Alliance
Constituency: Churches, Institutions, Individuals.
Role: Facilitator
MINISTRY DIRECTIONS:
1. Strategic Initiatives
2. Capacity Building
3. Forging Solidarity
OBJECTIVES:
1. Witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and deed.
2. Nation Building.
GOVERNANCE:
1. General Body
2. Executive Committee
3. CEO / National Director (Ex-Officio) Member of EC
Leadership Team (3 Directors & CP) Invitees to EC
MINISTRIES
Theology, Family, Children (Children at Risk), Development, Women, Advocacy (Religious Liberty, Transformational Mission), Youth, Missions, Urban, Leaders, Media, Oppressed (OBC, ST and SC), Spiritual Nurture (Revival, Evangelism and Prayer).
www.efionline.org
God is in charge of India, a country that has a population of about 1,100 million of whom 28 million (2.7%) are Christian. Tradition states that Thomas the Apostle who said, “Let us also go to die with him” (Jn 11:16) sowed the seed of the Good News in India from 52 A.D. to 72 A.D. Many missionary societies in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially with the beginning of the Protestant missionaries sent to India by King Frederick of Denmark in 1706, the gospel is preached day in and day out in most of the nooks and corners of the country. The church networks under the umbrellas of Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), National Council of Churches (NCC), the Catholics Bishops of India (CBCI), the Assemblies of God (AG) and others have been active both individually and as a unified network in the country. God is at work both among the upper caste and among the Dalits of the nation.
The National Alliance of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) is a central network of Evangelicals. It is a service organization for capacity building to enable the church, make disciples of Christ and promote the church’s participation in the nation building task. The EFI has been active in the Lord’s Vineyard through prayer and action alongwith its members who comprise of about 82 denominations, 148 related organizations and thousand of individuals through its various ministries described above.
Among the primary challenges and threats the very first one is the need of raising and following up spirit-filled church leaders for various ministries especially among the Dalits and Tribal Communities located in the remote and backward regions of the country. Capacity building of the churches and their members to fearlessly witness to the Good News of Jesus through word and deed is a process that has to go on and on especially in the states of Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The 7 small and remote states and the Union Territories of India in the North Eastern part of the country also need special and urgent attention.
Opportunities are a plenty. In the midst of persecutions, or perhaps precisely because of the persecutions, more and more individuals and communities are seeking the Lord as “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14:6). There are more and more demands too for capacity building programs because of the fruits that are visible on account of the on-going efforts in this direction. The Advocacy Chain Prayer (ACP), the Christian Legal Association (CLA), the Evangelical Financial Accountability Council (EFAC), etc., for example, have also opened up enormous opportunities for the EFI to address to the needs of the Church in India.
Prayer can shake houses, cities and nations and fill them with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31). When we seek the peace and prosperity of the city we too will prosper. (Jer 29:7). We request you to pray for our following needs in particular:
• That God may raise more spirit-filled church leaders in India and that He may manifest his glory more and more in India by making many men and women His disciples.
• That the Pastors and other believers who are under going persecution in the states of Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar may stand courageously as witnesses to the Good News of Jesus and that others may see in them the message of salvation for themselves.
• That the churches and the institutions related to them may be more effective and transparent in their activities and be the signs of excellence in a country that is ridden with corruption and exploitation.
|
