With the wider church in India.

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Written October 2023

 
Appointment as leader of The Salvation Army in Central India in 1990 brought a different set of challenges to someone whose career until then had been medical in nature. Within weeks of our arrival in Chennai I shared the dais with other church and para-church leaders at a Luis Palau rally.  It was good to get know them. I soon linked up with several: in particular Lutherans at Gurukul Theological College; Evangelicals at the Church Growth Institute.  Staff at both centres proved invaluable as we settled into new roles. Meeting regularly with an interfaith group was another broadening and enriching experience. 
 
I was invited to speak at a consultation on religious fundamentalism convened in association with the Christian Conference of Asia  and held at The Ecumenical Christian Centre in Bangalore.  Sikh, Hindu and Islamic representatives were there too. When I asked why me, I got the reply. 'We thought you were an evangelical fundamentalist!' O, the danger of assumptions!
 
And then another surprise invitation: to address the annual doctors' conference of the Christian Medical Association of India. This topic was difficult for someone who'd left the medical world behind: Quality Assurance! I scoured the weekly British Medical Journal that arrived by courtesy of the Christian Medical Fellowship. Straddling two worlds had its own challenges. 
 
And then another surprise. I looked out on a Sunday morning congregation as I stood up to lead. There they were - Leprosy. Mission general secretary, Bill Edgar and international chairman Ian Milne.  TLM's Board was meeting in Chennai. 'We thought we'd just pop in to say hello,' they said. But by the end of the conversation they'd asked me to consider returning to the technical reference panel. I couldn't escape!
 
At a national level it was helpful to meet other leaders at the National Council of Churches in India. Among others were representatives of the Marthoma Church. Their deep spirituality appealed, but so did their rejection of any form of autocracy, infallibility or dictatorship. They told me how they reached their decisions by thorough discussion, in which everyone's voice could be heard. There might not be uniform agreement, but once they reached 'consensus in the spirit' everyone, including the presiding bishop, was then honour bound to accept this as the decision.  Their example helped shape my own concept of leadership as a duty that can and should be shared, even if instructions must be given by one person. 
 
A 1993 visit to Kolkata included a private visit to the Missionaries of Charity orphanage. It concluded with a 15 minute conversation graciously offered by Mother Teresa. She spoke glowingly of a Salvation Army feeding programme with people of the street in the city. 'It's something  beautiful for God when we work together,' she remarked. We concluded by offering prayer for her and the work of the sisters. 
 
Please Lord, grant us always a clear vision of you as our model of servant leadership. 
 
October 2023