General Superintendent James H. Diehl recently experienced a variety of first-time accomplishments in the Church of the Nazarene in South Asia. With the growth of the Church of the Nazarene in India over the past 110 years, the India Field was created out of the South Asia Field, and with the appointment of Rev. Sunil Dandge as field strategy coordinator, the first Indian field strategy coordinator in the history of the Church of the Nazarene was named.

With missionaries arriving in India in 1898 sent by one of the holiness groups that later merged to become the Church of the Nazarene, India is the first world area of Nazarene ministry to predate the denomination, which will celebrate its centennial this year. At the inauguration of the India Field this January under the direction of Rev. Dandge, the ten district superintendents of this new field were brought to the platform—all ten native Indians. “It was a historic day for the Church of the Nazarene in India!” said Dr. Diehl. “The indigenous church has taken over the leadership.”

The creation of the India Field was part of the festivities of the South Asia Field Conference in a city in central India. More than 500 people were present with Nazarene guests from the Eurasia Region and beyond. In the very heart of Hindu extremist territory, with some political tensions, special guest speakers preached only in the early morning services with Indians unexpectedly being called upon to preach in the evening services. They “stepped up to the plate,” said Dr. Diehl, “in the power of the Spirit absolutely anointed by the Lord. Right before our eyes we were seeing the leadership of our church in India rising to the top.”

The Sunday morning service of the South Asia Field Conference included over 30 graduates awarded degrees from South Asia Nazarene Bible College, an invitation following the morning sermon that brought more than 200 people crowding to the front for prayer, ordination of 21 elders in the Church of the Nazarene, and a closing communion service.

Other significant “firsts” during Dr. Diehl’s visit to other parts of the South Asia Field included the ordination of the first four elders in Sri Lanka, the first district assembly held on the India Northeast District under the direction of the first woman Nazarene district superintendent in all of South Asia, Rev. Kim Singson, the declaration in Bangalore, India, of the Karnataka District as the first Phase 3 (fully self-supporting) district in all of India, and the declaration of Bangladesh also as a Phase 3 district.   

At the India Northeast District’s first-ever assembly, 400 people from the mountains and plains of the remote area of Manipur came together for what Dr. Diehl described as a one-day district revival and assembly. After witnessing their indescribably joyous worship, enthusiasm, vision, and faith, he watched them at the end of the day climb into open-bed trucks, vans, and a few cars. The final group of 35 people left on foot, beginning a three-day walk back to their area in the mountains, staying at nights along the way in villages wherever they would be allowed. Their devotion and joy “left an incredibly deep mark on my mind and heart,” said Dr. Diehl.