Dr. Jon Pratt, Vice President of Academic Affairs and New Testament Professor at Central Seminary, and his wife Elaine recently returned from their third trip to visit Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Kerala, India.

A Growing Ministry

Dr. Sambhu De and his wife Molly minister in the southern region of India. Since Sambhu’s graduation from Central Seminary with a ThD degree, Fourth Baptist Church (Plymouth, MN) has served as the sending church for their ministry. They began by planting Emmanual Baptist Church out of their home. On the Pratts’ first visit to India in 2004, the church family was gathering in their home with plans for a church property. When the Pratts returned in 2016, they worshipped together with the church family at their completed property in Cochin city. Sam has also planted the Faith Baptist Church on the college campus in Kerala, about 40km north of Cochin.  The pictures below are from the current church property in Cochin.

Emmanuel Baptist Church offers regular worship services in English and Malayalam, as well as a monthly combined bilingual service. Below is a picture of Dr. Pratt preaching through an interpreter and a picture of the congregation in Cochin. 

Enriching Minds and Hearts

A significant part of Dr. Pratt’s visit was to deliver the opening messages for the college and seminary’s Spiritual Life Conference that begins each semester. Dr. Pratt spoke first on “Jesus is the Focus” with a message on the testimony of John the Baptist from John 3:22-26 and continued with sermons on assurance, perseverance, and sanctification.

Encouraging the Faculty

Additionally, Dr. Pratt met with the 19 faculty and staff members of FBBC&S for in-service and shared lessons from the life of Paul, emphasizing the importance of loving students through effective teaching. Dr. Pratt also had opportunities to speak in chapel and share devotionals to begin the days of classes.

 Celebrating Achievements

During his visit, Dr. Pratt had the honor of personally delivering a Master of Arts in Theology diploma to Rajesh, a Central Seminary graduate who was unable to travel to the U.S. for his graduation ceremony in May. Rajesh is now pursuing his Master of Divinity through Central and is currently serving as Business Manager at FBBC&S while he continues his education. Dr. Pratt expressed Central Seminary’s gratitude for the support of generous donors who enable students like Rajesh to continue their education while serving in their local communities.

Further Missionary Connections

The Pratts’ travels extended beyond Kerala. Following their visit with Sam and Molly, they traveled north of India to Nepal to visit missionaries supported by their local church in Minnesota. God’s grace was evident throughout the trip, and the Pratts expressed their thankfulness for the many prayers and gifts that made this trip possible to see the impact of the gospel on the other side of the world.

Dr. Pratt on the Ministry in India

Reflecting on the trip to India, Dr. Pratt shared:

“It’s a great privilege to work with one of our alumni who has been faithfully serving for over 30 years. It’s a blessing to see the development of the campus and the ongoing ministry focused on training ministers and Christian workers for the gospel in India. The way is paved for that to continue into the future!”

“Just to witness God’s grace in using Sambhu over these many years and his faithful ministry in training young people for ministry is remarkable. It’s a privilege to be partners in the gospel with servants like Sam and Molly.” – Dr. Jon Pratt

Learn More:

• To learn more about the Faith Baptist Bible College & Seminary in Kerala, India, visit their website: https://fbbcindia.org/
• This fall, Dr. Sambhu De joined us on The Central Seminary Podcast to share about ministry in India. Listen here.

Faith Baptist Bible College & Seminary in Kerala, India

Faith Baptist Bible College was established on July 1, 1997 under the leadership of the present president, Dr. Sambhu Nath De. It was felt that there was a great need for such a Bible college in central Kerala.

Faith Baptist Bible College intends to produce God-fearing and Christ-honoring Christian leaders. They should be able to carry out the Great Commission of Christ boldly and defend the historic Christian faith effectively.

Bible classes are conducted in Assamese, English, Malayalam, Manipuri, Oriya, and Tamil languages.

Songs from the College & Seminary Choir

Central Seminary’s Global Initiative

Central Seminary’s relationship with Faith Baptist Bible College & Seminary is part of our Global Initiative to assist New Testament churches in equipping spiritual leaders for Christ-exalting biblical ministry worldwide. To learn how you can help encourage students worldwide, visit our Global Initiative page.