Church of the Lutheran Confession of India

The Church of the Lutheran Confession of India (CLCI) traces its beginnings from the efforts of its Chairman Rev. V.S.Benjamin in 1965.

As the work spread,  Nidubrolu became the center for ministry work, orphanage and for theological education. The CLCI was registered in 1981 and affiliated with the CLC in America. In these 27 years of His service, the Lord blessed the CLCI with 203 congregations with over 10,181 members. Pastor Ruben is the CLCI representative in Chatthisghad State and also successfully doing the work over there with 11 congregations. The CLCI is served by over 200 ordained pastors and a large number of workers in areas of evangelism, outreach ministries. The Bible training school set up there in 1996-97 later became CLCI Bible Institute. The wonderful mission work from missionaries of the CLC – US made a tremendous impression on the poor people in Andhra Pradesh and gave a great encouragement to their spiritual lives and also attracted many other Christians and non-Christians. Even though the CLCI operates mainly in the rural, coastal and tribal areas, now our CLCI pastors are able to teach Luther’s catechism to their respective congregational members. With amazing grace of our Lord with the kind help and untiring hard work of our beloved Missionary Rev. David Koenig and Rev. Matthiew Ude, since many years, we have been distributing copies of catechism books (Telugu and Hinidi) in our CLCI congregations. In the midst of all the dust and dirt of false teachings that were blowing around us, now our CLCI people found this oasis of confessional Lutheranism from catechism books, with the great help from our respected CLC-USA. The CLC – US Mission Board did hard work in sending missionaries and volunteers frequently to do this tremendous job, because they have been playing a key role in this aspect.

Public Gospel Meetings:-

Rev. V.S, Preaching in gospel meeting

India lives in the villages. Every year we conduct CLCI public gospel meetings. In every meeting we start with joyful singing lead by our CLCI choir team.

The wonderful messages from Rev. V.S. Benjamin and our CLCI pastors ignite the peoples’ minds on the purpose of their existence on earth. Their inspiring messages have been refreshing many people, and promised the way to salvation and eternal life. The word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit has been channeling each individual to enter in to the right decision in life. We have performing number of baptisms every year during these public meetings. Jesus Christ was the ultimate winner in the hearts of many people including youngsters.

Statistics:-

The CLCI’s work is mainly in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a Telugu-speaking region. The CLCI is very active in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh coastal belt. Great number of the CLCI members is from poor families and knows the heavy burden of poverty and unemployment. In the same manner, the CLCI also has been expanding more and more in rural, sub-urban and urban areas of RangaReddy (Dt), Nalgonda (Dt), East Godavari (Dt), West Godavari (Dt), Visakapatnam (Dt), Guntur (Dt), Prakasam (Dt), Krishna (Dt), Kammam (Dt) and also has been reaching several tribal areas in Medak Dt. This following are the statistics of the CLCI.

Outreach:-

The CLCI outreach is being carried out by tracts, pamphlets, through conducting public Gospel meetings, Jesus film, and personal work. Bible evangelists are effective in gaining access to Hindu and Muslim homes. In the year 2007-08 many of the new Muslim and Hindu souls were added to the CLCI. The CLCI runs repeatedly VBS programs, Sunday schools. The CLCI has some good men and women as evangelists who desire to see men and women come to join churches for Christ. Over 5,000 men and women regularly study the Bible and promote the Christian faith.

1. The CLCI has been evangelizing by taking the following steps to assist our CLCI members and existing non-Christians to assimilate into our CLCI:

2. Evangelization through friends and neighbors by the existing members’ one on one basis.

3. Preparation and distribution of tracts, New Testaments and explaining our services, connected with the CLCI.

4. Making contact with independent Christian groups, who left their own churches with some reason, getting information from our CLCI congregations. Through successful Bible correspondence course.

Film Ministry: -

During night times we have been presenting Christian films like Jesus film and some Christian Plays, dramas and devotional singing programs in various villages. With this strategy, the CLCI has been achieving very good success in doing mission work in many rural areas of Andhra Pradesh State. It has been giving CLCI church an opportunity to further God’s kingdom with our many other brothers and sisters in the rural communities. 

Man has limits in his asking and in his imaginations. But God has no limits. He is all-powerful. He is ABLE to do beyond the limits of man. We never imagine using a LCD film projector for our CLCI outreach programs. As bonus, in the place of VCR we have also been using a wonderful DVD player.

We have been doing this film ministry since 2003 with great success. To accelerate and intensify the CLCI outreach activities, this film ministry was launched out in 2003 with the slogan Go and Send. Our CLCI youth and seminary students have been coordinated this film ministry. The CLCI film ministry team was provided with LCD projector, amplifiers, loud speakers and portable generator with gas lights. With this Film Ministry, His power is working within His people through His indwelling Spirit. That power can work beyond circumstances. That hovering Spirit of God can give form to formlessness, can fill emptiness, and can dispel darkness (Gen 1:2). With our Lord’s grace we have received the wonderful LCD Film projector from the respected CLC. We express our heart felt thanks to respected CLC Missionaries Rev.  Koenig and Rev. Ude for providing new LCD film projector to the CLCI. Under this film ministry, now we have been able to go to remote tribal villages and many other villages and even to colonies to spread the light of the word of God. Over the years, this CLCI film ministry has helped us to produce incredible results. We are sure about this film ministry. And we are proud to say that with this film ministry more people will be added to the CLCI. We firmly know that Seeing is Believing.

Objectives of the CLCI

1. Continue to provide helpful and meaningful worship, Christian Education and service opportunities to the attending and supporting constituency of the church.
2. Continue to assure that the services of the pastor and congregation are equitably available to as many new people as possible.
3. Establish and implement a plan to expand our church program to accommodate the needs of an ever-increasing number of people from the tribal communities of Lambadi, Erukala yanadi and the surrounding areas of Perecharla, Koraguntapalem in some other rural areas of Andhra Pradesh.
4. Continue to recognize, affirm and support the village, district congregations of the CLCI Church.
Work Plan of the CLCI 2009-10.
In order to meet our objectives this year we are planning to give attention to the following issues:
1. Continue to increase awareness of our CLCI presence in the rural villages and surrounding areas by offering special outreach programs like Jesus Film, public meetings, distribution of tracts etc, to generate a flow of visitors to the church.
2. Expand and refine our CLCI ministry to children by developing Children’s programs and recruiting special teachers to help develop a comprehensive strategy to respond to children’s spiritual needs.
3. Prepare a job description for a volunteer Minister of Prayer and recruit someone to develop a system to organize and help the pastor to educate the church in matters of prayer.
4. Continue to adapt our church building construction projects in various rural and urban areas.

Vision of the CLCI:

“Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)

The CLCI seeks to experience and reflect Christ by:
1. Reaching upward in worship, by continuing our current meaningful Sunday worship services.

2. Reaching inward in spiritual growth.
By evaluate our Sunday School programs for Church children and Orphan children,
Conducting adult educational programs to increase literacy rate of the congregation.
Considering new models for Sunday School Children so that our children learn the Bible stories in the most effective manner.
To determine how to involve more to best maximize our youth ministry, to increase in the effectiveness of the spiritual growth of our CLCI youth.
Maximize the spiritual care and support we offer to people in our church with personal needs such as house visiting, more counseling in family and marriage issues, providing medical assistance for the elderly people

3. Reaching outward in service to others on our faith
Increase the number of Public Gospel meeting,
Study ways to expanded youth outreach,
Finding our new preaching stations, Construction more prayer sheds,
Finding out the housing needs of the poor members,
Conducting more social service programs like medical camps in the rural areas,
Employing more evangelist in the Hindu and Muslim areas,
Examine financial assistance options from the congregation to the individuals who participate so they go as evangelists for our CLCI church.

CLCI has wonderful plans in store in this year that will bring many souls to a closer and meaningful relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Highlights in the year for us has been the increased prayer life of the church, seeing God draw men and women and boys and girls to Himself, involvement with missions, and working with the elders in developing a vision in light of our church values. The goal of the CLCI is to revere and give homage to God, serving Him through profound adoration, intense love and desire, intimately turning towards Him, exposing our essential innermost selves in complete honesty and surrender.

The church operates a Bible Institute for training the pastors, an orphanage for boys and girls.

God kept His wonderful presence with the CLCI. It is wonderful to see everything that God is doing in midst of the CLCI. We give all the glory for His work in our lives as we seek to make His name known in our Indian community.

Thank you

Pastor Jyothi Benjamin