The Baptist Mission Center is a non-profit “Christian Religious and Charitable Trust” through which we are able to reach people in the state of Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to win souls, and to establish New Testament Baptist Churches.
It encourages and aids the local churches in carrying out the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ (Mk 16:15-16; Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 13:1-3), and upholds the policies and program of the local church, which is authorized to send forth missionaries around the world to win souls.
The church also helps local missionaries to continue their ministry faithfully and to train them in the disciplines of doctrines as prescribed in the scriptures.
BMC upholds the principles and standards as set forth in the word of God and is scripturally orthodox in its messages and evangelical in its ministry. It is committed to honoring the Lord Jesus Christ in all aspects and to present Him as the only Savior and Lord of all.
Vision
Our vision is to continue our ministry through projects like Drinking Water-Wells, Bible College, Orphanage, and Health Clinic to reach the people, and establish at least 1000 churches by 2020.
Mission
Our Mission is to win souls for Christ; to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples, and planting churches.
THE HISTORY OF THE BAPTIST MISSIONS CENTRE
After my graduation, I felt that the Lord had directed me to begin the ministry of soul-winning and church planting among the people living in slum areas, at Sanathnagar area, in Hyderabad, which is the capital city of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. I began the soul-winning ministry by distributing gospel tracts in the streets and endured much persecution by the majority of Hindu and Muslim religious people and even by communist atheists. I was beaten, kicked, and tortured. I was even at the death point several times. But the Lord saved and protected me from all those terrible incidents and is still using me for His glory in my country.
The Lord has been speaking to me every time, through His Word that I should suffer and even endure persecution for His sake. “Blessed are they, which are persecuted for the righteousness sake...” (Mt 5:10); “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you…for My sake” (Mt 5:11); “…if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you…” (Jn 15:20); “…in the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).
I have remembered these sayings of our Lord, whenever I endure persecution, suffering, and harassment by such anti-Christians, all those years of my ministry in the Hyderabad area and even today, in rural areas where I am presently ministering.
MINISTRY IN HYDERABAD
One Sunday morning, at Hyderabad, while I was distributing the gospel tracts to every house through the door, I found that seven persons were worshipping the Lord in a house. When they saw me, they told me that they had accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and were saved by reading the gospel tracts, which they received from me. They invited me to lead their small congregation as their pastor. I was so glad, and I preached my first message to them on that Sunday. Later, they were all baptized by me on the same day in a lake.
I was surprised to hear that three of them were among other persecutors, who kicked me, while I was preaching in the streets. The Lord was so good and blessed the humble ministry at Hyderabad, in spite of much opposition to the gospel. By the grace of the Lord, the congregation grew and became a full-fledged Church and had a wonderful Church building. I ministered to the Church for ten years, as its first pastor and founder, from 1970 to 1980, until the Lord directed and led me to go to villages to continue the soul-winning and Church planting ministry in rural areas.
The Lord provided a life partner to me, and her name is Grace Vijaya, and we got married on August 16, 1971, while I was already ministering at Hyderabad. She was from a Hindu family, and later, she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior and got saved, while I was preaching in the Church on a Sunday. Later, she also dedicated her life to serving the Lord and got involved in the women’s ministry in the church, conducting women’s fellowships.
According to the Lord’s direction, we (our family) moved to Tiruvur, from Hyderabad, in August 1980, for the continuation of the soul-winning and Church planting ministry in the villages. I have been burdened for the people living in villages and remote places to preach the Gospel, and to win them for the Lord, even while ministering in Hyderabad.
The present Indian population is about 1.2 billion, and about 70% are living in about 750,000 villages. Most of them are uneducated and uncultured and are following primitive Hindu religious traditions and customs. Also, they worship idols of many gods and goddesses, the living and the dead, including cobra snakes. They need the gospel, and God loves them too (Jn 3:16). The Lord commands us “… go out into the … hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Lk 14:23).
I have started soul-winning and church-planting ministry in villages, according to the above commandment of the Lord, and continuing even today, by enduring persecution, harassment, and suffering, and facing a lot of opposition and abuses. The Lord is still protecting my wife and me out of all such happenings and experiences and enabling us to win souls and plant churches in villages. There were hundreds and thousands of souls saved and about 500 congregations were established at different villages and remote places, in the state of Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India, from October 1981 to April 2012.
In 1980, we began an independent Baptist ministry in India at Tiruvuru, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The ministry would change its name to THE BAPTIST MISSIONS CENTER. Dr. Joshua and Mrs. Grace Joshua, who were in ministry for ten years in the city of Hyderabad, moved to Tiruvuru, wher God had burdened to start a village ministry. They began their work in 1981. Their ministerial experience convinced them of the need for more evangelists. The Lord was so good in using them for His glory among the village people. At the same time, the local churches were encouraged to send volunteers to join and to organize their new mission. The new village ministry began growing with tens and hundreds of converts and baptized believers.
God richly multiplied and blessed the vision in 1982. The BMC began training several local young men to assist in continuing the ministry. These trained young men were given charge to continue a follow-up ministry in several villages where we had planted churches. The Lord has been blessing our village ministry. Since then, several other independent preachers ministering in other areas began joining our team and inviting us to expand our ministry in their places.