The book attempts to examine the evangelical preaching done by the indigenous preacher K. Lalhmingliana and his team called El-Bethel Evangelistic Team. It is an attempt to prove an assumption that the preaching of Evangelical preaching is more attractive than that of the Conventional Pastoral preaching of the Church and has created negative attitudes between the preaching of El- Bethel Team and the traditional Church preaching.
Against all the negativity; the author asserts that the creativity, commitment and thoughtfulness of K. Hminga and his team has enriched the church and helped it to move forward for the extension of the Kingdom of God. People did not reject the preaching of the Pastors and Elders, as a result of the preaching of K. Hminga. Ecumenism was restored among the churches due to the ministry of El-Bethel Team.
Rev. Lalchawimawia (B. Th., B. D., M. Th.) is an ordained minister under the Presbyterian Church of India, Mizoram Synod. He served as a Pastor at four pastorates in three different states within India. He had also been a missionary pastor for seven years in Assam and Delhi. He taught at Leonard Theological College, MP as an Assistant Professor for 6 years. Since 2017 he is teaching Homiletics and Church Administration in the Christian Ministry department as an Associate Professor at Aizawl Theological College, Mizoram.
The book, with a title Introducing Evangelical Homiletics: An Indigenous Approach, attempts to examine the evangelical preaching done by the independent preacher K. Lalhmingliana and his team called El- Bethel Evangelistic Team. It is an attempt to prove an assumption that the preaching of evangelical preacher is more attractive than that of the pastors and elders of the Presbyterian Church and has created negative attitudes between the preaching of El- Bethel Team and the elders and pastors.
The book is divided into six chapters including introduction and nature of studies in chapter. Chapter two introduces the formation of El-Bethel Team and the nature and functions of the camping of El-Bethel team' along with the biography of the Speaker K. Lalhmingliana it also study the El-Bethel camping organized by Chanmari and Dawrpui Vengthar Presbyterian churches.
Chapter three contains the themes and biblical text of the sermons, history of collections; classifications of the sermons along with the analysis of the five sermons are also included. Since K. Hminga was a revival preacher, most of the preaching was to revive the spiritual life of the people towards the love and care of the sinners with a new heart. The 'Theme' of the sermons directly related to social issues. Corresponding to the theme, he chose the Biblical Texts. Thus, the themes determine the Biblical text. K. Hminga seems to give more importance to the theme and the nature of his audience than the Biblical text of his sermon.
During the first half of the 20th century, within a span of barely 50 years, the whole Mizo community embraced Christianity. This would certainly be an extraordinary phenomenon in the history of the world-wide Christianity. It has often been considered that the rapid growth of the Church in Mizoram was the impact of non- intermittent phases of gospel revivals which took place in distinctive forms at particular time intervals in this part of Northeast India. These revivals with their overwhelming vigor and dynamic energized and vivified the life and ministry of the Church in an unfathomable scale. One of such revivals in recent times was the so-called El- Bethel Revival which took place in the middle of 1990s and made continuing impact on the life of the church in Mizoram for decades that followed. The El-Bethel Revival was spearheaded by a gifted and committed speaker, a lay itinerant evangelist K. Lalhmingliana.
I am very happy that my colleague, Rev. Lalchawimawia, an Associate Professor (Homiletics) at the Aizawl Theological College is publishing his M.Th. thesis in a book form in which he carefully analyzes the El-Bethel Revival phenomenon with standard academic research principles. In this book the author brings out insightful findings as a result of his careful and critical study on the key person, namely, K. Lalhmingliana who stood behind this great revival; his sermons (type and theology); the organization and function of his evangelistic team; and the influence that this revival had upon the life of the people and the church.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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