Strengthening marriages through biblical principles
More than 200 pastors and their wives gathered Monday night for Day 1 of TIPP's Family Conference.
The India Pastors Project (TIPP), the ministry led by Chuck Myers, Tim Brown and myself, kicked off a three-day Pastors Family Conference on Monday evening.
More than 100 dedicated pastor couples from across the east coast of India journeyed to a conference center in Hyderabad, gathering to hear us speak on marriage and relationships from a biblical perspective.
Our trusted liaison, Pastor KP, translated our sessions into Telugu.
Most of the 200-plus attendees traveled hundreds of miles from rural villages to watch us teach over Zoom for five hours — from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. (ET). Their commitment to strengthen their marriages, families and communities is truly humbling, and we’re grateful to be part of their journey.
Here are the subjects that we taught on Monday night:
Genesis 1:26-2:24: God’s plan for marriage.
Genesis 3: History’s first marriage in trouble.
Hebrews 11: The faith of Abraham and Moses.
Colossians 3:18-21: God’s roles for husbands and wives.
Genesis 12-23: Abraham and Sarah.
Genesis 29: Jacob, Rachel and Leah.
If you’re familiar with the stories above, you know we dive into both inspiring examples of strong marriages and the real-life challenges struggling marriages face. There’s wisdom to be found in both.
We’ll teach for another five hours on Tuesday night and finish with five more hours on Wednesday.
Typically, our teaching focuses solely on pastors, but once a year, we gather about 100 pastors and their wives for a unique Pastors Family Conference. This annual event has been truly transformative for many couples, opening their eyes to biblical insights on marriage they might not have encountered before.
Here’s what last year’s attendees had to say about the experience:
Pastor KP said: “One couple came to me during the tea break and said that this conference is more than a family conference — it’s like a service center where a vehicle goes in for repair. That couple has not had peace and unity in their marriage life, but yesterday they both realized their sins and repented for their rudeness towards each other. They had no peace in their marriage life for 19 years, but God restored their marriage through our conference teachings and encouragement.”
A husband said: “You taught me that the wife is equal to the husband although we may have different roles. You taught me that my wife is a precious diamond. I want to love my wife until the point of death. Thank you for letting us know what God says about our roles in our families.”
A wife said: “From the first day this week, the Holy Spirit spoke to me about how rude and mean I am to my husband, and I ran to my husband to ask his forgiveness. The Holy Spirit has given me new eyes to see my husband. I used to view him as a caterpillar. But now I see him as a beautiful butterfly. What a beautiful butterfly God has blessed me with.”
I’m eager to hear this year’s testimonies!
TIPP’s history
Four years ago, in the midst of the Covid lockdowns, Pastor KP was faced with an unprecedented challenge: how to continue providing in-depth Bible teaching to pastors in rural India, who were isolated and in need of guidance. Before the pandemic, American pastors would travel to India to teach for short stints, but lockdowns shut down travel entirely.
KP’s vision and need eventually found their way to Chuck and me, and we quickly suggested, “Why not Zoom?”
Though neither of us had formal seminary training, we were ready to step up. I half-jokingly called our project “Two Men and a Bible,” but we leaned on our experience — Chuck with his years of part-time pastoring and me with my 35-year commitment to small-group Bible studies.
In January 2021, TIPP started with around 50 pastors joining us remotely, and the response was incredible. Our numbers grew month by month — from 50 to 75 to 125, and soon we were hosting over 200 pastors each session. At our largest three-day conferences, more than 300 pastors gathered to learn and grow in their faith.
Many of these pastors live in impoverished rural areas on India’s east coast, where formal Bible education is a distant dream. That’s why TIPP funds their travel, lodging, and meals entirely. They give so much to their communities, and we wanted to remove any barriers to their growth and encouragement.
Our three-day conferences often focus on the foundational teachings of books like Genesis and John, while our one-day village conferences, hosted by KP with a portable video setup, cover shorter books like Galatians or Ephesians.
These sessions aren’t just learning opportunities — they’re a boost of encouragement and confidence. Pastors report returning home empowered, equipped and inspired, with many seeing their congregations double or even triple in size and baptisms soar.
Today, Pastor KP believes that more than 300,000 Indians have come to faith through the work of the 2,000-plus pastors we’ve had the privilege to teach.
I can’t verify that number, but I do know this: whether it’s 300,000 or just 300, each transformed life makes every session, every conference, and every moment worthwhile. Because, in God’s economy, a single soul is worth every ounce of effort.
