Dr. Chris Gnanakan
Revd. Dr. Chris Gnanakan, DMin, PhD. is the Director of Training for Outreach To Asia Nationals. OTAN serves in over nine countries in Asia where traditional missions is ‘restricted’, by equipping and empowering national, pastoral leaders to fulfil the great commission. Chris, a native of Bangalore, worked as an electrician in MICO factory for 3 years before theological studies at the Word of Life Bible Institute and School of Youth Mission (New York). He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from Tennessee Temple University and went on to do a Master’s in Divinity at Temple Baptist Seminary that he completed at the Asia Graduate School of Theology.
Chris was a youth pastor and ordained at Emmanuel Baptist Church. In 1990 he founded Banaswadi Bible Church where he was the pastor-teacher for over 10 years. He is known as a Youth, Bible & Mission conference speaker and for his radio broadcast with FEBA (Transforming Truth) and TWR (Thru the Bible). His passion is for evangelism, whole-life discipleship, mentoring, training leaders & empowering the Church in Mission.
Chris lectures on and produces curriculum for ‘Biblical Mandate for Evangelism’ at the Haggai Institute for Leadership Development (since 1999 at Maui & Singapore). As an evangelical, he has served as a consultant with the Commission on World Mission & Evangelism on-site London, Switzerland, Athens, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Chile and with Urban Missions in Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines and China.
During his stay and PhD research in the UK, Chris was a Teaching Assistance at the University of Leeds in the department of Theology & Religious Studies and also served as a minister at the South Parade Baptist Church, where he developed outreach & care cells. Chris teaches ‘Clinical Pastoral Education’ at the Bangalore Baptist Hospital. He is chairman for the Christian Forum for Child Development & Samaritan Purse’s regional Prescription for Hope program
Since 1995, Chris joined SAIACS as Professor and HoD of Pastoral Theology & Counseling and Dean of Chapel. Here, for 13 years, he trained leaders for ministry and mission in India’s globalising context and is passionate doing ”Evangelism through Local Churches”. He is now appointed to serve as the Director of Training for OTAN (Outreach To Asia Nationals) from June 2009.
Chris is happily married to Dorothy, an IT software educator, and they have two daughters Alethea and Charis. Chris enjoys memorising poems on the Bible and football.
Life is not a playground, it’s a battlefield! Many Christians are victims of life’s trials and temptations instead of being victorious over them. From the well-know story of Caleb (Jos.14: 6-15) there are at least three characteristics in him that can challenge believers today to be more than conquerors through Christ. God continues to search for Christians who like Caleb don’t settle for molehills but claim their mountains for God. May God enable us to find a cause, make a claim and be more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus who loving calls us to fulfill His purposes (Rom.8:31-39). 
What is striking and humbling is that Peter could have refused to hear Jesus’ words or at any point said, ‘No’ to his: ‘let me use your boat’, ‘launch out deeper’ or ‘follow me to be a fisher of men’. At that particular point, Peter would have missed out, not just on the catch of fish, but in experiencing the miracle and more so the blessing of being called and sent in Missio Dei! Peter goes deeper, risking the loss of his reputation and career only to gain an experience of God in Christ. He discovers Christ is no ordinary teacher-preacher or miracle-worker, but God’s agent and his ‘Lord’. Jesus is Liberator from guilt and sin; Lord of Peter’s daily work and the true Leader of our missionary endeavors. He finds ‘in Christ’, God’s grace is greater than all our sin, Truth that sets us free and Love that casts out all fears.
Who we are before God is much more important than what we do for Him. From this message to Zerubabbel we can deduce the kind of people God is looking for. At least three qualities stand out: First God uses those who are humble. Not the pushy type or those who seek the spot light but are ‘lampstands’ filled with God’s gentle spirit. Second, God can use only those who are available: like these olive trees, people who are ‘there’ and ready to feed and serve others. Finally, God delights to anoint and use people who are reliable, who like Joshua and Zerubabbel stand continuously in the presence by the Lord. Humble, available and reliable. Are you someone God can use? 
Blogs by this Author
God Knows What He’s About!
- By Dr. Chris Gnanakan
- Published 03/2/2010
When God wants to drill a man,And thrill a man,And skill a manWhen God wants to mold a manTo play the noblest part;When He yearns with all His heartTo create so great and bold a manThat all the world ...
Valentine - Are You Really Mine?
- By Dr. Chris Gnanakan
- Published 02/18/2010
Have you ever evaluated your ‘Romance Level’? Try it, with your partner, and rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is the lowest if the statement below is absolutely False or give yo...
Keeping The Main Thing As The Main Thing
- By Dr. Chris Gnanakan
- Published 02/3/2010
As I direct the training of nationals pastors for evangelism and church planting in restricted access countries, once again, I’m convinced of the importance of “keeping the main thing as t...
Lead, Follow or Move Out!
- By Dr. Chris Gnanakan
- Published 01/25/2010
An evangelical leader who read my PhD proposal and encouraged me in my research was John Stott. As I return to my teaching and ministry in India, he prayed with me and exhorted me to “stick to S...
The Days of Our Lives
- By Dr. Chris Gnanakan
- Published 01/18/2010
Here we are, its 2010, already! There have been times in my life when, like Job (7:6), I’ve felt ‘my days are spent so fast and full of hopelessness’. Other times, emerging from a da...