About
… Revd. Dr. Chris Gnanakan, DMin, PhD.
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 fulfill the Great Commission
Permanent Address: 7A Asheervad Colony, 4th A Main, Horamavu Road Cross, Banaswadi, Bangalore – 560043, INDIA
Email: chrisgnanakan@gmail.com
Phone: (+91) 9900154568
Personal Web Page: www.chrisgnanakan.com
Qualifications:
• Diploma Electrical Engineering, Motor Industries (MICO) Bangalore, 1984
• Diploma in Biblical Studies, Word of Life Bible Institute and the School of Youth, Missions & Evangelism (WOLBI/SYME) Albany, New York, 1985 (honors)
• BA (Pastoral Studies and Psychology) Tennessee Temple University, USA – 1987 (summa cum laude)
• MDiv (Pastoral Theology) Asia Graduate School of Theology, 1993
• MTh (Pastoral Theology & Counseling) SAIACS, Bangalore, 1995
• DMin (A Theology of Suffering & Glory in 1 Peter) SAIACS, Bangalore 1998
• PhD (Health & Charismatic Studies) Leeds University, UK, 2006 (distinction)
• International Faculty, Haggai Institute for Leadership Training, since 1999
• Consultant with the Commission on World Mission & Evangelism, 2001 – and member of the International Council for Higher Education, 2008 -
A Brief CV:
A native of Bangalore, Chris worked as an electrician in MICO factory for 3 years before theological studies at the Word of Life Bible Institute & School of Youth Mission (New York). He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from Tennessee Temple University and went 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, integrated learning, mentoring, training leaders & empowering the Church in Mission.
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. He 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.
Chris joined SAIACS in 1995, and served as Professor & 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 continues passionately doing ’Evangelism through local churches’. In June 2009, he was appointed as the Director of Training for Outreach To Asia Nationals (OTAN).
Since 1999, Chris lectures on and produces curriculum for ‘Biblical Mandate for Evangelism’ at the Haggai Institute for Leadership Development (Maui & Singapore) . As an evangelical, he is 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. He is a contributing member of the International Council for Higher Education (ICHE), Bangalore, part of the vision-leadership team at the Institute for Religion and Society in Asia (IRSA, Oxford) and serves on the board of Academic Ministry Opportunities (AMO, Washington DC) that is committed to the development of outstanding younger Christian scholars worldwide to the highest academic standard.
Chris is happily married to Dorothy, an IT software educator, and they have two daughters Alethea (in pre-university) and Charis (in grade 7). Chris enjoys memorising poems on the Bible and football.
