ORALITY TALKS INTERVIEWS
WITH DR. CHITTRY
Dr. Chittry is a leader, the pastor of one of the largest church networks in Nepal (over 400 churches). He and his wife co-lead a church leadership development network that has trained 100 of the top denominational and church network leaders in the country. When I asked him how he trains those serving in the remote regions of Nepal, he shared various critical aspects of their approach. In many of their encounters in their training in most of the places they go, food is scarce, and when it comes time to eat, his wife will say to everyone:
Don’t be greedy… We understand why you fill the plate. But you will get enough to eat. You can go 3 or 4 times. Eat as much as you can. We want to feed you.
When you face this type of poverty and malnourishment, often there can be a scarcity mindset. Dr. Chittry comes alongside, coaching and equipping them as they go. Sharing further, he says:
Most of them are dominated by the high castes, so they feel undervalued and uncared for. We bring the issue of how valuable we are in the sight of God and why God choose us in this time. God will use you and bring glory and honor in His Name.
The Story of Dr. Chittry
Dr. Chittry was abandoned as a child and left malnourished because of a curse placed on his life. His older brother had become a Christian and rescued him, taking him to a missionary who raised him. On the road to the missionary orphanage, his brother stopped and prayed to God:
“My brother is dying, Lord.
If you revive him,
I will commit his life to you.”
The Lord answered the prayer and allowed Dr. Chittry to live. He committed himself to serving the Lord, who saved him from the curse of his life. Allow people to understand concepts through activities that might normally occur in society, and it is through role-playing and other simulations that these ideas sync into our systems and have a longer-lasting impact.
This picture illustrates how even children’s play and programming impact the lives of adult learners.
Today, Dr. Chittry has learned sustainability and lives from an abundance mindset. He takes what God has given him and multiplies it by training others to practice ministry through sustainable systems: farming, raising chickens and pigs, etc.
On the left is a picture of Dr. Chittry with his poultry farm. He is training local pastors on how to raise and keep chickens as a means of sustainable livelihood. These practical techniques allow those in challenging socioeconomic locations around the country to thrive in the midst of their ministries.
Leadership Training
In taking these leadership lessons to the remote tribes, they often start by playing football. The untrained pastors will often say, “This is a waste of time or this is a sin.” But, it is through play, that pastors learn to go deep together and learn in a richer fashion. These are among the adult learning techniques they employ.
Part of the leadership training process includes singing songs. Heart language songs grab the attention of the trainees (pastors/church leaders) and sustain them over many years. Dr. Chittry and his wife share how those they have equipped remember the songs long after they have left the villages. These songs have spiritual meaning embedded into them and strengthen the teachings being offered in ways that are also reproducible because of how memorable they are.
For years, Dr. Chittry’s network served throughout the country, serving the poorest of the poor. This network, extending to some 400 churches across the country, was prepared, as well as could be, to come in and serve the community during their darkest modern hour like when the earthquake that devastated Nepal occurred in 2015.
In that tragic time, Dr. Chittry’s teams, along with nearly 100 graduates of A3 beyond his network, served in some of the toughest-hit villages. They developed makeshift learning venues like the one pictured below to equip those most impoverished with basic needs and spiritual relief.
Handful of Rice
As they train up leaders in these remote regions, Dr. Chittry and his wife use “The Handful of Rice” approach to equip them in generosity. Buhfai tham (‘handful of rice’) was started in the state of Mizoram in northeast India in 1910. It is a practice where each family, mainly from the Mizo ethnic group, puts aside a handful of rice every time they cook a meal. Later, they gather it and offer it to the church. The church in turn sells the rice and generates income to support its work. (To get a glimpse of this concept, check out this video "Handful of Rice - Mizoram, India".)
This form of leadership training has proven enormously successful. They encourage leaders to bring a handful of their rice to pay forward and help others in ministry. These practical approaches to leader development are enormously helpful to the illiterate and uneducated, according to Dr. Chittry. They are key to reaching these regions for Christ and equipping the community leaders to build sustainable lives and ministries.
ABOUT THE INTERVIEW SUBJECT
Dr. Chittry leads one of Nepal's largest church planting networks and is a faculty member for A3. He and his wife are trainers of trainers who have influenced most of the church networks and denominations in the country. They engage in social enterprises, rescue centers, and orphanages nationwide. In addition, they are active in community development and government relations, trying to be a bridge to the various faiths and the secular and religious state enterprises. To enable much of this work, he runs a successful company that operates in several business ventures: real estate, rental property, and land and agricultural development. A3 is a movement seeking to Change the Few who Change the Many. A3 is a global network of learning communities building the capacity of servant leaders to accelerate their mission influence. Learn more at https://a3leaders.org/about-a3/.
This story was originally published in Orality Talks Journal volume 1 issue 1, edited by A3's President, Joseph Handley. This condensed version is reposted here with permission. The full article can be found here:
https://oralitytalks.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OralityTalks-Journal-Vol-1-No-1-2024.pdf#page=7
More Information
- Photo credits:
- Remote village in Nepal by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash
- All other photos courtesy Orality Talks & Dr. Chittry
