Bakht Singh
Brother Bakht Singh
Bakht Singh was one of the most influential indigenous Christian leaders of twentieth-century India. Born into a prosperous Sikh family in the Punjab, he studied engineering abroad and came to Christian faith while overseas in the late 1920s, being baptised in 1932. Returning to India, he became a tireless itinerant preacher and planted a network of self-supporting assemblies — beginning with the 'Hebron' community in Hyderabad — that took no foreign funds and followed simple New Testament patterns of gathering, teaching and the breaking of bread. His annual 'holy convocations' drew great crowds from across the country. He is widely remembered as living proof that an Indian church could stand on its own, led and supported by Indians.
- Planted a nationwide network of self-supporting, self-governing Indian assemblies that accepted no foreign funding and followed simple New Testament patterns of worship. Koshy
- Held large annual 'holy convocations' that gathered thousands of believers from across India for teaching, worship and the breaking of bread. Koshy
- 1903Born into a Sikh family in the Punjab, in northern British India. Koshy
- 1926Travelled abroad for engineering studies, in England and then Canada. Koshy
- 1932Came to Christian faith while overseas and was baptised. Koshy
- 1933Returned to India and began itinerant preaching. Koshy
- 1941The work that became the 'Hebron' assembly took shape, centred in Hyderabad. Koshy
- 2000Died on 17 September in Hyderabad, mourned by very large crowds. Koshy
The self-supporting assemblies he founded continued long after his death, and he is often cited as a model of an indigenous, financially independent Indian church.
- Hebron (Hyderabad assembly) — Hyderabad, India still active
Bakht Singh is a revered figure, and the fullest biographies of him are frankly admiring — one is subtitled 'a modern-day apostle.' We retell only the well-attested outline of his life in our own words; precise dates for his conversion and early ministry vary between accounts, and the strongly devotional tone of his biographers should be kept in mind.
T. E. Koshy — Bakht Singh of India (biography)Wikipedia — Bakht Singh
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