Rev. Dr. Limatula Longkumer appointed the Registrar of the Senate of Serampore College

Benjamin Chan

August 15, 2022

I am very happy to share with you an exciting news that Rev. Dr. Limatula Longkumer has been appointed the Registrar of the Senate of Serampore College (University), which is the highest theological institute in India. 65 colleges are affiliated with the Senate, with more than thirteen thousand students from South Asia.  You know Limatula’s husband Dr. Wati Longchar who is an IM International Associate Missionary and the Regional Consultant for Theological Education of my area. Limatula has served as a professor and Vice President of the Eastern Theological College (ETC) of the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI). ETC has produced the greatest number of top theological educators, pastors, and church leaders in NE India. Limatula has served as the Dean of the Department of Research and the South Asia Theological Research Institute, which provides graduate theological study programs for Southern Asia.

As Limatula will begin her new service on August 16, 2022, Wati has begun his transition to become the Executive Director of the US-based Foundation for Theological Education in South East Asia. This may be the first time in my area that we see a couple who are used by God to serve in very important positions of theological education in Asia at the same time. Even more significantly, this is the first time in the church history in India that a Christian woman and a Northeast India Christian is installed and inducted in such a high position – acknowledged in the installation service. (Click to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M0DVU_tmLQ)

Limatula and Wati are both Ao Baptists of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council. They are among the first batch of International Ministries (IM) Leadership Development Grant (LDG) recipients after Dr. Fred Downs and I established the LDG for the graduate study program. Limatula was supported while she was studying at the Trinity Theological College in Singapore. She said, “Without the support of IM, I cannot imagine completing a doctoral program.” Wati strongly affirmed how IM and CBCNEI have supported both MTh and DTh studies. He said, “Without LDG I will never be able to pursue my doctoral studies. I thank Ben and Fred for establishing this important LDG program. Many church leaders would not have completed their advanced theological studies without the support of LDG.” IM has been providing $10,000 each year to support the program, and IM also provides another $10,000 annual LDG for Underserved Conventions and Associations of CBCNEI.