HYDERABAD, India – Calvary Temple is India’s largest church with more than 300,000 members. Now, it’s on a mission to build 40 more megachurches in the next 10 years.
Most roads in Hyderabad on Sundays lead to Calvary Temple. Shortly after 4 a.m., side streets around the church here are already jammed.
As church volunteers coordinate traffic, shuttle buses, auto rickshaws, and motorcycles ferry thousands of people, all trying to get here two hours ahead of Calvary’s first of five services that begin at 6 a.m.
By sunrise, the faithful have taken their seats.
The main sanctuary holds 18,000 people supported by adjacent Bethlehem Hall with 15,000 and a third structure accommodating more than 3,000 more.
Hundreds more watch on television screens scattered around the sprawling Calvary campus.
Pastor Satish Kumar preaches all five services with the last one ending at 8 p.m.
“I’ve been given the grace to pastor this church which is beyond my dream and imagination,” Pastor Kumar told CBN News.
Calvary Temple started in 2005 with about two dozen people. Today, it boasts more than 300,000 members making it one of the largest churches in the world.
They have 11 satellite churches with plans for more nationwide
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