Prince Guneratnam (1945—2022)
Country of Origin
-
Malaysia
Countries/Regions of Ministry
- Global
- East Asia: Malaysia
Traditions
- Pentecostal
Ministries
- National and denominational leader
- Evangelist
- Pastor
- Church planter
Prince Guneratnam was born on August 21, 1945 in Muar, Johore, Malaysia to Samuel
Ezekiel Guneratnam and Constance Theresa Guneratnam, and was brought up to love and
fear the Lord.[1] He received the call of God upon his at the age of thirteen when he attended a series
of three revival meetings at an Assemblies of God Church in Georgetown, Penang. While
tarrying around the altars during these meetings, he saw visions of the Lord Jesus
Christ surrounded by bright light and received a call to the ministry. He treasured
this experience and the call upon his life, and on various occasions spoke of how
he stood at the age of thirteen on the veranda of their family home, envisaging himself
preaching to thousands.
Upon completing his secondary education, Prince Guneratnam enrolled at the Bible Institute
of Malaya (now called Bible College of Malaysia) where he met Petrina Giaw Foon Foon.
She would become his wife and valued partner in ministry. They were married on December
2, 1966, the day after he graduated with a Diploma in Biblical Studies from the Bible
Institute of Malaya.
Together, they pioneered and established the Glad Tidings Assembly in Klang in 1967.
Guneratnam concentrated on building up the new church while Petrina worked as a school
teacher to provide financial support for the church. This working arrangement continued
even after the arrival of their children, Pamela Joy and Jim Prince Guneratnam. In
1971, Prince served as Senior Pastor of Bethel Assembly in Singapore when missionaries
Fred and Margaret Seaward, missionaries with the Assemblies of God USA, returned home
on furlough. These early days of pastoral experience stood in good stead for what
God had in store for them. In 1972, the Lord led the Guneratnams back to Malaysia
where Prince became the first Malaysian pastor of Calvary Church Kuala Lumpur. This
had been planted in 1961 by AG missionaries Delmer and Eleanor Guynes. Together, Prince and Petrina faithfully
nurtured and grew the church for the next fifty years until the Lord called Prince
home in 2022.
Guneratnam was often described as being “visionary” in his outlook and actions. He
always saw beyond “what was, to what he believed God desired was to be” and believed
that God would help him do what was needed, to see that advancement come to pass.
Under his leadership, Calvary Church experienced remarkable growth. From a congregation
of 120 in 1972, the church grew exponentially with a constituency of more than 5,000
and established 32 daughter churches. All through his life and ministry, Guneratnam
held on to two biblical truths that he rigorously proclaimed and stood on: “Jesus
never fails” and “Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit” (Zech 4:6). In fifty
years of leadership at Calvary Church, he built a congregation that remains Word-centered, missions-minded and Spirit-empowered.
Guneratnam emphasized teaching and preaching of the Word, setting an example through
his impactful pulpit ministry which was widely appreciated. He established a church-based
Bible school to train those who sensed a call to ministry and to equip them with the
Word and with skills to do the work of the ministry. He encouraged all ministers to
disciple and mobilize every segment of the congregation, believing that his call was
to “equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built
up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and
become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:12-13).
He established life groups to address the need for pastoral care across every age
demographic and set up a dedicated Prayer Tower at Calvary Church, believing that
all God’s work was to be undergirded by prayer.
Under his leadership, Calvary established its identity as a church that reflected
the heartbeat of God for missions. Efforts to reach the lost led to the setting up
of a youth outreach in a major city mall in Kuala Lumpur, a preaching-point to those
in the marketplace. It became a vibrant music and creative arts ministry that yearly
drew thousands to their Easter and Christmas evangelistic musical presentations. Guneratnam
was among the first church leaders to see the potential of the use of electronic media
to reach those who needed the gospel, and he established a media ministry to achieve
this.
Additionally, Guneratnam maintained that the sharing of the gospel involved both proclaiming
the Word and applying this practically. To this end, Calvary Church under his leadership
responded with financial and practical aid when humanitarian assistance was needed.
Together with his wife, they pioneered social concern ministries which included a
daycare for the elderly, a “street-church” with a feeding program to meet the needs
of the homeless and the destitute, a counseling center to address mental and emotional
needs, and a therapeutic community named Calvaryland that provided accommodation and
care to needy adults and children.
He believed in personal development and encouraged members of his staff to upskill
themselves to be effective in their ministries. He himself set an example by enrolling
at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, MO, USA, and graduating
with a Master of Arts in Missions in 1993.
During his time as Senior Pastor of Calvary Church, the physical facilities of the
church were upgraded many times to accommodate the growing congregation. When they
eventually became inadequate, he established three satellite congregations scattered
around Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. The desire to house the Calvary family at one
location culminated in the building of the Calvary Convention Centre in 2013 with a 5,000-seat auditorium and complementary educational and recreational facilities.
Prince's leadership extended beyond the boundaries of Calvary Church. In 1974, he
was elected General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Malaysia, serving in this
position for 26 years. His leadership tenure saw the denomination grow exponentially
through evangelism and church planting, gaining the respect of the larger Malaysian
church. There was a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit in within mainline churches
in Peninsular Malaysia, in the late 1970s, when many received the baptism in the Holy
Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Some of these new Spirit-filled believers
found themselves unable to express their experiences in their home churches. To nurture
and encourage the work of the Spirit within their lives, however, Guneratnam started
Calvary Charismatic Fellowship to help them understand the biblical basis of their
experiences and to correctly exercise their spiritual gifts. He encouraged them to
stay in their home churches and be a blessing to them. His leadership acumen was not
unnoticed, and soon he was appointed to positions of national church leadership. He
served as Chairman of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship of Malaysia from
1994 to 2000 and as Chairman of the Christian Federation of Malaysia from 2001-2005.
Guneratnam was also considered by many to be a global Christian leader and an international
Christian statesman. He was widely acknowledged as an anointed evangelist and a much
sought after speaker at international conferences on leadership and church growth.
He was the founding International Chairman of the World Assemblies of God Relief Agency
and served in this position from 1993 to 2000. From 2000 to 2011, he also served the
World Assemblies of God Fellowship as Vice-Chairman. In 2010, at the Pentecostal World
Conference in Stockholm Sweden, he was elected the first Asian Chairman for Pentecostal
World Fellowship and served in this office until August 2019. Other international
leadership responsibilities included serving on the Board of the Church Growth International
and actively participating in the Global Christian Forum and Empowered21.
One aspect of Guneratnam's contribution as a preeminent Pentecostal leader that has often been overlooked was his role in facilitating dialogue between Pentecostal and groups such as World Council of Churches, Global Christian Forum, the Anglican Communion, and Roman Catholics, in order that communities would better understand Pentecostal doctrine and practice.
In recognition of his contributions in the realm of Christian leadership, he received three honorary scholastic awards: a Doctor of Divinity conferred by the Full Gospel Central Bible College in Whittier, California USA (1980), Doctor of Litterarium by the California Graduate School of Theology, Glendale, California, USA (1984), and Doctor of Laws by Northwest University, Kirkland, Washington, USA (2000). Nationally, in recognition for his meritorious services to the community, he was given two prestigious awards by the King of Malaysia. In 1999, Guneratnam received the “Panglima Jasa Negara” (Order of Distinguished Service) award which carries the title of “Datuk.” In 2008, he received the “Panglima Setia Mahkota” (Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown) award, which carries the title of “Tan Sri.” Thus in his later years, he was addressed as Reverend Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Prince Guneratnam.
Yet, all these accolades would not have been the measures that Prince Guneratnam would have used to quantify the success of his life and ministry. He would have counted them insignificant in the light of the motto he chose to live by: “Only one life; it will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Notes:
[1] adapted from Steven Kum, "Remembering Prince Guneratnam," Malaysian Pentecostal Journal 2 (2024): 5-25. Used by permission of the publisher.
For Further Reading:
- A Tribute to Twenty Years of Leadership (1974-1994). Book of Tribute in Appreciation of General Superintendent, Rev. Dr. Prince Guneratnam for 20 Years of Superintendency. The General Council Assemblies of God of Malaysia, 1994.
- 30 Years of Faithful Service: Committed to His Call, Compelled by His Love. Souvenir Book. Calvary Church (Assembly of God Kuala Lumpur), 2002.
- Calvary Church 40th Anniversary: ‘Declaring God’s Mighty Works’ Psalms 145:4. 1968-2008. Souvenir Book. Calvary Church (Assembly of God Kuala Lumpur), 2008.
- Kum, Steven. “Remembering Prince Guneratnam." Festschrift in Honour of Reverend Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Prince Guneratnam. Malaysian Pentecostal Journal 2 (2024): 5-24.