Church of North India
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The Church of North India (CNI), the dominant Protestant denomination in northern India, is a united church established on 29 November 1970 by bringing together the main Protestant churches working in northern India. The merger, which had been in discussions since 1929, came eventually between the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (Anglican), The United Church of Northern India (Congregationalist and Presbyterian), the Baptist Churches of Northern India (British Baptists), the Churches of the Brethren in India, The Methodist Church (British and Australia Conferences) and the Disciples of Christ denominations.
CNI's jurisdiction covers all states of the Indian Union with the exception of the four states in the south (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) and has approximately 1,250,000 members in 3,000 pastorates. [1]
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[edit] History
Ecumenical discussions with a view to a unified church was initiated by The Australian Churches of Christ Mission, Australian Methodist Church, the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church and United Church of Northern India during a round table meeting in Lucknow in 1929.
A negotiation committee was set up in 1951 using the plan of Church Union that resulted from the earlier consultations as its basis. The committee was composed of representatives from the Baptist Churches in Northern India, The Church of India, Pakistan and Ceylon, The Methodist Church (British and Australia Conferences), The Methodist Church in Southern Asia and the United Church of Northern India. [2] [3]. In 1957, the Church of the Brethren in India and the Disciples of Christ denominations joined in the negotiations as well.
A new negotiation committee was set up in 1961 with representatives from all the abovementioned denominations. In 1965, a finalised plan of Church Union, known as the "White Paper", was made. The union was formalised on 29 November 1970 when all the negotiating churches were united as the Church of North India with the exception of the Methodist Church in Southern Asia which decided not to join the union.
In 1994 at a synod in Etah, a decision was made by some members of the then dioceses of Agra and Lucknow to withdraw from the CNI and revive the United Church of Northern India of which they belonged prior to the union. [4]
[edit] Beliefs and Practices
The CNI is a trinitarian church that draws from the traditions and heritage of its constituent denominations. The basic creeds of the CNI are the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed of 381 AD.
[edit] Liturgy
The liturgy of the CNI is of particular interest, as it combines many traditions, including that of the Methodists and such smaller churches as the Church of the Brethren and the Disciples of Christ. Provision is given for diverse liturgical practices and understandings of the divine revelation.
[edit] Governance
The polity of the CNI brings together the Episcopacy, the Presbytery and the Laity in an effort to reflect the polity of the Churches that entered into union. The Epsicopacy of the CNI is both historical as well as constitutional, there are 26 diocese, each under the supervision of a bishop. The main administrative and legislative body is the Synod, which meets once every three years to elect a presiding bishop, called a Moderator, and an Executive Committee. The Moderator acts as the head of the church.
[edit] Social Involvement
Social involvement is a major emphasis in the CNI. There are synodal boards in charge of various ministries: Secondary, Higher, Technical and Theological Education, Health Services [1] , Social Services [2], Rural Development, Literature and Media. There is also a synodal Programme Office [3] which seeks to protect and promote peace, justice, harmony and dignity of life.
The CNI currently operates 65 hospitals, nine nursing schools, 250 educational institutions and three technical schools. Some of the oldest and well-respected educational institutions in India like Bishop's College and the Scottish Church College both in Calcutta, St. Paul's School, Darjeeling and St. Stephen's College in Delhi are affiliated to or administered by the CNI.
[edit] Ecumenism
The CNI participates in many ecumenical bodies as a reflection of its commitment towards church unity. Domestically it participates in a joint council with the Church of South India and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church known as the Communion of Churches in India. It is also a member of the National Council of Churches in India. Regionally, the CNI participates in the Christian Conference of Asia and on an international level it is a member of the World Council of Churches, the Council for World Mission, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, World Methodist Council and in full communion with the Anglican Communion. The CNI is also in partnership with many other domestic, regional and international Christian agencies.
[edit] Current Developments
[edit] Education quota for Dalits
The CNI has stated that they
| “ | would issue certificates to Dalit Christians for the purpose of seeking admission to St Stephen's College, or for that matter, any other educational institution under the diocese [5] | ” |
as part of an exercise to finalise admission guidelines for St. Stephen's College in New Delhi including earmarking the exact percentage of seats to be allotted for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the surviving family members of war victims. The college has fixed a total of 15 per cent seats for all these categories, but has yet to decide on the exact share of the allocation of each section.
The practice of certifying Christians for admission to minority educational institutes has been controversial with allegations of corruption in the procurement and distribution of such certificates having surfaced in the recent past although known perpetrators have been relieved of their duties by their respective churches [6].
[edit] Present Administrators
- Moderator : The Most Rev. Joel V. Mal, Bishop of Chandigarh
- Deputy Moderator : The Rt. Rev. Purely Lyngdoh, Bishop of North East India
- General Secretary : The Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan
- Honorary Treasurer : Rev. Ashish Amos
[edit] Dioceses
Diocese of Agra [4]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. S.R. Cutting
Diocese of Amritsar [5]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. P.K. Samantaroy
Diocese of Andaman and Nicobar [6]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Christopher Paul
Diocese of Barrackpore [7]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Brojen Malakar
Diocese of Bhopal [8]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Laxman L. Maida
Diocese of Chandigarh [9]
- Bishop : The Most Rev. Joel V. Mal
Diocese of Cuttack [10]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Reuben Senapati
Diocese of Chota Nagpur [11]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. James Terom
Diocese of Delhi [12]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Sunil Singh
Diocese of Durgapur [13]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Probal Kanto Dutta
Diocese of Eastern Himalaya [14]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Naresh Ambala
Diocese of Gujarat [15]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. V.M. Malaviya
Diocese of Jabalpur [16]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Dr. Prem Chand Singh
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. P.S.P. Raju
Diocese of Kolhapur [18]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. B. R. Tiwade
Diocese of Lucknow [19]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Anil R. Stephen
Diocese of Mumbai [20]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Prakash Patole
Diocese of Marathwada [21]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. A.K. Pradhan
Diocese of Nagpur [22]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Paul Dupare
Diocese of Nasik [23]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Pradip L. Kamble
Diocese of North East India [24]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Purely Lyngdoh
Diocese of Patna [25]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. P.P. Marandih
Diocese of Phulbani [26]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Bijay Kumar Nayak
Diocese of Pune [27]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Vijay. B. Sathe
Diocese of Rajasthan [28]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Collin Christopher Theodore
Diocese of Sambalpur [29]
- Bishop : The Rt. Rev. Christ Kiron Das
[edit] References
- ^ Reformed Online : "Church of North India". Retrieved 17 June 2006.
- ^ Empire Club Foundation : "Lambeth and Church Unity" - Rt Rev Frederick Hugh Wilkinson, Bishop of Toronto. Retrieved 17 June 2006.
- ^ IndianChristianity.org Church of North India. Retrieved 17 June 2006
- ^ Reformed Online : United Church of Northern India - Presbyterian Synod. Retrieved 17 June 2006
- ^ Church to identify Dalits: Bishop The Pioneer- June 15, 2007
- ^ Are priests corrupt? India 360 - February 22, 2007
[edit] See also
- Christianity in India
- Church of South India
- Mar Thoma Syrian Church
- Christian Conference of Asia
- Anglican Communion
[edit] External links
- Church of North India
- National Council of Churches in India
- Indian Christianity : The Church of North India
- Indian Christianity : CNI
- CNI Seminaries and Theological Colleges
- CSI Singapore Malayalam Congregation
- CSI Christ Church Alacode, Madhya Kerala Diocese
- CSI Youth Movement Kodukulanji Dist,Madhya Kerala Diocese
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