Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church
Encyclopedia
| Office Bearers of the AELC |
|---|
Bishop B. Suneel Bhanu
Rev.Dr.D.M.C.L.Benarji
Smt. J. Mary Grace Raja Kishore
MrB.C.Raja Ratnam |
Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC) was constituted in the year 1927 in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India. It is the Indian successor to the United Lutheran Church in America
United Lutheran Church in America
The United Lutheran Church in America was established in 1918 with the merger of three independent German-language synods: the General Synod , the General Council and the United Synod of the South . The Slovak Zion Synod joined the United Lutheran Church in America in 1920...
which was started as a self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating church among Telugu Christian
Telugu Christian
Telugu Christians or Telugu Kraistava are an ethno-religious community who form the second largest religious minority in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh...
s.
Memberships
- Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad
- Lutheran World Federation (LWF), GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
- It is an affiliate member of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), NagpurNagpurNāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
- It is a member church in the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in IndiaUnited Evangelical Lutheran Church in IndiaUnited Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India is a major Christian denomination in India. It has millions of members. Many of its members are Dalits and/or Adivasi. It is a member of the World Council of Churches, Christian Conference of Asia, the National Council of Churches in India and Lutheran...
(UELCI) – a communion of Lutheran Churches, ChennaiChennaiChennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India... - Asia Lutheran Communion
In India
Bartholomaeus ZiegenbalgBartholomaeus Ziegenbalg
Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg was a member of the Lutheran clergy and the first Pietist missionary to India.-Early life:...
and Heinrich Plütschau of the Danish-Halle Missionary Society at Tranquebar
Tranquebar
Tharangambadi is a panchayat town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, 15 km north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary of the Kaveri River. Its name means "place of the singing waves"...
were the first Protestant Missionaries to India who were Lutherans.
In Andhra Pradesh
The AELC was founded as a mission field of the then United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA) by John Christian Frederick HeyerJohn Christian Frederick Heyer
John Christian Frederick Heyer was the first missionary sent abroad by Lutherans in the United States. He founded the Guntur Mission in Andhra Pradesh, India...
(known as Father Heyer) on 31 July 1842.
As a first step, schools were established. With new baptisms, the confidence of the missionaries increased. Later hospitals were established.
Structures
- Theological
- Charlotte Swenson Memorial Bible Training SchoolCharlotte Swenson Memorial Bible Training SchoolCharlotte Swenson Memorial Bible Training School was started on 8 July 1926 in Rajahmundry, a town in Andhra Pradesh, India.-Background:...
, RajahmundryRajahmundryRajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect... - Andhra Lutheran Theological Seminary, RajahmundryRajahmundryRajahmundry is a city and municipal corporation of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad, on the banks of the River Godavari. Known as the Cultural Capital, Rajahmundry is noted for its intense Veda culture and intellect...
- Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad
- Charlotte Swenson Memorial Bible Training School
- Medical
- Kugler HospitalKugler HospitalBoth the leases of this great Christian Mission Hospital in Guntur have been challenged in Guntur District Courts. The hospital has not been functioning because of the two leases since...
, GunturGunturGuntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...
- Kugler Hospital
- Educational
- Andhra-Christian CollegeAndhra-Christian CollegeAndhra-Christian College, popularly known as AC College, is one of the oldest colleges in India. AC College is part of the educational enterprise of the Protestant churches...
, GunturGunturGuntur , is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located to the north and west of the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately to the south of the national capital, New Delhi and south east of state capital, Hyderabad. Guntur is the fourth largest city in Andhra...
- Andhra-Christian College
Administration
The current Moderator / Bishop of the AELC is Bishop B. Suneel Bhanu.For administrative purposes, six synods have been established, each taken care of by a Synod President. A 24-member Executive Council whose members are drawn from the six synods administers the Church society.
Moderator / Bishop
The Executive Council of this Church Society elects a set of office-bearers each quadrennium. The Moderator / Bishop heads this century-old Church Society. In earlier nomenclatureNomenclature
Nomenclature is a term that applies to either a list of names or terms, or to the system of principles, procedures and terms related to naming - which is the assigning of a word or phrase to a particular object or property...
, the term President was used. However, with the arrival of Rev. G. Emmanuel, the nomenclature was changed to Moderator / Bishop to denote a more ecclesiastical term. However, the term President also continues to be used.
Women's ordination
For long, women's ordination in the AELC was taboo. One of the first theologically trained woman of this Church, the Fuller Theological SeminaryFuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an accredited Christian educational institute with its main campus in Pasadena, California and several satellite campuses in the western United States...
-educated Rev. Dr B. V. Subbamma could have been ordained long ago. But Church leaders, fearing her leadership kept the issue of women's ordination aside.
However, with sustained efforts and dialogue of Dr. K. Rajaratnam, Rev. Dr. Prasanna Kumari Samuel, and Dr. Monica J. Melanchton of the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College
Gurukul Lutheran Theological College
Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute is an ecumenical seminary situated in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India. It is affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College .-Background:...
and Research Institute (GLTCRI), the dream of women's ordination became a reality. With the active cooperation of the then President, Bishop G. Emmanuel, seventeen women were ordained into pastoral ministry on 20 February 1999.