Church of North India - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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

Communion of Churches in India

The Communion of Churches in India is a representative body of three mainland Protestant Churches in India: The Church of North India, The Church of South India, and the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church. The three churches are in full communion with each other...

, Pakistan

Church of Pakistan

The Church of Pakistan is a united church in Pakistan, which is part of the Anglican Communion and a member church of the World Methodist Council. It was established in 1970 with a union of Anglicans, Scottish Presbyterians , Methodists, and Lutherans. It is the only United Church in the South...

, Burma

Church of the Province of Myanmar

The Church of the Province of Myanmar in Asia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. The province is bordered by China on the north, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west and India on the northwest, with the Andaman Sea to the south and the Bay of Bengal to the...

and Ceylon

Church of Ceylon

The Church of Ceylon, which is the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka, was established with the appointment of its first Bishop, Rt Rev James Chapman in 1845 as the Bishop of Colombo.-The Dioceses of Colombo and Kurunegala:...

(Anglican), the United Church of Northern India (Congregationalist

Congregational church

Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....

and Presbyterian), the Baptist Churches of Northern India (British Baptists), the Church of the Brethren

Church of the Brethren

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight persons led by Alexander Mack, in Schwarzenau, Bad Berleburg, Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas during the...

in India, which withdrew in 2006, the Methodist

Methodism

Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...

Church (British and Australia Conferences) and the Disciples of Christ denominations

Christian denomination

A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...

.

CNI's jurisdiction covers all states of the Indian Union with the exception of the four states in the south (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...

, Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

, Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

and Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

) and has approximately 1,250,000 members in 3,000 pastorates

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

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

Lucknow

Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....

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, Burma and Ceylon, the Methodist Church (British and Australia Conferences), the Methodist Church in Southern Asia

World Methodist Council

The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...

and the United Church of Northern India. 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

Etah

Etah is a town which is also the district headquarters of Etah district of Uttar Pradesh state, India.-Geography:Etah is located at . It has an average elevation of 170 metres ....

, a decision was made by some members of the then dioceses of Agra

Agra

Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...

and Lucknow to withdraw from the CNI and revive the United Church of Northern India, to which they belonged prior to the union.

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

Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...

of 381 AD.

Liturgy

The liturgy

Liturgy

Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...

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

Church of the Brethren

and the Disciples of Christ. Provision is given for diverse liturgical practices and understandings of the divine revelation.

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 Episcopacy of the CNI is both historical as well as constitutional. There are 26 dioceses, each under the supervision of a bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

. The main administrative and legislative body is the Synod

Synod

A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...

, 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.

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 http://www.cnisbhs.com/abode.asp , Social Services http://www.cnisbss.org/, Rural Development, Literature and Media. There is also a synodal Programme Office http://www.cnisynod.org/cni_programme.htm 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 Scottish Church College, Calcutta, Wilson College, Mumbai, Hislop College, Nagpur St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, St. John's College, Agra and St. Stephen's College

St. Stephen's College, Delhi

St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi located in Delhi, India. The college admits both undergraduates and post-graduates, and awards degrees under the purview of the University. Famous for its rich history and many traditions, St...

in Delhi are affiliated to or administered by the CNI.

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

Church of South India

The Church of South India is the successor of the Church of England in India. It came into being in 1947 as a union of Anglican and Protestant churches in South India. With a membership of over 3.8 million, it is India's second largest Christian church after the Roman Catholic Church in India...

and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church

Mar Thoma Church

The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church also known as the Mar Thoma Church is a Christian denomination based in the state of Kerala in southwestern India. It has an entirely different identity when compared with other Churches in India. Most Christian churches around the world are divided into...

known as the Communion of Churches in India

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

Christian Conference of Asia

The Christian Conference of Asia is a regional ecumenical organisation representing 17 National Councils and 100 denominations in 21 countries:- Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan,...

and on an international level it is a member of the World Council of Churches

World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...

, the Council for World Mission

Council for World Mission

The Council for World Mission is a worldwide community of Christian churches. The 31 members share their resources of money, people, skills and insights to carry out their missionary work.CWM was established in 1977 in its present form...

, World Alliance of Reformed Churches

World Alliance of Reformed Churches

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches is a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin...

, World Methodist Council

World Methodist Council

The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...

and in full communion with the Anglican Communion

Anglican Communion

The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...

. The CNI is also in partnership with many other domestic, regional and international Christian agencies.

Present administrators

Moderator : Bishop Philip P. Marandih, Bishop of Patna,
Deputy Moderator : Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy, Bishop of Amritsar
General Secretary : Mr.Alwan Masih
Honorary Treasurer( Acting ) :Mr. Prem Masih

Dioceses

Diocese of Agra http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#agra

Bishop : S.R. Cutting

Diocese of Amritsar http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#amritsar

Bishop : P.K. Samantaroy

Diocese of Andaman and Nicobar http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#ANDAMANANDNICOBAR

Bishop : Christopher Paul
Christopher Paul
Christopher Paul is an American convert to Islam and member of al Qaeda, who has pled guilty to acts of terrorism. He is currently serving a 15 year prison term arising from those charges....

Diocese of Barrackpore http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#barrackpore

Bishop : Brojen Malakar

Diocese of Bhopal http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#bhopal

Bishop :

Diocese of Chandigarh http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#chandigarh

Bishop : Joel V. Mal

Diocese of Cuttack http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#cuttack

Bishop : Samson Das

Diocese of Chota Nagpur http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#chota

Bishop : B B Baskey

Diocese of Chattisgarh

Bishop :

Diocese of Durgapur http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#durgapur

Bishop : Probal Kanto Dutta

Diocese of Eastern Himalaya

Diocese of Eastern Himalaya is a diocese of the Church of North India. Its seat is Darjeeling. Its area includes states of India as well as Bhutan. There are about 10 congregations in Bhutan...

http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#eastern

Bishop :

Diocese of Gujarat http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#gujarat

Bishop : V.M. Malaviya

Diocese of Jabalpur http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#jabalpur

Bishop : Prem Chand Singh

Diocese of Kolkata

Bishop of Calcutta

The Bishop of Calcutta exercises episcopal leadership over the Diocese of Calcutta of the Church of North India. The diocese was established in 1813 as part of the Church of England and the first bishop was Thomas Fanshawe Middleton and the second Reginald Heber...

http://www.cnisynod.org/tehdisc.aspx#kolkata