Church of South India

Church of South India

Logo of the Church of South India
Classification	Anglican, Protestant
Polity	Episcopal
Moderator	The Most Revd J. W. Gladstone
Associations	Anglican Communion, CCA, CCI, NCCI, WARC, WCC
Geographical area	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka
Origin	September 1947 Chennai
Merge of	Anglican, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed
Congregations	14,000 [1]
Members	3.8 million [1]
Ministers	1,214 [2]
Hospitals	104 [1]

The Church of South India (CSI) came into being as a union of Anglican and Protestant churches in South India. It is India's second largest Christian church after the Roman Catholic Church in India. ^[3] CSI is also one of four united churches in the Anglican Communion.

The inspiration for the Church of South India was born from ecumenism and inspired by the words of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of John, 17.21

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

That they all may be one is also the motto of the Church of South India. ^[1]

History

The CSI was inaugurated in September 1947 at St. George's Cathedral Chennai. It was formed from the union of the South India United Church (itself a union of churches from the Congregational, Presbyterian and Reformed traditions) and the southern provinces of the Anglican Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon and the Methodist Church of South India. ^[4]. In the 1990s, a small number of Baptist and Pentecostal churches also joined the union ^[1]

Discussions about the merging of South India's Protestant denominations began at a 1919 conference at Tranquebar (today known as Tharangambadi), and by the independence of India in 1947, the union was achieved and the CSI officially established ^[5].

St. Francis CSI Church, in Kochi , earlier called Cochin, originally built in 1503, is the oldest European church in India and has great historical significance as a mute witness to the European colonial struggle in the subcontinent.The Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, died in Kochi in 1524 when he was on his third visit to India. His body was originally buried in this church, but after fourteen years his remains were removed to Lisbon.

Organization

The church accepts the Lambeth Quadrilateral as its basis and recognises the historical episcopate in its constitutional form ^[2]. The CSI Church is the second largest church in India based on the population of members, next to Catholic church and The largest Protestant denomination in the country is the Church of South India

Synod

The church is governed by a synod based in Chennai and headed by a presiding bishop bearing the title of Moderator who is elected every two years. The current moderator is J. W. Gladstone, the bishop of the Diocese of South Kerala.

Dioceses

The church is further divided into 22 dioceses, each under the supervision of a bishop, including one diocese encompassing Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The dioceses are governed by diocesan councils comprising of all clergy in the diocese as well as lay people elected from the local congregations. ^[6]

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Congregations

The church has 14,000 local congregations with 3.8 million members worldwide. While the majority of the members are in India, congregations exist in Sri Lanka where a full diocese is organized, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. ^[7]

Agencies

The church runs 2000 schools, 130 colleges and 104 hospitals in South India. In the 1960s the church became conscious of its social responsibility and started organising rural development projects. There are 50 such projects all over India, 50 training centres for young people and 500 residential hostels for a total of 35,000 children. ^[1]

The School for Small Farmers is a specific agency catering to the needs of the farming communities in their Dalit and Adivasi congregations. ^[8]

Logo

The logo of the CSI is a cross superimposed on a stylised lotus and surrounded by the motto and the name of the church. The symbols of the lotus and the Christian cross used in the logo possess a rich cultural heritage in India and is used to symbolise the call and mission of the CSI.

In Indian mythology, the lotus flower is the seat of the Creator. It is also known variably as those that are born in mud and the flower of the sun. These symbolisms are adopted to interpret the position of God and the nature and role of the people in the CSI.

The petals of the lotus and the cross are knitted together with the symbol of the fiery-tongues of the Holy Spirit as referenced in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. It is an expression of the people's communion with God. The original colors, red (for life) and purple (for piety and ecclesiastical) on a white backdrop communicate the nature of the mystical union where an inseparable companionship is established between God and humanity.

The motto and the name of the CSI is placed in a circle around the lotus and the cross. The words are taken from the prayer of Jesus Christ who prayed not only for the church but also for the whole world. This universality is portrayed by placing the words in a form of circle, a symbol which also represents the universe. It calls for the unity of both the church and all peoples of India.

The central position of the cross in the logo conveys the idea that it was the sacrifice that was made by Jesus on the cross that is the foundation of the Church. The four ends of the cross painted in deep color indicates that it is the cross that guides all Chrsitians to join in one stream to pray and labor united for a peaceful coexistence and communal harmony.

Affiliations

Theological education

The church recognises theological degrees granted by institutions affiliated with the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College. These include:

• Kerala United Theological Seminary (KUTS), Trivandrum
• Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC), Hyderabad
• Bishops College (BC), Calcutta
• Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute (GLTCRI), Chennai
• Karnataka Theological College (KTC), Mangalore
• South Asia Theological Research Institute (SATHRI), Bangalore
• Serampore College (SC), Serampore
• Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (TTS), Madurai
• United Theological College (UTC), Bangalore

Ecumenism

The CSI is a member of the Anglican Communion and its bishops participate in the Lambeth Conferences and has representation on the Anglican Consultative Council. It is also a member in the World Council of Churches, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the National Council of Churches in India. The CSI is in full communion with the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church of India and the Church of North India (CNI).

The CSI, CNI, and Mar Thoma Church jointly formed the Communion of Churches in India (CCI) in 1978 for mutual recognition of the ministry and leaders, intercommunal relationship, and to explore possibilities of working together especially in the field of evangelization in India and other areas of cooperation in the fulfillment of the mission of the Church.

Prominent Members

• Y S Rajasekhara Reddy - Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

See also

Indian Christianity Portal

Anglicanism portal

• Serampore College
• Church of North India
• Association of Theologically Trained Women of India (ATTWI)
• Communion of Churches in India

Gallery

St. Mary's Church, Chennai Oldest Anglican church in India	St. George's Cathedral, Chennai	Anderson Church, Chennai	English Wesley Church in Broadway, Chennai. One of the oldest Methodist churches in the Asia Pacific region
Communion service, Church of the Risen Redeemer, Kodambakkam, Chennai	Church in Nangamangalam, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh	Christ Church, Trivandrum, Kerala	Mateer Memorial Church,Trivandrum,Kerala

External links

• CSI Synod
• International listing of CSI churches with websites
• Council of CSI congregations in North America
• Church of South India International Resource Center
• Indian Christianity: Church of South India

References

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