Before knowing the other religions and other communities and other principles,
FIRST KNOW OUR CSI COMMUNITY and HOW GREAT IS OUR PRINCIPLES
CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA
CSI
Synod Centre,
Moderator: Most Rev. K.J.Samuel, CSI Bishop’s House, Melukavumattom P.O., Palai, Kottayam Dt., Kerala-686 652. Ph: 0482-291044
Deputy
Moderator: Most.Rev.B.P.Sugandar,
CSI Bishop’s House, Cathedral Compound, Medak, A.P..-502
110. Ph: 040-7833151
General
Secretary:
Rev. G.Dyvasirvadam, 5 Whites Rd.
, Royalpettah,
Chennai-600 014. Ph: 044-8521566, 8523763
Treasurer:
Frederick William,
The
Church of South India (CSI) is a union of different churches came into being in
1947. Madras, Madurai Malabar, Jaffna, Kannada, Telugu and Travancore church
councils of the South India United Church, South India province comprising
Madras, Trichinapoly, Hyderabad and Mysore districts of the Methodist Church,
and the dioceses of Madras, Dornakal, Tirunelveli, Travancore and Kochi in the
Church of India, Burma and Ceylon entered into the full communion and become one
church in 1947. North Tamil Church Council of South India United church entered
into the full communion with the church in 1950.
The South India United Church was a combined body of Presbyterians and
Congregationalists and the Methodists communion included the Anglican Dioceses.
It took 30 years of deliberations to arrive at this communion. The constitution
of the Church proclaims that this unity is to carry out God’s Will that is
expressed in Lord’s Prayer ‘that all may be one’. The basis of the
constitution is Lambeth, Quadri Lateral. It accepts and maintains the historic,
episcopate in a constitutional form.
CSI is an autonomous church free from any control, legal or otherwise, of any
church or society external to it. The ordained ministry of the church consists
of Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons. The bishop has a diocesan council to
administer the church. He is the president of the council and all committees. A
presbyter can become bishop only after attaining 45 years of age and shall
retire on completion of 65 years. The bishop is elected by the diocesan council
or an electoral body appointed by the council.
There is a synod to administer the affairs of the church. It is a supreme,
governing and legislative body of the church. All bishops, Assistant bishop,
officers of Synod and General Secretary of the CSI Women’s fellowship are
ex-officio members of the Synod. There is lay representation in the Synod.
The Officers of the Synod are Moderator, Deputy Moderator, General Secretary and
Treasurer. All officers are elected. They hold office till the next ordinary
meeting of the Synod, which is held once in two years. The Anglican order of
deaconesses took a new form in CSI-the Order of Sisterhood. It was started in
1952 under the leadership of Carol Graham. Its headquarters is ‘Visranti
Nilayam’, Madras.
The pastorates, basis church units, have pastorate committees under the
leadership of the presbyter. There are 21 dioceses, in the Church of South
India. They are Coimbatore, Dornakal, East Kerala, Jaffna, Kanyakumari,
Karimnagar, Karnataka South, Krishna-Godavari, Madya Kerala, Madras,
Madurai-Ramnad, Medak, Nandyal, North Kerala, Rayalseems, South Kerala,
Thiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli and Velloore.
Most Rev.K.J.Samuel of East Kerala Diocese is the present Moderator. The number
of followers is 15, 18,065.
BRIEF HISTORY OF CSI
The Church of South India was inaugurated on September 27, 1947 in St. George's
Cathedral, Madras. India became an independent country on August 15, 1947. The
year 1947 was important to India as a nation and to the church, not only in
India but also all over the world. The presiding bishop of the inaugural
function was Rt. Rev. C. K. Jacob of the Anglican Diocese of Travancore and
Cochin. A vast congregation gathered in the cathedral at Madras from all over
the world. History was made as the following declaration was done by Bishop
Jacob.
"Dearly Beloved brethren, in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ the head of
the church, who on the night of his passion prayed that his disciples might be
one, and by authority of the governing bodies of the uniting churches whose
resolutions have been read in your hearing and laid in your prayer before
Almighty God; I do hereby declare that these three churches, namely:
The Madras, Madura, Malabar, Jaffna, Kannda, Telugu
Travancore Church councils of the South India united church
The Methodist church of South India.
Trichinopoly, Hyderabad and Mysore districts; The Madras, travancore and Cochin,
Tinnevelly and Dornakal dioceses of the churches of India, Burma and Cylon; are
become one CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA, and these bishops, presbyters, deacons and
probationers who have assented to basis of union and accepted the constitution
of the Church of South India, whose names are laid upon this Holy table are
bishops, presbyters and deacons of this church. in the name of the Father, and
the son, and the Holy Sprit. Amen"
The formal discussion on church union began in May 1919 at Tranquebar. This
famous conference on church union is known as Tranquebar 1919. One of the main
leaders of this conference and later negotiations was Bishop V. S. Azariah of
the Dornakal diocese who was the first Indian bishop of the Anglican Church. The
Church of South India is the result of twenty-eight years of prayers and
discussions. Of course, this was consummation of the work of the Holy sprit
among leaders of the church.
The inaugurations of the Church of South India opened a new chapter in the
history of the churches. This was the first time in the history of the church
such a union was realised between Episcopal and non-episcopal churches. By this
union four traditions came together:
Anglican (Episcopal)
Congregational
Presbyterian
Methodist
One of the three churches to come into Church of South India was South India
United Church (S.I.U.C.). S.I.U.C. was formed in 1908. This was a union between
Congregationalists and Presbyterians. The Basal Mission, district of Malabar
also joined the S.I.U.C. in 1919.
When C.S.I. was inaugurated there were fourteen dioceses. Today the church has
twenty-one dioceses and more than 2 million members. There are seven diocese in
Tamil Nadu, six in Andrhra Pradesh, four in Kerala, three in Karnataka and one
in Sri Lanka.
We are thankful to God for Church of south India. At the same time we have to
repent before God for our failures in fulfilling the mission of the Church. Let
us re-dedicate ourselves to live and work as true members of the church, which
is the Body of Christ
The Uniqueness of the Church of south India
There are several things that set the Church of South India apart from all other
churches
First, it embraces different languages, people, geographical areas, and
heterogeneous cultural, socioeconomic and denominational backgrounds.
Because the Church of South India is part of the Church universal, which is one
body in Christ, all persons without regard to race, color and nationality can
become its members. The CSI has endeavored to be the "church of the
poor."
The church demonstrated to a caste society and churches that practice casteism
that we accept, as our brothers and sisters in Christ, people groups oppressed
for centuries. This is a beautiful witness, about the effectiveness of the
gospel, to the society at large. However, acceptance of and giving equal status
to members from lower socioeconomic background has not been without struggle and
pain.
After the Hindu Temple Entry Proclamation in 1842, which opened the temples to
the Harijans, the missionaries decided to discontinue the concession given to
people belonging to superior social stratum in the church. CSI Christians and
Hindu converts staged a demonstration outside as the church bells were ringing
for service. They were protesting against the seating of lower socioeconomic
class Christian students along with other students. Later, Bishop Gill faced
stiff opposition to this policy. However, he decided to carry out the practice
of the apostolic teaching in Gelatins 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor
Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus". In 1854, when the missionaries brought the first converts from a
lower socioeconomic class to the Central Kerala Diocese of the CSI, several CSI
Christian families left the church in protest and joined the Jacobite church.
The church, however, has come a long way in its race relations to set a good
example in a caste society.
Second, it gives equal
importance to Episcopal, Presbyterian and congregational elements in its order
and governance.
The church of south India recognizes that Episcopal, Presbyterian, and
congregational elements must all have their place in its order and life.
Expanded the concept of Episcopacy. In the CSI the Bishop is not "My Lord
Bishop" with veto power. The constitution grants him rather limited
authority. Among his people, he is more like a shepherd of the sheep. The
constitution of the church of South India states, "The church of South
India does not accept and will maintain the historic episcopacy but this
acceptance does not commit it to any particular view or belief concerning orders
of ministry and it will not require the acceptance of any particular
interpretation or view as a necessary qualification for its ministry. What ever
differing interpretations there may be, however, the Church of south India
agrees that, as episcopacy has been accepted from early times, it may be in this
sense fitly be called historic, and that is needed for the shepherding and
extension of the church in South India. Any additional interpretations, though
held by individuals, are not binding on the church of south India" (The CSI
constitution 1963, P.3) The Church of South India believes that in order the
true Ordainer and Consecrator is God, who in response to the prayers of His
church, and through the words and acts of its representatives, commissions and
empowers for the office and work to which they are called. The important element
is whether God is the true Ordained, or we need something else, for example, the
hands of the apostles extended through the centuries.
Elevated the position of the presbyter. In the Church or South India the Bishop
or a presbyter can conduct confirmation. "If a presbyter conducts the
service, it is desirable that he should be the presbyter responsible for that
congregation, or a presbyter appointed by the Bishop". This is a complete
departure from the practice in the Anglican Church and acceptance of a practice
that is universal in other Protestant churches.
Recognized the spiritual equality of all believers in Christ. The CSI recognizes
the importance of the congregation and the priesthood of all believers ( I Peter
2:9). Christ is the head of the church (Colossians 1:18). Christ has not left
his church but he is the living Lord in their midst. Moreover, the way into the
holiest of all is open to the humblest believer (Heb. 10:19). Christ's priestly
work has done away with the necessity of any earthly priest for a person to
approach God.
Third, it encourages relationship with non-Episcopal churches.
We are a bridge between Episcopal and non-Episcopal churches. In making
provision for Episcopal ordination and consecration, the Church of South India
declares that, "it is its intention and determination in this manner to
secure the unification of the ministry, but that this does not involve any
judgment upon the validity, and the fact that other churches do not in itself
preclude it from holding relation of communion and fellowship with them"
(Constitution pp. 10-11). In the New Testament church there were elements that
were capable of being developed into the Episcopal, Presbyterian, and
Congregational systems into the apostolic age. While we must accept our
particular church policy and rejoice in its values for us, it does not give us
the license to put down others whose reading of the evidence is different.
Fourth, its highest purpose is evangelization of India.
The Church of South India considers evangelism as one of its foremost
obligations because the church owes its very existence to the faith, zeal and
sacrifice of missionaries from the West. It took almost twenty-eight years of
hard work to bring about the union. The process for union started at Tranquebar
in 1919. Bishop Azariah, K.T. Paul and Dr. Eddy, the leaders who were in the
forefront of the union, had one purpose in mind: "to win India, which
comprised one fifth of the world's population, for Christ". They felt that,
as small individual churches and missionary organizations, they would not be
able to reach this goal. They felt the urgent need to pool their resources to
accomplish the immense task of reaching the whole of India with the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
