Church of South India Synod

Last updated

Church of South India Synod is the highest administrative body of the Church of South India. The Synod (CSI Synod) governs the whole church and convenes the annual general meeting of CSI. The Moderator of the Synod is a Bishop who is a presiding officer of the election conducted in the Annual General Meeting. The elected board is normally to hold office for three years. Church of South India Trust Association was constituted as a legal holding body of the movable and immovable properties of the Church of South India. The CSITA was incorporated in 26 September, 1947 under Section 26 of the Indian Companies Act 1913 [1] (now Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act 1956) as a religious and charitable company which has no business character and with no profit motive. The properties of the Churches in Union have been transferred to CSITA.

Contents

About the Synod

The CSI synod consists of bishops of 24 dioceses, presbyters and layman (both men and women) who are elected from the respective diocesan councils to the synod. The synod members will elect the apex body consisting of a Moderator, Deputy Moderator, general secretary and Treasurer. The Moderator is the spiritual and administrative head of the Church. Only Bishops are eligible to contest for the Moderator and Deputy Moderator posts. Pastors and lay members are eligible to contest for the remaining two posts of General Secretary and Treasurer. The ordinary session of the synod is held once every three years. The last synod meeting was held in January 2023 at Hubli. The practice has been to hold the meeting during the pongal holidays in mid January and over four days. Special meetings of the synod (between ordinary sessions) could also be convened by a decision of the Synod Executive. The Synod office is situated at CSI Center, Royapettah, Chennai.

Synod Executive

As the Church of South India synod meets only once in every three years, the power of the Synod is mostly delegated to Synod Executive which is appointed by the Synod and which meets at least twice a year. The Synod Executive is a subset of Synod which has 107 members excluding the Officers of the Synod. The Synod Executive consists of 4 members each from the 24 dioceses of Church of South India, 3 nominees of the Moderator and 4 officers of the synod (Moderator, Deputy Moderator, General Secretary and Treasurer).

Synod Working Committee

The Synod Working Committee is a subset of the Synod Executive and it consists of 24 members excluding the Officers of the Synod. The working committee has a representation of one member each from the 24 dioceses of Church of South India and 4 officers of the Synod. The Synod Working Committee meetings are held based on need basis and they are held in between Synod Executive meetings. All decisions of the Synod Working Committee must be ratified at a subsequent meeting of the Synod Executive.

Church of South India Synod Participants

According to the Church of South India constitution the participants in the Synod belong to five categories:

Dioceses send representatives based on a graded scale that starts with those having 10,000 baptised members sending two pastors and four lay persons while the maximum number of representatives to the synod come from dioceses with over 150,000 baptised members that send six presbyters and 11 lay persons.

According to the report of the 2014 synod meeting, there were [2] 135 presbyters, 275 lay members and 22 bishops who participated in the synod. Other invitees to synod meetings include accredited visitors, heads of synod departments, fraternal delegates (representing various CSI affiliated bodies), special invitees, overseas guests and resource persons.

Quorum

Agenda

First day of the synod meeting consists of confirmation of minutes of the previous Synod, Appointment of various committees to oversee elections, Take up resolutions, moderator's address, general secretary's report and Election of the four Officers of the Synod (Moderator, Deputy Moderator, general secretary and Treasurer). The second, third and fourth days of the Synod consists of a series of presentations by the treasurer, heads of synod departments, special invitees, etc. and some limited question-answer sessions. The final act of each Synod is the formal installation of the new Officers of the Synod on the last day.

Officers

Due to the Madras High Court's ruling, which invalidated the recent elections and identified procedural discrepancies at the Synod meeting held in Hubli in January 2023. [3] [4] [5] The officers were elected for a three-year term at the Synod meeting in Hubli, January 2023. The Moderator and the Deputy Moderator position along with the position of General Secretary and Hon. Treasurer is currently vacant and awaiting election. [3] [4] [5] The church is presently under the administration of court-appointed administrators, Justice R. Balasubramanian and Justice V. Bharathidasan, pending new elections for these key leadership roles. [3] [4] [5]

Dioceses

Missions and Committee

For proper guidance of the life and work of the Church the CSI Synod has set up various Commissions and Committees. The following are some of the important ones:

List of Synod Meetings

Synodical Sessions of the Church of South India with years, venue and elected Moderator and Deputy Moderator [6]
SessionSynodHost dioceseVenueModeratorDeputy Moderator
I1948 Madurai-Ramnad Madurai Michael Hollis ,
  Bishop in Madras
Cherakarottu Korula Jacob ,
  Bishop in Central Travancore
II1950 Madras Madras Michael Hollis ,
  Bishop in Madras
Frank Whittaker ,
  Bishop in Medak
III1952 Krishna-Godavari Machilipatnam Michael Hollis ,
  Bishop in Madras
Hospet Sumitra ,
  Bishop in Rayalaseema
IV1954MadrasMadras Hospet Sumitra ,
  Bishop in Rayalaseema
Lesslie Newbigin ,
  Bishop in Madurai-Ramnad
V1956 Trichy-Tanjore Trichy Hospet Sumitra ,
  Bishop in Rayalaseema
Lesslie Newbigin ,
  Bishop in Madurai-Ramnad
VI1958 Kanyakumari Nagercoil Hospet Sumitra ,
  Bishop in Rayalaseema
Lesslie Newbigin ,
  Bishop in Madurai-Ramnad
VII1960 Mysore Bangalore Hospet Sumitra ,
  Bishop in Rayalaseema
Augustine Jebaraj ,
  Bishop in Tinnevelly
VIII1962 Tirunelveli Palayamkottai Arnold Legg ,
  Bishop in South Travancore
Augustine Jebaraj ,
  Bishop in Tinnevelly
IX1964TirunelveliPalayamkottai Arnold Legg ,
  Bishop in South Travancore
Pereji Solomon ,
  Bishop in Dornakal
X1966 Madhya Kerala Kottayam Pereji Solomon ,
  Bishop in Dornakal
Lesslie Newbigin ,
  Bishop in Madras
XI1968 Coimbatore Coimbatore Pereji Solomon ,
  Bishop in Dornakal
Lesslie Newbigin ,
  Bishop in Madras
XII1970Madras Tambaram Pereji Solomon ,
  Bishop in Dornakal
Lesslie Newbigin ,
  Bishop in Madras
XIII1972MadrasTambaram I.R.H. Gnanadason ,
  Bishop in Kanyakumari
Ananda Rao Samuel ,
  Bishop in Krishna-Godavari
Ananda Rao Samuel ,
  Bishop in Krishna-Godavari
Lesslie Newbigin ,
  Bishop in Madras
XIV1974MadrasMadras Ananda Rao Samuel ,
  Bishop in Krishna-Godavari
Solomon Doraiswamy ,
  Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore
XV1976Trichy-TanjoreTrichy Ananda Rao Samuel ,
  Bishop in Krishna-Godavari
Solomon Doraiswamy ,
  Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore
XVI1978Madhya KeralaKottayam Ananda Rao Samuel ,
  Bishop in Krishna-Godavari
Solomon Doraiswamy ,
  Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore
XVII1980MadrasTambaram Solomon Doraiswamy ,
  Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore
Isaiah Jesudason ,
  Bishop in South Kerala
XVIII1982 Vellore Vellore Isaiah Jesudason ,
  Bishop in South Kerala
Sundar Clarke ,
  Bishop in Madras
XIX1984 Medak Secunderabad Isaiah Jesudason ,
  Bishop in South Kerala
Sundar Clarke ,
  Bishop in Madras
XX1986 South Kerala Trivandrum Isaiah Jesudason ,
  Bishop in South Kerala
Victor Premasagar ,
  Bishop in Medak
XXI1988Madurai-RamnadMadurai Victor Premasagar ,
  Bishop in Medak
David Pothirajulu ,
  Bishop in Madurai-Ramnad
XXII1990 Karnataka North Dharwad Victor Premasagar ,
  Bishop in Medak
Vasant P. Dandin ,
  Bishop in Karnataka Northern
XXIII1992TirunelveliPalayamkottai Ryder Devapriam ,
  Bishop in Nandyal
Vasant P. Dandin ,
  Bishop in Karnataka Northern
Jason Dharmaraj ,
  Bishop in Tirunelveli
XXIV1994Trichy-TanjoreTrichy Vasant P. Dandin ,
  Bishop in Karnataka Northern
Rajamanickam Paulraj ,
  Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore
XXV1996CoimbatoreCoimbatore Vasant P. Dandin ,
  Bishop in Karnataka Northern
William Moses ,
  Bishop in Coimbatore
XXVI1998 Rayalaseema Madanapalle William Moses ,
  Bishop in Coimbatore
Kunnumpurathu Samuel ,
  Bishop in East Kerala
XXVII2000MedakSecunderabad Kunnumpurathu Samuel ,
  Bishop in East Kerala
Peter Sugandhar ,
  Bishop in Medak
XXVIII2002 East Kerala Melukavu Kunnumpurathu Samuel ,
  Bishop in East Kerala
Peter Sugandhar ,
  Bishop in Medak
XXIX2004 Karnataka Central Bangalore Peter Sugandhar ,
  Bishop in Medak
Suputhrappa Vasantha Kumar ,
  Bishop in Karnataka Central
XXX2006 Karnataka Southern Mysore Peter Sugandhar ,
  Bishop in Medak
Suputhrappa Vasantha Kumar ,
  Bishop in Karnataka Central
XXXI2008Krishna-Godavari Visakhapatnam John Gladstone ,
  Bishop in South Kerala
Christopher Asir ,
  Bishop in Madurai Ramnad
XXXII2010Tirunelveli Courtallam Suputhrappa Vasantha Kumar ,
  Bishop in Karnataka Central
Gnanasigamony Devakadasham ,
  Bishop in Kanyakumari
XXXIII2012Kanyakumari Kanyakumari Gnanasigamony Devakadasham ,
  Bishop in Kanyakumari
Govada Dyvasirvadam ,
  Bishop in Krishna-Godavari
XXXIV2014Krishna-Godavari Vijayawada Govada Dyvasirvadam ,
  Bishop in Krishna-Godavari
Thomas K. Oommen ,
  Bishop in Madhya Kerala
XXXV2017 Madhya Kerala Kottayam Thomas K. Oommen ,
  Bishop in Madhya Kerala
Vadapalli Prasada Rao ,
  Bishop in Dornakal
XXXVI2020Trichy-Tanjore Tiruchirappalli Dharmaraj Rasalam ,
  Bishop in South Kerala [7]
K. Reuben Mark ,
  Bishop in Karimnagar [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority in the Episcopal Church, being the bureaucratic facility through which the collegial function of the episcopate is exercised. General Convention comprises two houses: the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. It meets regularly once every three years; however, the House of Bishops meets regularly in between sessions of General Convention. The Bishops have the right to call special meetings of General Convention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of South India</span> United Protestant church in South India

The Church of South India (CSI) is a united Protestant Church in India. It is the result of union of a number of Protestant denominations in South India that occurred after the independence of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of North India</span> Dominant united Protestant church in North India

The Church of North India (CNI) is the dominant united Protestant church in northern India. It was established on 29 November 1970 by bringing together most of the Protestant churches working in northern India. It is a province of the worldwide Anglican Communion and a member of the World Methodist Council and the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The merger, which had been in discussions since 1929, came eventually between the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (Anglican), the Methodist Church, Disciples of Christ, and some congregations from the United Church of Northern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada</span>

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada is the chief governing and legislative body of the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), the sole Canadian representative of the Anglican Communion. The first General Synod session was held in Toronto in 1893, with the proviso that the parameters of its authority would not undermine the local independence of dioceses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Sugandhar</span>

B. P. Sugandhar was the fifth successor of Frank Whittaker as Bishop - in - Medak of the Church of South India whose bishopric lasted for more than a decade and half from 1993 through 2009 coinciding with the archbishoprics of Samineni Arulappa and Marampudi Joji of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad.

Govada Dyvasirvadam is Bishop Emeritus of Krishna-Godavari Diocese of the Church of South India.

Bishop T. B. D. Prakasa Rao was the fourth CSI-Bishop - in - Krishna-Godavari of the Protestant Church of South India who occupied the Cathedra placed at CSI-St. Paul's Cathedral, Vijayawada. The Bishopric of Prakasa Rao lasted for two decades from 1981 through 2001, one of the longest in the history of the Church of South India Society. Prakasa Rao led the bishopric of Krishna-Godavari that comprised the Christian missions established by the London Missionary Society (LMS) and the Church Missionary Society (CMS) which merged its South India Christian missions in India into the Church of South India Society which was inaugurated in 1947 at the CSI-St. George's Cathedral, Madras.

The CSI Tiruchirappalli Thanjavur Diocese is a diocese of Church of South India in Tamil Nadu state of India. The diocese is one among the 24 dioceses of Church of South India and was one of the first 14 dioceses to be formed at the inaugural of the Church of South India in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas K. Oommen</span> 20th and 21st-century Indian bishop

Thomas Kanjirappally Oommen is an Indian Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of the Madhya Kerala Diocese and Moderator of Church of South India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. Reuben Mark</span>

The Right Reverend K. Reuben Mark is the present Bishop in Karimnagar and the sixth in succession and occupies the Cathedra of the Bishop placed in Karimnagar's CSI-Wesley Cathedral. Reuben Mark is currently a Council Member for the period 2015–2018 at the fully-ecumenical United Theological College, Bangalore. During the XXXVIth session of Church of South India Synod, Reuben Mark has been elected as Deputy Moderator for the triennium 2020-2023 succeeding V. Prasada Rao.

Bishop Babbili Prabhudass(died 1996) was the first elected Bishop - in - Karimnagar Diocese of the Church of South India which was ecclesiastically bifurcated from the Diocese of Dornakal of the Church of South India in early 1978. Prabhudass led the bishopric for a period of five years from 1978 through 1982.

V. Prasada Rao was the eighth Bishop - in - Dornakal Diocese of the Church of South India who was principally consecrated on 12 June 2012 by then Moderator, G. Devakadasham and co-consecrated by then Deputy Moderator, G. Dyvasirvadam of the Church of South India Synod at the CSI-Epiphany Cathedral, Dornakal. During the Synod of 2017, Prasada Rao also served as the Deputy Moderator of the Synod for the triennium 2017–2019.

Bishop B. D. Prasada Rao(born 13.8.1952) is Bishop Emeritus - in - Rayalaseema Diocese of the Church of South India and past ex officio member of the Church of South India Synod for the period 2013-2019. He retired on attaining superannuation on 13 August 2019.

Daniel Rathnakara Sadananda is a New Testament Scholar who is re-elected as the General Secretary (Triennium 2017-2020) of the Church of South India Synod headquartered in Chennai as well as the Chairperson (triennium 2015-2018) of the Council of the United Theological College, Bangalore, the only autonomous College under the Senate of Serampore College (University). He also serves as the Vice President of National Council of Churches in India (2016-2020) as well Executive Secretary of the Communion of Churches in India comprising CNI, CSI, Marthoma Churches and now MCI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Stephen Jayaraj</span> Indian bishop

George Stephen Jayaraj was consecrated Bishop of the Madras Diocese of the Church of South India (CSI) by G. Dyvasirvadam, Moderator, CSI on 19 March 2016 at St. George's Cathedral, Chennai. He became the thirteenth Bishop of the Madras Diocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. C. Solomon Raj</span> Indian Bishop of Medak

A. C. Solomon Raj is the seventh successor of Frank Whittaker and eighth Bishop in Medak of the Protestant Church of South India Society and shepherds the Diocese from the Cathedra of the Bishop housed in the CSI-Medak Cathedral in Medak Town, Telangana, India. On 12 October 2016, the Church of South India Synod headquartered in Chennai, appointed Solomon Raj to assume the ecclesiastical Office of the Bishopric of Medak and was consecrated the next day on 13 October 2016 at the CSI-St. George's Cathedral, Chennai, ending four years of sede vacante in the Diocese of Medak which was without a bishop during the intervening period of 2012–2016.

CSI-Garrison Wesley Church located in Trimulgherry is among the oldest churches in Secunderabad under the auspices of the Protestant Church of South India (CSI) within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Medak. Situated in Lal Bazar civilian area of the Secunderabad Cantonment, the CSI-Garrison Wesley Church is in near vicinity of the Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), and the church has continued to attract not only its regular worshipers but also the new visitors from the nearby military stations of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force through its regular Sunday Mass as well as its annual Good Friday, Easter and Christmas programmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oommen George</span> 21st-century Indian bishop

Oommen George is the Bishop of the Kollam-Kottarakkara Diocese of Church of South India. He was the former clergy secretary of CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese and the vicar of Ascension Church Kanjikkuzhy when he was selected as the first bishop of Kollam - Kottarakkara Diocese. He is the son of late K C George Upadeshi, Malayil, Punnakadu an evangelist of the CSI Church and Mallappally Panavelil Rachel. Aleyamma Oommen is his wife and Diana, Lida and Leena are his daughters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabu Koshy Cherian</span> 20th and 21st-century Indian bishop

Malayil Sabu Koshy Cherian is the 13th Bishop of the Madhya Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India.

Bishop P. I. Vara Prasad(born 8.10.1962) is a silver jubilee Priest and current Bishop - in - Rayalaseema Diocese of the Church of South India. Ever since his ordination as Deacon/Presbyter in 1993 by then Bishop L. V. Azariah, he began his career as a Priest in Churches within ecclesiastical jurisdiction of CSI-Diocese of Rayalaseema that comprise parts of civil states of Andhra Pradesh and Telugu-speaking parts of Tamil Nadu. Vara Prasad is well versed in conducting Mass, following Presbyterian, Congregational and Anglican rites.

References

  1. https://csigni.edu.in/Document-Links/Trust-Proof.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  2. "Krishna-Godavari Diocese Bishop all set to become head of CSI". The Hindu. 11 January 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "HC appoints retired judges to run affairs of CSI". The Times of India. 13 April 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Bureau, The Hindu (12 April 2024). "Madras High Court appoints a Committee of Administrators for CSI and CSI Trust Association". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 18 April 2024.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. 1 2 3 Sivakumar, R. (13 April 2024). "Madras HC red-flags CSI poll, names judges' panel to administer body". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  6. K. M. George, Church of South India: Life in Union, 1947–1997, Jointly published by Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, New Delhi and Christava Sahitya Samithi, Tiruvalla, 1999.
  7. 1 2 George Conger, New moderator for the Church of South India, Anglican Link, January 12, 2020.