Presbyterian Church of India

Last updated
Presbyterian Church of India
Classification Protestant
Theology Calvinism
Polity Presbyterian
ModeratorLalramliana Pachuau
Associations World Reformed Fellowship, World Communion of Reformed Churches, Council for World Mission, National Council of Churches in India
Region India
Founder
  • Thomas Jones
  • D. E. Jones
Origin1841
India
Branched from Presbyterian Church of Wales formerly Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church
Congregations4,013 (2020)
Members1,576,830 (2020) [1]

The Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) is a mainline Protestant church based in India, with over one and a half million adherents, mostly in Northeast India. [2] It is one of the largest Christian denominations in that region. [3] [4]

Contents

Origin and history

In 1799, Serampore was a protectorate of Denmark. The early British rulers of India were not in favour of Christian missionaries being active in India, but William Carey (1761–1834) established a mission at Serampore in 1799 which became known as the cradle of Modern Missions. Two Khasi were converted through the ministry of Krishna Chandra Pal, who was deputised by William Carey in 1813, and worked at the trading outpost of Pandua, situated in the Sylhet Plains. The same year a mission station was opened at Jowai in the Jaintai Hills. William Carey, heartened by the efforts of Krishna Pal, began a translation of the Bible into Khasi using Bengali script. In 1832 Carey sponsored Alexander B. Lish as a missionary at Sohra. Lish stayed six years, learning the language, opening schools, and translating the New Testament into Khasi, using Bengali script. This script was unknown to the Khasi at that time, which perhaps accounts, in part, for Lish's lack of converts. So began the history of the missionary efforts of the Welsh in Khasiland. The Secretary of the Welsh Mission, the Reverend John Thomas Jones from Aberriw in Wales who had a strong desire to work in India had applied to the LMS on medical grounds. Reverend Jones managed to obtain support from his congregation and incorporated The Welsh Missionary Society and they sent him to work in the Khasi Hills [5]

The Foreign Missions enterprise of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church (later known as the Presbyterian Church of Wales) began at Liverpool in 1840. Earlier this church had supported the work of the London City Missionary Society both in terms of home support and also in overseas agency—four Calvinistic Methodists were sent out by the LMS in the years up to 1840. However, there arose a feeling among Welsh Calvinists, especially those in North Wales, that the Welsh Calvinists were not being sufficiently represented in the LMS and that, moreover, the Methodist Churches had not done what they ought to have done in evangelising the Heathen world. A former London City Missionary by the name of Jacob Tomlin had toured the Khasi Hills before 1840 and recommended that the Welsh Calvinists adopt this area as its first mission. The area had been brought under British domination with a military station at Sohra. In 1874 the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and the plains of Assam were designated the Province of Assam. The first missionary, Rev. Thomas Jones, left with his wife for Sohra in November 1840. They arrived at the reputedly rainiest plain on earth in June 1841. The Rev. Jones learned the Khasi language and after one year opened schools with his publication: First Khasi Reader. The Reverend was aided by a number of other Welsh missionary workers and the first two converts to the Christian faith from Khasiland were baptised in March 1846. [6]

The Presbyterian Church in India was founded in 1841. [3] by missionaries from the Presbyterian Church of Wales (formerly the Calvinistic Methodist Church). [7] Rev Thomas Jones and his wife arrived in Sohra and from the town, this work spread to Sylhet today known as Bangladesh and Cachar Plains, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura. But before this around 1813 the Serampore Mission stated working in at the foot of the Khasi Hills. This mission closed in 1838, the Welsh missionaries revived this effort. Rev. William Pyrse arrived to strengthen this work. The first Presbytery was formed in 1867 in Khasi Hills, and 5 presbyteries were established in 1895, resulting in 1896 in what was then called the Assembly. Work was started in 1896 in Sylhet and Cachar, and later another Assembly was formed in there. In 1947 India and Pakistan were divided, the greater part of the area came under Pakistan, the Pakistan Assembly discontinued. In India the Welsh reached Mizoram, and was strengthen by another missionaries, and the work developed since 1897. [8] By the end of the 1890s the church grew in membership and character, this was the Welsh religious revival, and includes today the whole population. Various tribes in north Cachar Hills who had been evangelizedby missionaries and local workers were organised as an Assembly, but this assemblies were just regional, not the whole Presbyterian denomination was included. The Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Assam was created in 1926. [9] The highest church court, the Synod was renamed to Assembly in 1956. In 1968 the name Presbyterian Church in Assam was changed to the Presbyterian Church in North-East India. [10] Geographical spread and the merger of several (though not all) Presbyterian groups made the original denominational names obsolete, [11] and the name 'Presbyterian Church of India' (PCI) was adopted as an official name in 1992, the Assembly was renamed to General Assembly by the highest court of the church in 2002. [12]

Structure

Jowai Presbyterian Church, India Jowai Presbyterian Church.JPG
Jowai Presbyterian Church, India

PCI is an apex body comprising thirteen synods:

Doctrine and theology

The PCI subscribes to the Westminster Confession of Faith and maintains relationships with related denominations such as the Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Uniting Church in Australia, the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan and the Presbyterian Church in Singapore. [7] It has a cordial relationship with its parent church, the Presbyterian Church of Wales. [13] Locally, it has ties with the Council of Baptist Churches in North-East India (CBCNEI) and the Church of North India. [13]

Founders

Rev. & Mrs. Thomas Jones from the Welsh Presbyterian Church arrived in the Khasi Hills on 22 June 1841. By 1901 there were over 15,000 Christians in this area. [14] The Rev. D.E Jones began working among Mizo people in 1897, [14] and a century later, over 85% of people in Mizoram were Christian. [14]

Many other Presbyterian missionaries also served in India, for example Samuel H. Kellogg, translator of the Bible into Hindi.

Recent issues

The PCI began a partnership with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1999. This cooperation was dissolved in 2012 when the PC(USA) voted to ordain openly gay clergy to the ministry. [15]

Membership and statistics

According to 2018 statistics, the Presbyterian Church of India had a total strength of 1,467,529 members (856,094 communicants) and 3,269 local churches, 11 synods and 137 presbyteries and 1,089 ministers and more than 3,046 mission field workers. [16] The Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod is the largest with 611,241 members in 54 presbyteries, which has its headquarters in Aizawl, India. This Synod has 14 departments and 560 active ministers. [17] [18] The Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi has 381,808 members in 780 churches and 28 presbyteries. [19]

Sl. No.SynodChurchesMembers
1. Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod 1,266611,241
2.Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi854370,764
3.Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Mihngi576294,320
4.Ri Bhoi Presbyterian Synod70,013
5.Cachar Hill Tribes Presbyterian Synod34,153
6.Karbi Anglong Presbyterian Church Synod6222,952
7. Tripura Presbyterian Church Synod 32522,277
8.Biateram Presbyterian Synod7018,971
9.Manipur Presbyterian Church Synod11015,571
10. Zou Presbyterian Church Synod 8212,029
11.Meitei Presbyterian Singlup Synod858,785

In 2020, the denomination reported having 1,576,830 members, 4,013 churches, and 1,245 ministers. [1]

Affiliations

See also

Related Research Articles

The Presbyterian Church of Wales, also known as the Calvinistic Methodist Church, is a denomination of Protestant Christianity based in Wales.

John Hughes Morris (1870–1953) was a Welsh author and an administrator of Christian missions. He was born in Penrhosllugwy, Anglesey but moved to Liverpool as a young lad. He only received elementary education at Chatsworth School, Liverpool but he had considerable talent, and when he was 22 years of age he came to work at the office of the Foreign Mission in Falkner Street, near the Philharmonic Hall. This mission began in Liverpool in 1840 by the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Morris remained at this office till 1949, a period of 57 years.

Protestants in India are a minority and a sub-section of Christians in India and also to a certain extent the Christians in Pakistan before the Partition of India, that adhere to some or all of the doctrines of Protestantism. Protestants in India are a small minority in a predominantly Hindu majority country, but form majorities in the north-eastern states of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. They are also significant minorities in Punjab region, Konkan region, Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, with various communities in east coast and northern states. Protestants can trace their origins back to the Protestant Revolution of the 16th century. There are an estimated 20 million Protestants and 16 million Pentecostals in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Jones (missionary)</span> Welsh Christian missionary to India and Bangladesh (1810–1849)

Thomas Jones was a Welsh Christian missionary, who worked among the Khasi people of Meghalaya and Assam in India and of Bangladesh. He recorded the Khasi language in Roman script, and the inscription on his gravestone calls him "The founding father of the Khasi alphabet and literature".

Mizoram Presbyterian ChurchSynod is the largest Christian denomination in Mizoram, northeast India. It was a direct progeny of the Calvinistic Methodist Church in Wales. It was the second church in Mizoram and is now one of the constituent bodies of a larger denomination Presbyterian Church of India (PCI), which has its headquarters in Shillong, Meghalaya. The administrative body called the Mizoram Synod has its headquarters at Mission Veng, Aizawl. As the first church, it remains the largest denomination in Mizoram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Tripura</span>

Christianity is one of the religions in Tripura, a state in North East India. According to the Indian Census 2011, the population of Christians in Tripura is 159,882 or 4.35% of the total population. Christians are mostly found among the indigenous communities of the state such as the Tripuri, Lushai, Kuki, Darlong, Halam etc. Among the Scheduled Tribes of the state Christians share is 13.12% of the population.

Dr. H. Gordon Roberts Hospital, Shillong, or KJP Hospital, is one of the oldest medical centres in Meghalaya. This Christian institution was founded by Dr. Hughes Gordon Roberts and is located in the city of Shillong in the north east of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Herbert Lorrain</span> British missionary

James Herbert Lorrain, or Pu Buanga, was a Scottish Baptist missionary in northeast India, including Mizoram, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh. He and Frederick William Savidge reduced the Lushai language to writing—devised an alphabet using Roman lettering and phonetic form of spelling based on Hunterian system translation; compiled grammar and dictionaries for missionary activities and clerical administration.

William Williams was a Welsh Presbyterian missionary to Khasi Hills, northeast India, in the late 19th century. He was a son of a ship captain in Nanternis, a small village in Wales. Following his father's footstep he became a sailor for five years. Then he took a profession in carpentry for two years. After graduating in theology from East London Missionary Training Institute he became a pastor. Pursuing his ambition he became a missionary of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Foreign Mission to Khasi people in India from 1887 until his death. He died of typhoid in 1892.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synod Hospital, Durtlang</span> Hospital in Mizoram, India

Synod Hospital, Durtlang is a general hospital and nursing school in Aizawl, Mizoram, India. The hospital is widely known among Mizo people as "Durtlang Hospital". It is managed and governed by the Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod. The hospital was established in 1928 by the Calvinistic Methodist Church as a nursing institute. It is the second hospital established, and the largest non-governmental hospital in Mizoram. It has a registered capacity of 355 beds.

Evangelization of Meghalaya began in the 19th century during the British era. In the 1830s, American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society had become active in Northeast to evangelize indigenous tribes to Christianity. Later, they were offered to expand and reach into Sohra Meghalaya, but they lacked the resources to do so and declined. Welsh Presbyterian Mission took the offer and they began work at Sohra mission field. By the early 1900s, other Protestant denominations of Christianity were active in Meghalaya. The outbreak of World Wars forced the preachers to return home to Europe and America. It is during this period that Catholicism took root in Meghalaya and neighbouring region. Currently, Catholics, Presbyterians and Baptists are three most common Christian denominations found in Meghalaya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Mizoram</span>

Christianity is the largest religion in Mizoram. The majority 87% of Mizoram population are Christian in various denominations, predominantly Presbyterian. More than 98% of the Mizos are Christians by faith. The Government of Mizoram declared that Christianity plays a very important role among the daily life of Mizo community and therefore further declared that Christianity as the religion of the state. The culture of Mizoram is mainly influenced by Christianity. Hence, Christianity was given a special status on the state by the government while maintaining a minimum level of secular environment and approach. In June 2018, the government of Mizoram including Vanlalruata, president of anti-corruption organisation-turned-political party, People's Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram claim that Mizoram is a Christian state. Hindus form a small minority (3.55%) mainly of Manipuris and there are also around (7.93%) Buddhists according to the 2001 census, mostly made up from Chakma settlers of Arakan origin. There are about 8,000 mostly ethnic Mizo followers of a Judaic group Bnei Menashe, who claim descent from the biblical Menasseh. Muslims make up about 1.1% of the state population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mawphlang</span> Village in Meghalaya, India

Mawphlang is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in north-eastern India, 25 kilometers from Shillong. The word maw means "stone", maw phlang means "grassy stone," and is one of many settlements in the Khasi hills named after monoliths.

Zairema was a Presbyterian minister, and a pioneer in theology and literature among the Mizo people of northeast India. He was the first Mizo to obtain the degrees of BSc and BD. He died of cardiac problem on the morning of 17 December 2008 at his residence in Aizawl at the age of 91. He is best remembered as the "father of Mizoram Synod".

North East India Christian Council (NEICC) is a Protestant ecumenical council of North East India, affiliated to the National Council of Churches in India as one of the regional councils in the year 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick William Savidge</span>

Frederick William Savidge was a pioneer English Christian missionary in northeast India. He and James Herbert Lorrain brought Protestantism to Mizoram, and some parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Together they were entirely responsible for the creation of written language in Mizo, beginning of literacy, origin of formal education and establishment of churches in Mizoram. They devised the original Mizo alphabets based on Roman script, prepared the first book and dictionary in Mizo, started the first school among the Mizos. Mizoram has become the most Christian populated state in India. As a professional educator Savidge was single-handedly responsible for introducing quality education in Mizoram. He is deservedly known as the Father of Mizo Education.

Edwin Rowlands was a Welsh Christian missionary in northeast India and Burma. He was a professional teacher, singer, composer, poet, translator and literary figure among the Mizo people. He was regarded as the most beloved of all British missionaries in Mizoram. He was more popularly known as Zosapthara. He made the major hymns in Mizo and Khumi which are still in use. He modified the original Mizo alphabet and his system became the standard in Mizo language. He created written language for Khumi people in Burma, and for Bhil people in Maharashtra. His literary works are the foundation of Mizo literature. He was the first administrator of education in Mizoram as Honorary Inspector of Schools. Despite objection from various corners he married Thangkungi, a Mizo girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Christianity in Mizoram</span> Christianity in Mizoram

The history of Christianity in Mizoram covers the origin and development of all forms of Christianity in Mizoram since the British occupation at the end of the 19th century until Indian Independance. Christianity arrived due to British intervention in tribal warfare, raids of British plantations. The ensuing punitive British military expedition was called the Lushai Expedition of 1871. The subsequent annexation of the erstwhile Lushai Hills to the British Empire opened the gateway for British Christian missions to evangelise the Mizo people.

References

  1. 1 2 "Statistics of Presbyterian Church of India". Presbyterian Church of India. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  2. "Council for World Mission web site". Archived from the original on 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
  3. 1 2 Erwin Fahlbusch and Geoffrey William Bromiley, The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 4, Eerdmans, 2005, ISBN   0-8028-2416-1, p. 538.
  4. "Presbyterian Church of India decide not to join WCC". www.christiantoday.co.in.
  5. http://www.mundus.ac.uk/cats/51/1042.htm Archived 2013-10-11 at the Wayback Machine (created 5 Jan 2012 - viewed 5 Jan 2012).
  6. Khasi and Jaintia Hills Missionary Minute Book 1869–1913, Fonds - 2 Volumes: University of Wales Bangor, Department of Manuscripts and Archives Reference - code: GB 0222 BMSS KJ
  7. 1 2 "recweb.org". recweb.org.
  8. "reformiert online". www.reformiert-online.net.
  9. "www.pciga.org/sub.php?sub=aboutus.php". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  10. "The Realization of a Dream". Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  11. Shaji Joseph Puykunnel, Christianity and Change in Northeast India, Concept Publishing Company, 2009, ISBN   81-8069-447-X, p. 150.
  12. www.pciga.org
  13. 1 2 D. Ben Rees, Vehicles of Grace and Hope: Welsh Missionaries in India, 1800-1970, William Carey Library, 2002, ISBN   0-87808-505-X, p. 173.
  14. 1 2 3 Noel Davies and Martin Conway, World Christianity in the Twentieth Century, Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, 2008, ISBN   0-334-04043-4, p. 131.
  15. "Mizoram Presbyterian church snaps US ties over gay stand - Times of India". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 2014-01-11. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  16. "The Official Site of the Presbyterian Church of India (PCI)". Archived from the original on 2017-11-14. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
  17. "About Us – Mizoram Synod". Archived from the original on 2018-07-02.
  18. "www.pciga.org/sub.php?sub=mizoram.php". Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  19. "Synod Sepngi". Archived from the original on 2010-02-12.
  20. "Member churches | Bringing together 80 million Reformed Christians worldwide". Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  21. "The World Reformed Fellowship - Membership List". Archived from the original on 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2013-02-17.