Trinity Theological College

Subject: Ecumenical Movement

Topic: Indian Expression of Ecumenism
 Ecclesial Movement: SIUC, CSI, CNI, CCI
 Theological Institution: Serampore College, UTC, KUTS, TTS,
 Others Institutions: CMC Vellore, MC College Chennai
Presenter: Avikali, Ishmael, Thaokholou
Lecturer: Sir, Adakho Lokho
Responder: Livy, Vivikali, Theophilus.

Introduction
The prayer of Jesus Christ of John’s Gospel Ch. 17: 21, “that they all may be one so
that the world may believe” is the crux of ecumenism. Historically the Modern Missionary
Movement came in the form of a number of foreign missions from Europe and America.
Each propagated its own type of teaching and its own system of organization and discipline,
with the inevitable result, a number of separate Christian communities came into existence, as
Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and so on. Though they maintained their denominational
positions, they formed the habit of consulting together on common problems. A measure of
co-operation in evangelistic methods, in running institutions and in matters of discipline,
became necessary and developed an unwritten convention of Comity 1. There was more
brotherly feeling and co-operation between the denominations in India than there was at that
time in the West.

CSI – Union Negotiation with Other Churches

The leaders of CSI were looking forward to a wider unity. The first synod passed an
invitation to the other churches in South India to consider with them the possibility of a yet
wider union. Five of the Lutheran Churches in South India, and two groups of Baptist – the
Convention of Baptist Churches of the Northern Circars and the Convention of Telugu
Baptist Churches, entered into these conversations with unexpected enthusiasm. A Joint
Meeting of eleven Lutherans, nine Baptists and Seven CSIs was held in St. Mary’s Church,
Madras in December 14-16. 1948.
They had healthy discussions on the papers presented to the conference by different
leaders. The group further recommended the formation of two bodies, an Inter-Church Group
to carry on the conversations of Union and a Theological Commission to study the
theological issues involved. They formed the Joint Commission consisting of twenty three
members, first they met in Tambaram in June 1949. They produced a statement on the
measure of agreement at the meeting on certain basic theological issues which was to be
presented to the second meeting of the Inter-Church Group in September 1949. After this
meeting the Baptist Churches withdrew from the discussion due to theological and doctrinal
differences.2

1
. C. B. Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History, Delhi: ISPCK, 1976, 234.
2
Mark Gibbard, Unity is not Enough. (London: A. R. Mowbray & Co LTD, 1965), 86.
 The conversation had gone on with Lutherans. In November, 1950 Joint Committee
also decided to set up the CSI- Lutheran Joint Theological Commission (JTC). This
Commission met six times. There was a difference of opinion related to the use of the term
‘Historical Episcopate’, the concept of Authority and the meaning of ‘Unification of the
Ministry’. The JTC met in Bangalore in April 1959, after a frank exchange of views they
formulated an Agreed Statement on the Church and the Ministry. The JTC regards the work
completed and resolved to reiterate the Churches to take action to secure the close fellowship
in practice and also recommended to appoint an Inter-Church Commission which would work
for such closer fellowship and would, in particular, prepare a Catechism for use in the CSI
and the Lutheran Churches, and also draw up a Constitution for a united Church, including
the doctrinal statement.3
The first meeting of the Inter-Church Commission was held in Bangalore from 22 nd to
24th August 1960. From Lutheran side only the representatives from the Lutheran churches in
South India were participated. The Commission decided to implement a number of
recommendations such as Pulpit and Altar Fellowship. This Commission met every year in
different places in South India.
At the seventh meeting (July 20-22, 1967) a Catechism, which had already been
through several drafts, was issued for the experimental use of the Churches. At the ninth
meeting, in October 1969, the Draft Constitution was accepted for transmission to the
Churches for their study. At the eleventh meeting in September 1975, the Commission agreed
on the implementation of the inauguration of the new Church in two stages. Although the
hope of ‘The Church of Christ in South India’ was not fulfilled, the CSI-Lutheran
negotiations are certainly a new step forward in the ecumenical pilgrimage of the Church4
The negotiation achieved very significant results from the level of local
congregations. The acceptance of baptism encourages the people to have mutual relationship,
making even intermarriage possible. The possibility of Pulpit and Altar exchange and
participation together in the life of the Council of Churches are examples of their
commitment towards ecumenism. Both CSI and the Lutherans have no reservation in sending
their candidates for theological education in the institution of the others.5 In 1958 the Mar
Thoma Church decided to accept the CSI bishops, presbyters and deacons consecrated or
ordained at or after the union of 1947.

CNI - Negotiation with other Churches

The Methodist Church in India (MCI) was inaugurated on 7th January, 1981 at
Madras. In 1984, the CNI invited the MCI to enter into union negotiations. The MCI accepted
the invitation and the first meeting of the Union Negotiation Committee held in August 1984.
There were no fundamental differences between the two churches in the concept and function
of the episcopate. But in September 1988, the fifth Negotiation Committee recommended that
the interim goal of intercommunion should be pursued by unifying the three fold ministry of
the churches as a step towards the ultimate goal of union of these two churches.

3
K.M. George, Church of South India Life in Union, (Delhi: ISPCK & CSS, 1999), 141.
4
K.M. George, Church of South India Life in Union, (Delhi: ISPCK & CSS, 1999), 141
5
K.M. George, Church of South India Life in Union, (Delhi: ISPCK & CSS, 1999), 141.
 The CNI did not approve the recommendation of the 5 th NC, rather it had affirmed its
commitment to the goal of union as recommended by the 4 th NC, 1987. The MCI was
interested to have a unification of the ministries and intercommunion outside the structural
union. The basic issue was whether mutual recognition and uniting of the ministries of the
two churches could only take place as part of, and within, the structural union of the two
churches appealing to the 1965 Plan of Unity.6

CCI
The Communion of Churches in India (CCI) has been constituted as the visible organ for
common expression of the life and witness by the founding Churches, the Church of North
India (CNI), the Church of South India (CSI) and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church (MTC)
which recognize themselves as belonging to the one Church of Jesus Christ in India, even
while remaining as autonomous churches, each having its own identity of traditions and
organizational structures.

“The Communion” invites other Churches in India to enter into full communion with the
member churches separately and join “The Communion”.

The genesis of the story goes back to the invitation by the CNI to form three commissions of
representatives of the three churches: the Church of North India, Church of South India and
the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar (here-in-after referred to as CNI.CSI and MTC) to
explore the ways and means of further cooperation and witness in India. This move was
welcomed during the meeting of the CSI and MTC Negotiation Commission, held on 17th
May 1974.

Therefore the three churches appointed their representatives to the Theological Commissions
of their respective churches and these commissions began to function as a Joint Theological
Commission. The first meeting of the Joint Theological Commission was held in January
1975 at Madras. The object of the Commission was to explore the possibilities of close
cooperation between the CNI, the CSI and the MTC and to discuss the question of faith and
order and other relevant issues. The aim of this was that there might be union between these
churches, keeping in mind the ultimate goal of all Christ's people in India i.e. the fulfillment
of the Mission of the Church. During their third meeting in September 1976, the JTC passed
the proposal for a new model of union for these three churches, which was accepted, and the
Joint Council was inaugurated in July 1978, at Nagpur.

Serampore College

Ecumenical Contributions of Serampore Mission in India:

Although the Serampore missionaries came to India primarily for the purpose of preaching
the gospel of Christ, they dedicated themselves to the service of the ailing and distressed

6
Ibid., p. 88.
people in and around Serampore, spreading education, social reforms and social
reconstruction. Rev. John Clark Marsh man wrote, “The Serampore missionaries considered
it their duty to take an active interest in every measure calculated to relieve the wretchedness
of the people”.1 During the period of 1816 to 1837 Serampore mission worked independently
from its parent BMS, and it this time the missions were undertook in Assam and Meghalaya.7

Education:

William Carey established a charity school for the boys in at Mudnabutty. After moving to
Serampore in 1800, he established a school with hostel facilities for foreign nationals on
payment of fees and on the other hand in June 1800, he started a school to give free education
to the natives. Within a few years they could establish number of schools and also produce
text books for the students. Carey gave importance to vernacular education over English
education because learning their own language would make more sense to them. Carey and
his colleagues had founded and supervised, by the year 1818, no fewer than 126 native
schools, containing some 10,000 boys, of whom more than 7000 were in and around
Serampore. In India at that time the girls were not sent to schools. The Serampore
missionaries were sensitive to the lack of female education in the conservative society. They
encouraged the girls to attend the schools. In 1816, the girls were allowed to sit behind the
curtains and attend classes in boys' school but this attempt was not successful. In 1822, a
separate school for girls was established by the Serampore missionaries.3 As part of
missionary work in North-east Indian in 1829, a School at Guwahati was set up.8

The Establishment of Serampore College:

The unprecedented response of the schools triggered the inquisitive mind of Carey to
work for the establishment of a College. On 15th July 1818, Carey sent an appeal to the
Governor of Denmark for the sanction of a college at Serampore. The Danish government
happily gave their permission. The College was established for the instruction of Indian youth
in Christian knowledge and secular education.5 Serampore College was established in 1818
with the primary purpose of training Christian Indians to be missionaries to their own
people.9

William Carey (1761-1834) and his ministry of Ecumenism in India:

Carey landed in Calcutta, as a Missionary of Baptist Missionary Society to India, and

he met Dr. Thomas, who was a great encouragement to him. B.M.S7 in England was not able
to raise sufficient funds for the work in India; even the insufficient funds did not reach Carey
on time. Therefore with the help of Dr. John Thomas, Carey found a job in one of the Indigo
Plants owned by an English man. For the first 6 years Carrey did not have a single convert
the reason was he did not concentrate on mission work. Because he wanted so that he could
7
Frederick S. Downs, History of Christianity in India: North East India in the Nineteenth and Twentieth
Centuries Volume V, Part 5 (Bangalore: The Church History Association of India, 1992), 65.
8
Frederick S. Downs, History of Christianity in India: North East India in the Nineteenth and Twentieth
Centuries Volume V, Part 5 (Bangalore: The Church History Association of India, 1992),67
9
Brian Stanley, The History of the Baptist Missionary Society 1792-1992 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1992), 51-52
more effectively present the gospel to the Hindus. After these years of preparation Carey had
a very effective and fruitful ministry.8 After missionary colleagues arrived from England in
1799, he moved to the Danish colonial enclave of Serampore, 13 miles up to the River
Hooghly from Calcutta. There he spent the rest of his life with Joshua Marshman (1768-
1837) and William Ward (1769-1823) in a unique partnership dubbed by mission promoters
“the Serampore Trio.”9 Carey's first convert was Sudra by the name Krishna Pal (a carpenter)
and his second convert was a young man called Krishna Prasad, a high caste, Kulin Brahmin.
And since then the number of his converts had been growing, all of them were Hindu
converts. He did not run his church with white people, the church was meant for the converts.
Although Carey knew very well about the caste system Carey neither encourages nor
attacked that evil system but he was very careful to see that his converts had a casteless
Christianity.10

UTC
The College was inaugurated in July 1910 under the name “The United Theological
College of South India and Ceylon” as “a Christian College where students may obtain a
sound theological education”. It was established through the co-operation of the London
Missionary Society, the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society, The United Free Church of
Scotland, the Arcot Mission of the Reformed Church in America and the Trustees of the
Jaffna College Funds and the S.P.C.K. in Scotland also gave their support.
Interest in this ecumenical institution grew, and churches, missionary societies and
other organizations from various regions of India and from abroad joined with the founders in
support of the College. In 1951 the Church Missionary Society and the society for the
Propagation of the Gospel became supporting bodies. The College had received help at
various times from the Danish Lutheran Church and the friends of Dr.L.P.Larsen, the first
Principal of the College, and in 1959 the Danish Missionary Society became a supporting
body. In 1960 the Basel Evangelical Mission (now a member of the Association of Churches
and Mission in S.W. Germany) and the Kolhapur Church Council joined the ranks, to be
followed the next year by the church of South India, and in 1963 by the Mar Thoma Church.
The Council of Y.M.C.A’s in India joined as a supporting body in 1967 and the Church of
India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (now merged in the Church of North India) in 1969. Also
in 1969 the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church became one of the
contributing bodies.11

KUTS

The Kerala United Theological Seminary (KUTS), established in 1943, is a premier

ecumenical theological and ministerial education center of the Churches in Kerala State,
India. It was established through a joint effort of the missionary societies i.e. The London
Missionary Society, the Church Missionary Society, and the Basel Mission–and Churches–
The Church of God in South India and the Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church. At present,
the seminary is run by the six dioceses of the Church of South India (CSI) Kerala State, with
an ecumenical outlook. The Seminary is affiliated to the Senate of Serampore

10
A. Jayakumar, History of Christianity in India (Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2013), 62.
11
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Theological_College,_Bangalore
College/University, West Bengal, India. Which was founded by William Carey, Marshman
and Ward, in 1818, incorporated by Royal Charter, 1827 and Bengal Act IV of 1918 as
modified up to 1997 by Govt. of West Bengal12

TTS

Inter- faith Ecumenism in TTS:

When Samuel Amirtham was serving as the Principal of T.T.S. Curriculum that was designed
by his leadership gave importance to the-study of World Religious like Indian Islam, Tamil
Saivism, and modem religious movements and Interfaith Dialogue. Bishop Amirtham was
very much interested and enthusiastic in arranging scholarly seminars on Inter-faith themes
such as “The Nature and Destiny of Man” and “Grace in Saiva Siddhanta, Vedanta, Islam and
Christianity.” Students were encouraged to come up with new insights on mission. Also he
was integral to the formation of an Inter religious forum called The Religious Friends Circle
in 1977.

Bishop Amirtham believed that inter-faith dialogue should be an essential part of every
mission institute’s philosophy. He introduced a new educational model to T.T.S., named
inculturation by which he used art images, music and vernacular language to promote an
Indian cultural ethos in Christian learning. He did this by emphasizing the idea of Gurukulam
where students lived and learned as a community to experience inculturation. He even
appointed an Hindu teacher named Srinivasa Iyengar as a music teacher. One of Bishop
Amirtham’s student, Israel Selvanayagam points out that, in the very first year of its
existence, T.T.S. arranged a special lecture on Islam by an eminent scholar Mr. Abdual
Gaffer Khan. During 1971-72, programmes that exposed students to the worship contexts of
Hindus and Muslims were arranged. This experience opened the eyes of many students so
that they could develop a positive attitude towards people of other faiths.13

In view of the tremendous prospects of the dialogue programme, Israel Selvanayagam one of
the old students who showed keen interest in dialogue was chose as the first organizer from
June 1977. In every meeting a particular topic would be chosen for short speeches by Hindu,
Muslim and Christian speakers followed by common discussion. It was held once in a month,
sometimes ones in two months in the T.T.S. campus and outside.14

CMC Vellore

12
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_United_Theological_Seminary
13
John T. Velvet, “Idaiyante Jaithrayathra,” (Malayalam) in 60th Birthday Souvenir of Bishop Samuel
Amirtham, ed. By John T. Velvet (Thiruvananthapuram: C.S.I South Kerala Diocese, 1993), 23
14
C. Rajamony, “Freedom of Religion and Pluralism (Nagercoil: Pushpa Publication, 1993), 56.
The Christian Medical College is an unaided non-capitation, Christian minority, educational
institution admitting students on merits on an all India basis. The Christian medical college
(CMC), Vellore was established an it maintained by the Christian medical college Vellore
association, a register society form by over 50 different Indian Christian churches and
Christian organization which run over 225 hospital, health center and dispensaries throughout
the length and breadth of this country, many of which are situated in remote rural areas. The
purpose of the Christian medical college therefore, is to train dedicated person to manage, run
and provide healthcare in the spirit of Christ through the mission hospitals. The motto of the
institution is “not to be ministered unto, but to minister” in 2008, the Christian medical
college Vellore proudly celebrated the completion of the 100 years of education.15

MC Madras Christian College

The Madras Christian College (MCC) is an arts and sciences college based in Madras
(Chennai), India. Consistently ranked among the top ten colleges in India, it is considered to
be one of the most prestigious colleges in India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's
oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as
an autonomous institution from its main campus in Tambaram, Chennai.

Established originally as a school for boys in the place where Anderson Church is
located, the institution evolved into one of the pioneering modern colleges for higher
education in India by mid-nineteenth century.[1] From its origins as a missionary endeavor of
the Church of Scotland, it passed into administration of the Church of South India (CSI) in
1947, following Indian independence from British. In 1938 MCC hosted the Tambaram
Conference (also called The Madras Conference or Tambaram 1938), the third World
Missionary Conference which eventually created the World Council of Churches. The same
buildings were used again in 1988 (Tambaram 1988) to commemorate this landmark event
which focused contemporary thought into ecumenism, Christianity's engagement with world
religions and traditions. In the words of Bishop Stephen Neill, this event was "the most
international gathering held up to that point in the entire history of the Christian Church." [6]
William Miller's vision in creating an educational institution that prepared the largely Hindu
students to a Christward direction through education, rather than just conversion of their
faith, was lauded.[7] Lesslie Newbigin, the famous missionary and theologian who attended
the 1938 conference, spoke at the 1988 event at MCC as well.16

Conclusion
The ecumenical movement is inspired by a vision of Christ and larger dimensions of
the Kingdom of God. Its goal is the salvation and unity of all creation in Christ. Ecumenism
speaks of an inner quality of life and attitude. The church is ecumenical not simply because it
is world wide and unites all local churches into one organization, but because it expresses an
inner wholeness, a quality of life. The object of God’s reconciling purpose is not only the

15
CMC Prospectus.
16
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Christian_College
Church but the whole humanity, indeed the whole creation. The aim of ecumenism is
fulfilling the prayer of Jesus Christ, “That they may be one”. Ecumenism is a way of life,
which needs to be carried out through our day today activities. The creedal “One Holy,
catholic, Apostolic Church”, is to be realized.

Bbliography

Sahu Dhirendra Kumar, United & Uniting: A History of the Church North India,
(Delhi: ISPCK, 2001), 39.

Downs,Frederick S., History of Christianity in India: North East India in the

Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Volume V, Part 5 (Bangalore: The Church History
Association of India, 1992.

Stanley Brian, The History of the Baptist Missionary Society 1792-1992 .Edinburgh:
T&T Clark, 1992.

Jayakumar A, History of Christianity in India .Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2013.

Velvet John T., “Idaiyante Jaithrayathra,” (Malayalam) in 60th Birthday Souvenir of

Bishop Samuel Amirtham, ed. By John T. Velvet .Thiruvananthapuram: C.S.I South Kerala
Diocese, 1993.

Rajamony C., “Freedom of Religion and Pluralism .Nagercoil: Pushpa Publication, 1993.

Webliography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madras_Christian_College

CMC Prospectus.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Theological_College,_Bangalore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_United_Theological_Seminary