Church of North India (CNI)
The Church of North India was established in 1970 after a series of consultations that began in 1929. The fourth and final edition of the plan was complied in 1965, and on that basis Church Union in North India was inaugurated on the 29th of November, 1970 in Nagpur.
Churches that formed the new Church of North India, included:
- The Church of Northern India
- The Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon
- The Methodist Church in Southern Asia
- Council of the Baptist Churches in Northern India
- The Church of the Brethren and the Disciples of Christ (1957)
The concern for a unified Church grew out of a zeal for the mission of the Church. A divided Church could not bear witness to the one Gospel and the one Lord in a country like India with its diverse religions, languages, races and cultures. Through the process of negotiations and prayerful seeking of the guidance of the Holy Spirit, unity was achieved in the understanding and practice of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the three-fold ministry of Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons and in the organizational structures of Pastorates, Dioceses and the Synod. Episcopacy was received and accepted as both constitutional and historic. The Church of North India was created as a unifying body to reach out to those in need and provide spiritual guidance and support.
The formation of the Synodical Board of Social Services (SBSS) was seen as an extension of the mission of the church, in order to provide practical support and empower communities who were the most neglected.
Vision:
To be a transformed and transforming community towards the establishment of the reign of God and a Mission of “Equipping the primary constituency (Laity, Clergy, Women, Youth and Children) to be effective leaders/ enablers in living and communicating “the evangel”
Mission Statement:
The Church of North India as a United and Uniting together is committed to announce the Good news of the reign of God inaugurated through death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in proclamation and to demonstrate in actions to restore the integrity of God’s Creation through continuous struggle against the demonic powers by breaking down the barriers of caste, class, gender, economic inequality and exploitation of the nature”
Visit: CNI Synod website