Church of 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 (Congregationalist and Presbyterian).

The CNI's jurisdiction covers all states of India with the exception of the five states in the south (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu which are under the jurisdiction of the Church of South India). It has approximately 2,300,000 members (0.2% of the population of its constituent states) in 3,000 pastorates.

History

Ecumenical discussions with a view to a unified church were initiated by the Australian Churches of Christ Mission, the Methodist Church of Australia, the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church and the United Church of Northern India during a religious convention in Lucknow in 1929.

A negotiation committee was set up in 1951 using the plan of Church Union that resulted from the earlier consultations as its basis. The committee was composed of representatives from the Baptist Churches in Northern India; the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon; the Methodist Church (British and Australian conferences); the Methodist Church in Southern Asia; and the United Church of Northern India (UCNI). The Methodist Episcopal Church, however, did not join the discussions and, in 1981, it became the Methodist Church in India (MCI). In 1957, the Church of the Brethren in India and the Disciples of Christ denominations joined in the negotiations as well.

A new negotiation committee was set up in 1961 with representatives from all the above-mentioned denominations. In 1965, a finalized plan of Church Union, known as the 4th Plan of Union 1965, was made. The union was formalized on 29 November 1970 when all the negotiating churches were united as the Church of North India with the exception of the Methodist Church in Southern Asia, which decided not to join the union.

Beliefs and practices The CNI is a trinitarian church that draws from the traditions and heritage of its constituent denominations. The basic creeds of the CNI are the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed of 381 AD.

Liturgy The liturgy of the CNI is of particular interest, as it combines many traditions, including that of the Methodists and such smaller churches as the Church of the Brethren and the Disciples of Christ. Provision is given for diverse liturgical practices and understandings of the divine revelation.

Ordination Men and women may be ordained deacons, presbyters, and bishops. The CNI approved the ordination of women to the priesthood in 1977. In 2024, the CNI ordained the first woman to serve as a bishop within the CNI. In June, 2024, a second woman was ordained a bishop. In 2025, the CNI ordained a third woman as bishop.

Governance

The polity of the CNI brings together the episcopal, the presbyterial and the congregational elements in an effort to reflect the polity of the churches which entered into union. The episcopacy of the CNI is both historical as well as constitutional. There are 26 dioceses, each under the supervision of a bishop. The main administrative and legislative body is the synod, which meets once every three years to elect a presiding bishop, called a moderator, and an executive committee. The moderator acts as the head of the church for a fixed term; another bishop is elected Deputy Moderator.

Social involvement Social involvement is a major emphasis in the CNI. There are synodal boards in charge of various ministries: Secondary, Higher, Technical and Theological Education, Health Services, Social Services, Rural Development, Literature and Media. There is also a synodal Programme Office which seeks to protect and promote peace, justice, harmony and dignity of life.

The CNI currently operates 65 hospitals, nine nursing schools, 250 educational institutions and three technical schools. Some of the oldest and well-respected educational institutions in India like Scottish Church College in Calcutta, La Martiniere Calcutta, Wilson College in Mumbai, St. James' School, Calcutta, Hislop College in Nagpur, St. John's Diocesan Girls' School, Calcutta, St. Paul's School in Darjeeling, St. John's College, Agra, Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, Christ Church College, Kanpur, Sherwood College in Nainital, Ewing Christian College, Boys' High School & College in Prayagraj are under the administration of the CNI.

Ecumenism The CNI participates in many ecumenical bodies as a reflection of its commitment towards church unity. Domestically it participates in a joint council with the Church of South India and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church known as the Communion of Churches in India. It is also a member of the National Council of Churches in India. Regionally, the CNI participates in the Christian Conference of Asia and on an international level it is a member of the World Council of Churches, the Council for World Mission, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, World Methodist Council and in full communion with the Anglican Communion. The CNI is also in partnership with many other domestic, regional and international Christian agencies.

Gallery

Present administrators Moderator: The Most Rev. Dr. Paritosh Canning Deputy Moderator: The Rt. Rev. Silvans S. Christian, Bishop, Diocese of Gujarat Treasurer: Mr. Subrata Gorai General Secretary: The Revd. Dr. D.J. Ajith Kumar

Moderators Since its formation in 1970, the Synod of the CNI has elected a Moderator and one Deputy every three years. and Term Moderator Deputy Moderator April 1971July 1974 ,Bishop in Delhi (and Rajasthan) ,Bishop in Nagpur July 1974October 1977 October 1977October 1980 October 1980November 1983 ,Bishop in Nagpur ,Bishop in Calcutta November 1983October 1986 ,Bishop in Calcutta ,Bishop in Lucknow October 1986October 1989 ,Bishop in Lucknow ,Bishop in Darjeeling October 1989October 1992 ,Bishop in Darjeeling ,Bishop in Jabalpur October 1992October 1995 ,Bishop in Amritsar ,Bishop in Cuttack October 1995October 1998 ,Bishop in Cuttack ,Bishop in Nagpur October 1998January 2001 ,Bishop in Nagpur(died December 2000) ,Bishop in Chotanagpur JanuaryOctober 2001 ,Bishop in Chotanagpur ,Bishop in Barrackpore October 2001October 2004 ,Bishop in Chotanagpur ,Bishop in Chandigarh October 2004October 2005 October 2005October 2008 ,Bishop in Chandigarh ,Bishop in North East India October 2008October 2011 ,Bishop in North East India ,Bishop in Patna October 2011October 2014 ,Bishop in Patna ,Bishop in Amritsar October 20143 October 2017 ,Bishop in Amritsar Prem Singh,Bishop in Jabalpur October 201723 August 2019 Prem Singh,Bishop in Jabalpur Probal Dutta,Bishop in Durgapur and Kolkata 23 August 201914 September 2022 ,Bishop in Phulbani9 December 2022 – October 2025Bijay Kumar NayakPaul B.P. Duphare Manoj Charan23 October 2025 - presentParitosh Canning, Bishop in CalcuttaSilvans S Christian, Bishop in Gujarat

Dioceses Diocese of Calcutta

When originally founded in 1813, the fourth overseas diocese of the Church of England covered all the subcontinent, all Australasia and some of Africa. With its 1835 split to create Madras diocese, Calcutta was made metropolitan over all its original area, and has been split many times since. The Bishop of Calcutta remained Metropolitan of India until the CNI's 1970 creation; the current diocese covers parts of Bengal and the bishop is The Most Rev. Paritosh Canning, Moderator CNI.

Diocese of Mumbai

Split from Calcutta diocese in 1837, the Diocese of Bombay was the last new Indian diocese of the Church of England before all colonial dioceses became independent in 1863. Like Calcutta, Mumbai diocese has been a very large Church of England diocese, a diocese of the independent Indian Anglican church, and now a United Church diocese. The CNI diocese today covers Maharashtra, and the bishop is the Rt. Rev. Prabhu D. Jebamani.

Diocese of Chotanagpur

Founded from Calcutta diocese in 1890, the current diocese is based in Ranchi, its territory is Jharkhand and the bishop is B. B. Baskey.

Diocese of Lucknow

The Diocese of Lucknow is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Church of India (CIPBC), with its headquarters in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Established in 1893 following its separation from the Diocese of Calcutta, the diocese retained Prayagraj as its administrative center despite being named after the city of Lucknow. It encompasses the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh and includes several deaneries such as Jhansi, Prayagraj, Lakhimpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Mirzapur.Chatterton, E. (1924). A History of the Church of England in India. Retrieved from https://anglicanhistory.org/india/chatterton1924/22.html

Diocese of Nagpur

The diocese was originally created in 1902/03, from Chotanagpur diocese.

Diocese of North East India

The CNI Northeast diocese, based in Shillong, North East India is headed by bishop Michael Herenz. It originated as the Diocese of Assam, in the Anglican Church of India, erected from Calcutta in 1915; and became known by the present name before 1986.

Diocese of Nasik

In 1929, Nasik diocese was founded from Bombay; her present bishop is the Rt. Rev. Darbara Singh.

List of Dioceses Name Founded Headquarters Location Bishop Website Diocese of Delhi 1947, from Lahore New Delhi Delhi, Haryana The Rt. Rev. Dr. Paul Swaruphttps://www.dioceseofdelhi.org/Diocese of Dooars2023 in DelhiWest Bengal & AssamSantalpur, Mission CompoundThe Rt. Rev. David Roy Diocese of Amritsar 1953, from Lahore Amritsar Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir The Rt. Rev. Manoj Charan Diocese of Barrackpore 1956, from Calcutta & Barrackpore West Bengal The Rt. Rev Subrata Chakraborty Diocese of Andaman and Nicobar 1966, from Calcutta Port Blair Andaman and Nicobar Islands The Rt. Rev. Thomas Diocese of Jabalpur 1970, from Nagpur Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh The Rt. Rev. Ajay Umesh Jameshttp://dioceseofjabalpur-cni.org/ Diocese of Patna bef. 70 Bhagalpur Bihar and Jharkhand The Rt. Rev. Francis Hansda Diocese of Cuttack 1970 Cuttack Cuttack, Odisha The Rt. Rev.Surendra Kumar Nandahttp://www.dioceseofcuttackcni.in/ Diocese of Bhopal betw. 70–79, from Jabalpur Indore Madhya Pradesh The Rt. Rev. Neena Charan Diocese of Rajasthan 1981, from Delhi Ajmer Rajasthan The Rt. Rev. Raimson Victor Diocese of Gujarat betw. 70–96 Ahmedabad Gujarat The Rt. Rev. Silvans Christian, Deputy Moderator CNI Diocese of Kolhapur betw. 70–96 Kolhapur Maharashtra The Rt. Rev. Manoj Devdan Kate Diocese of Durgapur betw. 70–96 DurgapurWest Bengal The Rt. Rev. Sameer Issac Khimla Diocese of Chandigarh 1974, from Amritsar Ludhiana Chandigarh, Punjab The Rt. Rev. Darbara Singh Diocese of Agra 1976, from Lucknow Agra Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand The Rt. Rev. Bijay Kumar Nayak http://cnidioceseofagra.org Diocese of Lucknow 1893, from Diocese of Calcutta Prayagraj Uttar Pradesh Rt. Rev. Morris Edgar Dan https://www.dioceseoflucknowcni.org Diocese of Eastern Himalaya bef. 1987 — Darjeeling, renamed c. 1992, from Barrackpur Darjeeling West Bengal, Bhutan, parts of Assam The Rt. Rev. Roshan Thapa Diocese of Sambalpur bef 96 Bolangir Odisha The Rt. Rev. Immanuel Dani Diocese of Phulbani 1997, from Cuttack Kandhmal Odisha The Rt. Rev. Violet Nayak Diocese of Marathwada c. 2000 Aurangabad Maharashtra The Rt. Rev. Prakash D. Patole Diocese of Pune c. 2000 Pune Maharashtra The Rt. Rev. Alfred C. Tiwade Diocese of Chhattisgarh 2010, from Jabalpur Raipur Chhattisgarh The Rt. Rev. Sushma Kumar

See also

Anglican Communion Christianity in West Bengal