Church of North India

Church of North India, united Protestant church formed on November 29, 1970, through the merger of six Christian denominations. These included the United Church of Northern India; the Anglican Church of India, Pakistan, Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka); the British and Australian Methodist churches; the Council of Baptist Churches in Northern India; the Church of the Brethren; and the Disciples of Christ. It is a member church of the Anglican Communion and is in full communion with the see of Canterbury. The church has about 2.2 million members and more than 4,000 congregations. Its headquarters are located in New Delhi.

History

The Church of North India was formed to unite several Protestant church traditions in northern India that had been divided over denominational and missionary lines. In 1929 Anglican, Methodist, and other Protestant churches initiated discussions aimed at overcoming divisions caused by differences over church governance, ministry, and the historic episcopate.

Indian independence from British rule in 1947 revitalized these negotiations. A draft plan of church union, submitted in 1951, was entrusted to a committee of delegates, and a final plan of union was approved in 1965. The Church of North India was formally inaugurated in 1970. It was one of the several united churches formed in South Asia in the 20th century, along with the Church of South India, the Church of Pakistan (1970), and the Church of Bangladesh (1974).

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Doctrine and worship

The Church of North India affirms the authority of the Bible in matters of faith and life and accepts the historic creeds of the Christian church. It recognizes the two sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion while allowing flexibility in liturgical practice among uniting traditions. Church activities extend beyond religious training to include education, health care, and relief and social work on behalf of orphans, widows, older adults, and people with disabilities in the community at large.

Organization and governance

The Church of North India is organized into 28 dioceses across India, including in Uttar Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Maharashtra, Punjab, and West Bengal. Each diocese is governed by a bishop, and the church, as a whole, is overseen by a synod. The presiding bishop of the church is the moderator of the Church of North India, who is elected by the synod from among the diocesan bishops and serves as the church’s chief representative.