{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 195,
  "chapterName": "1970. The Plan of Church Union and Draft Constitution of the Church of North-East India",
  "pageFrom": 413,
  "pageTo": 418,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 413,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n413\n195. THE PLAN OF CHURCH UNION AND DRAFT\nCONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH OF NORTH-EAST\nINDIA (1970 A.D.)\nThough two of the members of the North-East India Christian\nCouncil, the Diocese of Assam of the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma\nand Ceylon and the Eastern Himalayan Church Council of the United\nChurch of Northern India, were involved directly in the North India\nnegotiations, and two others were involved indirectly, the N.E.I.C.C.\nconvened a Faith and Order Conference at Barapani in 1963 to consider\nthe question of whether or not there were valid grounds for working\ntowards a separate united church in that region. For various reasons\nof geography, denominational make-up and cultural distinctness it\nwas agreed that there were grounds. These were also accepted as\nvalid by the North India negotiating committee. The Plan and\nDraft Constitution were approved approved by a Church Union Conference\nheld at Shillong on 19th and 20th of September 1969, and were pub-\nlished for consideration by the Churches in 1970. Portions of this\ndocument are reproduced here. The area covered by this Plan are\nNorth Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram,\nTripura and Arunachal Pradesh. The Plan of Church Union and the\nDraft Constitution of the Church of North-East India, 1970.\nTHE PLAN OF UNION\nI. Historical Statement\nSince 1963 there have been two Faith and Order Conferences\nand two Church Union Conferences apart from general discussions\nin the Council (N.E.I.C.C.) itself for a number of years on the\nquestion of Church Union. The original plan was whether the\naffiliated Churches of North-East India should form part of the\nChurch of North India then in the negotiating stage. In view of\ncertain objections and the practical difficulties involved in relating\nthe Churches of our area to such a union with the Church of North\nIndia, the affiliated churches of this Council felt that in the circum-\nstances now obtaining in India, it would be wiser to work towards\na union within North-East India itself in the first instance. Even\nthe two Churches namely, the Eastern Himalayan Church Council\n(UCNI) and the Assam Diocese of the CIPBC which have been\neffectively represented in the CNI negotiations expressed their\npreference for joining the Church of North-East India if it comes\ninto being. The Working Committee of the Negotiating Com-\nmittee of the CNI which met in Calcutta in July 1969 also expressed\nits appreciation of the view of the NEICC and the consensus of\nopinion was that the two units of the CNI in this region would be",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 414,
      "ocrText": "414\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nallowed to join the Church of North-East India if and when it\ncomes into being.\nThe Second Draft of the Basis of Union for the Churches in\nNorth-East India was formulated in November 1965 by delegates\nrepresenting eighty-six per cent of the non-Roman Catholic Chris-\ntians in North-East India as well as by observers representing\nanother seven per cent, totalling 93% of the non-Roman Catholic\nCatholic\nChristians of North-East India most of whom are either Baptists or\nPresbyterians. The Second Draft as well as Dr. Downs' paper\nentitled Church Union: Theological and Non-Theological\nFactors' were printed and circulated to all the affiliated Churches.\nMany Churches had translated the above two papers into the local\nlanguages either as booklets or as publications in their official\norgans. The contents have been discussed at the higher echelons\nof the Councils of the various constituents of the NEICC many of\nwhom have accepted the Second Draft as the Basis of Union.\nSome units, most notable among which is the CBCNEI, have by\nand large accepted it at the higher levels but they have yet to carry\nall the Associations and local congregations with them. This is\nunderstandable in the context of the organizations of each affiliated\nChurch as well as in view of the variegated nature of our multi-\nethnic and multi-lingual community with different social back-\ngrounds and and heritage. But the wind of change has been blowing\nand circumstances have compelled us to draw closer to each other.\nAbove all, the Holy Spirit is silently but surely working towards\nunity in spite of obstacles.\nIn the last Church Union Conference held in Shillong on\nSeptember 19 and 20, 1969 we have gone one step ahead in deciding\nto set up this Drafting Committee which will prepare the Plan of\nUnion and the Draft Constitution of the Church of North-East\nIndia. Such a Plan of Union and Draft Constitution will enable\nthe affiliated Churches to study more closely and concretely what\nwould be the implications of Church Union thereby enabling them\nto grapple with and come to decisions on the basic issue of union.\nII. Statement of Intention\nAt the level of leadership, it was generally felt that the Churches\nshould first unite in mutual trust, leaving the settlement of their\nsmaller differences to be worked out in the context of the larger\nfellowship. In this context it may be noted that the Church of\nSouth India came into being in 1947, while the Church of North\nIndia will be inaugurated in November 1970. We in North-East\nIndia have been moving slow because of several factors. Social\nchanges are taking place at a very rapid pace in this world, and we",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 415,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n415\nin North-East India have to catch up or else be swamped by un-\ndesirable ideologies. The Churches cannot afford to be self-\ncentered any longer. Even while attempting to draw up a scheme:\nthat would be more relevant to our own region we cannot lose sight.\nthat we are part of a larger Church even within India and so we\nshould maintain a larger ecumenical perspective.\nWe Christians of North-East India still belong to different.\ndenominations which have names like 'Baptist', 'Presbyterian',\n'Lutheran', 'Anglican', etc. If these names separate Christians\nfrom each other, then they are contrary to the teaching of the Bible.\nIn this Draft, it is proposed that the now separated Churches in\nour region unite, both to follow the will of God and to give a stronger\nwitness. No new denominations will be formed, but the existing\nChurches should enlarge their fellowship to include all the other\nChristians in the region into one Church representing all the Protest-\nant Christians instead of the more than fifteen separate denomina-\ntions that now exist.\nIn former times the need for this kind of united Church organi-\nzation was not so great because there was little communication\nbetween the different parts of our area. Today with the rapid\nprogress of our peoples, the situation is quite different. Government\nofficers move from place to place and young people travel outside.\ntheir own areas to study. In the towns and cities, Christians from\nmany different denominations live together but cannot have a\ncongregation of their own together. Some of them are always\nguests of the denomination in that place-guests when they should\nbe equally full members of that local Church. Because of improved\ncommunications, non-Christians are also becoming more aware of\nthe divisions among Christians. This becomes a stumbling block\nfor them. When they are asked to accept Christ as their Saviour\nthey ask, to which Church shall I belong?' Because they receive\nmany different answers they turn away. Christ said that His\ndisciples must be united so that the world might believe the gospel.\nThe gospel proclaims that all men are one in Christ. The presence\nof many different denominations denies this truth. Christians\nwho condemn each other and do not have fellowship with each\nother bear false witness. Christians themselves are confused about\nthe differences between the denominations. If Christians are\nconfused, how much more confused must the non-Christians be.\nFor the sake of Christ's Kingdom, this stumbling-block must be\nremoved.\nIII. Our Approach to Unity\nThe kind of United Church that is proposed will not solve all\nour problems but it will give us greater strength to face those\nproblems. The following are the few points on which a great",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 416,
      "ocrText": "416\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nmeasure of unanimity has been reached in past conferences and\ndiscussions :-\n1. The Churches now in existence would join together in an\norganic body.\n2. No immediate changes will be imposed at the level of the\nlocal congregation or in the organisations such as Associations,\nPresbyteries or similar Councils which bring the congregations in\none area together.\n3. The forms of worship and witness that now exist may\ncontinue until the uniting churches feel the need for a common\nform of worship.\n4. There would be about ten Councils or more above the\nlevel of the Associations or similar authorities which would bring\nthe Associations or Presbyteries within a region together.\n5. There would be a central Assembly which would bring the\nCouncils together.\n6. There would be greater sharing of leadership and\nresources.\n7. It is recognised that there are certain traditional diffe-\nrences among the denominations that would be coming together\nin the United Church. These differences are important. It is not\nproposed that Christians should compromise or deny what they\nbelieve to be truth. But the best way to witness to the truth as we\nunderstand it is to witness within one fellowship. Even within the\ndenominations as they now exist, there are differences of opinion\nand theology, but that does not prevent fellowship within those\ndenominations. We must first accept each other as fellow members\nof the Church, because God has given His own blessing to the work\nof each of the denominations in our area.\nDRAFT CONSTITUTION\n1. The Name of the Church\n1. The name of this Church is the Church of North-East India.\n2. The Church of North-East India is constituted by the Union\nof the following Churches :-\n(a) The CBCNEI (Council of Baptist Churches in North-\nEast India)\n(b) The Presbyterian Church of NEI\n(c) The Diocese of Assam (CIPBC)",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 417,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n417\n(d) The Eastern Himalayan Church Council\n(e) The Baptist Church of Mizo District\n(1) The North Bank Baptist Association\n(g) The Tripura Baptist Christian Union\n(h) The Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church\n(i) The Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church (in Assam)\n(j) The Laker Independent Evangelical Church\n(k) The Church of God\n(1) The Church of God (Ka Turoi Gospel)\n(m) The Christ National Church\n(n) Salvation Army\n(0) Goalpara Baptist Union\n(p) Other Churches which may join at a later stage...\nIV. The Sacraments of the Church\n1. The CNEI believes that the sacraments of Baptism and the\nSupper of the Lord (Holy Communion) as ordained by Christ are\nmeans of grace through which God works in us and by which we\nare united to God...\nA. Baptism\n3. The Church of North-East India allows both Infant Baptism\nand Believers' Baptism but not both on the same person and shall\nreceive as communicant members all those who have been baptised\nor confirmed. It assures freedom of expression for the particular\nconvictions of different traditions.\n4. All ministers of the Church shall be free to administer either\nor both forms of Baptism. A minister who, for conscientious\nreasons, is unable to administer Baptism to infants shall be free to\ninvite some other minister of the Church to perform the rite...\nV. THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH\nA. The Ministry of the Whole Church\nThe CNEI believes that the Church is a royal priesthood through\nwhich the risen and ascended Christ continues His High Priestly\nwork. All its members are called, by virtue of their union with\nChrist, to a priestly ministry; both Godward, in the offering of\nH.C.I.- 27",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 418,
      "ocrText": "418\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nspiritual sacrifices, gifts and prayers for mankind; and manward,\nin the showing forth by life and word of the glory of the redeeming\npower of God. No individual and no one order in the Church\ncan claim exclusive possession of this priesthood.\nIt recognises that it is the duty and privilege of every member\nto share in the service of God which is the ministry of the whole\nChurch. This ministry includes the worship of God both in private\nand in public, the offering of daily life and work to God, Christian\nloving service both in the family of the Church and in the community\nat large, and faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ by life\nand word. This includes both the laity and the clergy, each exer-\ncising its own ministry. Within this ministry, it recognizes and\nwelcomes a rich diversity of gifts both in men and women. It will\nbe the prime concern of the Church that all its members should\ncontribute fully to its life of worship, witness and service.\nB. The Special Ministry\n1. The CNEI believes that within this ministry of the whole\nChurch, Christ has given a special ministry of the Word and the\nSacraments. To this ministry some are set apart, receiving autho-\nrity not simply from the Church but from Christ the Head of the\nChurch. The special ministry is one of the organs of the Body\nthrough which Christ the Head acts by the Holy Spirit to build up\nthe Body and to equip its members for their part in the ministry of\nthe whole Church...\n2. The special ministry of the CNEI shall consist of Elders or\nDeacons, Pastors or Priests and Bishops.\n3. Elders or Deacons\nThe CNEI agrees that there shall be recognized in the Church\nthe office of Elder or Deacon. In each congregation men and\nwomen shall be elected by the congregation after prayer and careful\nconsideration as persons who are recognised as having the appro-\npriate spiritual gifts (Acts 6:3) for this office and shall be set apart\nin a solemn public service of the Church. Elders or Deacons shall\nshare with the ministers in the spiritual care, nurture and govern-\nment of the Church, in evangelism and Christian service, in the\nconduct of public worship and in the preaching of the Word.\nInsofar as possible it is expected that elders or Deacons shall under-\ntake a course of Bible Study and Doctrine as arranged by the Church.\nAll Elders or Deacons of a congregation will be members of the\ngoverning body of the congregation. Elders or Deacons shall be\nrepresented in the higher councils or assemblies of the Church in\naccordance with the Constitution.",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}