Welcome To The Communion Of Churches In India
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 Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church (MTC) which recognise 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 Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church (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.