Anthoniraj Thumma –
The Indian ecumenical movement denotes to the efforts to promote mutual understanding, unity, and collaboration among various Churches in the country. It strives to overcome historical divisions and to foster common witness and service in the multi-religious and diverse cultural context of India. Christians in India have been among the pioneers of global ecumenical movement from the 19th Century. The western ecumenical historians often ignore this contribution of Indian Christians to the emergence of the 20th century global ecumenical movement. Beginning with indicating the main trends in the early stages, this article goes on to highlight the present trends in the ecumenical movement in India.
Trends in the Early Stages
Three main trends were noticeable in the early stages of ecumenical movement in India, which were also present to some extent at the Asian and global levels. The first trend sprang up from the cooperation among missionaries of various Churches and mission societies that was happening throughout the history of Christianity. However, the Indian ecumenical movement took shape when the diverse mission societies / associations and Churches came together to form associations and unions, and organised National Missionary Conferences and Decennial Missionary Conferences to promote cooperation among them and to foster Christian unity. The precursor to these national meetings were the coming together of missionaries of different mission societies and Churches in the city fellowships, their annual summer gatherings at the hill stations, and the regional / provincial missionary conferences. In India, many local and national missionary conferences took place after the World Missionary Conference at Edinburg in 1910, leading to the formation of the National Missionary Council of India affiliated to the International Missionary Council.
The second trend is related to the stirrings of the struggle for Independence of India. The national spirit gave rise to the formation of ecumenical movement bringing together Indian Christians and indigenous Churches. In Bengal, a group of Christians formed the Christo Samaj in 1887. Its purpose was to propagate Christian truth and promote Christian unity towards the formation of a national Church. For the same purpose, in 1871 the Western India Native Christian Alliance was founded at Bombay (Mumbai), and in 1886 the Native Church of India was formed at Madras (Chennai). The National Missionary Society of India (NMSI), an ecumenical organization, was established in Serampore in 1905 which convened a national conference under the banner of All India Conference of Indian Christians (AICIC) in 1914 bringing together the regional Indian Christian Associations that were existing in several parts of India.
The third trend from which the ecumenical movement emerged in India as well as at the global level was the formation of youth movements. Prominent among them are the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA), the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) and the Student Christian Movement of India (SCMI) which started in 1912. The youth movements were fertile fields not only for ecumenical fellowship, they also provided future missionaries and leaders of ecumenical movement.
Formation of Fellowships and Unions
The National Missionary Council of India started in 1914 constituted itself as the National Christian Council of India, Burma, and Ceylon in 1923, and later transformed itself into the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) in 1979. The NCCI is an ecumenical fellowship comprising of 33 Protestant and Orthodox Churches, 18 regional councils and 25 ecumenical organisations and agencies.
The meeting of the 33 Indian pastors and lay leaders of various Churches in 1919 in Tranquebar gradually led to the formation of the Church of South India (CSI) in 1947, and to a similar union in North India in 1970 known as the Church of North India (CNI)). The CSI and CNI together with Mar Thoma Church formed the Joint Council in 1975 to cooperate with one another, which developed into Communion of Churches in India (CCI) by 2000. The CSI Synod entered into some negotiations for union with other Protestant Churches in India with no concrete results. However, the Lutheran Churches that began to form a federation in 1921, came to unite themselves under the banner of United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI) in 1975. Similarly, the Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) and the Methodist Church in India (MCI) evolved by uniting various Churches of same Denomination spread all over India.
Ecumenical Cooperation in Institutions and Organisations
Ecumenical collaboration is take place in the management of various educational and health institutions, and in the governance of theological colleges and seminaries. The Madras Christian College (MCC), Women’s Christian College (WCC) at Madras, Union Christian College that started in 1921 at Alwaye (Aluva) became ecumenical institutions. Similarly, the Christian Medical College (CMC) at Vellore and the United Missions Tuberculosis Hospital at Arogyavaram in A.P. also developed into ecumenical institutions. The Senate of Serampore College (University) became ecumenical in 1918. The United Theological College (UTC) which was started in 1910, and Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) transformed into ecumenical institutions. There are several such theological colleges and seminaries where ecumenical collaboration is taking place in the administrative and academic levels.
In India, we have a long history of ecumenical cooperation occurring through national and international organisations like the YMCA, YWCA, SCMI, the Bible Society of India (BSI) founded in 1946, Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), India Sunday School Union (ISSU), All India Sunday School Association (AISSA), Ecumenical Christian Centre (ECC), Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Christian Literature Society (CLS), India Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (ISPCK), Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI), Christian Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), Ecumenical Loan Fund (ECLOF), Henry Martin Institute (HMI), and All India Association for Christian Higher Education (AIACHE). Notable among the active ecumenical associations is the Church History Association of India (CHAI) with its state / regional units. It has made significant contribution through the publication of the Indian Church History Review and several volumes of History of Christianity in India. Likewise, the Fellowship of Indian Missiologists (FOIM) which meets bi-annually from 1991 onwards has published its proceedings and papers of symposiums.
Catholic Participation
After the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church launched its ecumenical work officially and formally in India when the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) established in 1967 what is now termed as the CBCI Office for Dialogue and Desk for Ecumenism (CBCI OD&DE). From 1970 to 1975 it fostered the ecumenical relations with other Churches through the All India Ecumenical Co-ordinating Body. Through the efforts of its Regional and Diocesan Commissions ecumenical relationship has been growing in India. These commissions for ecumenism through their collaboration with various Churches and NCCI commissions have brought about mutual understanding by dispelling prejudices and antipathy that was prevalent earlier. The Offices / Commissions of CBCI and NCCI jointly promote the celebration of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. They also jointly support the demand for the constitutional rights of the Dalit Christians by observing the “Black / Protest Day” on August 10 every year with ecumenical rallys, and by backing the National Council for Dalit Christians (NCDC). CBCI OD&DE in collaboration with NCCI organised the National Ecumenical Assembly 1999 to mark Yesu Krist Jayanti – 2000 at Cochin (Kochi).
In the last two decades, numerous Pastors’ Fellowships are functioning at the local, taluk, district and state levels at many places. There are also many United Christian Fellowships of the lay leaders and pastors at various levels all over India. Several state / regional level ecumenical fellowships of Bishops / Heads of Churches like the Federation of Telugu Churches (FTC) of A.P. and Telangana (2005), All Karnataka United Christian Forum for Human Rights (AKUCFHR), United Christian Forum of North East India (UCFNEI) and such others are unitedly representing the issues of the Christian Community to the Government. From 1984, the Nilackal Ecumenical Trust is operating in Kerala with the rebuilding of the ancient Nilackal Church jointly by the Episcopal Denominations.
At the national level the National United Christian Forum (NUCF), formed a decade ago, consisting of the CBCI, the NCCI (of Protestant and Orthodox Churches) and the EFI (of the Evangelical and Independent Churches / Organisations), is presently holding quarterly meetings of its coordinators at the CBCI Centre, New Delhi. The CBCI OD & DE convened the National Ecumenical Bishops’ Fellowship Meeting on September 13, 2024 at Bengaluru with representatives from 20 Churches and Denominations. Its next meeting is scheduled for May 2025, which will initiate the formation of a National Federation of Churches comprising of Bishops / Heads of Churches. The CBCI OD & DE is also preparing to hold common celebrations in collaboration with national ecumenical bodies to mark the Jubilee Year 2025 and the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed, in the month of September 2025 at New Delhi.
Conclusion
Despite its shortcomings and challenges, the ecumenical movement in India has contributed to mutual relations and change of attitudes among Churches and institutions towards one another leading to fellowship and fraternity. But unfortunately, these ecumenical relations largely remain at the top level of the church hierarchy, yet to reach the grass roots to the congregational and local levels. However, Indian ecumenical movement often integrates cultural and interreligious dialogue and cooperation due to the pluralistic context of Indian society promoting harmony in a diverse and often polarized religious landscape. Also it is in collaborating with the communities / organisations of other Faiths and civil society groups on social issues of justice, welfare and development. Thus, the Indian ecumenical movement has fostered Christian unity and solidarity enabling the Church to render cohesive witness and better service to the Nation.
Fr Dr Anthoniraj Thumma, a contextual theologian and authour, is an advisor to the Federation of Telugu Churches (FTC), and National Secretary to the Office of Dialogue & Desk for Ecumenism of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI)