India Evangelical Lutheran Church: Difference between revisions

India Evangelical Lutheran Church
India Evangelical Lutheran Church
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Lutheran
Structure	National church, middle level synods, and local congregations
Leader	President
Associations	United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India; International Lutheran Council; Lutheran World Federation
Region	India
Headquarters	Tamil Nadu, India
Origin	1895 ; Krishnagiri, Ambur Synod
Independence	1959
Branched from	Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
Congregations	764
Members	115,000 baptized; 70,000 communicant
Ministers	220
Hospitals	3
Primary schools	59
Secondary schools	11
Tertiary institutions	2
Official website	ielconline.com

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The India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC) is a confessional Lutheran Christian church body of India headquartered in Tamil Nadu. It belongs to the International Lutheran Council^[1] and the Lutheran World Federation. It has three synods, named Ambur Synod, Nagercoil Synod, and Trivandrum Synod. The IELC was founded through the missionary efforts of the US-based Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS),^[2] with whom it remains in altar and pulpit fellowship.^[3]

The inception of IELC is rooted in the mission work of LCMS that began in 1894. Over the following decades, the LCMS sent more than 60 missionaries to serve in India. The work in India was known as the Missouri Evangelical Lutheran Mission (MELIM) and was carried out in areas of the Tamil and Malayalam languages. In 1959, it was registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 as the IELC and became an LCMS partner church. It now does work in an additional seven languages.

The IELC has approximately 764 congregations, 115,000 baptized members, 70,000 communicant members, and 220 active pastors. It also has 59 elementary schools, 11 high schools, 7 schools for the differently able children, and 3 hospitals. About 800 teachers serve those schools, many of them graduates of the IELC's teachers training institute.^[1]

Concordia Theological Seminary in Nagercoil was founded in 1924 to train pastors.^[1] On 30 November 2017, Cyclone Ockhi damaged the seminary campus so severely that IELC leaders doubted that they would ever be able to reopen. Nevertheless, the seminary was able to rebuild. The new and renovated structures have retained the historic appearance of the campus. The rededication in June 2022 included representatives from the LCMS, which had helped with the reconstruction. The reopened seminary had almost 100 students, with plans to increase enrollment to 130 in two years.^[4]

The IELC is a member of the World Council of Churches, the Christian Conference of Asia, the National Council of Churches in India, and the Lutheran World Federation Council of Churches in India. It is a member church in the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI), a communion of Lutheran churches.^[5]

The current president of the IELC is Rev. Dr. J. Priestly Balasingh, who was elected as president of the IELC in October 2022 in elections overseen by Retired Justice D. Hariparanthman.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)". International Lutheran Council. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
^ Vethanayagamony, Peter. "The Lutheran Churches of India". Lutheran Forum. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
^ "India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)". Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
^ Harmelink, Daniel (17 June 2022). "Rebuilt seminary dedicated in Nagercoil, India". Reporter. Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
^ "Member Churches". United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India. Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2011.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{more citations needed|date=April 2012}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
 {{Use Indian English|date=January 2020}}
@@ Line 11: / Line 10: @@
 |theology =
 |structure = National church, [[Middle judicatory|middle level]] synods, and local congregations
+|leader_name1=President|leader =Rev. Dr J.Priestly Balasingh
-|leader =
 |headquarters = [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
 |founder =
-|founded_date = 1959
+|founded_date = 1895|founded_place = Krishnagiri, Ambur Synod
+|independence=1959|branched_from = [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]]
-|founded_place =
-|branched_from = [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]]
 |absorbed =
 |separations =
@@ Line 23: / Line 21: @@
 |area = [[India]]
 |congregations = 764
-|members = 114,600 baptized<br/>65,000 communicant
+|members = 115,000 baptized<br/>70,000 communicant
-|ministers = 120
+|ministers = 220
+|hospitals=3
+|primary_schools=59
+|secondary_schools=11
+|tertiary=2
 |other_names =
-|footnotes =
+|website={{url|https://ielconline.com/}}|footnotes =
 }}
-'''India Evangelical Lutheran Church''' ('''IELC''') is a Christian denomination in [[India]]. Its headquarters is in [[Tamil Nadu]]. It belongs to the [[International Lutheran Council]]<ref name=ILC>{{cite web|title=India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)|url=http://www.ilc-online.org/members/asia/india/|publisher=International Lutheran Council|accessdate=9 November 2015}}</ref> and the [[Lutheran World Federation]]. It has three synods named Ambur, Nagercoil, and Trivandrum. The India Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded through the missionary efforts of The [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] (LCMS),<ref name=Forum>{{cite web|last1=Vethanayagamony|first1=Peter|title=The Lutheran Churches of India|url=http://www.lutheranforum.org/extras/the-lutheran-churches-of-india/|publisher=Lutheran Forum|accessdate=9 November 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20120906075803/http://www.lutheranforum.org/extras/the-lutheran-churches-of-india/|archivedate=6 September 2012}}</ref> with whom it remains in [[altar and pulpit fellowship]].<ref name=LCMS>{{cite web|title=India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)|url=http://www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=1340|publisher=Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod|accessdate=9 November 2015}}</ref>
+The '''India Evangelical Lutheran Church''' ('''IELC''') is a [[confessional Lutheran]] Christian church body of [[India]] headquartered in [[Tamil Nadu]]. It belongs to the [[International Lutheran Council]]<ref name="ILC">{{cite web |title=India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC) |url=http://www.ilc-online.org/members/asia/india/ |access-date=18 June 2022 |website=[[International Lutheran Council]]}}</ref> and the [[Lutheran World Federation]]. It has three synods, named Ambur Synod, Nagercoil Synod, and Trivandrum Synod. The IELC was founded through the missionary efforts of the US-based [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] (LCMS),<ref name=Forum>{{cite web|last1=Vethanayagamony|first1=Peter|title=The Lutheran Churches of India|url=http://www.lutheranforum.org/extras/the-lutheran-churches-of-india/|publisher=Lutheran Forum|access-date=9 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906075803/http://www.lutheranforum.org/extras/the-lutheran-churches-of-india/|archive-date=6 September 2012}}</ref> with whom it remains in [[altar and pulpit fellowship]].<ref name=LCMS>{{cite web|title=India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)|url=http://www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=1340|publisher=Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod|access-date=9 November 2015}}</ref>
-The inception of The India Evangelical Lutheran Church is rooted in the mission work of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, beginning in 1894. Over the following decades, the LCMS sent more than 60 missionaries to serve in India, and in 1959, the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC) was established as an LCMS partner church.
+The inception of IELC is rooted in the mission work of LCMS that began in 1894. Over the following decades, the LCMS sent more than 60 missionaries to serve in India. The work in India was known as the Missouri Evangelical Lutheran Mission (MELIM) and was carried out in areas of the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and [[Malayalam]] languages. In 1959, it was registered under the [[Societies Registration Act, 1860|Societies Registration Act 1860]] as the IELC and became an LCMS partner church. It now does work in an additional seven languages.
-Today, the IELC has about 764 congregations, 114,600 baptized members, approximately 65,000 communicant members, and 120 active pastors, along with more than 80 schools and three hospitals.
+The IELC has approximately 764 congregations, 115,000 baptized members, 70,000 communicant members, and 220 active pastors. It also has 59 elementary schools, 11 high schools, 7 schools for the differently able children, and 3 hospitals. About 800 teachers serve those schools, many of them graduates of the IELC's teachers training institute.<ref name="ILC" />
-It is a member of the [[World Council of Churches]], [[Christian Conference of Asia]], the [[National Council of Churches in India]], and the Lutheran World Federation Council of Churches in India. It is a member church in the [[United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India|United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India]] (UELCI) - a communion of Lutheran Churches.<ref name=UELCI>{{cite web|title=Member Churches|url=http://uelci-india.org/memberchurches.asp|publisher=United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India}}</ref>
+Concordia Theological Seminary in [[Nagercoil]] was founded in 1924 to train pastors.<ref name="ILC" /> On 30 November 2017, [[Cyclone Ockhi]] damaged the seminary campus so severely that IELC leaders doubted that they would ever be able to reopen. Nevertheless, the seminary was able to rebuild. The new and renovated structures have retained the historic appearance of the campus. The rededication in June 2022 included representatives from the LCMS, which had helped with the reconstruction. The reopened seminary had almost 100 students, with plans to increase enrollment to 130 in two years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harmelink |first=Daniel |date=2022-06-17 |title=Rebuilt seminary dedicated in Nagercoil, India |url=https://reporter.lcms.org/2022/rebuilt-seminary-dedicated-in-nagercoil-india/ |access-date=2022-06-18 |website=Reporter |publisher=[[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]]}}</ref>
-The current president of the IELC is Rev. Suviseshamuthu, who was elected as president of the IELC in May 2017, succeeding President Gambeeram, who presided at the election; President Suviseshamuthu's election was also observed by two representative of the Office of International Mission of the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod|LCMS]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ctsn.edu.in/2017/06/03/seminary-welcomes-new-ielc-president-rev-suvi/|title=Seminary Welcomes New IELC President Rev. Suviseshamuthu|last=Admin|first=Seminary|date=2017-06-03|website=Concordia Theological Seminary|access-date=2017-06-04}}</ref> LCMS representatives likewise witnessed the rightful election of Rev. Gambeeram on 27 May 2014, who succeeded President Samuel.<ref name=IELC>{{cite web|title=Administration|url=http://ielc.org/administration/|publisher=India Evangelical Lutheran Church|accessdate=9 November 2015}}</ref> President Harrison officially recognized Rev. Raja Gambeeram as the president of the IELC on behalf of the LCMS on Epiphany, 6 January 2015.<ref name=LCMS2>{{cite web|title=Visit by President of India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)|url=http://wmltblog.org/2015/01/visit-by-president-of-india-evangelical-lutheran-church-ielc/|publisher=Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod|accessdate=9 November 2015}}</ref>
+The IELC is a member of the [[World Council of Churches]], the [[Christian Conference of Asia]], the [[National Council of Churches in India]], and the Lutheran World Federation Council of Churches in India. It is a member church in the [[United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India|United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India]] (UELCI), a communion of Lutheran churches.<ref name="UELCI">{{cite web|title=Member Churches|url=http://uelci-india.org/memberchurches.asp|publisher=United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India|access-date=18 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401191845/http://uelci-india.org/memberchurches.asp|archive-date=1 April 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+The current president of the IELC is Rev. Dr. J. Priestly Balasingh, who was elected as president of the IELC in October 2022 in elections overseen by Retired Justice D. Hariparanthman.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}
+==See also==
+*[[Christ Lutheran Church Kattukadai]]
 ==References==
-{{reflist|2}}
+{{reflist}}
 ==External links==
-*[http://www.ielc.in Website of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)]
+*[http://www.ielconline.com Website of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)]
 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090605112647/http://www.uelci.org/index.asp Website of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India]
 *[http://www.ielctrivandrumsynod.org Website of the Trivandrum Synod of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC)]
+*https://www.ielctrivandrum.org/
 ==See also==
@@ Line 53: / Line 62: @@
 {{Lutheran World Federation Churches}}
+[[Category:1959 establishments in India]]
 [[Category:Christianity in Karnataka]]
 [[Category:Christianity in Tamil Nadu]]