Member Church Feature: Presbyterian Church of India (PCI)

Brief history

PCI had its beginning in the year 1841, with the coming of Rev. Thomas Jones I and his wife who arrived at Sohra on 22^nd June, 1841 as the first missionary of the Presbyterian Church of Wales (then Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Missionary Society). From Sohra (Cherrapunjee) the ministry of evangelization spread to Sylhet (in present day Bangladesh), Cachar Plains, the Cachar Hills of Assam, the Lushai Hills (now Mizoram) and later on to Manipur and Tripura.

As the work made rapid progress, the church grew in character and membership; the Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Assam was constituted in 1926 as the highest Church Court having two constituent Assemblies viz. Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Church Assembly and Lushai Assembly.

In 1953 the highest Church Court the ‘Synod’ was renamed ‘Assembly’ while each of the constituent Assemblies was called Synod.
In 1968 the name Presbyterian Church of Assam was changed to the Presbyterian Church in North-East India (PCNEI).
In 1992, the name ‘Presbyterian Church of India’ was adopted.
In 2002 the highest Church Court the ‘Assembly’ was renamed to the ‘General Assembly’ of the Presbyterian Church of India.

Structure (hierarchy) of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of India
General Assembly
Synod
Presbytery
District / Pastorate
Local church
Branch Church

Constituents of the General Assembly

The General Assembly is only the Apex body of the Presbyterian Church of India having ten Synods and one Provisional Synod. It spreads over the whole North East India with more than 1.4 million members. The constituent Units are as follows:
Mizoram Synod
Manipur Synod
Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Sepngi
Ri Bhoi Synod
Karbi Anglong Synod Tripura Synod (Provisional)
Cachar Hill Tribes synod
Biateram Synod
Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod Mihngi
Zou Synod
Meitei Synod

The Statistics of the PCI ( as in April 2017)

Synods                                                                          10
Provisional Synod                                                     1
Presbyteries                                                            135
Districts                                                                   601
Local Churches                                                    3,258
Branch Churches                                                1,115
Ministers                                                                  957
Probationary Pastors                                           175
Elders                                                                 10,265
Mission Field Workers                                    3,005
Baptized Non Communicants                  5,95,831
Male members                                            7,17,047
Female members                                         7,35,733

Total Membership 14,52,780

Mission Statement
As people called by God, the Presbyterian Church of India:

Commits itself to serve, and to tell others about Jesus Christ
Gathers together for praising God, listening to Him, and responding appropriately to His calling.
Nurtures one another in faith and obedience to Christ.
Loves and cares for one another as God’s people and all of creation.
Pursues God’s justice and peace in every area of life.
Works for ecological justice.

Mission Programmes/Ministries of the Church

I. Mission and Evangelism:

PCI is operating its Mission and Evangelism ministry mostly through the Units. It has 35 Mission Fields in and outside India where 3,005 Mission workers are serving in the vineyard of God.

II. Theological Education

There are two Theological Institutions under PCI General Assembly viz.

Aizawl Theological College, Durtlang, Aizawl, Mizoram(Mizoram Synod)
John Roberts Theological Seminary, Shillong, Meghalaya, (KJP Assembly)

III. Christian Communication

PCI has a Christian Communication Centre cum Library. An official Journal called “ PCI Herald” is published bi-monthly

IV. Finance

V. Peace and Justice

VI. Trust Association

VII. Women Fellowship

VIII. Youth Fellowship

Activities

Creating self-support schemes through multipurpose building projects like Guest Houses, Hostels, and Vocational Training Centers.
Providing rescue homes for women, relief and rehabilitation projects.
Twinning congregations.
Training and sending missionaries within India and abroad.
Endowment funds to support children to pursue their studies.
Healing ministry through Hospitals and health centres.
Promotion of Education.
Empowering Women and Youth in the Church Ministry.
Organizing seminars/consultations on Theological and Social issues and promoting of peace and Justice.

Priorities:

Spiritual renewal
Unity within the Presbyterian Church of India
Mission and Evangelism
Development of Christian Leadership among the youth.
Socio- economic and political concerns particularly fordowntrodden and the marginalized sections of society
Self-reliance in human and financial resources
Building relationships with other member Churches in the national and international level

Mission:

To pray for peace and promote justice and communal harmony in the country.
To eradicate poverty.
To build inclusive communities of women and men in the Church and the Society.
To be good stewards of God’s creatures

Projects:

At present, PCI is having two projects:

Centre for Capacity Development and Empowerment:

It should be the training centre for youth and women in Capacity Building and Empowerment. The foundation stone for the building was laid by Rev. Dr. Collin I. Cowan, General Secretary, CWM on 5th May 2014 at Siejiong, Shillong in the presence of Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, President, WCRC. The total cost of the project is 6.7 Crores INR.

Thomas Jones I House of Prayer:

In commemoration of the 175th year of the Presbyterian Church of India (1841-2016), the General Assembly launched a project which is christened “Thomas Jones-I House of Prayer”. It is named after the name of the first Welsh missionary to PCI. It is a prayer centre opens to all people for all occasions where retreats for spiritual restoration can also be conducted. The estimated amount of 17.6 crores INR has been framed. The PCI is exploring possibilities in approaching well-wishers and donors to generously contribute for the iconic project.

Partner Churches and Councils:

Churches