St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India

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St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India
St Thomas Evangelical Church Of India Emblem
Abbreviation	steci
Type	Oriental Protestant
Classification	Syrian Christian
Scripture	Holy Bible
Polity	Episcopal
Governance	Democratic
bishop	Thomas Abraham
Prathinidhi sabha Adhyakshan	Abraham Chacko
Language	Malayalam, English, Bengali, Chhathisgadi, Marathi, Tamil, Hindi, Gujarati, Oriya, Kannadaand Telugu and other native Indian languages.
Liturgy	(Reformed) West Syriac Rite
Headquarters	Manjadi, Thiruvalla Kerala, India
Territory	Universal
Possessions	India, North America, Canada, Europe, Great Britain-London & Belfast, Middle East, Singapore
Origin	26 January 1961
Independence	Apostolic Era
Recognition	Independent Episcopal Church, 1961
Separated from	Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church (1961)
Congregations	350+
Members	200,000
Publications	suvisesha prakasini
Official website	http://steci.org/

St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India (STECI) is an evangelical, episcopal denomination based in Kerala, India. It derives from a schism in the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church in 1961. The church is engaged in active evangelism. The headquarters of this church is at Tiruvalla, a town in the state of Kerala which is in the Southwestern part of South India.

History[]

Saint Thomas Christian's - Divisions- History

Part of a series on
Christianity in India
Communities Bengali Christians Bettiah Christians East Indians Marathi Christians Meitei Christians Mizo Christians Naga Christians Punjabi Christians Saint Thomas Christians Tamil Christians Telugu Christians
People Saint Thomas the Apostle Saint Alphonsa Saint Francis Xavier Saint Gonsalo Garcia Saint Euphrasia Eluvathingal Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara Saint Mother Teresa Bl.Devasahayam Pillai Mar Sabor and Mar Proth Mar Baselios Eldho Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar Thomas of Cana Ignatius Elias III Mar Gregorios of Parumala Mar Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly Mar Joseph C. Panjikaran Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan Mar Geevarghese Dionysius Abraham Malpan Giuseppe Maria Bernini Sadhu Sundar Singh Palackal Thoma Malpan Mar Augustine Kandathil William Carey K. C. John
Denominations Saint Thomas Christian denominations Catholic Syro-Malabar Catholic, Syro-Malankara Catholic, Latin Catholic Oriental Orthodox Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Independent Oriential Orthodox Malabar Independent Syrian Church Church of the East Chaldean Syrian Oriental Protestant Christian Mar Thoma Syrian, St. Thomas Evangelical Protestant denominations Andhra Evangelical Lutheran, Assemblies Jehovah Shammah, Christian Revival Church, Church of North India, Church of South India, Garo Baptist, Indian Brethren, Indian Pentecostal Church of God, Church of God (Full Gospel), North Bank Baptist Christian, Northern Evangelical Lutheran, Methodist Church, Presbyterian, The Pentecostal Mission, Seventh-day Adventist, United Evangelical Lutheran
Organisations National Council of Churches in India All India Conference of Indian Christians All India Catholic Union
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The St. Thomas Evangelical Church is one of several groups of Saint Thomas Christians tracing their origins to St. Thomas the Apostle who, according to their tradition, came to India in AD 52. While STECI is considered to be an episcopal church, it is at the same time deeply influenced by Evangelicalism. Until 1961, the church's history was deeply connected to the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, and South Indian Christianity's contact with Evangelical British missionaries during British colonial times. The missionaries facilitated the translation of the Bible into Malayalam in 1811. This was the first vernacular Bible in Kerala. Further changes introduced by the influence of missionaries led to a schism within the Thomas Christians.

clergy in 1961

Church leaders include:

1. K. N. Daniel
2. Bishop K. N. Oommen
3. Bishop P. John Varughese
4. Bishop P. S. Varughese
5. Rev. P. I. Mathai (Plavunkal Achen)
6. Rev. T. C. George
7. Rev P.A. Jacob
8. Rev. K. O. John
9. Rev. A. C. Mathew
10. Rev. K. M. Ninan
11. Rev K. C. Paily
12. Rev. P. T. Thomas
13. Rev.P.C Zachariah
14. Rt. Rev.P.T. Chandapilla

Bishops[]

• Bishop K. N. Oommen (Late)
• Bishop P. John Varughese (Late)
• Bishop P. S. Varughese (Late)
• Bishop T.C. Cherian
• Bishop M.K. Koshy
• Bishop A.I. Alexander
• Bishop C. V. Mathew
• Bishop Thomas Abraham
• Bishop Abraham Chacko

References[]