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 THE

CONSTITUTION
OF THE

CHURCH OF SOUTH
INDIA
CAMDEN THEOLOGICAL
LIBRARY
Centre for Ministry
with 16 Masons Drive
amendments up to and including NTH. PARRAMATTA 2151
(02)683-3655
those made by the Synod of
January 1956
together with
the Basis of Union as adopted by the
Governing Bodies of the Uniting
Churches in India and elsewhere.

LEIGH COLLEGE
ENjjysv

TI-IE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY

CKf f
©
 THE CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY
(In association with the United Society for Christian Literature)
POST BOX 5OI, MADRAS 3
and at
MYSORE BANGALORE TIRUVALLA

Copies of this book may be obtained in the

United Kingdom from The Lutterworth
Press; 4- Bouverie St., London E.C. 4

G.L.
First printed as 'the Constitution 1952
Reprinted with amendments, 1956

NOTE
Where a paragraph of the Constitution has
either been inserted or amended since Union,
authority has been quoted at the end of the para­
graph concerned as follows :—
(s. 50-35)
which means Synod of 1950 Resolution 35.

PRINTED IN INDIA
at THE DIOCESAN PRESS, MADRAS 7—1956. C5404
 FOREWORD
On September 27, 1947 in St. George’s Cathe­
dral, Madras, the Church of South India was in­
augurated. The Basis of Union and the Consti-
tion were contained in a booklet called ‘ Scheme
of Church Union in South India’ (Seventh
Edition Revised), published by the Christian Litera­
ture Society for India, 1941 and subsequently
reprinted. When the existing stock became ex­
hausted it appeared to those responsible in the
Church of South India to be time for a change in
the form in which the material is presented. There­
fore, the Church of* South India now publishes its
Constitution, embodying those alterations of the
original Constitution which have received the
approval of the Synod and of the Dioceses up to
December 31, 1951. In this Constitution is in­
cluded all that appeared in the former. Scheme of
Union, Parts I and II except that certain provisions
referring to Maintained Churches and Chaplains
and to the Indian Church Statutory Rules rendered
obsolete by the coming of Independence are omit­
ted.
Parts III and IV of the Scheme of Union dealt with
arrangements for the Inauguration of Union and
the initial establishment of Dioceses and are of
purely historical interest. They are therefore, on
grounds of economy and convenience, omitted from
a publication designed for use in the daily life of the
Church of South India.
The Basis of Union is in a somewhat different
category. It is in one sense a historical record of
the conditions on which the three still separate
Churches agreed to unite. The constitutional posi­
tion is plainly set out in Chapter II, Section 19 of
iv Foreword^

this Constitution. But in view of the great im­

portance of this historical record, it has seemed
right to reprint it as an Appendix, so that those who
come after may be able to fulfil the desire of the
Constitution that ‘ full regard shall be paid to the
Basis of Union as a permanent record of the in­
tentions and desires of the Churches by the Union
of which the Church has been formed.’

HISTORICAL NOTE
1919 — Appeal issued by 33 Christian leaders
(31 of them Indians) after a Conference
at Tranquebar.
1919 — The S.I.U.C. decide to open negotiations
on the basis outlined in this appeal.
1920 — The Anglicans agree to negotiate.
1925 — The Methodists join in negotiations.
1929 — The 1 st Edition of the Scheme of Union.
194I — The 7th Edition of the Scheme of Union.
1943 — The Methodists approve.
1945 — The General Council of the C.I.B.C.
(Anglican) approves.
1946 — The S.I.U.C. General Assembly ap­
proves.
1947 — The Inauguration of the Church of South
India, September 27.
 CONTENTS
PAGE
Chapter I. The Name of the Church and the
Bodies which have constituted it 1
Chapter II. The Governing Principles of the Church. 1
Chapter III. The Membership of the Church 18
Chapter IV. The Ordained Ministry of the Church—
Bishops 21
Chapter V. The Ordained Ministry of the Church—
Presbyters and Deacons 3°
Chapter VI. The Ministry of the Laity 34
Chapter VII. Pastorates, Pastorate Committees and
Congregations 38
Chapter VIII. Diocesan Councils 39
Chapter IX. The Synod 42
Chapter X. The Worship of the Church 50
Chapter XI. The Discipline of the Church 54
Chapter XII. The Marriage Law of the Church 60
Chapter XIII. The Church of South India and the
Indian Statutory Rules. (Omitted)
Chapter XIV. Alteration in the Constitution of the
Church 67
Appendix I. The Basis of Union .. .. 69
Appendix II. The Dioceses of the Church of South
India with the names of Bishops and
the dates of their formation .. 86
Appendix III. The existing Dioceses of the Church of
South India with their present bound­
aries .. .. .. 88
Index .. .. .. .. 90
Blank Pages for Notes and Amendments .. 95
Map of the Dioceses of the Church of South India
 iCAMDEN iHtuLuuluMlL
LIBRARY
Centre for Ministry
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MTH. PARRAMATTA 2151
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THE CONSTITUTION OF THE

CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA
Chapter I
THE NAME OF THE CHURCH AND THE
BODIES WHICH HAVE CONSTITUTED IT
1. The name of the Church is ‘ The Church of
South India ,
2. The Church of South India is the Church
constituted by the union in 1947 the Madras,
Madura, Malabar, Jaffna, Kannada, Telugu and
Travancore Church Councils of the South India
United Church; the South India Province of the
Methodist Church, comprising the Madras, Tri-
chinopoly, Hyderabad and Mysore Districts, and
the dioceses of Madras, Dornakal, Tinnevelly, and
Travancore and Cochin in the Church of India,
Burma and Ceylon, to which in 1950 was added the
North Tamil Church Council of the South India
United Church.
Chapter II
THE GOVERNING PRINCIPLES OF THE
CHURCH1
1. The provisions of the subsequent chapters of
this Constitution must be in consonance with the
Governing Principles of the Church here set forth,
and no provision of the Constitution shall be of
force if it be adjudged by the Synod of the Church
to be at variance with or contrary to any of these
Governing Principles. •
2. The Purpose and Nature of the Union.—
The Church of South India affirms that the
purpose of the union by which it has been formed
 2 Constitution of Church of S. India [II, 2.
n is the carrying out of God’s will, as this is express­
ed in our Lord’s prayer—' That they may all be
( °ne • • • • that, the world may believe that Thou
didst send me It believes that by this union the
Church in South India will become a more effective
instrument for God’s work, and that there will be
greater peace, closer fellowship and fuller life within
the Church, and also renewed eagerness and power
for the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. It
hopes that it may be a true leaven of unity in the
life of India, and that through it there may be a
greater release of divine power for the fulfilment of
God’s purpose for His world.
The Church of South India believes that the
unity of His Church for which Christ prayed is a
unity in Him and in the Father through the Holy
Spirit, and is therefore fundamentally a reality of
the spiritual realm. It seeks the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace. But this unity of the Spirit
must find expression in the faith and order of the
Church, in its worship, in its organization and in its
whole life, so that, as the Body of Christ, it may be a
fit instrument for carrying out His gracious purposes
in the world.
Again, for the perfecting of the life of the whole
body, the Church of South India needs the heritage
of each of the uniting Churches, and each of those
Churches will, it is hoped, not lose the continuity-
of its own life, but preserve that life enriched by
the union with itself of the other two Churches, ii
The Church of South India is thus formed by a
combination of different elements each bringing its
contribution to the whole, and not by the absorption
of any one by any other. It is, therefore, also
a comprehensive Church ; and its members, firmly
holding the fundamentals of the faith and order of
the Church Universal, are allowed wide freedom of
opinion in all other matters,, and wide freedom of
 II, 3-] Governing Principles of the Church 3
action in such differences of practice as are consist­
ent with the general framework of the Church as
one organised body.
The Church of South India acknowledges that, in
every effort to bring together divided members of
Christ’s Body into one organization, the final aim
(I must be the union in the Universal Church of all
I who acknowledge the name of Christ, and that the
1 test of all local schemes of union is that they should
express locally the principle of the great catholic
unity of the Body of Christ. The Church of South
India desires, therefore, conserving all that is' of
spiritual value in its Indian heritage, to express
under Indian conditions and in Indian, forms the
spirit, the thought and the life of the Church Uni-.
< versal.
■The Church of South India desires to regulate all
its actions by the principle that it should maintain
fellowship with all those branches of the Church of
v Christ with which the Churches from which it has:
jr been formed have severally enjoyed such fellowship,
‘ and that it should continually seek to widen and
1 1 strengthen this fellowship and to work towards the
/ goal of the full union in one body of all parts of the
f Church of Christ.
It prays that it may never so use the provisions
of this Constitution under which it begins its life
that they will become barriers against the fuller truth
and richer life to be attained in a wider fellowship,
but that it may always be ready to correct and amend
them as God’s will becomes more clearly known
through the growing together of the several parts
of the now divided Church into a common mind and
spirit under the guidance of the one Holy Spirit.
3. The Evangelistic Calling of the Church.—
The Church of South India thankfully acknowledges
that the Churches which have been united to form
4 Constitution of Church of S. India [II, 4, 5.
it owed their existence mainly to the faith, zeal
and prayers of many who either came themselves
from other lands to India in order to preach the
Gospel and build up the Church of Christ; or gave
liberally of their time and money for the furtherance
of that work. It believes that the Holy Spirit has
guided those Churches into this union in order that
this same work of evangelization may be the more
effectually fulfilled, in accordance with the prayer
which Christ prayed that by the unity of His dis­
ciples the world might know that He had been sent
to be its Saviour. Therefore the Church of South
-India purposes ever to be mindful of its missionary
calling; and prays that it may not only be greatly
Vused of God for the evangelization of South India,
but may also take its due share in the preaching,
of the Gospel and the building up of Christ’s
Church in other parts of the world.
4. The Church and its Membership.—The
Church of South India acknowledges that the
Church is the Body of Christ and its members are
the members of His Body; and that those are mem­
bers according to the will and purpose of God who
have been baptized into the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and, receiving
the calling and grace of God with faith, continue
steadfast therein, maintaining by the same faith,
through the various means of grace which He has
provided in His Church, their vital union with the
Head of the Body, and through Him their fellow­
ship one with another.
5. The Faith of the Church.—The Church of
( South India accepts the Holy Scriptures of the Old
and New Testaments as containing all things neces­
sary to salvation and as the supreme and decisive
standard of faith; and acknowledges that the
Church must always be ready to correct and reform
II, 6.] Governing Principles of the Church 5
itself in accordance with the teaching of those
Scriptures as the Holy Spirit shall reveal it.
It also accepts the Apostles’ Creed and the Creed
commonly called the Nicene, as witnessing to and
safeguarding that faith ; and it thankfully acknow­
ledges that same faith to be continuously confirmed
by the Holy Spirit in the experience of the Church
of Christ.
Thus it believes in God, the Father, the Creator
of all things, by whose love we are preserved ;
It believes in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son
of God and Redeemer of the world, in whom
alone we are saved by grace, being justified from
our sins by faith in Him ;
It believes in the Holy Spirit, by whom we
are sanctified and built up in Christ and in the
fellowship of His Body ;
And in this faith it worships the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit, one God in Trinity and Trinity
in Unity.-
The Church of South India is competent to issue
supplementary statements concerning the faith for
the guidance of its teachers and the edification
of the faithful, provided that such statements are
not contrary to the truths of our religion reveal­
ed in the Holy Scriptures.
6. The Sacraments in the Church.—The Church
of South India believes that the Sacraments of
Baptism and the Supper of the Lord are means of
grace through which God works in us, and that
while the mercy of God to all mankind cannot be
limited there is in the teaching of Christ the plain
command that men should follow His appointed
way of salvation by a definite act of reception into
the family of God and by continued acts of fellow­
ship with Him in that family, and that this teaching
is made explicit in the two Sacraments which He
6 Constitution of Church of S. India [II, 7.
has given us. In every communion the true Cele­
brant is Christ alone, who continues in the Church
to-day that which He began in the upper room.
In the visible Church, the celebration of the Lord’s
Supper is an act of the Church, the company of
believers redeemed by Christ, who act as the local
manifestation of the whole Church of Christ in heaven
and on earth. It has in experience been found
best that one minister should lead the worship
of the Church, and pronounce the words of
consecration in the service of Holy Communion.
From very early times it has been the custom of
the church that those only should exercise this
function who have received full and solemn com­
mission from the Church to do so; this commission
has ordinarily been given by the laying on of hands
in ordination.
The only, indispensable conditions for the minis­
tration of the grace of God in the Church are the
unchangeable promise of God Himself and the
gathering together of God’s elect people in the
power of the Holy Ghost. God is a God of order ;
it has been His good pleasure to use the visible
Church and its regularly constituted ministries as the
normal means of the operation of His Spirit. But
it is not open to any to limit the operation of the
grace of God to any particular channel, or to deny
the reality of His grace when it is visibly manifest
in the lives of Churches and individuals.
In the Church of South India the Sacraments
will be observed with unfailing use of Christ’s
words of institution and of the elements ordained
by Him.

7. The Ministry in the Church.—The Church of

South India believes that the ministry is a gift of
God through Christ to His Church, which He has
given for the perfecting of the life and service of
II, 8.] Governing Principles of the Church 7
all its members. All members of the Church have
equally access to God. All, according to their
measure, share in the heavenly High Priesthood of
the risen and ascended Christ from which alone
the Church derives its character as a royal priest­
hood. All alike are called to continue upon earth
the priestly work of Christ by showing forth in
life and word the glory of the redeeming power of
God in Him. No individual and no one order in
the Church can claim exclusive possession of
this heavenly priesthood.
But in the Church there has at all times been a
special ministry, to which men have been called by
God and set apart in the Church. Those who are
ordained to the ministry of the Word and Sacraments
can exercise their offices only in and for the Church,
through the power of Christ the one High Priest.
The vocation of the ordained ministry is to bring
sinners to repentance, and to lead God’s people in
worship, prayer, and praise, and through pastoral
ministrations, the preaching of the Gospel and the
administration of the Sacraments (all these being
made effective through faith) to assist men to receive
the saving and sanctifying benefits of Christ and to
fit them for service. The Church of South India
believes that in ordination, God, in answer to the
prayers of His Church, bestows on and assures
to those whom He has called and His Church
has accepted for any particular form of the ministry
a commission for it and the grace appropriate to it.

8. Necessary Elements in the Life of the Church

of South India.—The Church of South India re­
cognizes that episcopal, presbyteral, and congre­
gational elements must all have their place in its
order of life, and that the episcopate, the presby-
terate, and the congregation of the faithful should
all in their several spheres have responsibility and
 8 Constitution of Church of S. India [II, 9,10.
exercise authority in the life and work of the Church,
in its governance and administration, in its evangel­
istic and pastoral work, in its discipline, and in its
worship.
9. The Congregation in the Church of South
India.—The Church of South India accepts the
principle that as the Church of a whole region,
being in fellowship with other regional Churches, is
ideally the embodiment of the Church Universal in
that region, and as similarly the Church of a diocese
as a living part of a regional Church is the Church
Universal expressing its one life in that diocese, so
/iSlso in the purpose of God every local group of the
(faithful, organized for Christian life and worship as
; a congregation or pastorate within the fellowship of
' the diocese, represents in that place the same one,
lj holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
, Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, and
to such general regulations thereunder as may be
issued in any matter by the Synod of the Church or
by a Diocesan Council, every congregation of the
Church shall, with its pastor, be responsible for
watching over its members, for keeping its life and
doctrine pure, for ordering its worship, and for the
proclaiming of the Gospel to those outside the
Church ; and every pastorate shall have general ad­
ministrative authority within its area, shall have
certain responsibilities in Church discipline, and
shall have an opportunity of expressing its judg­
ment both as to the appointment of its pastor and
the. selection of candidates for ordination from that
pastorate.
10. The Presbyterate in the Church of South
India.—The Church of South India believes that
presbyters .are specially called and commissioned by
God to be dispensers of His Word and Sacraments,
to declare His message of pardon to penitent sinners,
II, ii.] Governing Principles of the Church 9
to build up the members of the Church in their
most holy faith, and, through the councils of the
Church and otherwise, to share with the bishops and
lay members in its government and in the admini­
stration of its discipline.
It is a rule of order in the Church of South India
that the celebration of the Holy Communion shall be
entrusted only to those who have by ordination
received authority thereto. But it is desired that,
with the ordained presbyter, there be present to
assist him in the administration of the Lord’s Supper
others appointed by the Church for this purpose..

11. The Episcopate in the Church of South

India.—The Church of South India accepts and
will maintain the historic episcopate in a constitu­
tional form. But this acceptance does not commit
I it to any particular interpretation of episcopacy or
| to any particular view or belief concerning orders of
the ministry, and it will not require the acceptance
of any such particular interpretation or view as a
necessary qualification for its ministry.
Whatever differing interpretations there may be,
however, the Church of South India agrees that, as
Episcopacy has been accepted in the Church from
early times, it may in this sense fitly be called
historic, and that it is needed for the shepherding
and extension of the Church in South India. Any
additional interpretations, though held by indi­
viduals, are not binding on the Church of South
India.
The meaning in which the Church of South
India thus officially accepts a historic and constitu­
tional episcopacy is that in it:
(i) the bishops shall perform their functions in
accordance with the customs of the Church,
those functions being named and defined
in the later chapters of this Constitution;
 10 Constitution of Church of S. India [II, n.

(ii) the bishops shall be elected, both .the diocese

concerned in each particular case and the
authorities of the Church of South India as
a whole having an effective "voice in their
appointment;
(iii) continuity with the historic episcopate will
be effectively maintained, it being under­
stood that, as stated above, no particular
interpretation of the historic episcopate
as that is accepted in the Church of South
India is thereby implied or shall be de­
manded from any minister or member of
the Church; and
(iv) every ordination of presbyters shall be per­
formed by the laying on of hands by the
bishops and presbyters, and all consecra­
tions of bishops shall be performed by the
laying on of hands at least of three bishops.
The Church of South India believes that in all
ordinations and consecrations the true Ordainer and
Consecrator is God, who in response to the prayers
of His Church, and through the words and acts of
its representatives, commissions and empowers for
the office and work to which they are called the
persons whom it has selected.
In the service of consecration of a bishop in the
Church of South India, the person to be con­
secrated shall be solemnly presented to the bishop
presiding at the consecration by three presbyters of
the diocese to which he is to be appointed, and these
three presbyters shall join with the bishops in the'
laying on of hands. If, however, the Diocesan
Council concerned specially so determine, hands
shall be laid on by the bishops only.
In making the provision for episcopal ordination
and consecration, the Church of South India declares
that it is its intention and determination in this
manner to secure the unification of the ministry, •
 II, iz, 13.] Governing Principles of the Church 11
but that this does not involve any judgment upon the
validity or regularity of any other form of the minis­
try, and the fact that other Churches do not follow
the rule of episcopal ordination will not in itself
preclude it from holding relations of communion
and fellowship with them.
12. The Worship of the Church of South
India.—The Church of South India will aim at
conserving for the common benefit whatever of good
has been gained in the separate history of those
Churches from which it has been formed, and
therefore in its public worship will retain for its con-'
gregations freedom either to use historic forms or
not to do so as may best conduce to edification and
to the worship of God in spirit and in truth.
r No forms of worship which before the union have
j been in use in any of the uniting Churches shall be
forbidden in the Church of South India, nor shall
any wonted forms be changed or new forms intro­
duced into the worship of any congregation without
the agreement of the pastor and the congregation
arrived at in accordance with the conditions laid
down in Chapter X of this Constitution.
Subject to these conditions, and to the provisions
of this Constitution and any special regulations
which may hereafter be issued by the Synod under
the Constitution with regard to the services of ordi­
nation and consecration and the essential elements
or central parts of other services, especially those of
Baptism, Holy Communion and Marriage, every
pastor and congregation shall have freedom to deter­
mine the forms of their public worship.
13. Unity in. Ministry and Life within the
Church of South India.—Every presbyter of the
Church of South India may minister and celebrate
the Holy Communion in any church of the united
Church, and is eligible to be appointed to any charge
2
12 .Constitution of Church, of S. India [II, 14.
therein, subject only to the subsequent provisions of
this section. ..
The Church of South India recognises that the
lact of union has initiated a process of growing to­
gether into one life and of advance towards complete
Spiritual unity. One essential condition of the
attaintment or such complete unity is that all the
members of the Church should be willing and able
to receive communion equally in all of its churches,
and it is the resolve of the Church of South India to
do all in its power to that end.
But it is convinced that this can only take place
on the basis of freedom of opinion on debatable
I matters and respect for even large differences of opin­
ion and practice, and it believes that this freedom
and mutual respect can be safeguarded not by the
framing of detailed regulations but by assurances
given and received in a spirit of confidence and love.
The Church of South India therefore pledges itself
that it will at all times be careful not to allow any
over-riding of conscience either by Church autho­
rities or by majorities, and will not in any of its
administrative acts knowingly transgress the long-
established traditions of any of the Churches from
which it has been formed. Neither forms of wor­
ship or ritual, nor a ministry, to which they have
not been accustomed, or to which they conscien­
tiously object, will be imposed upon any congre­
gation ; and no arrangements with regard to these
matters will knowingly be made, either generally
or in particular cases, which would either offend
the conscientious convictions of persons directly
concerned, or which would hinder the development
of complete unity within the Church or imperil its
progress towards union with other Churches.
14, The Relations of the Church of South India
. with other, Churches —The Church of South India
 II, 15-] Governing Principles of the Church 13
desires to be permanently in full communion and
fellowship with all the Churches with which its
constituent groups have had such communion and
fellowship.
Any communicant member of any Church with
which the Church of South India has relations of
fellowship shall be at liberty to partake of the Holy
Communion in any church of the Church of South
India, and any minister of such a Church shall be
free as a visitor to minister or celebrate the Holy
Communion in any church of the Church of South
India, if he is invited to do so.
The Church of South India will also gladly accept
invitations to send delegates as visitors to the assem­
blies or other representative bodies of the Churches
through whose labours its constitutent groups have
come into being, and will seek, by interchange of
visiting delegates or such other means as may be
available, to promote and maintain brotherly rela-
\ tions with other Churches in India, Burma and
Ceylon and to work towards a wider union of
| Churches in those countries.

15. The Relations of the Ministers and Members

of the Church of South India with other Churches.—
None of the ministers or members of the Church
of South India shall because of the union forgo
any rights with regard to inter-communion and
inter-celebration which they possessed before the
union.
Every minister of the Church of South India who
was ordained outside its area shall be at liberty to
retain the ecclesiastical status (e.g., connection with
a home presbytery or conference) which he had
before the union in the Church in which he was
ordained, subject to such arrangements between the
Church of South India and any of. the Churches con­
cerned as may be found necessary, and provided that
14 Constitution of Church of S. India [II, 16.
he shall not by any such arrangement be released
from the obligations of his position as minister of
the Church of South India.
Every minister of the Church of South India
shall be at. liberty to exercise any ministry in a
Church outside its area which he was entitled to
exercise before the union, provided that that Church
permit him to do so.
Every minister of the Church of South India shall,
be at liberty to minister and to celebrate the Holy
Communion in any church of a Church with which
any of the uniting Churches have enjoyed relations
of fellowship, if he is invited to do so.
In all these, as in other matters, the Church of
South India desires to avoid on the one hand any
encouragement of licence or condonation of breaches
of Church comity and fellowship, and on the other
hand any unchristian rigidity in its regulations or
in their application; and in all its actions it will
seek the preservation of unity within, the attain­
ment of wider union, and the avoidance of imme­
diate contests on particular cases.
16. Relation of the Church of South India with
Churches in India.—The Church of South India
desires that the most cordial relations shall always
exist between itself and the Church of India, Burma
and Ceylon, and that whenever need arises, suitable
arrangements shall be made for taking counsel
together.
Similarly the Church of South India desires that
the most cordial relations shall always exist between
itself and the Methodist Church in North India, in
Burma and in Ceylon, and the Churches in North
India with which the South India United Church
has been in fellowship, and will always be ready to
respond to any proposals for taking common counsel
together.
11,17-19-] Governing Principles of the Church 15
17. Maintained Churches and Chaplains.—Omitr
ted.
18. The Autonomy of the Church of South India.—
The Church of South India claims the right to be
free in all spiritual matters from the direction or
interposition of any civil government.
It is an autonomous Church, and free from any
control, legal or otherwise, of any Church or
society external to itself. At the same time it
remembers that on account of its origin and history
it must have special relations with the Churches
in the West through which it has come into exist­
ence, and so far as in it lies it will maintain fellow­
ship both with those Churches and with other
branches of the Catholic Church with which those
Churches are in communion.
The Church of South India, as a part of the
Church Universal, is prepared to give full weight
to the pronouncements of bodies representative of
the whole Church, and in particular, will desire
'to take part in the deliberations and decisions of an
Ecumenical Council, if such in the mercy of God
jbe some day called together.
19. The Basis of Union and the Constitution.—
The Basis of Union is a document in which before
the inauguration of union the uniting Churches
stated the general nature and purposes of the
proposed union, gave an outline of the principles of
faith and of Church order on which they agreed and
of the fundamental rules for the organization and
life of the Church in which they were prepared to
unite, and expressed certain hopes and desires for
the future of that united Church.
In this Constitution of the Church of South India
the substance of the Basis of Union has been incor­
porated, and provision as far as possible made for
giving effect to the intentions and desires of the
16 Constitution of Church of S. India [II, 20.
uniting Churches. As included in this Constitution,
these provisions are subject to alteration as provided
in Chapter XIV hereof, since the Church of South
India cannot remain legally bound by the action of
the uniting Churches before union. But it is hereby
declared that in any alteration of this Constitution,
and particularly of these Governing Principles,
full regard shall be paid to the Basis of Union
as a permanent record of the intentions and desires
of the Churches by the union of which this Church
has been formed.

20. Of the Interpretation of this Constitution.—

If any questions shall be raised with regard to the
interpretation of any part of this Constitution, they
shall be finally determined by the Synod of the
Church, in accordance with the provisions laid down
in the Constitution for the proceedings of that
body.
For the avoidance of misunderstanding, it is here
stated that when nothing is said in the Constitution
about any doctrine which has been taught or any
practice which has customarily been followed in any
of the Churches from which the united Church has
been formed, it must not be inferred either that that
doctrine or practice is forbidden in the Church of
South India to be believed in, thought or followed,
or that it is considered to be of no importance.
Specific mention of a doctrine or practice has in
some cases been regarded as unnecessary, since it
was a matter of well-known common agreement
among the uniting Churches; in other cases there
has been disagreement among those Churches on
matters which were of importance, yet not such that
agreement on them was regarded as a necessary
condition of union in one Church, and it was
believed that a united Church would in due time be
able to come to agreement on them.
II, 21.] Governing Principles of the Church 17
21. Initial Provisions of Ministry—The bishops
of the. dioceses of the Church of India, Burma and
Ceylon which are included in the Church of South
India are accepted as bishops of that Church,
provided that they assent to the Basis of Union and
accept the Constitution of the Church.
All the other ministers of the uniting Churches
in the area of the union who have been ordained as
ministers of the Word and of the Sacraments are
acknowledged as such and have the status of presby­
ters in the Church of South India, provided that
they assent to the Basis of Union and accept the
Constitution of the Church. Every such presbyter
of the Church of South India is at liberty to minister
and to celebrate the Holy Communion in any Church
of the Church of South India, subject to the pledge
given in section 13 above.
Similarly, subject to the same provision of assent
to the Basis of Union and acceptance of the Consti­
tution, deacons and probationers retain in the
Church of South India the status they had in their
own Churches before the union.
Such bishops, presbyters, deacons and probation­
ers shall, subject only to necessary restrictions in
certain directions, retain (so far as the Church of
South India is concerned) all rights and liberties
which they previously possessed in the several unit­
ing Churches. . '
It is the intention and expectation of the Church
of South India that eventually eyery minister
exercising a permanent ministry in it will be an
episcopally ordained minister. For the thirty
years succeeding the inauguration of the union, the
ministers of any Church whose missions have found­
ed the originally separate parts of the Church of
South India shall be received as ministers of that
Church, if they are willing to give the same assent
to the Governing Principles of the Church and the
18 Constitution of Church of S. India [III, i.
same promise to accept the Constitution of the
Church as shall be required from persons to be
ordained or employed for the first time in the Church.
After this period of thirty years, the Church of
South India will determine whether there shall
continue to be any exceptions to the rule that its
ministry is an episcopally ordained ministry, and
generally under what conditions it will receive mini­
sters from other Churches into its ministry. In so
doing, it will give equal weight to the principle that
there shall be a fully unified ministry within the
Church, and t'o the no less fundamental principle
that the Church of South India shall maintain and
extend full communion and fellowship with those
Churches with which the Churches from which it
has been formed have severally had such fellowship.
The status of those at that time already received
as ministers in the Church of South India shall not
be affected by any action which the Church may
then take.

Chapter III
THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CHURCH
i. The Church of South India, affirming the
standard and ideal of membership in the Church of
Christ which it has declared in its fourth Governing
Principle, recognizes as its members those persons
who, being resident in its area,
t have been baptized with water in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and
are willing to abide by the rules and customs
of this Church, and
are not members of any Christian body which
is not in communion with this Church, and
111,2,3-] The Membership of the Church 19
. are not excommunicated by lawful excommuni­
cation, and
are not open apostates to. some non-Christian
religion.
Baptized children are members of the Church,
and share in the privileges and obligations of mem­
bership so far as they are capable of doing so.
2. The full privileges and obligations of mem­
bership in the Church of South India belong to those
who, having attained to years of discretion and
having gained some measure of experience in the
Christian life, and having received due instruction
in Christian truth and in the duties of their Chris­
tian calling, make public profession of their faith
and of their purpose, with God’s help, to serve
and to follow Christ as members of His Church.
They shall make this profession at a public service
which shall include prayer for them that they may
be strengthened by the Holy Spirit and may receive
His manifold gifts of grace for their life and work.
Persons who have been thus admitted to full mem­
bership in the Church shall also thereby become
eligible to partake of the Holy Communion in the
Church, and all such persons shall be at liberty to
receive communion in any of the churches of the
Church of South India.
3. The service of Confirmation as used in the
Church of India, Burma and Ceylon, and the forms
of service for admission to full membership or to
communicant status which before the union have
been employed in the other uniting Churches, are
accepted as forms of the service referred to in Rule 2
above, and may be continued in the Church of South
India,1 and other similar forms may be adopted,
1 This includes, in particular, the custom of the Malabar Church
Council of the S.I.U.C., where, in accordance with the rule of the Basel
Evangelical Mission, the "presbyters have administered Confirmation.
20 Constitution of Church of S. India [III, 4-8.
unless by general agreement common forms of ser­
vice for the purpose shall be framed and accepted
for use in the Church.
4. The privilege of participation in the govern­
ment of this Church is confined to adult communi­
cant members of this Church, the Synod, or a
Diocesan Council, having the power to attach other
conditions to the exercise of this privilege. By
‘ adult ’ shall be understood a person who has
attained the age of 21 years. (S. 50.39).
5. A member of any Church in communion with
this Church, when in consequence of residence in
the area of this Church he accepts the privileges and
obligations of membership in this Church, does not
thereby sever his connection with the Church to
which he previously belonged, or lose his right to
enjoy the privileges of that membership on his return
to the region of that Church’s ministrations.
6. In the preparation of candidates for baptism,
the Apostles’ Creed (or, if so desired, the Nicene
Creed) shall be used as the basis of part of the neces­
sary instruction. It shall not be necessary that, in
answering questions with regard to their faith,
candidates for baptism should use the actual words
of either of these Creeds in affirming their belief.
7. All persons who before the union have been
confirmed or have been admitted to communicant
status in any of the uniting Churches shall be recog­
nized as communicants throughout the Church of
South India and shall be at liberty to receive com­
munion in any of its churches.
8. It is the privilege of every member of the
Church to know himself to be a son in the family
of God and to rejoice in the experience of his sal­
vation. It is his duty to work out that salvation
by being diligent in private and family prayers to
IV, i,2.] Ordained, Ministry of Church—Bishops 21
the Heavenly Father and in the reading of the
Scriptures ; by attendance at public worship and
Holy Communion; by working heartily, as unto God,
in that calling and state of life into which God leads
him, and labouring constantly in the ministry of
intercession ; by contributing of his time and sub­
stance to the pastoral and evangelistic work of the
Church; and by manifesting a Christian temper and
practice in all his intercourse with his fellow-men,
and especially by helping those who are in need,
sickness or distress.

Chapter IV
THE ORDAINED MINISTRY OF THE
CHURCH—BISHOPS
Rules i to 15. (a) The Functions and
Responsibilities of Bishops and
Administration of Vacant Dioceses1
1. Pastoral Oversight.—The bishop of the dio­
cese has the general pastoral oversight of all the
Christian people of the diocese, and more particu­
larly of the ministers of the Church in the diocese.
As the chief shepherd under Christ of His flock
in that part, he is responsible for doing all that he
can to foster the true spiritual unity of the diocese
by entering as far as possible into personal relation
with every member of the flock ; especially by
ministering, as occasion may serve, the rite of
Confirmation or by presiding, when desired, at
other services in which admission is given into full
membership of the Church.
2. Leadership in Evangelization.—It is the duty
of the bishop to take the lead in the evangelistic
work of the diocese; and he should do all in his
power to foster and promote it both by his own
22 Constitution of Church of S. India [IV, 3-4
example and also by the encouragement which he
gives to others; and therefore he should continually
remind both ministers and people of their duty in
this respect.
3. Teaching.—The office of a bishop is also
essentially a teaching office, and he should do all
that is in his power for the edification of the minis­
ters and congregations over whom he has oversight
by instructing them concerning the truths of the
Christian faith.
On each bishop in his own diocese, and on the
bishop of the Church as a body, is laid the respon­
sibility of publicly stating, as need may from time
to time arise, the doctrine of the Church Universal
as understood by the Church of South India, and its
application to the problems of the age and the coun­
try. But the bishops acting as a body shall only
issue such statements after consultation with repre­
sentatives of the presbyters and laity to be appointed
for this purpose under rules laid down by the Synod
of the Church; and no such statement shall have
any force as a rule of the Church unless and. until
it be adopted by the Synod as such..
4. Worship.—The bishop of the diocese, acting
in accordance with the rules laid down in this Con­
stitution concerning the worship of the Church,
shall acquaint himself with the various methods of
worship and forms of service used in the diocese,
shall advise the ministers and congregations in this
matter, and shall cause to be prepared and shall
issue special services and prayers as they may be
required from time to time. He shall have author­
ity in the case of grave irregularities in public
worship to forbid their continuance, and any such
prohibition shall remain in force pending any
action which the Executive Committee of the Synod
of the Church may take thereon.
IV, 5-8.) Ordained Ministry of Church—Bishops 23
5. Ordination.—The bishop of the diocese
will accept candidates for ordination and ordain
them, acting in these matters in accordance with
the rule of Chapter V of this Constitution.
6. Authorization.—The bishop of the diocese,
acting in accordance with such rules in the matter
as may be laid down in this Constitution or by the
Synod, will give at the time of ordination authoriza­
tion to ministers to officiate and to preach in the
the diocese, and authorizations to other ordained
ministers who may from time to time come to under­
take definite work in the diocese. The stationing
of the ministers shall also be carried out by the
bishop of the diocese together with the diocesan
committees or other bodies prescribed by the rules
of the diocese.
7. Discipline.—The bishop of the diocese alone
shall have authority in disciplinary cases to pro­
nounce sentences of suspension from Holy Com­
munion or of excommunication, and to restore
those that are penitent to the fellowship of the
Church. But he may only exercise this authority
in accordance with the rules for the Discipline of the
Church contained in Chapter XI of this Consti-
tion and such regulations as may under this Consti­
tution be laid down by the Synod or by his Diocesan
Council.
8. Discipline of Ministers.—Charges against a
minister shall in the first instance be submitted to
the bishop of the diocese, who shall if possible
settle the matter by personal enquiry and advice
and, if necessary, admonition, or in grave cases
suspension for a limited period of the authorization
of the minister concerned. But if the Bishop shall
direct, or the accused minister demand, that the
case should be referred to the Court of the Diocesan
24 Constitution of Church of S. India [IV, 9-12.
Council, it shall be so referred and dealt with
according to the rules of Chapter XI of this Consti­
tution. A bishop may not withdraw his authoriza­
tion permanently from a presbyter except by way of
carrying out a sentence duly passed by the Court of
the Diocesan Council, or when the presbyter volun­
tarily submits himself to the decision of the bishop.
9. Diocesan Council.—The bishop of the diocese
shall be president of the Diocesan Council, and
shall have the right to take part in the proceedings
of any standing committee, board or council of the
diocese. He shall have the right of suspending the
operation of certain classes of decisions or resolu­
tions of the Diocesan Council, in accordance with
the provisions of Chapter VIII of this Constitution.
10. Finance.—The bishop of the diocese shall
not as bishop or as president of the Diocesan Coun­
cil have any separate ^controlling authority over the
finance of the diocese.
11. The Synod.—Every bishop of a diocese shall
ex-officio be a member of the Synod of the Church.
12. Permanence of Appointment.—The bishop
of a diocese shall remain bishop of that diocese until
he resign, or accept the charge of another diocese,
or depart permanently from the diocese or be de­
prived of his charge by sentence of the Court of the
Synod, or be adjudged by the Executive Committee
of the Synod to be mentally, physically or otherwise
incapable of discharging the duties of his office.
A Bishop shall normally retire at the age of 65,
but the Executive Committee of the Synod shall
have the right, after consulting the Executive Com­
mittee of the Diocese concerned, to extend the age
of retirement by any period up to a maximum age
of 70 years. . . . «
IV, i3« 14- ] Ordained Ministry of Church-Bishops 25
In the case however of those who shall have
reached 65 when this rule comes into force, the
Executive Committee of the Synod shall have the
right, after consulting the Executive of the Diocese
concerned, to extend the age of retirement by any
period up to a maximum age of 75 years. (S. 56-11).
13. Compulsory Resignation.—When it seems
to the Moderator1 that there is good reason to be­
lieve that the bishop of a diocese is mentally, physi­
cally or otherwise incapable of duly discharging the
duties of his office, he shall represent the matter to
the bishop concerned with a view to securing his
resignation ; and, if the bishop refuse to resign, the
Moderator may bring the matter before the Execu­
tive Committee of the Synod. The Executive Com­
mittee shall then have power to appoint a special
commission to investigate the matter, and if, on the
report of such commission, the Executive Commit­
tee shall decide that the bishop concerned is, as
defined above, incapable of discharging the duties of
his office, it shall formally adjudge him so to be, and
he shall thereupon cease to be bishop of that diocese.
The Synod shall lay down rules for the procedure
of such commissions in accordance with the princi­
ples which govern judicial procedure in the Church.
14. Commissaries.—The bishop of a diocese
may appoint a commissary either under a general
commission to act for him in the diocese during his
absence from the diocese or incapacity to discharge
his duties as bishop, or under a special commission
to perform on his behalf some particular duty named
in the commission. The appointment of a general
commissary must be approved by the Executive
Committee of the Diocesan Council.
A diocesan bishop cannot authorise his commis­
sary to represent him in the Synod or in any
1 Sec Chapter IX, Rule g, p. 44.
26 Constitution of Church of S.. India.[IV, 15, 15 (a)
committee, or board thereof, or to exercise his
suspensory Power over decisions and resolutions of
the Diocesan Council, nor can he (unless the Com­
missary be himself a bishop) delegate to him his
functions with respect to Ordination and Confirm­
ation.
15. Assistant Bishops.—If in .any diocese the
bishop of the diocese and the Diocesan Council desire
the appointment of an assistant bishop and are pre­
pared to make the necessary financial provision, the
Synod or the Executive Committee of the Synod shall
have power to consent to the appointment of such
assistant bishop, and to issue instructions with re­
gard to the method of election or appointment of
some person as assistant bishop, his functions and
sphere of work, and his tenure of office. A dio­
cesan bishop may not authorise the assistant bishop
to represent him in any committee or board of the
Synod or to exercise his suspensory power over
decisions and resolutions of the Diocesan Council.
Every assistant bishop shall ex-officio be a mem­
ber of the Synod of the Church.

15. (a) Administration of Vacant Diocese.—Not­

withstanding anything in Ch. IV of the Constitu­
tion, whenever any Bishopric of the Church falls
vacant the charge and administration thereof shall
devolve upon the Moderator who shall administer
it with full jurisdiction in his own person, with or
without the help of a Commissary or Commis­
saries appointed by him after consultation with the
Working Committee of Synod, until a new Bishop
be elected and become Bishop of the Diocese. If
a Bishopric, whose Bishop is also the Moderator,
becomes vacant the Deputy Moderator shall have
all the powers of the Moderator in this regard. (S.
50-35)
 IV, 16-18.] Ordained Ministry of Churchy-Bishops 27
Rules 16 to 26. The Election, Appointment
and Consecration of Bishops
v.
16. Both the Executive Committee of the Synod
and members of a Diocesan Council shall have the
right of making nominations for the election of a
diocesan bishop to be voted upon by the Diocesan
Council or by an electoral body appointed by the
Council, but the nominations made by the Executive
Committee shall be of not more than three names,
and shall not include the name of any person resi­
dent in the diocese. The Executive Committee may
provide that its nominations shall be made by corres­
pondence ; and a Diocesan Council may provide
that nominations may be made either before the
meeting of the Council or electoral body, or at such
meeting, or both before and at such meeting.
}!• From the combined list of nominations the
Diocesan Council or its electoral body shall elect not
less than two and not more than four persons, all of
whom must be supported by not less than two-
thirds of the number of the members of the Dioce­
san Council or electoral body present and voting,
and shall submit the list of their elections to a
board consisting of the Moderator and six members
appointed by the Executive Committee of the
Synod, not including any representatives of the
diocese concerned. This board shall appoint a
bishop for the diocese from among the names sub­
mitted by the Diocesan Council or its electoral
body.
18. The Diocesan Council or electoral body
may if it so desires remit the whole election to a
board of the Synod composed as in Rule 17, either
initially or after a failure to make an election of.
not less than two persons under the provisions of
Rule 17.
3
28 Constitution of Chutch of. S. India [IV,i9-22

iq. If a Diocesan Council or electoral body

fails to fulfil the requirements of Rule 17 or Rule 18
within nine months from the date on which the
bishopric became vacant, a bishop shall be appoint­
ed for the diocese by the Executive Committee of
the Synod.
20. Every election or appointment of a bishop
shall be subject to confirmation by the Executive
Committee of the Synod. Such confirmation may
not be withheld except when the Executive Com­
mittee shall judge either the election or appointment
to have been invalid or the person elected or appoint­
ed to be unfit in respect of character, conduct or
teaching to exercise the functions of a bishop.
21. As soon as the General Secretary of the
Synod has been informed of the election or appoint­
ment of a person to the office of a bishop in the
Church, and also of that person’s willingness to
accept the office, he shall inform every member of
the Executive Committee by letter of the election
or appointment, and ask him whether, apart from
any objection to it as having been invalid, he is
willing to confirm it. He shall also take steps to
secure that public notice of the election or appoint­
ment is immediately given in all the churches of the
diocese for which it has been made.
22. If within twenty-one days of this publica­
tion by the General Secretary any objection to the
confirmation of the election or appointment be made
in writing to the General Secretary, whether by
any member of the Executive Committee or by
other members of the Church, the General Secre­
tary shall summon a meeting of the Executive Com­
mittee to consider such objections. Provided that
if an objection appear to him prima facie to be
frivolous and vexatious or trivial and insufficient,
IV, 23-25.] Otdained Ministry ofChurch^-Bis/rops 29
he shall refer the matter to the other officers of the
Synod, and if the officers of the Synod shall agree;
he shall report to the members of the Executive
Committee that the objection has been set aside on
the grounds stated above. The Synod may issue
regulations to guard against the abuse of the right
of making objections.
23. If no objection to the confirmation of the
election or appointment reach the General Secretary
within twenty-one days of his publication of notice,
or any objection that has been made has been set
aside as provided in the' last Rule, and he. has
received from a majority of the members of the
Executive Committee letters expressing their willing­
ness to confirm the election or appointment, and
from no member any objection to confirm it, he shall
report this to the Moderator, and if the Moderator so
think fit, he and the Deputy Moderator and the
General Secretary shall in the name of the Executive
Committee execute a certificate of confirmation in
such form as shall be laid down by the Synod; but
if the Moderator for any reason consider it desirable,
he shall bring the question of confirmation before a
meeting of the Executive Committee.
24. When the confirmation of the election or
appointment of a bishop is considered by the Execu­
tive Committee of the Synod in session under the
provisions of Rule 22 or Rule 23, the confirmation
must be by the vote of at least two-thirds of the
members present, this majority including at least
two-thirds of the bishops present.•
• 25. The Synod will prescribe a form of conse­
cration of bishops, in which, while provision may
be made for extempore prayer and variation in the
details of the service there shall be certain, invari­
able parts ; these to include at leust (i) the solemn
3© Constitution of Church of S. India [IV, 26—V, 1.
presentation of the person to be consecrated to the
bishop presiding at the consecration by three
presbyters of the diocese to which he is to be appoint­
ed ; (ii) a consecratory prayer, asking that the person
to be consecrated may receive the gift of God’s
Holy Spirit for the office and work of a bishop in
His Church ; and (iii) the laying on of hands by the
bishops (who shall be at least three in number) and
by the three presbyters referred to above, with words
accompanying. If, however, the Diocesan Council
concerned specially so determine, hands shall be laid
on by the bishops only. The consecration of a
bishop shall normally take place in the course of a
Communion service.
26. No person may be consecrated as bishop un­
less he is already a presbyter and has attained the
age of thirty years.

Chapter V
THE ORDAINED MINISTRY OF THE
CHURCH-PRESBYTERS AND DEACONS
Rules i and 2. , The Duties of Presbyters

1. It is the special duty of a presbyter—

(1) To watch over the flock committed to him;
to visit the congregation and especially the sick
and the erring; to teach, to warn, to rebuke and
encourage; and to maintain the doctrine and disci­
pline of the Church in which he is a minister with
all fidelity :
(2) To be a leader in the work of preaching
the Word in the congregation committed to him,
and in building up all its members in their most
holy faith ; to strive to bring sinners to repentance
and forgiveness both by public and private exercise
of his ministry; to encourage and give full scope for
V, 2-4] Presbyters and Deacons ' 31
the exercise by Church members of their various
ministries in the Church ; and to forward all efforts
directed to the establishment of righteousness and
the removal of wrong in the community :
(3) To lead the worship and administer the
Holy Communion in the congregation, and conduct
the other sacred services of the Church :
(4) To teach and baptize ; to instruct the young
and prepare candidates for Confirmation and for
admission to communicant membership and to
admit approved candidates to communicant member­
ship :
(5) To use every opportunity to preach the
Gospel to non-Christians and to bring men to the
obedience of the faith :
(6) To these ends, to be diligent in private
study and prayer.
2. It is the duty of all presbyters, when summon­
ed, to attend a meeting of the Diocesan Council,
and meetings of the ministers which may be
convened by the bishop from time to time to discuss
with them matters concerning their ministry and the
faith, order and discipline of the Church or to advise
them upon such topics.
Rules 3 to 9. The Ordination and
Authorization of Presbyters

3. Men will be ordained as presbyters in the

Church of South India who offer themselves for the
ministry because they are conscious of a call from
God to that work, who are recognized by the Church
as giving evidence of that call through their posses­
sion of gifts appropriate to their calling, and who
have been given due training for the work of the
ministry.
4. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution,
and in accordance with such standards as shall
32 Constitution of Church of S. India [V, 5, 6.
be determined and such general rules as shall be laid
down by the Synod, each Diocesan Council shall
make rules for the.selection of candidates for train­
ing for ordination, for their training, and for the
final approval and presenting for ordination of those
who have received training.
Rules with regard to these matters made by Dio­
cesan Councils shall be submitted to the Synod to
ensure that they are in accordance with the general
rules laid down, whether in this Constitution or by
the Synod, and with the principles and standards
accepted by the Church.
Such rules shall always provide that at one stage
or another there shall be recommendation by, or
consultation with, the congregation or pastorate to
which the candidate belongs as well as such other
bodies or persons (the latter including laymen and
not less than three presbyters) as the rules may
Erovide, and also acceptance of the candidate both
y the . bishop and by the Diocesan Council or some
diocesan body appointed for the purpose.
5. The Synod will prescribe a form-of ordination
for presbyters in' which, while provision may be
made for extempore prayer and variations in the
details of the service, there shall be certain invariable
parts ; those to include at least (i) a prayer of ordi­
nation asking that those about to be ordained may
receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit for the office
and work of presbyters in His Church, and (ii) the
laying on of hands by the bishop and by presbyters,
with the words accompanying it. The ordination
of presbyters shall normally take place in the course
of the Communion Service.
6. Every person about to be ordained in any
diocese in the Church of South India is required to
affirm his sincere belief in the truths witnessed to
by .the Nicene Creed, and his acceptance of the doo
V, 7-I°] Presbyters and Deacons. 33
trinal truths included in the Governing Principles
qf the Church and in any other statement which the
Church of South India may have officially set forth
as a standard of doctrine.
The Church of South India here declares that no
acceptance of. a written standard is sufficient for
this or for any of the purposes for which such
standards are used unless there be also an inward
and personal experience of union with God in Christ.
The act of union does not debar any teacher of
the Church of South India from using for the in­
struction of die faithful any confession of faith
which had been employed in any of the uniting
Churches before the union, and which is not incon­
sistent with the doctrinal standards officially set
forth by the Church of South India.
7. Every minister who is to receive authority to
exercise other than an occasional ministry in a
diocese of the Church of South India shall make
the same affirmation of his belief as those who are
.ordained within the Church of South India.
8. Every person who is being ordained presbyter
and everv minister who is to receive authority to
exercise other than an occasional ministry in the
Church of South India, shall before receiving, autho­
rization from the bishop of the diocese under
Chapter IV, Rule 6, declare his acceptance of the
Constitution of the Church and of its rules of
discipline.
9. No person shall be ordained presbyter until
he has attained the age of twenty-four years.
Rules 10 to 12. Functions and Ordination
of Deacons

10. The functions of deacons shall in the Church

of South India include the following—assisting
34 Constitution of Church of S., India [V, n, 12—VI, 1.
the presbyter in the administration of the Lord’s
Supper and in other services of the Church;
administering of baptism; ministering in the
temporalities of the Church : giving succour to the
poor, the needy and the sick ; instructing of children
and catechumens in the faith ; preaching the Word;
and generally giving assistance in pastoral and
evangelistic work.
11. The ministry of the diaconate may be under­
taken for life by persons who have been accepted
for this ministry by the diocesan authorities and
have received due training. Persons who have been
selected as candidates for the presbyterate shall ordi­
narily, after undergoing the necessary theological
course, receive ordination to the diaconate,. and
undertake the duties outlined in Rule 10 above as
part of their training for the presbyterate.
12. Deacons shall be set apart for their ministry
by the laying on of hands by the bishop of the
diocese. No person shall be ordained deacon until
he has attained the age of twenty-three years.

Chapter VI
THE MINISTRY OF THE LAITY
1. To the whole Church and to every member
of it belongs the duty and privilege of spreading the
good news of the kingdom of God and the message
of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Church
of South India therefore welcomes and will as
far as possible provide for the exercise by lay
persons, both men and women, of such gifts of
prophecy, evangelization, teaching, healing and
administration as God bestows upon them. In
particular the laity are called upon to exercise
 VI, 2.] ’ The Ministry of the Laity 35
important functions in the Church as members of its
governing bodies, both local and central, and of its
disciplinary courts. Women shall be eligible for
membership of the Synod, and, unless any Diocesan
Council provide otherwise, for membership of
Diocesan Councils and any other administrative or
governing bodies in a diocese.

2, This ministry of the laity may be performed

by men and women who, in response to God’s call,
devote their whole time to it, and for whose support
the Church must therefore in general make provision.
These include both Indian and foreign workers.
They fulfil their ministry in many of the forms of
service detailed below, and also in educational,
medical, and other kinds of Christian service. But
a large and increasing part of this work should be
undertaken by men and women who, while following
their ordinary calling in life, also engage in the
work of the Church. Such voluntary work may be
performed in one or more of the following ways :
(fl) Assisting in Pastoral Work.—This includes
visiting members of the congregation,
especially the sick and erring; meeting them
in groups or ‘ classes ’ for fellowship and
edification and prayer ; having the charge of
village congregations ; and generally helping
the presbyter in building up the Church.
5 Those who take part in such work should
be communicant members solemnly set
apart for this special service, and may be
known as elders, lay leaders, class leaders,
lay deacons, deaconesses, etc.
(h) Evangelism.—It is the primary duty of every
member of the Church to witness by life
and word to Jesus Christ, Who came into
the world to save sinners. This work
of evangelization may be done both
 Constitution of Church of S. India [VI,2.
individually, and by groups, and should
include special methods, such as lyrical
preaching, and the distribution of the
Scriptures and other evangelistic literature.
(c) Preaching.—Lay persons of gifts and grace
should be enlisted for this work, and they
may be formed into an order with rules,
examinations and a period of probation.
They must be communicant members of the
Church, of blameless life, and ever ready to
be witnesses to the Master whom they serve.
They must act under the direction of the
presbyter in charge of the congregation.
(</) Caring for Youth.—The Church has impor­
tant duties towards its young members,
both in preparing them for the time when
they publicly accept for themselves the pro­
mises made for them in baptism, and in
guiding their subsequent life as full mem­
bers of the Church. The services of godly
persons, and especially of those who have
recently become communicants, should be
enlisted to help in Sunday Schools, Night
Schools, Guilds, Christian Endeavour, and
other such societies.
(e) Administration.—The, collection and adminis­
tration of funds and the care of church pro­
perty form an important sphere of labour in
every congregation. Those who help the
churches in these matters may be known as
trustees, wardens, treasurers, stewards,
elders, lay deacons, etc. Their duties are
to raise sufficient funds for the pastorate, to
keep the church buildings and other, pro­
perty in good condition-, to help the poor
and sick and minister to their needs, and
generally to assist the presbyters in the
temporal affairs of the congregation.
VI, 3“5-J The Ministry of the Laity 37
if) Social Service.—Opportunities for social ser­
vice may be found in visiting hospitals and
jails and in aiding temperance and social
purity work, child welfare and health- propa­
ganda, village improvement, the boy-scout
and girl-guide movements, and other such
activities. The local Church should as far
as possible co-operate with other organiza­
tions engaged in social service.
3. It is desirable that lay persons who are
appointed to any office in the Church should be set
apart at a service in which they are reminded of the
nature and importance of their office, and prayer is
offered that they may receive the Holy Spirit to
equip them for their work and make them faithful
in the discharge of their responsibilities.
4. Diocesan Councils may make regulations con­
cerning special forms of the ministry of the laity,
such as those mentioned in Rule 2.
5. The Church of South India desires that all
its members should constantly bear in mind that
their different forms of ministry both to those with­
in the Church and to those outside it, are only of
value for the carrying out of God’s purposes in so
far as the Divine Spirit is working through those
ministries on the hearts of men. The ministry of
intercession, therefore, is vital, and it should not
only underlie and inspire all those other ministries
that are detailed in this Chapter, but be recognized
as one which should constantly be exercised by all
members of the Church. Those who have oppor­
tunity for other forms of service should not be slack
in .this service also, and those who are debarred by
-sickness' or other causes from exercising other
ministries should recognise that this ministry of
intercession is their special duty and privilege.
38 Constitution of Church of S. India [VII, 1-4.
Chapter VII
PASTORATES, PASTORATE
COMMITTEES AND CONGREGATIONS
1. A pastorate is an organised congregation or
group of congregations recognised as such by the
Diocesan Council, under the superintendence of a
presbyter, who may be in charge of more than one
pastorate. In some pastorates other ministers
(whether presbyters or deacons) may be appointed
to assist the presbyter in charge of the pastorate and
to work under his direction.
2. Every pastorate shall have a Pastorate Com­
mittee, which shall consist of the presbyter in charge
as chairman, the ordained ministers who are
appointed to work as assistants to the presbyter in
charge, and lay communicant members of the
Church elected by the communicants of the pasto­
rate, and which may also include ex-officio and
nominated members.
3. Each Diocesan Council shall lay down rules
denning the qualifications necessary for lay mem­
bers of Pastorate Committees and for the electors,
for the numbers and method of election of lay mem­
bers, and, if it so think fit, for the appointment of
ex-officio and nominated members.
4. The Pastorate Committee shall have, in con­
junction with the pastor, the general oversight of
the pastorate and of its religious activities. The
extent, the manner and the limitations of this over­
sight shall be defined by rules to be laid down by
the Diocesan Council.
No Pastorate or Committee of a Pastorate shall
have recourse to the civil courts in matters con­
cerning the Pastorate, without the previous per­
mission in writing of the Bishop of the Diocese,
(S. 56-11)
VII, 5*8—VIII, i.] Diocesan Councils 39
5. Subject to the Diocesan rules, a Pastorate
Committee may delegate certain of its functions to
sub-committees or other bodies or persons.
6. It is desirable that arrangements be made
for regular meetings of groups of members of the
Church who live in separate localities within a
pastorate, to review and make plans for the develop­
ment of the life and work of the group, for the
carrying on of evangelistic work, and for other pur­
poses.
7. It is competent to a Diocesan Council to form
circles, districts or other groups of pastorates for
certain administrative and financial purposes, and
to define the membership, powers and functions of
bodies representing those areas.
8. Initial Provision.—On the inauguration of
union, the arrangements already existing in each
district as regards congregations, pastorates, circles,
etc., shall continue in force until other order be
taken by the Diocesan Council concerned.
Chapter VIII
DIOCESAN COUNCILS
1. Every Diocesan Council shall consist of:—
(a) The bishop of the diocese;
(b) The assistant bishop (if any);
(c) All presbyters in charge of pastorates,
and all presbyters who are appointed to
responsible offices and spheres of work
which by regulation of the Diocesan
Council carry with them the right of
membership of the Council. Every
Diocesan Council shall make rules regu­
lating the membership of other presby­
ters (whether engaged in pastoral or
institutional work), of deacons, and of
retired ministers; .
49 Constitution of Church of S. India [ VIII, 2-4.
(d) Lay. representatives,, whether elected,
... nominated ot ex-officio, at least equal in
number to the pastorates of the diocese-
and not greater than twice that number.
2. Every Diocesan Council shall determine in its
own constitution the number, necessary qualifica­
tions, and method of election or nomination of the
lay representatives in it, provided that these qualifi­
cations shall in conformity with Chapter III, Rule 4,
include adult communicant membership of the
Church.
3. The bishop of the diocese shall be ex-officio.
president of the Diocesan Council, and shall have
the right to take part in the proceedings of any
standing committee, board or council of the
diocese.
4. Every Diocesan Council has power to make
rules and pass resolutions and take executive action ,
for the general management and good government
of the Church in the diocese, subject to the provi­
sions of this Constitution, and in particular to those
concerning the Synod of the Church. In particu­
lar, it has. the right to an effective voice in the
appointment of its bishop, and the right to make
regulations with regard to the acceptance of candi­
dates for ordination to the ministry, with regard to
pastorates, and with regard to the discipline of
the Church, subject to the provisions of this Con­
stitution on these topics.
It has the duty of fostering the development of the
evangelistic, pastoral, educational and other work of
the Church in the diocese, and, where it does not
administer such work through its own committees,
it should arrange for the co-ordination of the work
of mission and other administrative bodies within
the diocese. In particular, it is desirable that the
Vm, 5-74 Diocesan Council . 41
Diocesan Council should receive reports of the evan­
gelistic work which is being done in its area, and
from time to time should survey the whole field, in
order to see whether there be any part of it or any
section of the population which is being neglected
or in which there are special opportunities for
advance.
5. Except as provided under Ch. IX, Rule 15,
the Diocesan Council shall be the ultimate financial
authority of the Church in its diocese in all matters
concerning its internal administration. The bishop
of the diocese shall not as bishop or as president
of the Diocesan Council have any separate controll­
ing authority over the finance of the diocese. [S. go-
29 W (i)].
6. The normal duty of a Diocesan Council is to
deal with matters which concern only its own dio­
cese, leaving it to the Synod to deal with matters of
common interest, to the whole Church, but every-
Diocesan Council shall, advise the Synod on all
matters that may be referred to it by the Synod, and
has power to bring business before the Synod.
7. The bishop of the diocese shall have the
right of suspending the operation of decisions or
resolutions of the Diocesan Council which directly
concern:
(a) the faith and doctrine of the Church,
(b) the conditions of membership in the
Church, and the rules which govern
excommunication from the Church,
(c) the functions of the ordained ministers of
the Church, or
(<Z) the worship of the Church, and any forms
of worship proposed for general use in
the Church.
A decision or resolution so held in abeyance may
be disposed of by agreement in a subsequent meeting
42 Consln. of Church of S.'India [VIII, 8-n—IX i.
of the Diocesan Council, and if not so disposed of
shall be referred to the Synod for settlement.
8. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution,
a Diocesan Council has power to frame, amend or
alter, its own constitution, provided that no diocesan
constitution or any alteration therein shall be of
force if the Synod shall rule that such constitution
or alteration therein is at variance with anything
contained in this Constitution.
9. Every Diocesan Council shall appoint an
Executive Committee and may appoint other Com­
mittees, and may delegate to them such of its
functions and duties as it may think fit, provided
that it may not delegate to its Executive Committee
the alteration of its own Constitution.
10. All resolutions of a diocesan Executive
Committee, with the exception of those dealing with
financial matters, shall be subject to revision by the
Diocesan Council as its next meeting, but in order
to revise any such resolution the Diocesan Council
must by a vote of two-thirds of the members present
give permision for the proposals for revision to be
brought forward.
11. Every Diocesan Council shall ordinarily
meet not less than once in every two years.

IX
Chapter

THE SYNOD
Rules i to 5. Composition and Membership
of the Synod

1. * All bishops of the Church, whether diocesan

or assistant, and the officers of the Synod, shall be
ex-officio members of the Synod.
IX, 2-5.] ' The Synod 43
2. Every diocese shall be represented in the
Synod by not fewer than two presbyters and four
laymen, and shall have one additional presbyter
and one additional lay representative for every com­
plete 10,000 baptized members in the diocese above
the first 10,000, up to a maximum of six presbyters
and eight laymen representing any one diocese.
(a) The Moderator shall appoint to the Synod
on the advice of the Executive Committee not more
than ten and not less than three persons . as addi­
tional members of the Synod.
(b) Not more than one Presbyter and two lay
persons shall be appointed to the Executive Com­
mittee by the Moderator from among the members
of the Synod. [S. 48-33 (iv) (a) and (b)]
3. Every Diocesan Council shall hold a fresh
election of the ministerial and lay representatives of
the diocese in the Synod for each ordinary meeting
of the Synod, and these representatives shall hold
office till the completion of the next ensuing election
of such representatives.
4. Every Diocesan Council shall make rules, for
the election of the ministerial and lay representatives
of the diocese in the Synod, provided that every
such representative shall be an adult communicant
member of the Church of South India not at the
time under Church discipline, and shall be resident
or have his home in the diocese which he represents
at the time of his election.
5. Every Diocesan Council shall make rules
providing for alternative ministerial and lay repre­
sentatives to take the place of any representative
who during his term of office may cease to possess
the qualifications necessary for a representative, or
be unable to attend the meeting of the Synod, or
resign, or die.
4 ..........
44 Constitution of Church of S. India [IX, 6-ii.
Rules 6 to 12. Officers of the Synod

6. The officers of the Synod shall be a Modera­

tor, a Deputy Moderator, a General Secretary and
a Treasurer.
7. All the officers shall be elected by ballot of
the Synod, the Moderator and Deputy Moderator
being elected from among the diocesan bishops of
the Church.
8. All the officers shall be elected during each
ordinary meeting of the Synod, and shall hold office
from the close , of that meeting till the close of the
next ordinary meeting of the Synod. They shall be
eligible for re-election.
9. The Moderator shall be the presiding officer
of the Synod, and the Chairman of its Executive
Committee. He shall be the official representative
of the Church during his term of office in all busi­
ness with other Churches or organizations.
10. The Deputy Moderator shall preside at the
Synod and perform the other duties of the Moderator
during the absence, illness or other incapacity
of the latter.11
11. The General Secretary shall keep a faithful
record of all actions taken by the Synod, and shall
keep its record and files. He shall be the corres­
pondent between the Synod and the Diocesan
Councils.
12. The Treasurer shall hold all moneys belong­
ing to the Synod, and shall from time to time
submit accurate statements of his accounts to the
Synod or to such other bodies as the Synod may
direct.
 IX, 13-16.J The Synod 45
Rules 13 to 17. Powers of the Synod .
13. The Synod is the supreme governing and
legislative body of the Church of South India, and
the final authority in all matters pertaining to
the Church.
14. It has power to make rules and pass resolu­
tions and take executive action as may be necessary
from time to time for the general management and
good Government of the Church and of the property
and affairs thereof.
15. The Synod shall deal with matters of
common interest to the whole. Church of South
India, and with those which affect the relation of
the dioceses to one another and to the rest of the
universal Church, and shall leave the Diocesan
Councils to deal with the internal affairs of each
diocese.
{a) Where the Synod or the Synod Executive is
satisfied that a Diocesan Council is unable or un­
willing to perform its functions as laid down in this
Constitution or in the Constitution of the Diocese,
it may, on the recommendation of the Bishop of the
Diocese or the Diocesan Executive or the Moderator,
take such steps as it considers necessary for the
good administration of the internal affairs of the
Diocese; provided that action taken under this clause
shall require the consent of three-fourths of the
members present and voting excluding the elected
representatives of the Diocese concerned and shall
remain in force only until the next meeting of the
Synod. (S. 50.36)
16. The Synod has, • in particular, power to
determine the number and boundaries of the dioceses
and to form new dioceses in the Church. It has
also power to determine whether anything in the
Constitution of any Diocesan Council is at variance
46 Constitution of Church of S. India [IX, 17-26.
with anything contained in this Constitution, and, if
it find such variance, to rule that such part of such
Diocesan Constitution is of no force.
17. The Synod has power to add to or otherwise
alter the constitution of the Church of South India
in the manner laid down in Chapter XIV of this
Constitution.
It has final authority in all questions of the inter­
pretation of the Constitution and other official
documents of the Church of South India.

Rules 18 to 27. Conduct of Business and

Committees

18. In all its work the Synod should take time

to wait upon God and listen to His voice, both in
order that it may receive His guidance for its
administrative work, and also that He may speak
through it to the whole Church and make His will
known to it for the strengthening of its spiritual
life and for the perfecting of its witness and service.
In particular, the Synod should ever be mindful of
the evangelistic calling of the Church of South
India, and should include in the business of its
ordinary sessions a review of the missionary work
which is being done by the Church both within
its area and outside, in order that it may ascertain
what progress has been made, and also receive the
guidance of the Holy Spirit for the further develop­
ment of the work.
iq. The Synod has power to frame its own rules
of debate and of procedure, subject to the provisions
of this Constitution.
.20. An ordinary meeting of the Synod shall be
held once in every two years at such time and place
as. the Executive Committee may determine. Special
IX, 2i-22.] The Synod 47
meetings of the Synod may also be summoned by
the Executive Committee.
21. The following persons or bodies have the
right to bring business before the Synod :—
any officer of the Synod ;
any diocesan bishop;
any committee or board of the Synod; and
any Diocesan Council of the Church;
22. When any proposition is brought before the
Synod which directly concerns
(a) the faith and doctrine of the Church ;
(b) the conditions of membership in the Church,
and the rules which govern excommuni­
cation from the Church;
(c) the functions of the ordained ministers of
the Church ;
(cl) the worship of the Church, and any forms
of worship proposed for general use
in the Church;
the matter shall be discussed in the Synod in
the usual manner, and amendments thereto may
be passed ; but the proposition as approved, whether
amended or not, shall be referred to the Diocesan
Bishops sitting separately for that purpose. The
Bishops shall transmit the proposition to the Synod
if approved by a majority of them ; or they may, by
a majority of two-thirds, either modify it and
transmit it to the Synod for final voting, or refuse
to submit it in any form. In either case they shall
submit reasons to the Synod why they urge the
acceptance of the proposition in a modified form, or
why they refuse to submit it in any form. If the
Synod accepts the proposed amendment of the
Bishops, the proposition may then be passed and
become an act of the Church.
Such a proposition shall be declared to have been
passed at its final voting only if it obtains a two-
48 Constitution of Church of S. India [IX, 23-25.
thirds majority of the members of the Synod present
and voting, or a three-quarters majority in the case
of an alteration in the Governing Principles of the
Church.
23. If a proposition has been referred to the
Bishops sitting separately under the provisions of
Rule 22, and the Bishops have refused to submit it
in any form to the Synod for final voting, or if the
proposition fail to receive the support of the neces­
sary majority, the matter shall be dropped. If
desired by a Diocesan Council, the matter may be
again proposed at the next ordinary session of the
Synod; and after discussion and amendments, if any,
shall again be submitted to the Bishops. If the
Bishops again refuse to submit it to the Synod in
any form for final voting, a vote of the Synod shall
nevertheless be taken on the proposition in the form
in which it was originally referred to the Bishops.
If in such voting the proposition obtained a three-
quarters majority of the members of the Synod
present and voting, this vote shall be recorded and
the proposition shall be referred to the Diocesan
Councils, together with the special report made by
the Bishops. If the proposition so referred be
accepted in substantially the same terms by not less
than two-thirds of the Diocesan Councils, it shall
again be considered by the Synod at its next
ordinary meeting and, when so considered, Rule 22
of this Chapter shall not apply, but it may be
adopted by a three-quarters majority and if so
adopted shall become an act of the Church.
24. In the last two rules, in the term ‘propo­
sition’ shall be included any proposed enactment,
formal statement, or resolution of the Synod, and
any forms of public worship.
25. The Synod shall at every ordinary meeting
appoint an Executive Committee, and may also
IX, 26-29.] The Synod 49
appoint other standing committees as it may deem
necessary, and special committees or boards.
26. The Synod shall at every ordinary meeting
appoint a Committee of Reference, which shall have
authority to decide the question whether any propo­
sition brought before the Synod is or is not one
which directly concerns the faith and doctrine of the
Church or any of the other matters detailed in
Rule 22 of this Chapter. The Committee of refer­
ence shall also have authority to decide any other
questions which may be referred to it by the Synod
or by a Diocesan Council concerning the correct
interpretation of the Rules of this Constitution.
27. The quorum for a meeting of the Synod shall
be 40 members, of whom not less than 15 shall be
laymen.
Rules 28, 29. The Executive Committee
of the Synod

28. The Executive Committee of the Synod shall

consist of the officers of the Synod (who shall be the
officers of the Executive Committee), all the diocesan
bishops of the Church, and one presbyter and one
layman elected from among the representatives of
each diocese in the Synod by those representatives.
29. The Executive Committee shall act as the ad
interim committee of the Synod and. shall perform
the other functions allotted to it in this Constitution.
The Synod Executive shall appoint from among
its own members a Working Committee consisting
of the officers of the Synod and not more than
three other members. ...
The Working Committee shall have authority:
(i) to advise the officers when invited to do so:
(ii) to take action and give direction between
meetings of the Executive on matters

LEIGH COLLEGE
ENFIELD
5© Constitution of Church of S. India [X, 1-2.
which in the opinion of the officers
require immediate action or decision,
except matters expressly entrusted to the
Executive Committee by the Constitu­
tion. Such decision must be com­
municated to all members of the Execu­
tive within fourteen days of the meeting,
and shall be brought before the next
meeting of the Executive for informa­
tion. If any five members of the Execu-
tive^request the Moderator in writing to
stay any proposed action or decision of
the Working Committee, it shall be
stayed. Such request must be made
within two weeks of the receipt of' notice
of the decision. (S. 56-11)

Chapter X
THE WORSHIP OF THE CHURCH
1. Subject to Section 12 of the Governing
Principles of the Church, and to the general prim
ciples of freedom of worship therein laid down, and
to the provisions of this Section, it is competent to
the Synod of the Church to issue forms of worship to
be used on special occasions, and regulations with
regard to the essential elements or constituent parts
of other services.
2. Holy Communion.—As the Church of South
India grows in unity of mind and spirit and
experiences closer fellowship in worship, it may
develop a common form or forms of the Service of
Holy Communion adapted to the special needs and
religious experience of South India.
In accordance with Section 12 of the Governing
Principles, no form of the Communion Service which
X, 2.] The Worship of the Church 51
before the union was in use in any of the uniting
Churches shall be forbidden; and every pastor and
congregation shall have freedom to determine the
form of service which they will use, provided that
it includes the essential elements prescribed in
Section 6 of the Governing Principles and any other
elements which the Synod hereafter shall declare to
be essential.
The following parts, numbered (i) to (ix) were
before the union in general included in all the ser­
vices of Holy Communion in the uniting Churches;
and in none of those Churches was there in use a
service from which any of the more important of
these parts was omitted. The Church of South
India desires that all these nine parts shall have a
place in every Communion Service; but it is not
necessary that the order in which they are here given
should be exactly observed; and it may be arranged
that one or more of the first three parts shall be
included in a separate service which (whether held
on the same or on a previous day) forms one whole
with the actual Communion Service and which all
those who will be communicants are expected to
attend.
(i) Introductory Prayers.
-(ii) The Ministry of the Word, including read­
ings from the Scriptures, which may be
accompanied by preaching.
(iii) The Preparation of the Communicants by
confession of their sins, and the declara­
tion of' God’s mercy to penitent sinners,
whether in the form of an absolution or
otherwise, and such a prayer as the 1 Prayer
of Humble Access
(iv) The offering to God of the gifts of the people.
(v) The thanksgiving for God’s glory and good­
ness and the redemptive work of Christ
iii His. birthj life, death, resurrection and
52 Constitution of Church of S. India [X, 3-4.
ascension, leading to a reference to His
institution of the Sacrament, in which His
own words are rehearsed, and to the setting
apart of the bread and wine to be used for
the purpose of the Sacrament with prayer
that we may receive that which our Lord
intends to give us in this Sacrament.
Note.—It is suggested that this section should begin with the
ancient phrases and ascription of praise known as the Surstim Corda
and the Sanctus.
(vi) An Intercession for the whole Church, for
whom and with whom we ask God’s mercy
and goodness through the merits of the
death of His Son.
(vii) The Lord's Prayer, as the central act of
prayer, in which we unite with the whole
Church of Christ to pray for the fulfilment
of God’s gracious purposes and to present
our needs before the throne of grace.
(viii) The Administration of the Communion, with
words conformable to Scripture indicating
the nature of the action.
(ix) A Thanksgiving for the Grace received in the
Communion, with which should be joined
the offering and dedication of ourselves
to God, unless this has been included
earlier in the service. This Thanksgiving
may be accompanied by an appropriate
hymn.
3. Baptism.—In the administration of baptism,
the following words shall always be used—‘ N., I
baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit ’.
4. The Creeds.—The use of the Creeds in
worship is an act of adoration and thanksgiving
towards Almighty God for His nature and for His
acts of love and mercy, as well as a joyful remem-
X, 5-] The Worship of the Church 53
brance of the faith which binds together the wor­
shippers.
In the ordinary congregational worship of any
congregation, no authority of the Church of South
India shall forbid the use of the Creeds or impose
it against the will of the congregation. In forms of
service issued by the Synod under Rule 1 of this
Chapter, recitation of the Apostles’ or the Nicene
Creed may be recommended, but such recitation
shall not be compulsory.

5. Alterations in forms of worship.—Acting

subject to the provisions of this Constitution, a
presbyter in charge of any congregation may intro­
duce experimentally the use of an alteration in the
accustomed form of worship of that congregation,
or a new form of worship, after giving due notice
thereof to the congregation, and shall report any
such action to the bishop of the diocese.
He shall thereafter consult members of the con­
gregation on the matter, and if any three members
so desire, he shall, after three months, consult a
general meeting of the communicant members of the
congregation, after due notice has been given, as to
whether the use of the altered or new form shall
be continued ; and it shall not be continued unless
at least two-thirds of those present at such meeting
desire its continuance. The advice of the bishop of
the diocese should be sought in any case of difficulty
or serious division of opinion, and in some cases
where alternative forms are not adopted for general
use in.a congregation, it may be agreed that they
should be used occasionally or by way of alternation
with those in regular use.
54 Constitution of Church of S. India [XI, 1-3.
Chapter XI •
THE DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH
1. The ends of Church discipline are the good of
the offender and the purity of the Church. The
primary courts of discipline in the Church of South
India are as follows:—For church members a local
court or panchayat; for ministers the Court of the
Diocesan Council; and for bishops the Court of the
Synod.
2. All members, ministers and bishops of the
Church of South India, by their acceptance of mem­
bership therein and, in the case Of ministers and
bishops, by making a formal declaration of accept­
ance of this Constitution, shall be deemed to have
entered into a mutual compact to be bound by
the rules of this Church and to accept and submit
to any sentence which may be passed upon them,
after due examination had, by any Court acting
under the authority of this Constitution, saving all
rights of appeal allowed by this Constitution.

Rules 3 to 5. The Local Court or

Panchayat

3. The rules in force before the union in differ­

ent areas for the administration of discipline by
local courts or panchayats shall continue in the
Church of South India until such time as the various
Diocesan Councils of the Church shall issue regula­
tions, which shall take account of and so far as
possible incorporate these local usages.
(a) The bishop of the diocese may where
necessary appoint a local Court or Panchayat for
the administration of discipline of members of the
Church and may refer cases to it. (S. 48-31)
(b) An appeal on grounds of fact or law shall lie
XI, 4-6.] The Discipline of the Church 55
from every judgment of a local court to the Court
of the Diocesan Council. Such appeal may be
preferred by either of the parties within ninety days
of the pronouncement of the judgment. The
bishop, either on his own accord or at the instance
of the presbyter in charge of the local church, may
call for the records of any case and place them
before the court of the Diocesan Council for
re-consideration and disposal. [S. 48-31 & S. 50-8
(a) (iii)j
4. In the case of major offences, the authority
of such local courts shall be limited to that of making
decisions on facts, recommendations with regard to
sentence being made to the bishop of the diocese,
who alone can issue sentence of suspension from
Holy Communion or of excommunication.
Where directions from the bishop cannot readily
be obtained, the presbyter in charge of a congre­
gation has authority to refuse Holy Communion to
any person whose conduct is a cause of scandal to
the congregation, or who is a party in a malicious
quarrel and will not be reconciled. He shall at
once report what he has done to the local court or
panchayat, which shall, if necessary, take action
under the first paragraph of this Rule; and, if there
be no local court or panchayat, he shall report what
he has done to the bishop of the diocese.
5. In all proceedings of local courts, the accused
person must receive notice of all charges brought
against him, and be given an opportunity of being
heard in his defence.
Rules 6 to 14. The Court of the
Diocesan Council

6. The Court of a Diocesan Council shall consist

of the bishop of the diocese, or a presbyter com­
missioned by him, together with presbyters and
56 Constitution of Church of S. India [XI, 7*9*
laymen chosen by the bishop out of panels appointed
by the Diocesan Council:
7. Charges against a minister shall in the first
instance be submitted to the bishop of the diocese,
who shall if possible settle the matter by personal
enquiry and advice and, if necessary, admonition, or
in grave cases, temporary suspension of the authori­
zation of the minister concerned. But if the bishop
shall direct, or the accused minister demand, that
the case should be referred to the Court of the Dio­
cesan Council, it shall be so referred. A bishop may
not withdraw his authorization permanently from a
presbyter except by way of carrying out of a sentence
duly passed by the Court of the Diocesan Council,
or in cases where the presbyter voluntarily submits
himself to the decision of the bishop.
8. In a trial in the Court of the Diocesan
Council, the whole Court shall decide on the truth
or otherwise of the charges brought against the
accused minister, and upon any point of ecclesias­
tical law which may arise in the course of the
proceedings, and, in the case of the accused being
found guilty, on the sentence to be passed on him.
But in the case of a sentence of suspension from Holy
Communion or of excommunication, the court has
only power to make a recommendation to the bishojp
of the diocese that such a sentence should be passed.
But when the charges against a minister relate to
matters of faith and doctrine, the decision shall be
framed and the sentence passed by the ministerial
members of the Court only, the lay members acting
as assessors.
9. In all proceedings of a Court of a Diocesan
Council, the accused minister must receive notice
of all charges brought against him, and be given
an opportunity of being heard in his defence, and,
XI, 10-13.] The Discipline of the Church 57
in the case of his being found guilty, in mitigation
of sentence.
10. If the accused minister shall fail to appear
before the Court, the Court if satisfied that he has
had notice of the charges and of the date of the trial,
shall proceed to hear the case in his absence and
pronounce sentence.
The Court shall not be prevented from proceeding
with the trial and passing sentence by any of the
following acts done by an accused minister after
notice of the charge, that is to say, resignation of
his charge or office, surrender of his authorization,
abandoning the communion of the Church of South
India, or resigning his ministership.
11. In every case in which from the nature of
the offence charged it shall appear to the bishop of
the diocese that scandal is likely to arise from the
accused minister continuing in his charge or office
or leading the public worship of the Church, the
bishop may suspend his authorization or inhibit him
from leading the public worship of the Church until
the completion of the trial.
12. In the case of an accused presbyter an
appeal on grounds of fact, law, or with reference
to sentence shall lie from every judgment of a Court
of a Diocesan Council to the Court of the Synod.
[S. 50-29 (b) (ii)].
13. At any time after sentence is pronounced in
a Court of a Diocesan Council, the minister sen­
tenced may apply to the bishop of the diocese for
an order suspending the sentence in whole or in
part pending an appeal, and the bishop on being
satisfied that such appeal has been entered or will
as soon as practicable be entered and that the appel­
lant intends to prosecute it with all due diligence
may, if he thinks fit, grant the application. Provided
58 Constitution of Church of S. India [XI, 14-15.
that, except where the sentence consists only of an
admonition, the bishop may in his absolute discre­
tion as part of the order suspending the sentence
and as a condition of such suspension, suspend the
authorization of the minister or inhibit him from
leading the public worship of the Church pending
the decision of the Synod.
(a) A sentence by a Diocesan Court of deposition
(or withdrawal from a presbyter of all authority to
exercise his sacred calling) shall require the
confirmation of the Moderator or, in case the
Moderator is Bishop of the Diocese concerned, of
the Deputy Moderator. The Moderator or the
Deputy Moderator may at his discretion submit
the case to the Court of the Synod before making
his decisipn (S. 50-37).
(b) The Court of the Diocesan Council may
sit to hear an appeal from a local court or to
reconsider and dispose of a case from a local court
submitted under Rule 3 (b) of Ch. XI. Neither
a presbyter of the pastorate concerned nor any
member of the Church in that pastorate may be
a member of the Court of the Diocesan Council for
hearing that appeal or for reconsidering and
disposing of that case (S. 50-38).
14. Every Diocesan Council may make rules, ■
consistent with the provisions of this Constitution,
for all matters concerning the Court of the Diocesan
Council and the Discipline of Ministers, for which
provision is not made in this Constitution.

Rules 15, 16. The Court of the Synod

inAppeals

15. When the Court of the Synod sits to hear

an appeal from a Court of a Diocesan Council, it
shall consist of the Moderator as president, and two
bishops, two presbyters, and two laymen, selected
XI, 16-19.] The Discipline of the Church 59
by the Moderator out of panels which shall be
appointed by the Synod at each ordinary meeting
thereof.

16. Neither the Bishop of a diocese from which

an appeal has come nor any other member of the
Synod who belongs to that diocese may be a member
of the Court of the Synod for hearing that appeal.
If the Moderator is by this rule disqualified from
acting as president of the Court, his place shall be
taken by the Deputy Moderator.

Rules 17 to 19. The Trial of Bishops

17. When a charge is brought against a Bishop

the Moderator, or, if he be the Bishop against whom
a charge is brought, the Deputy Moderator, shall
consult with all the Bishops of the C. S. I. if he
rules that the charge is serious; but after consulta­
tion he himself shall be responsible for deciding if a
Court shall be constituted. (S. 56-11)
When the Court of the Synod sits for the
trial of any bishop against whom a charge is
brought, it shall consist of the Moderator as presi­
dent (or if he be unable to act, the Deputy Moder­
ator) and five bishops, two presbyters and two
laymen selected by the Moderator out of the panels
directed to be appointed in Rule 15 above.

18. In the trial of a bishop, no member of the

Synod who belongs to the diocese of that bishop
may be a member of the Court of the Synod.

19. In the trial of a bishop the whole Court

shall decide on the truth or otherwise of the charges
brought against him, and upon any point of ecclesias­
tical law which may arise in the course of the
proceedings. If the bishop be found guilty, the
60 Constitution of Church of S. India [XI, 20-XlI, 1-2
bishops alone who are sitting as members of the
Court shall pass sentence upon him.
But when the charges against a bishop relate to
matters of faith and doctrine, the decision shall be
made by the bishops alone, the other members
sitting as assessors.
Rule 20. Final Decisions by the Court
of the Synod

20. No decision or judgment of the Court of

the Synod shall be subject to appeal or revision by
any person or court outside the Church of South
India.

XII
Chapter

THE! MARRIAGE LAW OF THE CHURCH

1. The ecclesiastical marriage law in force
before the union has not been uniform in the three
uniting Churches, and the task of framing the mar­
riage law of the united Church can more suitably
be undertaken by the Synod of that Church when
the uniting Churches have begun to grow together
into one life. The provisions of this Chapter, there­
fore, are laid down as the initial marriage law of
the Church of South India, but the Synod of the
Church will revise and develop them as from time
to time it finds itself able to do so, and will work
towards definitive and permanent laws of marriage
for the Church.
2. Subject to the provisions of the Indian Chris­
tian Marriage Act, every bishop of the Church of
South India, and every presbyter and deacon of the
Church holding the authorization of the bishop of
the diocese under Chapter IV, Rule 6, shall ex-officio
have authority to solemnize marriages in the Church.
XII, 3-4-l The Marriage Law of the Church 61
Ministers and members of any of the uniting
Churches who under the rules of those Churches
have before the union held authority to solemnize
marriages shall retain such authority.
3- Every Diocesan Council shall have power to
lay down the rules for the diocese with regard to the
minimum age of marriage, provided that no minister
of the Church, and no member of the Church hold­
ing licence under section 9 of the Indian Christian
Marriage Act, may solemnize the marriage of a
person who, if a male, is under 18 years of age, and,
if a female, is under 14 years of age.
4. At the time of the inauguration of the union,
the law with regard to prohibited degrees of
consanguinity and affinity which was in force in the
Church of India, Burma and Ceylon was that
printed at the end of the Book of Common Prayer.
The law in force in the South India United Church
and the Methodist Church in South India differed
from this in the omission of the prohibitions of the
marriage of a man with his deceased wife’s sister
and with his deceased brother’s wife and the cor­
responding relationships on the side of the woman,
and of certain other relationships of affinity.
The Church of South India, therefore, in laying
down its laws of marriage in their initial form, does
not prohibit those marriages which have been per­
missible by the laws in force in any of the uniting
Churches. But no minister or member of the
Church who has conscientious objections to solemni­
zing any such marriage shall be compelled to do so.
The Bishop of the diocese shall have power to
suspend or modify in special cases, if there seem
good cause, the strict letter of the law of the Church
with regard to marriages prohibited on the ground
of consanguinity or affinity, and every Diocesan
Council shall appoint a standing committee to
62 Constitution of Church of S. India [XI1, 5.
advise the bishop in this matter. The bishop of the
diocese and any such diocesan advisory committee
shall make decisions in this matter in the light of
such general directions as may from time to time
be issued by the Synod of the Church, which shall
appoint a standing committee to deal with questions
relating to the marriage law of the Church and the
administration of that law.
5. The law of the Church relating to divorce
must be governed by and express the fundamental
principles and ideals of Christian marriage which
were laid down by Christ and have throughout the
centuries been followed by His Church.
No minister of the Church of South India, there­
fore, and no member of the Church holding a licence
under section 9 of the Indian Christian Marriage
Act, may solemnize the marriage with any other
person of either of two persons who have been
married together as Christians (or having been
married together as non-Christians have been
received into the Church as husband and wife) so
long as the other partner in that marriage is living ;
and any member of the Church who contracts such
a marriage shall be liable to the discipline of the
Church.
But the Christian Church has always recognised
that there are circumstances in which these ideals
of Christian marriage cannot at once be attained,
and that, especially in communities lately converted
to Christianity, there are special cases in which the
law of the Church should not be applied with rigidity,
lest greater evils should follow. In such cases,
therefore, the bishop of the diocese, acting in
accordance with such principles as may have been
enunciated or such general directions as may have
been laid down by the Synod of the Church, and
after due investigation of all the circumstances of
XII, 6-8.] The Marriage Law of the Church 63
the individual case, shall have power to modify the
strict letter of the law of the Church and to sanction
the solemnization of marriages or to relax the
discipline of the Church on those who contract such
marriages.
But no minister or member of the Church is per­
mitted to solemnize a marriage which is forbidden
by the general law of the Church without such
special sanction by the bishop of the diocese; and no
minister or member of the Church who has con­
scientious objections to solemnizing any such
marriage shall be compelled to do so.
6. No minister of the Church, and no member of
the Church holding a licence under section 9 of the
Indian Christian Marriage Act, may solemnize the
marriage of a Christian with a non-Christian ; but
under the rules laid down by a Diocesan Council,
or by permission of the bishop of the diocese or
other diocesan official thereto authorized by the
Diocesan Council, the marriage may be solemn­
ized of a Christian with a person under regular
instruction for baptism. (S. 48-30, viii).
7. Ministers of the Church who, being clergy
of the Church of Scotland, have authority to solem­
nize marriages under section 5 (ii) of the Indian
Christian Marriage Act, may do so in accordauce
with the rules and regulations of the Church of
Scotland; • and if they also hold licences under
section 6 or section 9 of the Act, may if they desire
follow the procedure laid down in the following
Rule.
8. Subject to the provisions of the preceding
Rule, whenever a marriage is intended to be
solemnized by any minister of the Church, the fol­
lowing procedure shall be followed :—
(i) One or both of the persons intending
64 Constitution of Church of S. India [XII, 8.
marriage shall give notice thereof to the presbyters
in charge of the pastorates in which the parties
severally reside, and shall state therein
(<z) the full name, the father’s name, the age,
the profession, and the condition of each
of the persons intending marriage.
(b) the dwelling place of each of them,
(c) the time during which each has dwelt
there, and
(d) the place in which the marriage is to
be solemnized.
(ii) The' presbyters in charge, on receiving
such notice, shall cause it to be published during
Divine Service in the places where the parties to be
married severally reside (or, if there be no church
in either of those places, in the nearest suitable
place thereto) on three Sundays. Any Diocesan
Council may make rules providing for the relaxation
in special cases of the period of publication of notice,
and for permission to publish notices of marriages
on other days than Sundays, provided that in all
cases a period of at least 96 hours shall elapse be­
tween the first publication of the notice of marriage
and the solemnization of the marriage.
(iii) Each presbyter in charge shall on the
completion of such publication issue a certificate of
publication having been made and no lawful impedi­
ment having been shown, provided
(a) that no lawful impediment has been shown
to his satisfaction why such certificate
should not be issued, and
(b) when either of the parties is a minor, that
he is satisfied that consent has been given
to the marriage by the person whose con­
sent is required by law.
(iv) After the issue of such certificates, the
marriage may be solemnized at the place of which
XII, 9-] The Marriage Law of the Church 65
notice has been given, by the presbyter in charge
of the pastorate in which that place is situated,
or by any other minister of the Church authorized
by him for that purpose. The marriage may be
solemnized in any other place than that of which
notice has been given only with the written permis­
sion of the bishop of the diocese or other diocesan
official thereto authorized by the Diocesan Council.
Provided that whenever a marriage is not
solemnized within three months after the date of
the first publication of notice of the marriage, the
certificates of publication shall be void, and no per­
son shall proceed to solemnize the marriage until
new notice has been given and certificates of the
publication thoreof issued as provided above.
(v) Any Diocesan Council may make provision
for the issue of special marriage licences under
which a marriage may be solemnized without the
publication of notices required in this Rule. Any
rules in this matter made by a Diocesan Council
shall require the sanction of the Executive Com­
mittee of the Synod.
9. In conformity with Section 12 of the Govern­
ing Principles of the Church, all forms of service
for the solemnization of marriage which before
union have been in use in any of the uniting
Churches maybe used in the Church of South India,
and new forms may be used, provided that the fol­
lowing shall form parts of any such forms :■—
(i) A declaration by each of the parties that
they know of no impediment why they may not be
lawfully joined together in marriage ; or assent by
each of the parties to such a declaration read by
the minister solemnizing the marriage ; or a charge
by the minister that if they know of any such im­
pediment, they should confess it; and further, a
charge by the minister that if any person present
66 Constitution of Church of S. India [XII, io-ii.

know of any such impediment, he should forthwith

declare it.
(ii) Assent by each of the parties to questions
asked by the minister of their will to live together
in Christian Marriage.
(iii) The solemn plighting by the parties of
their troth to each other in words spoken by each,
to the following effect:—‘ I, A.B.-, take thee, C.D.,
to be my wedded wife (husband) so long as we both
live, according to God’s holy ordinance.’
(iv) The placing by the man of a tali (mangala-
sutram) round the woman’s neck, or of a ring upon
her finger, with suitable words.
(v) Declaration by the minister that they are
man and wife.
(vi) Prayer and blessing by the minister.
10. Where there is no provision by law for the
registration of marriages, or where the registers of
marriages ordered by law to be maintained are
required to be subsequently handed over to Govern­
ment authorities, the Diocesan Councils concerned
shall make rules for the registration by the Church
of all marriages solemnized either by ministers or
by members of the Church licensed under section 9
of the Indian Christian Marriage Act. In all cases,
Diocesan Councils shall make provision for the
regular inspection and for the safe keeping of
marriage registers.
11. Ministers or members of the Church of
South India who infringe the laws of the Church
with regard to marriage are liable to the discipline
of the Church, according to the rules and customs
prevailing in different parts of the Church, and sub­
ject to any rules that may be laid down by the
Synod or by a Diocesan Council.
The Church of South India recognises that ini­
tially dioceses will differ in their exercise of Church
XIV, i.] Alteration in Constitution of Church 67
discipline in marriage cases, but hopes that these
differences will before long decrease, and that the
Synod will be able to issue general rules of Church
discipline in the matter.

[Chapter XIII
The Church of South India and
the Indian Statutory Rules—Omitted.]

Chapter XIV
ALTERATION IN THE CONSTITUTION
OF THE CHURCH
1. The following procedure shall be necessary for
the making of any alteration or addition in Chapter
II of this Constitution containing the Governing
Principles of the Church of South India :—
(i) The proposal for any such alteration or
addition must be brought before the
Synod by a resolution passed by one or
more Diocesan Councils of the Church.
(ii) A resolution for the alteration or addition
must be passed by the Synod, the special
procedure laid down in Rules 22 to 24 of
Chapter IX being followed in the cases
referred to in those Rules.
(iii) The resolution so passed must be accepted
in substantially the same terms by not less
than two-thirds of the Diocesan Councils
of the Church.
(iv) If the resolution be so accepted by the neces­
sary number of Diocesan Councils, it shall
again be brought before the Synod at an
ordinary meeting thereof, and if it be
68 Constitution of Church of S. India [XIV, 2.
passed by the Synod in substantially the
same terms by a three-quarters majority,
the alteration or addition shall thereupon
become effective. Provided that at this
secondconsideration,thespecialprocedure
laid down in Rules 22 to 24 of Chapter IX
shall again be followed inthe cases referred
to in those rules, save that, as provided
therein, if at the first consideration the
bishops had refused to submit the resolu­
tion in any form to the Synod for final
voting, and the proposal had nevertheless
been referred to the Diocesan Councils
under the provisions of Rule 23, Rule 22
shall not apply at the second considera­
tion.
2. The following procedure shall be necessary
for the making of any alteration or addition in this
Constitution other than one in the Governing
Principles of the Church :—
(i) The proposal for any such alteration or
addition must be brought before the
Synod by a resolution passed by one or
more Diocesan Councils of the Church,
or by the Executive Committee of the
Synod. (S. 56-11).
(ii) A resolution for the alteration or addition
must be passed by a two-thirds majority
of the Synod, the special procedure laid
down in Rules 22 to 24 of Chapter IX
being followed in the cases referred to in
those Rules.
(iii) The resolution so passed must be ratified by
not less than two-thirds of the Diocesan
Councils of the Church.
 APPENDIX I
THE BASIS OF UNION
The Purpose and Nature of the Union
i. The uniting Churches affirm that the purpose of the
union into which they hope to enter is the carrying out of
God’s will as this is expressed in our Lord’s prayer—‘That
they may all be one . . . that the world may believe that
Thou didst send me.’ They believe that by this union the
Church in South India will become a more effective instrument
for God’s work, and that the result of union will be greater
.peace, closer fellowship, and fuller life within the Church,
land also renewed eagerness and power for the proclamation of
// the Gospel of Christ. It is their hope that the Church thus
united may be a true leaven of unity in the life of India,
" and that through it there may be a greater release of divine
L power for the fulfilment of God’s purpose for His world.
The uniting Churches believe that the unity of His Church
for which Christ prayed is a unity in Him and in the
Father through the Holy Spirit, and is therefore fundamen­
tally a reality of the spiritual realm. They seek the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. But this unity of the '
Spirit must find expression in the faith and order of the
Church, in its worship, in its organization and in its whole
life, so that, as the Body of Christ, it may be a fit instru­
ment for carrying out His gracious purposes in the world.
It is the will of Christ that His Church should be one,
and the manifold gifts of His grace were promised to the
Church which is His Body. It is also His will that there
should be a ministry accepted and fully effective throughout
the world-wide Church. In the present divided state of
Christendom there is no ministry which in this respect
fully corresponds with the purpose of God, and the ministry
can recover fulness only by the union of all- the parts of the
one Body. The uniting Churches recognize, however, that
God. has bestowed His grace with undistinguishing regard
through all their ministries, in His use of them for His work
of enlightening the world, converting sinners and perfecting
saints. They acknowledge each other’s ministries to be red
ministries of the Word and Sacraments, and thankfully
recognize the spiritual efficacy of sacraments and other minis’1
70 The Basis of Union
trations which God has so clearly blessed. They confidently
expect that these ministries hitherto separate will, when united,
be used for a yet fuller manifestation of God’s power and
glory. Each Church, in separation, has borne special witness to
certain elements of the truth; therefore for the perfecting of the
whole body the heritage of each is needed. Each, maintaining
the continuity of its own life, will be enriched by the gifts and
graces of the others.
Wherever union takes place, it comes into being only by the
working of the spirit of Christ, Who is both truth and love.
In His spirit of love, all the ministers of the uniting Churches
will from the inauguration of the union be recognized as equally
ministers of the united Church without distinction or difference.
The united Church will be formed by a combination of different
elements, each bringing its contribution to- the whole, and
not by the absorption of any one by any other. It will,
therefore, also be a comprehensive Church; and its members,
firmly holding the fundamentals of the faith and order of the
Church Universal, will be allowed wide freedom of opinion in
all other matters, and wide freedom of action in such differences
of practice as are consistent with the general framework of the
Church as one organized body.
The uniting Churches are agreed that, in every effort to bring 1
together divided members of Christ’s body into one organiza- j
tion, the final aim must be the union in the Universal Church i
of all who acknowledge the name of Christ, and that the test of,
all local schemes of union is that they should express locally 1
the principle of the great catholic unity of the Body of Christ.
They trust, therefore, that the united Church, conserving all
that is of spiritual value in its Indian heritage, will express
under Indian conditions and in Indian forms the spirit, the
thought and the life of the Church Universal.
It is the intention and hope of the uniting Churches that all
the actions of the united Church will be regulated by the
principles that it should maintain fellowship with all those
branches of the Church of Christ with which the uniting
Churches now severally enjoy such fellowship, and that it
should continually seek to widen and strengthen this fellowship
and to work towards the goal of the full union in one body of
all parts of the Church of Christ.
They pray that this scheme of union may under God’s pro­
vidence be a contribution towards the uniting of His Church
and the ordering of its life in freedom and truth, and they trust
that the united Church in South India will never so use the
.provisions of the Constitution under which it will begin its life
 .The Church and its Membership *71
that they will become barriers against the fuller truth and richer
life to be attained in a wider fellowship, but that it will always
be ready to correct and amend them as God’s will becomes
more clearly known through the growing together of the several
parts of the now divided Church into a common mind and
spirit under the guidance of the one,Holy Spirit.

The Church and its Membership

2. The uniting Churches acknowledge that the Church is
the Body of Christ and its members are the members of His
Body; and that those are members according to the will and
purpose of God who have been baptized into the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and, receiving
the calling and grace of God with faith, continue steadfast
therein, maintaining by the same faith, through the various
means of grace which He has provided in His Church, their
vital union with the Head of the Body, and through Him their
fellowship one with another.

The Faith of the Church

3. The uniting Churches accept the Holy Scriptures ol the
Old and New Testaments as containing all things necessary to
salvation and as the supreme and decisive standard of faith;
and acknowledge that the Church must always be ready to
correct and reform itself in accordance with the teaching of
those Scriptures as the Holy Spirit shall reveal it.
They also accept the Apostles’ Creed and the Creed com­
monly called the Nicene, as witnessing to and safeguarding that
faith; and they thankfully acknowledge that same faith to be
continuously confirmed by the Holy Spirit in the experience of
the Church of Christ.
Thus they believe in God, the Father, the Creator of all
things, by whose love we are preserved ;
They believe in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God and
Redeemer of the world, in whom alone we are saved by grace,
being justified from our sins by faith in Him ;
They believe in the Holy Spirit, by whom we are sanctified
and built up in Christ and in the fellowship of His Body ;
And in this faith they worship the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.
Notes.—(if The uniting Churches accept the fundamental truths
embodied in the Creeds named above as providing a sufficient basis
of union; but do not intend thereby to demand the assent of indivi­
duals to every word and phrase in them, or to exclude reasonable
 The Basis of Union
liberty of interpretation, or to assert that those Creeds are a complete
expression of the Christian faith.
(ii) It is understood that it will be competent to the united Church
to issue supplementary statements concerning the faith for the guidance
of its teachers and the edification of the faithful, provided that such
statements are not contrary to the truths of our religion revealed in the
Holy Scriptures.
(iii) The act of union will not debar any teacher of the united
Church from using for the instruction of the faithful any confession of
faith which had been employed in any of .the uniting Churches before
t"® union, and which is not inconsistent with the doctrinal standards
officially set forth by the united Church.

The Sacraments in the Church

4- The uniting Churches believe that the Sacraments of •
Baptism and the Supper of the Lord are means of grace through
which God works in us, and that while the mercy of God to all
mankind cannot be limited, there is in the teaching of Christ
the plain command that men should follow His appointed way
of salvation by a definite act of reception into the family of
God and by continued acts of fellowship with Him in that
family, and that this teaching is made explicit in the two Sacra­
ments which He has given us. In every Communion the true
Celebrant is Christ alone, who continues in the Church to-day
that which He began in the upper room. In the visible
Church, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is an act of the
Church, the company of believers redeemed by Christ, who act
as the local manifestation of the whole Church of Christ in
heaven and on earth. It has in experience been found best
that one minister should lead the worship of the church, and
pronounce the words of consecration in the service of Holy
Communion. From very early times it has been the custom of
the Church that those only should exercise this function who
have received full and solemn commission from the Church to
do so ; this commission has ordinarily been given by the laying
on of hands in ordination.
The only indispensable conditions for the ministration of the
grace of God in the Church are the unchangeable promise of
God Himself and the gathering together of God’s elect people
in the power of the Holy Ghost. God is a God of order ; it
has been His good pleasure to use the visible Church and its
regularly constituted ministries as the normal means of the
Operation of His Spirit. But it is not open to any to limit the
operation of the grace of God to any particular channel, or to
deny the reality of His grace when it is visibly manifest in the
lives of Churches and individuals.
In the united Church the Sacraments will be observed with
 The Ministry in the Church 73
unfailing use of Christ’s words of institution and of the ele­
ments ordained by Him.

The Ministry in the Church

5. The uniting Churches believe that the ministry is a gift
of God through Christ to His Church, which He has given for
the perfecting of the life and service of all its members. All
members of the Church have equally access to God. ' All,
according to their measure, share in the heavenly High Priest­
hood of the risen and ascended Christ, from which alone the
Church derives its character as a royal priesthood. All alike
are called to continue upon earth the priestly work of Christ
by showing forth in life and word the glory of the redeeming
power of God in Him. No individual and no one order in
the Church can claim exclusive possession of this heavenly
priesthood.
But in the Church there has at all times been a special
ministry, to which men have been called by God and set apart
in the Church. Those who are ordained to the ministry of
the Word and Sacraments can exercise their offices only in and
for the Church, through the power of Christ the one High
Priest.
. The vocation of the ordained ministry is to bring sinners to
repentance, and to lead God’s people in worship, prayer, and
praise, and through pastoral ministrations, the preaching of the
Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments (all these
being made effective through faith) to assist men to receive the
saving and sanctifying benefits of Christ and to fit them for
service. The uniting Churches believe that in ordination God,
in answer to the prayers of His Church, bestows on and
assures to those whom He has called and His Church has
accepted for any particular form of the ministry, a commission
for it and the grace appropriate to it.

Necessary Elements in the Life of the

United Church
6. The uniting Churches recognize that episcopal, pres-
byteral and congregational elements must all have their place
in the order of life of the united Church, and that the epis­
copate, the presbyterate, and the congregation of the faithful
should all in their several spheres have responsibility and
exercise authority in the life and work of the Church, in its
governance and administration, in its evangelistic and pastoral
work, in its discipline, and in its worship.
74 The Basis of Union

The Congregation in the United Church

7. The uniting Churches believe that as the Church of a
whole region, being in fellowship with other regional Churches,
is ideally the embodiment of the Church Universal in that
region, and as similarly the Church of a diocese as a living
part of a regional Church is the Church Universal expressing
its one life in that diocese, so also in the purpose of God every
local group of the faithful organised for Christian life and
worship as a congregation or pastorate within the- fellowship of
the diocese, represents in that place the same one, holy, catholic
■and apostolic Church.
Subject therefore to such general regulations as may be
isued by the Synod of the united Church or by a Diocesan
Council, every congregation of the united Church will, with its
pastor, be responsible for watching over its members, for
keeping its life and doctrine pure, for ordering its worship, and
for the proclaiming of the Gospel to those outside the Church ;
and every pastorate will have general administrative authority
within its area, will ,have certain responsibilities in Church
discipline, and will have an opportunity of expressing its
judgment both as to the appointment of its pastor and the
selection of candidates for ordination from that pastorate.

The Presbyterate in the United Church

8. The uniting Churches agree that presbyters are specially

called and commissioned by God to be dispensers of His Word
and Sacraments, to declare His message of pardon to penitent
sinners, to build up the members of the Church in their most
holy faith, and, through the councils of the Church and
otherwise, to share with the bishops and lay members in its
government and in the administration of its discipline.
It shall be a rule of order in the united Church that the
celebration of the Holy Communion shall be entrusted only to
those who have by ordination received authority thereto. But
it is desirable that, with the ordained presbyter, there be present
to assist him in the administration of the Lord’s Supper others
appointed by the Church for this purpose.
Note.—After union certain exceptional arrangements will continue
until permanent arrangements can be made by the united Church.
The Synod of the United Church will have full authority to make
what provision is needed for the administration of the Sacraments
in all its congregations.
 / The Episcopate in the United Church 75
The Episcopate in the united Church
9. The uniting Churches accept the historic episcopate in a
constitutional form as part of their basis of union. They all
agree in their desire that the relation of the bishop to his people
should be that of chief pastor and father in God; and that he
is called to feed the flock of God, taking the oversight thereof
as shepherd, not as lord either in act or title, but as an
ensample to the flock. There are, however, within the uniting
Churches differing views and beliefs about episcopacy, which
have been frankly recognized throughout the negotiations. For
example, some regard episcopacy merely as a form of church
government which has persisted in the Church through the
centuries and may as such be called historic, and which at the
present time is expedient for the Church in South India. Others
believe that episcopacy is of divine appointment, and that
episcopal ordination is an essential guarantee of the sacraments
of the Church. Some, again, hold various views intermediate
between these two. The acceptance of episcopacy by the
uniting Churches, in which there are such differing views and
beliefs concernifj it and concerning orders of the ministry, is
not to be taken'as committing the united Church to the accep­
tance of any particular interpretation of episcopacy, and no such
particular interpretation shall be demanded from any minister
or member of the united Church.
Whatever differences there are, however, all the uniting
Churches are agreed that, as episcopacy has been accepted in
the Church from early times, it may in this sense fitly be
called historic, and that it is needed for the shepherding and
extension of the Church in South India. Any additional
interpretations, though held by individuals, are not binding 0n
the United Church.
The meaning in which the uniting Churches thus officially
accept a historic and constitutional episcopacy is that in the
united Church:
(i) the bishops shall perform their functions in accordance
with the customs of the Church, those customs being named
and defined in the written constitution of the united Church.
They shall include those of pastoral oversight, of teaching, of
the supervision of public worship, of ordination of ministers
and authorization to ministers to officiate and preach, and of
the oversight of the discipline of the Church. A bishop will,
if required, assist other bishops. in the consecration of persons
duly elected or appointed to be bishops ;
(ii) the bishops shall be elected, both the diocese concerned
6
y6 The Basis of Union
in each particular case and the authorities of the united Church
as a whole having an effective voice in their appointment,
(iii) continuity with the historic episcopate shall both initially
and thereafter be effectively maintained, it being understood
that, as stated above, no particular interpretation of the historic
episcopate as that is accepted in the united Church is thereby
implied or shall be demanded from any minister or member
thereof; ,
(iv) every ordination of presbyters shall be performed by
the laying on of hands of the bishop and presbyters, and all
consecrations of bishops shall be performed by the laying on ot
hands at least of three bishops. The uniting Churches declare
that in making this provision it is their intention and determi­
nation in this manner to secure the unification of the ministry,
but that the acceptance of this provision does not involve any
judgement upon the validity or regularity of any other form of
the ministry, and the fact that other Churches do not follow
the rule of episcopal ordination shall not in itself preclude the
united Church from holding relations of communion and
fellowship with them.
The Initial Membership of the united Church
io. The uniting Churches agree that all persons who at the
times of the union are communicant* members of any of the
uniting Churches in the area of the union shall have the pri­
vileges and responsibilities of communicant members of the
united Church, and as such shall be at liberty to receive
communion in any of its churches.
Similarly, all baptized members and catechumens belonging
to any of the uniting Churches shall be baptized members and
catechumens respectively of the united Church.
The Initial Ministry of the united Church
ii.Acknowledging that the grace of God has been clearly
manifested in all the ministers of the uniting Churches in their
• Note with regard to Confirmation.—The Church of India, Burma
and Ceylon, while it does not wish to insist on the acceptance ot
Confirmation in the united Church as a pre-requisite term of union,
desires most earnestly to commend the use of it, not primarily as a
service of admission to Holy Communion, but as a rite which from
the time of the Apostles has been considered naturally to follow
Holy Baptism, and through which this Church believes that a special
gift of the Holy Spirit is bestowed. This desire is further strengthen­
ed by experience of the benefits which individual members of the
Church have received through it and of the enrichment which it
brings to the pastoral ministry of the bishop.
 The Worship of the United Church 77
separation, and recognizing that the work of those ministries
has been abundantly owned of God, the uniting Churches
agree that all the ministers working in those Churches in the
area of the union at the time of the inauguration of the union
shall be accepted as constituting the initial ministry of the
united Church. They therefore agree:
(i) That the bishops of the dioceses of the Church of India,
Burma and Ceylon which are to be included in the united
Church shall be accepted as bishops of the united Church,
provided that they assent to the Basis of Union and accept the.
Constitution of the united Church ;
and that all the other ministers of the uniting Churches in
the area of the union who have been ordained as ministers
of the Word and of the Sacraments shall be acknowledged
as such in the united Church and shall have the status of
presbyters therein, provided that they assent to the Basis of
Union and accept the Constitution of the united Church.
Every such presbyter of the united Church will be at liberty
to minister and to celebrate the Holy Communion in any
Church of the united Church, subject only to the mutual
pledge between the Churches given below.
Similarly, subject to the same provision of assent to the
Basis of Union and acceptance of the Constitution, deacons
and probationers shall retain in the United Church the status
they had in their own Churches before the union.
(ii) That, as is set forth in detail below, such bishops,
presbyters, deacons and probationers shall, subject only to
necessary retrictions in certain directions, retain (so far as the
united Church is concerned) all rights and liberties which they
previously possessed in the several uniting Churches.
(iii) That these, together with the bishops who will be
consecrated at the inauguration of the union, shall form the
initial ministry of the united Church.

The Worship of the united Church

12. The uniting Churches recognize that they must aim at
conserving for the common benefit whatever of good has
been gained by each body in its separate history, and that in
its public worship the united Church must retain for its con­
gregations freedom either to use historic forms or not to do
so as may best conduce to edification and to the worship of
God in Spirit and in truth.
It is therefore not their intention that because of the union
any form of service at present in use in any of the uniting
Churches shall be forbidden in the united Church, nor shall
78 The Basis of Union
any wonted forms be changed or new forms introduced into
the worship of any congregation without the agreement of the
pastor and congregation.
Subject to provisions which shall be made in the Consti­
tution and to any special regulations which way be issued by
the Synod of the Church with regard to the services of
ordination and consecration and the essential elements or
central parts of other services, especially those of Baptism,
Holy Communion, and Marriage, every pastor and congrega­
tion shall have freedom to determine the forms of their
public worship.

The Autonomy of the united Church

13. The uniting Churches agree that the united Church
should of right be free in all spiritual matters from the direction
or interposition of any civil government.
They further agree that the united Church must be an
autonomous Church and free from any control, legal or other­
wise, of any Church or Society external to itself. At the same
time they remember that the united Church, on account of its
origin and history, must have special relations with the
Churches in the West through which it has come into existence,
and they are confident that it will so regulate its acts as to
maintain fellowship both with those Churches and with other
branches of the Catholic Church with which the uniting
Churches are now in communion.
They also recognize that the united Church, as a part of the
Church Universal, must give full weight to the pronounce­
ments of bodies representative of the whole Church, and, in
particular, would desire to take part in the deliberations
and decisions of an Ecumenical Council, if such should in the
mercy of God be some day called together.

The Relations of the united Church as a Corporate

Body with other Churches
14. In harmony with the purposes and nature of the union,
the uniting Churches desire and hope that the united Church
will seek to be in such relations of communion and fellowship
with other Churches as are now maintained severally with those
Churches by the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon, the
South India United Church, and the Methodist Church in
South India. Any communicant member of any Church which
is in fellowship with any of the uniting Churches will be at
liberty to communicate in any church of the united Church;
 Relations of Ministers and Members 79
and any minister of such a Church will be free as a visitor
to minister or celebrate the Holy Communion in any church
of the united Church, if he is invited to do so, subject to
the mutual pledge between the uniting Churches given
below.
The uniting Churches hope that affiliation with or member­
ship in ecumenical conferences, alliances or unions of the
Churches with which they now severally have connection may
be granted in one form or another to the united Church, and
that it will, whenever possible, send delegates to the meetings
of those bodies.
They feel confident that the united Church will, whenever
possible, accept invitations (if such be offered) to send delegates
as visitors to the assemblies or other representative bodies of
the Churches through whose labour the uniting Churches have
come into being.
They also hope that the united Church will seek, by inter­
change of delegates as visitors or such other means as may be
available, to promote and maintain brotherly relations with
other Churches in India, Burma and Ceylon and to' work
towards a wider union of Churches in those countries.
The Relations of the Ministers and Members
OF THE UNITED CHURCH WITH OTHER CHURCHES
15. The uniting Churches clearly understand that the
united Church will have power itself to regulate, to such extent
and in such manner as it may from time to time think desirable,
the relations of its ministers and members with other Churches,
and that action in this respect will be taken either by the
Synod of the united Church or by the diocesan authorities
acting in accordance with such general principles or particular
rules as may be laid down by the Synod.
While such authority must inhere in the united Church, it is
the deliberate intention of the uniting Churches that none
of the ministers or members of the united Church shall because
of the union forgo any rights with regard to inter-communion
and inter-celebration which they possessed before the union.
It is equally the intention of the uniting Churches that the
united Church shall in its legislation and executive acts respect
the conscientious convictions of its ministers and members.
It will in . these matters avoid on the one hand any en­
couragement of licence or condonation of breaches of Church
comity and fellowship, and on the other hand any unchristian
rigidity in its regulations or in their application; and in all its
actions it will seek the preservation of unity within, the attain- _
8o The Basis of Union

ment of wider union, and the avoidance of immediate contests

on particular cases.
In particular:
(а) The uniting Churches agree that every minister of
the united Church who was ordained outside its area shall be
at liberty to retain the ecclesiastical status (e.g., connection
with a home presbytery or conference) which he had before
the union in the Church in which he was ordained, subject to
such arrangements between the united Church and any of the
Churches concerned as may be found necessary, and provided
that he shall not by any such arrangement be released from
the obligations of his position as a minister of the united
Church.
(б) The uniting Churches agree that every minister of the
united Church shall be at liberty to exercise any ministry in
a Church outside its area which he was entitled to exercise
before the union; but this right can only be extended to such
o her Churches outside the area of the union as are willing to
receive his ministrations.
(c) Moreover, any minister of the united Church shall be
at liberty to minister and to celebrate the Holy Communion
in any church of a Church with which any of the uniting
Churches enjoys relations of fellowship, if he is invited to do
so. But he will be bound by the regulations of that Church
in regard to his ministrations.
(d) It is hoped that all the Churches with which the
united Church has relations of communion and fellowship will
be willing to receive any communicant member of the united
Church to communion as a visitor in any of their churches. It
is understood, however, that any member of the united Church
who proposes to acquire permanent membership in any other
Church will be expected to comply with the rules of that
Church (e.g., as regards Confirmation in Churches which
require it).
The Development of Full Unity in Ministry and
Life within the united Church
16. The uniting Churches agree that it is their intention
and expectation that eventually • every minister exercising a
permanent ministry in the united Church will be an episco-
pally ordained minister.
For the thirty years succeeding the inauguration of the union,
the ministers of any Church whose missions have founded the
originally separate parts of the united Church may be received
as ministers of the united Church, if they are willing to give
 Development of Full Unity Si
the same assent to the Governing Principles of the united
Church and the same promise to accept its Constitution as
will be required from persons to be ordained or employed for
the first time in that Church. After this period of thirty years,
the united Church must determine for itself whether it will
continue to make any exceptions to the rule that its ministry is
an episcopally ordained ministry, and generally under what
conditions it will receive ministers from other Churches into its
ministry. It is trusted that in its consideration of these matters
it will give equal weight to the principle that there shall be a
fully unified ministry within the Church, and to the no less
fundamental principle that the united Church should maintain
and extend full communion and fellowship with those Churches
with which the uniting Churches now severally have such
fellowship. It is understood that the status of those at that time
already received as ministers in the united Church shall not be
affected by any action which the united. Church may then take.
The uniting Churches recognize that the act of union will
initiate a process of growing together into one life and of
advance towards complete spiritual unity. One essential con­
dition of the attainment of such complete unity is that- all the
members of the united Church should be willing and able to
receive communion equally in all of its churches, and it is the
resolve of the uniting Churches to do all in their power to that
end.
But they are convinced that this can only take place on the
basis of freedom of opinion on debatable matters, and respect
for even large differences of opinion and practice, such as exist
at present, for example, with regard to forms of worship or the
conditions regarded as necessary for the valid celebration of
Holy Communion. They believe that this freedom and mutual
respect can be safeguarded not by the framing of detailed
regulations but by assurances given and received in a spirit of
confidence and love.
They therefore pledge themselves and fully trustJeaclV^other
that the united Church will at all times be careful not to allow
any over-riding of conscience either by Church authorities or
by majorities, and that it will not in any of its administrative
acts knowingly transgress the long-established traditions of any
of the Churches from which it has been formed. Neither
forms of worship or ritual, nor a ministry, to which they have
not been accustomed or to which they conscientiously object,
will be imposed upon any congregation : and no arrangements
with regard to these matters will knowingly be made, either
generally or in particular cases, which would either offend the
82 The Basis of Union
conscientious convictions of persons directly concerned, or
which would hinder the development of complete unity within
the united Church or imperil its progress towards union with
Other Churches.

Relation of the united Church with Churches

in India

17. The Church of India, Burma and Ceylon is permitting

the severance of the dioceses of Madras, Tinnevelly, Dornakal,
and Travancore and Cochin from its provincial organization in
order that those dioceses should become part of the autonomous
united Church of South India, this severance being accepted
for the sake of unity, and in the full expectation that the united
Church of South India will welcome and will endeavour to
assist movements for similar union in North India. Such
unions in South and North India would naturally have their
consummation in the fuller union of a united Church for all
India, in which the severed parts of all the Churches will come
together again.
Meanwhile it is hoped that riot only will most cordial
relations always exist between the Church of India, Burma and
Ceylon and trie united Church of South India, but that when­
ever suitable occasion arises there will never be any hesitation
about taking common counsel together.
Similarly the uniting Churches wish to assure the Methodist
Church in North India, in Burma and in Ceylon arid the
Churches in North India with which the South India United
Church is now in fellowship, that the united Church will
always be ready and glad to respond to any proposals for taking
common counsel together.
Any question of arranging for formal or regular occasions
of joint consultation is left to the decision of the United Church
after union.

Maintained Churches and Chaplains

18. In view of the special obligations of the Church of
India, Burma and Ceylon under the Indian Church Act 1927
in respect of the churches known as ‘ Maintained Churches ’
and their congregations and the chaplains and other clergy
in charge of these congregations, it is agreed that the united
Church will make constitutional provisions for carrying out
these obligations within its area.
It is agreed that provision shall be made in the Constitution
of the united Church for the continuance in military canton-
 Maintained Churches and Chaplains 83
merits of the ministry now carried on by the Methodist Church
among those officially known as ‘ declared Wesleyans and other
Nonconformists ’ in the British Army, in co-operation with the
Superintending Methodist Chaplain in India and the Methodist
Church authorities in England, if the Methodist and the
Military authorities so agree.
The chaplains appointed to this work from time to time, and
the British officers and men to whom they minister, will be
welcomed as ministers and members respectively of the united
Church, provided that they are willing that the constitution
and rules of the united Church should apply to' them as to the
ministers and members of the uniting Churches.
The united Church will co-operate heartily with the
Superintending Methodist Chaplain in India in carrying on the
work in South India for which he is responsible to the Govern­
ment.

Note i

The following summary of the provisions relating to inter-com­

munion and allied subjects is printed for the sake cf convenient
reference :—

1. Members of the United Church within that Church.—Communi­

cant members of any of the uniting Churches shall be at liberty to
receive Holy Communion in any of its churches (section to: Const.
Ch. Ill, Rule a),

2. Ministers of the united Church within that Church.—Pres­

byters of the uniting Churches shall be at liberty to minister and to
celebrate the Holy Communion in any of its churches, subject to the
mutual pledge of respect of conscience and of long-established tradi­
tions between the uniting Churches (sections II (i) and 16; Const.
Ch. II, Rules 13 and .21).

3. Members of the united Church in relation to other Churches.—

They shall not forgo any rights with regard to inter-communion which
they possessed before the union (section 15, second para.; Const. Ch. II.
Rule 15, first para.). It is hoped that all the Churches with which the
united Church has relations of communion and fellowship will be
willing to receive them to communion as visitors (section 15, para. (d)).
4. Ministers of the united Church in relation to other Churches.—
They shall not forgo any rights with regard to inter-communion and
inter-celebration which they possessed before the union (section 15,
second para.; Const. Ch. II, Rule 15, first para.). They shall beat
liberty to exercise any ministry in a Church outside the area of the
union which they were entitled to exercise before the union (section 15,
para, (b); Const. Ch. II, Rule 15, third para.). They shall be at
liberty to minister and to celebrate the Holy Communion in any
church of a Church with which any of the uniting Churches enjoys
84 The Basis of Union
relations of fellowship, if they are invited to do so (section is,
para, (c) ; Const. Ch. II, Rule 15, fourth para.).
5. Members of other Churches visiting the united Church.—Any
communicant member of any Church which is in fellowship with any
of the uniting Churches will be at liberty to communicate in any
church of the united Church (section 14, first para. ; Const. Ch. II,
Rule 14).
6. Ministers of other Churches visiting the united Church.—Any
minister of any Church which is in fellowship with any of the uniting
Churches will be free as a visitor to minister or to celebrate the Holy
Communion in any Church of the united Church, if he is invited to
do so, subject to the mutual pledge between the uniting Churches (sec­
tion 14, first para., and section 16 ; Const. Ch. II, Rules 14 and 13).

Note 2

In the 18th Session of the Joint Committee (Nov. 1944) it was

resolved that the following Interpretation of the Pledge, put out by
the Joint Committee in 1934 and clarified in one particular in 1935.
be printed in future editions of the Scheme as a note at the end of
Part I:—
■ That in view of the questions that have arisen, the Joint Com­
mittee thinks it right to state what is in its judgment the meaning of
the provisions generally referred to as the Pledge.
• ‘ This Pledge applies to the period following the inauguration of the
Union when the members of the three Churches, then united in one
Church, will be growing together ; and the uniting Churches pledge
themselves to do all in their power to assist the united Church in its
advance towards complete spiritual unity, and towards the time when
all the members of the united Church will be willing and able to
receive communion equally in all its churches.
* Further they pledge themselves that because of the Union no
congregation shall be deprived of forms of worship or a ministry to
which it has been accustomed, but every honest endeavour will be
made by the authorities of the united Church that neither forms of
worship nor ritual, nor a ministry to which they have not been accustom­
ed or to which they conscientiously object, shall be imposed upon any
congregation. But the Committee does not understand the Pledge to
imply that the fact that a minister of the united Church has previously
been a minister of either an episcopal or a non-episcopal Church will
in itself debar him from appointment to or working in any congrega­
tion of the united Church where that congregation desires it.
‘ Further the intention of the uniting Churches is that there shall be
no infringement of the liberty of conscience which every worshipper
and every minister now enjoys, and that in the united Church all alike
will be free to worship and and to teach according to their conscience,
only so that nothing be done to break the fundamental unity of the
Church,
 Maintained Churches and Chaplains 85
‘ The Joint Committee further wishes to urge upon the negotiating
Churches that while the purpose for which these provisions have been
inserted in the Basis of Union will not be fulfilled unless the real scope
and effect of the Pledge be understood by all parties, that purpose
will be entirely defeated if detailed interpretations of the pledge and
precise statements of its application to particular future and
hypothetical cases are demanded; and it appeals to the negotiating
Churches to act in this matter in the full spirit of the declaration that
freedom of opinion on debatable matters and mutual respect for
differences of opinion and practice can be Safeguarded, not by the
framing of detailed regulations but by assurances given and received in
a spirit of confidence and love.’ \
 APPENDIX II
The Dioceses of the Church of South India with the dates of
their formation and the names of the Bishop.
Diocese Bishop Date of Formation
Anantapur-Kur-
nool Rt Rev. Bunyan
Joseph 27th Sept. 1947
(Became part of
Rayalaseema
Diocese 16 th
July 1950).
Central Travan-
core Rt Rev. C. K. Jacob 27th Sept. 1947.
Coimbatore Rt Rev. A. J. Ap-
pasamy 27th Sept. 1950.
Cuddapah Rt Rev. H. Sumitra 27th Sept. 1947.
(Became part of
Rayalaseema
Diocese 16 th
July 1950).
Dornakal Rt Rev. A. B. Elliott 27th Sept. 1947.
(1947-1955)
Vacant
Jaffna Rt Rev. S. Kulan-
dran >>
Krishna-Godavari .. Rt Rev. Y. Muthyalu
(1947-1955)
Rt Rev. A. B. Elliott
(1955- )
Madras Rt Rev. A. M. Hollis
(I947_I955)
Rt Rev. D. Chellap-
pa(1955- )
Mathurai- Raihnad .. Rt Rev. J.E.L. New-
bigin ,,
Medak Rt Rev. F. Whittaker >>
Mysore . Rt Rev. P. Gurush-
antha (1947-1950)
Rt Rev. N. C. Sar-
gant (1951- ) >>
 §7
Diocese Bishop Date of Formation
North Kerala Rt Rev. T. G. Stuart 27th Sept. 1947.
Smith (1947-1954)
Rt Rev. R. Lipp

Rayalaseema
(I954‘ )
Most Rev. H. Sumi-
tra 16th July 1950.
{Amalgamation of
Cuddapah and
Anantapur-Kur-
nool Dioceses).
South Travancore .. Rt Rev. A. H. Legg 27th Sept. 1947.
Tiruchirappali-Tan-
jore Rt Rev. E. B. Thorp
Tirunelveli Rt Rev. G.T. Selwyn
(I947‘I953)
Rt Rev. A. G. Jeba-
raj (1953- )
Bishops of the Church of South India without Jurisdiction
Rt Rev. A. M. Hollis,
United Theological College, Miller Road,
Bangalore, Mysore State.
Rt Rev. Bunyan Joseph,
Assistant Bishop, Medak Diocese,
Medak, Hyderabad State.
Rt Rev. H. Pakenham-Walsh,
Tadagam P.O., Lawley Road,
Coimbatore Dt., Madras State.

Bishops of the Church of South India who have retired

from active Service within the Church
Rt Rev. G. T. Selwyn,
i4 Westcott Road, Madras 14.
Rt Rev. T. G. Stuart Smith,
Burwell Vicarage, Cambridge, England.

Bishops of the Church of South India who have died

Rt Rev. P. Gurushanta,
(Bishop in Mysore, 1947-1950).
Rt Rev. Y. Muthyalu,
(Bishop in Krishna-Godavari, 1947-1955).
 APPENDIX III
The existing Dioceses of the Church of
South India with their present Boundaries
1. COIMBATORE DIOCESE
Comprising the districts of Coimbatore with the exception
of Churches in Dharapuram and Anamalais areas of the
Coimbatore district, Salem and the Nilgiris together with
Jalarpet and Tirupattur in the North Arcot district.

2. DORNAKAL DIOCESE
Comprising the districts of Warangal, Nalganda and Karim-
nagar in Hyderabad State, and the East Godavari agency (with
extensions into C.P. and Orissa) in the Madras State.

3. JAFFNA DIOCESE
Comprising the area within Palk Straits on the North and
West, the Bay of Bengal on the East and the Elephant Pass
Lagoon on the South.

4. NORTH KERALA DIOCESE

Comprising the Malabar district in the North, the area with­
in the Arabian Sea on the West, the eastern boundary of
Malabar district and the eastern boundary of United State of
Travancore and Cochin as far as South Munnar in the east; also
Ernakulam, Mattancherry and Fort Cochin in the South.

5. KISTNA-GODAVARI DIOCESE
Comprising the districts of Guntur, East and West Godavari,
Kistna and Vizagapatam.

6. MADRAS DIOCESE
Comprising the districts of Madras, Chingleput, North
and South Arcot, South Chittoor and Nellore with Bitra-
gunta.
7. MATHURAI-RAMNAD DIOCESE
Comprising the districts of Mathurai and Ramnad with the
exception of a small area around Kuthampundi in Mathurai
district.
 §9
6. MEDAK DIOCESE
Comprising the Cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad and
environs and the Revenue districts of Medak, Nizamabad and
Adilabad in the Hyderabad State.
9. MYSORE DIOCESE
Comprising the Mysore State, Bellary district and Coorg.

10. RAYALASEEMA DIOCESE

Comprising the districts of ICurnool, Cuddapah and Ananta-
pur and a part of the Chittoor Telugu area.

11. TIRUNELVELI DIOCESE

Comprising the whole district of Triunelveli.

12. TIRUCHIRAPALLI-TANJORE
Comprising the Tiruchirapalli and Tanjore districts, also the
Southern part of Coimbatore, i.e. Dharapuram taluk, the area
around Kangayam, the Udamalpet taluk, and the Anamalai
Hills in the Pollachi taluk. Also a small area around Kutham-
pundi in the Palni taluk of the Mathurai district.

13. CENTRAL TRAVANCORE

Comprising the areas within the Quilon- Shencottah Road in
the South, the Eastern boundary of the State of Travancore
in the East, the A1 waye-Munnar Road in the North and the
Arabian Sea in the West.

14. SOUTH TRAVANCORE

Comprising the Travancore-Cochin State from Cape Como­
rin in the South to the Kalada River in the North (i.e. the
whole of Trivandrum district and part of the Quilon district
of Travancore-Cochin).
 INDEX
(References are to pages and Sections in brackets)
(B.U.) = Basis of Union—Appendix I.
Adult, definition of, 20 (4)
Alterations in the Constitution, 15(19) ; 46 (17) ; 6yf.
Appeal—against decisions of Panchayat, 54 (3-6)
Assistant Bishops, 26 (15)
Authorizations to ministers, 23 (6); 33 (8)
■—— withdrawal of, 55 (7)
Autonomy of united Church, 78 (B.U.) (13Q ; 15 (18)
Baptism, condition of membership, 71 (B.U.) (2);
----- preparation for, 20 (6). 4 (4); 18 (if)
----- Synod may regulate, 78 (B.U.) (12); 11 (12)
----- words of, 72 .(B.U.) (4O ; 52 (3), 5 (6f)
Basis of Union and Constitution, acceptance of, by bishops
and ministers,.79 (B.U.) (11) ; 17 (21); 32 (6f)
----- acceptance by missionaries, 80 (B.U.) (16) ; 17 (21)
----- mutual relation of, 15 (18)
Bishops, 2iff (Ch. IV.)
----- assistant—see Assistant
----- confirmation of appointment of, 28 (2of)
----- consecration of, 76 (B.U.) (gv) ; 10 (iv) ; 29 (24Q
----- election or appointment of 75 (B.U.) (gii); 27 (i6ff)
----- functions of, 75 (B.U.) (9!) ; (2iff)
----- members of Synod, 24 (11) ; 42 (if)
---------Executive Committee, 49 (28-29)
-—— permanence of appointment, 24 (i2f)
----- president, Diocesan Council, 24, (9) 40 (3)
------resignation of, 25 (13)
•----- suspensory power in Diocesan Council, 24 (9); 41 (yf)
------------in Synod, 47 (22f)

Catechumens, 76 (B.U.) (10)

Chaplains of Indian Ecclesiastical Establishment, 82 (B.U.)
(i8f)
----- Methodist Army, 82 (B.U.) (i8f)
Church, the Catholic, 71 (B.U.) (af)
------of India, Burma and Ceylon—see India
----- - Methodist—see Methodist
----- of North India—see North India
Commissaries of bishops, 25 (14Q
Committee of reference, 49 (26)
 Index 91
Communion service—see Holy Communion
Compact of members of Church, 52 (gf)
Confessions of Faith—see Faith
Confirmation 19 (gf); note on, 76 (B.U.) (10)
----- of appointment.of bishops, 28 (2of)
Congregation as necessary element, 7g (B.U.) (6f); 7 (8f)
------functions and powers of, 74 (B.U.) (7) ; 8 (9); 34 (if)
Consecration of bishops, 76 (B.U.) (iv) ; 10 (ivf); 29 (25Q
Constituting Bodies of united Church, 1
Constitution, interpretation of, 16 (20)
------authority of Synod in alteration and interpretation of, 45
fof)
— alteration of, 16 (20); 46 (17)
------of Diocesan Council, 39 (iff)
Court of Diocesan Council, 23 (8f); 55( 6ff)
— — Appeal, Sitting to hear, 57(13-6)
---------Synod, appeals, 58 (15Q
---------for trial of bishop, 59 (iyf)
— decisions final, 60 (20)
Creeds, Apostles’ and Nicene, 71 (B.U.) (3Q ; 4 (5Q
—— for ministers, 32 (5)
------in preparation for baptism, 20 (6)
------in worship, 52 (4)
Deacons and probationers, retain status on union, 77 (B.U.)
(if);i?(2iff)
----- functions and setting apart of, 33 (iof)
Deaconesses, 35 (2f)
Deputy Moderator, 44 (6f); 59 (16)
Diocesan Councils 398 (Ch. VIII)
------bishop as president of, 40 (3)
— . ■■■ court of—see Court
■----- financial authority of, 41 (5)
----- - membership of, 39 (Ch. VIII) [(1) (c)]
— powers of, 42 (8)
------relation to Synod, 41 (6); 45 (13O ; 45 (15-a)
Dioceses—Administration of Vacant, 26 [(15) (a)]
----- alterations of, 46 (17)
Discipline of Church, 53ff (Ch. XI)
------Members, 53!
— authority of bishop in, 23 (7)
------congregation in, 74 (B.U.) (7); 8 (9); 53 (Ch. XI)
----- of Clergy, 23 (8f); 55 (yf); 57 (13-a)
Ecumenical Council, 78 (B.U.) (13Q; 15 (18)
Elders, 35 [(2) (d)]i 36(e) .
7
$2 Index
Election of bishops—fee Bishops
Episcopacy as necessary element, 73 (B.U.) (6f); 7 (8f)
------historic and constitutional 75 (B.U.) (gf) ; 9 (nf)
Episcopal ordination, rule of, 75 (B.U.) (gf); 84 (B.U.)
(i6f); 9 (nff); 17 (zrf) ;—see also Bishops
Evangelistic calling of Church, 3 (3Q
Executive Committee (Diocesan Council), 42 (gf)
------(Synod), 48 (25O
------Nomination by Moderator, 43 [(2) (6)]
----- action on irregularities in worship, 22 (4Q
------in appointment of assistant bishops, 26 (15)
----- in confirmation of bishops, 28 (21)
----- in election of bishops, 27 (i6f)
------in compulsory resignation of bishops, 25 (13)
----- determines meeting of Synod, 46 (2of)

Faith of the Church, 71 (B.U.) (3Q ; 4 (5f)

----- Confessions of, 71 (B.U.) (3Q ; 32 (6f)
Finance (Diocesan), 41 (5)
—— bishop has no control, 24 (10); 41 (5)
----- relation of Executive Committee to, 42 (10)
Finance (Synod)—see Treasurer
Forms, use of historic, 77 (B.U.) (12); 11 (12)

General Secretary of Synod, 44 (n)

----- action in confirmation of election of bishops, 28 (22f)
Governing Principles of united Church, iff (Ch. II)
----------- control Constitution, 1

Holy Communion, constituent parts of, 50 (2f)

------ only celebrated by presbyters and bishops, 74 (B.U.)
(8f); 8(1 of)
------Synod may regulate, 78 (B.U.) (12); n (12)

India, Burma and Ceylon, Church of, 82 (B.U.) (i7f)

Intercommunion, 21—see also Relations with other Churches,
14(16)
Interpretation of Constitution, 16 (20); 46 (17)

Laity, ministry of, 348 (Ch. VI)

Licences of ministers—see Authorizations
Local Church—see Congregation
------court, 53 (gf)
 Index 93
Maintained Churches, 82 (B.U.) (i8f)
Marriage Law, 5gfF (Ch. XII)
Marriage Service, 78 (B.U.) (12) ; 11 (12)
Members of united Church, communicant, 20 (7)
------duties and privileges of, i8ff (Ch. Ill)
------initial, 76 (B.U.) (10) ; 20(7)
Membership of Church, meanmg of, 4 (4) 1 71 (B.U.) (2)
----- united Church, conditions of, 18 (if)
Methodist Church, 83 (B.U.) (18); i4 (16)
Ministers, authorizations to, 23 (6)
------discipline of, 73 (B.U.) (6f); 23 (8f); 53 (if)
----- stationing of, 23 (6) y , ,x n min
Ministry of the Church (general), 73 (B.U.) (5O; 80 (B.U.)
—6unitedChurch, initial, 76 (B.U.) (11); 17 (aif)
Ministers, mutual recognition of, 69, 76 (B.U.)
Missionaries, 80 (B.U.) (i6f); 17 (2if); 3g (2f)
Moderator, 44 (9)
------ in resignation of bishops, 25 (13)
----- in Court of Synod, 58 (15O
North India, Churches in, 82 (B.U.) (17O »14 (*6)
North Tamil Church Council, 1 (2)
Ordination of deacons, 33 (iof) -
----- presbyters, 74 (B.U.) (8f); 10 (iv); 3°ff
____acceptance, etc., of candidates for, 73 (50 (B.U.); a (ior),
23 (5); 3off
Panchayat, 53, (3f)
Pastorate, definition of, 38 (1)
----- Committee, 38 (2f)
Pledge of mutual respect of conscience, 80 (B.U.) (iof); 11 (13!)
Presbyterate as necessary element, 73 (B.U.) (6f); 7 (8f)
Presbyters, calling and commission of, 74 (B.U.) (81); 8 (101;;
31 (3f)
------duties of, 30 (if)
------ordination of—see Ordination
___ Deposition of, Confirmation by Moderator, 57 (13*0)
Property, 45 (14)
Quorum of Synod, 49 (27)
Relations with other Churches (general), 78 (B.U.) (14O12
—L^f ministers and members, 79 (B.U.) (isf); i3 (15O", 19
94 Index
Sacraments, 72 (B.U.) (4Q; 5 (6f)—see also Baptism, and
Holy Communion
Scriptures, Holy, 71 (B.U.) (3) 5 4 (gf)
Stationing of ministers, 23 (6)
Status in other Churches of ministers, 80 (B.U.) (a); 13 (igf)
Suspension of authorization of ministers, 23 (8f) ; 55 (7)
----- from Communion, 23(7); 54 (4)
----- of sentence, 55 (8f)
Suspensory powers of bishop in Diocesan Council, 24 (9); 41 (yf)
----- of Bishops in Synod, 46 (i8f)
Synod of the Church, 428 (Ch. IX)
----- appointments of assessors for meetings of bishops, 22 (3)
----- cpnduct of business, 46 (i8f)
----- controls Diocesan Constitution, 42 (8)
----- interprets Constitution, etc., 46 (17)
----- membership, 42 (if)
— Nomination by Moderator, 43 [(2) (a)]
------officers, 44 (6f)
----- powers, 45 (i3f)
— relation to Diocesan Councils, 40 (4Q ; 45 (15)
----- Executive Committee of—see Executive Committee
Thirty years, special arrangements for, 80 (B.U.) (i6f); 17
(21)
Treasurer of Synod, 44 (12)
Trinity, Holy, faith in, 71 (B.U.) (3Q ; 4 (gf)

Union, nature and purpose of the, 69 (B.U.) (if); 1 (zf)

Women, eligible for membership of Synod and Diocesan Coun­

cils, 34(1)
----- ministry of, 34 (if)
Worship of the united Church (general), 77 (B.U.) (12);
11 (12) ; 49 (if) (Ch. X)
----- alterations in forms of, 52 (gf)
----- regulated by Synod, 78 (B.U.) (12); 11 (12); 49 (if)
----- supervised by bishops, 22 (4f)
----- see also Baptism, Creeds, Holy Communion

I
Notes and Amendments 95
Notes and 'Amendments
Notes and Amendments
:98 Notes and Amendments
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