St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India

St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India
St Thomas Evangelical Church Of India Emblem
Abbreviation	STECI
Type	Evangelical Protestant
Classification	Syrian Christian, Saint Thomas Syrian Christians
Scripture	Holy Bible
Polity	Episcopal
Governance	Democratic
Presiding Bishop	Most Rev Dr Thomas Abraham
Prathinidhi sabha Adhyakshan	Rt Rev Dr Abraham Chacko
Language	Malayalam, English, Hindi, Odia, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Gujrati, Telugu,
Liturgy	West Syriac Rite (Reformed)
Headquarters	Manjadi, Thiruvalla Kerala, India
Territory	Universal
Possessions	India, United States, Canada, Europe, Great Britain-London & Belfast, Middle East, Singapore
Origin	26 January 1961 Thaimala, Thiruvalla
Independence	1961
Recognition	Independent Episcopal Church, 1961
Separated from	Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church (1961)
Congregations	350+
Members	100,000+
Ministers	Bishops- 6, Clergy- 150+
Missionaries	400+
Publications	suvisesha prakasini
Official website	http://steci.org/
Slogan	FOR THE WORD OF GOD AND FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST (REV. 1:9)

Part of a series on
Christianity in India
Communities Bengali Christians Bettiah Christians Bombay East Indians Marathi Christians Meitei Christians Mizo Christians Naga Christians Punjabi Christians Saint Thomas Christians Tamil Christians Telugu Christians
People Saint Thomas the Apostle Saint Alphonsa Saint Francis Xavier Saint Gonsalo Garcia Saint Euphrasia Eluvathingal Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara Saint Mother Teresa Bl.Devasahayam Pillai Mar Sabor and Mar Proth Mar Baselios Eldho Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar Thomas of Cana Ignatius Elias III Mar Gregorios of Parumala Mar Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly Mar Joseph C. Panjikaran Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan Mar Geevarghese Dionysius Mar Geevarghese Ivanios Abraham Malpan Giuseppe Maria Bernini Sadhu Sundar Singh Palackal Thoma Malpan Mar Augustine Kandathil William Carey
Denominations Saint Thomas Christian denominations Catholic Syro-Malabar Catholic, Syro-Malankara Catholic, Latin Catholic Oriental Orthodox Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Independent Oriential Orthodox Malabar Independent Syrian Church Church of the East Chaldean Syrian Oriental Protestant Christian Mar Thoma Syrian, St. Thomas Evangelical Protestant denominations Andhra Evangelical Lutheran, Assemblies Jehovah Shammah, Christian Revival Church, Church of North India, Church of South India, Garo Baptist, Indian Brethren, Indian Pentecostal Church of God, Church of God (Full Gospel), North Bank Baptist Christian, Northern Evangelical Lutheran, Methodist Church, Presbyterian, The Pentecostal Mission, Seventh-day Adventist, United Evangelical Lutheran
Organisations National Council of Churches in India All India Conference of Indian Christians All India Catholic Union
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St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India (STECI) is an Oriental Protestant (Reformed Orthodox) episcopal denomination based in Kerala, India.

The church originated from a schism in the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church in 1961 and forms a part of the Saint Thomas Syrian Christian community.

The headquarters of the church is at Tiruvalla, Kerala.

The St. Thomas Evangelical Church is one of several groups of Saint Thomas Christians who trace their origins to St. Thomas the Apostle who, according to their tradition, came to India in AD 52.^[1]

Until 1961, the Church's history was deeply connected to the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.

In the 1800s, South Indian Christians were in contact with British missionaries during the time of British colonialism. The missionaries facilitated the translation of the Bible into Malayalam in 1811; this was the first vernacular Bible in Kerala. Further changes introduced by the influence of missionaries led to a schism within the Thomas Christians.^[2]

By the 1830s, some clergy in the St Thomas Church were looking at reform, particularly in the area of rituals. This movement led to the St Thomas Church establishing the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association (MTEA) in 1888.^[3]

In the 1950s, reforms within the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church led to some members creating the Mar Thoma Pathiopadesa Samathy (St Thomas Organisation for Sound Doctrine) in 1952. In 1960, four presbyters (P John Varghese, P I Mathal, CM Vaghese and KO John) were suspended. This led to the establishment of the St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India (STECI), on January 26, 1961, with 20 ministers and 25,000 lay Christians.^[4]

STECI established the Jubilee Memorial Bible College in Chennai in August 1987.^[5] The college trains students from almost 20 different denominations and has links to the Biblical Graduate School of Theology in Singapore and Columbia International University in the US.

STECI was formed with a three-pronged mission;

• Safeguarding sound doctrine
• Living a holy life
• Obeying the Great Commission to evangelise India ^[6]

STECI believes in; the Trinity, the Second Coming, Sola Scriptura of 66 books of the Bible, salvation by faith (not works), safeguarding sound doctrine, evangelism and sharing the news about Jesus, royal priesthood and prayers to Jesus for the living.^[7]

STECI members incorporate two sacraments into their lives; these are baptism and the Lord’s Supper.^[8]

In 2023, the Church has seven dioceses. Four of these are in Kerala; the others are "Bahya Kerala" ‘’Gulf and Singapore’’ and ‘’North America and Europe’’.^[9] The dioceses cover 240 parishes.^[10]

• Bishop KN Oommen (Late)
• Bishop P John Varughese (Late)
• Bishop Dr. TC Cherian (Retd.)
• Bishop Dr. MK Koshy (Retd.)
• Bishop A.I Alexander (Retd.)
• Bishop Dr CV Mathew (Retd.)
• Bishop Most Rev Dr Thomas Abraham (Presiding Bishop from 2019)
• Bishop Rt Rev Dr Abraham Chacko (Prathinidhi sabha Adhyakshan from 2019)

• Board for Evangelistic Work
• Board for Youth Work
• Board for Women's Work
• Board for Sunday School Work
• Education Board
• Department of Music & Communications

• P. T. Chandapilla

• Official website