Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church
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Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC)[1] was constituted in the year 1927 in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the Indian successor to the United Lutheran Church in America which was started as a self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating church in the Telugu country[2]
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[edit] Memberships
- Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad
- Lutheran World Federation (LWF)[3], Geneva
- It is an affiliate member of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI)[4], Nagpur
- It is a member church in the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI) - a communion of Lutheran Churches[5], Chennai
- Asia Lutheran Commuion
[edit] Background
[edit] In India
Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg and Pluetschau of the Danish-Halle Missionary Society at Tranquebar were the first Protestant Missionaries to India who were Lutherans.
[edit] In Andhra Pradesh
The AELC was founded as a mission field of the then United Lutehran Church in America (ULCA) by John Christian Frederick Heyer (known as Father Heyer) on July 31, 1842[6]
As a first step, schools were established. With new Baptisms, the confidence of the missionaries increased. Later Hospitals were established.
[edit] Administration
The present President of the AELC is Rev. V.E. Christopher[7].
[edit] Women's ordination
For long, women's ordination in the AELC was taboo. One of the first theologically trained woman of this Church, Dr. B.V. Subbamma[8] could have been ordained long ago. But Church leaders, fearing her leadership kept the issue of women's ordination aside[9].
However, with sustained efforts and dialogue of Dr. K. Rajaratnam, Rev. Dr. Prasanna Kumari Samuel, and Dr. Monica J. Melanchton of the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute (GLTCRI) and the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI), the dream of women's ordination became a reality. On 20 February, 1999, seventeen women were ordained into pastoral ministry[10]
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India [1] AELC
- ^ Luther Richardson, Kolluri Rev., Towards Self-Reliance : A historical survey of the programmes and efforts of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1927-1969, November 2003, Christopher and Kanakaiah, Vijayawada
- ^ Lutheran World [2]Worldwide Faith News
- ^ National Council of Churches in India[3]Affiliate Members
- ^ UELCI [4] Member Churches
- ^ Luther Richardson, Kolluri, Rev., Towards Self-Reliance, p. xi, Editorial by Rev. Dr. D.V. Daniel
- ^ Lutheran World [5]Worldwide Faith News
- ^ Lutheran World [6]Worldwide Faith News
- ^ Rev. Dr. P. Victor Premasagar in writing about Dr. Subbamma in a commemorative booklet eugolising her services
- ^ Lutheran World [7]Worldwide Faith News
- Further reading
- Luther Richardson, Kolluri, Rev. (2003). "Towards Self-Reliance : A historical survey of the programmes and efforts of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1927-1969, Published by Christopher and Kanakaiah, Vijayawada".
- Senftleben, Martin (1992). "Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati" I.
- _______________, (1992). "Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati" II.
