Contents |
Central Office - Main Road, Ranchi, Jharkhand India PIN- 834001
North Western Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church(NWGEL Church)[1] [2] [3] is fourth[4] largest Lutheran church in India. NWGEL Church members are from indigenous/Tribal community. NWGEL Church is autonomous Church. On 28 April 1989 United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India gave provisional membership to NWGEL Church. NWGEL Church is a member of National Council of Churches in India local bodies like. Bengal Christian Council, Jharkhand Christian Council, Bihar Christian Council and Chattishgarh Christian Council.
The NWGEL Church has congregation in the state of Orissa, Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. NWGEL Church has presence in various state capital's like New Delhi, Kolkatta, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Raipur, Ranchi and Patna. NWGEL Church has 5 deanery and 68 parishes and around 730 congregation. [5]
| Bishop Name | Tenure |
|---|---|
| 1. Rt. Rev Dr. Nirmal Minz [6] [7][8][9] | 1980 - |
| 2. Rt. Rev Dr. Prabhudas Sunil Tirkey | Info |
| 3. Rt. Rev. Nirdosh Lakra | Present |
In the year 1845[10] the Gossner Church was established at Ranchi in the land of Chottanagpur now it is in Jharkhand state separated from Bihar. It was the first Church in the land of Chotanagpur at that time. The major part of population was tribal people - Oraon, Munda, Kharia and others. Basically these people were very poor and innocent. They were exploited in several ways by the Jamindars (land lord) in many form of cruel activity which made them flee to other cities of the country.
The deputy commissioner of Chottanagpur at that time, requested Dr. Hoeberline the Secretary of Bible Society of India at Kolkata to send some Missionaries to work among the tribal people of Chottanagpur. As the church grew in number and regions; different models of administration were introduced from time to time with a view to provide equal representation to different regions of the church. However, it seems that the people of region were not given adequate and just representation and legitimate space for their voice and concern. This fact is to be verified in the reality of difference over time within the church which led to North Zone, Jubilee synod, Dharamprant for the question of regional justice and adequate representation finally led to the split of Gossner church in 1977[11]
|
|||||||||||||||||