Partners in union negotiations which lasted for 41 years were the United Church of Northern India (Presb and Congreg), the (Anglican) Church of India, Pakistan, Burma, and Ceylon, the Methodist Churches (of British, Australasian, and North American background), and the Council of Baptist Churches. In 1957 the Church of the Brethren and the Disciples of Christ also joined in the conversations. Just before the Church of North India was inaugurated in 1970, the Methodist Church of Southern Asia, i.e.,the Methodists of American origin, withdrew from the negotiations. In the course of the negotiations agreement on the understanding and the practice of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the threefold ministry of bishops, presbyters, and deacons and the organizational patterns of the church (pastorates, dioceses, and synod) was achieved. Episcopacy was integrated in the church order and found its place in the constitution. Provision was made for diverse liturgical practices and understanding of divine revelation, provided that these do not violate the basic Faith and Order of the church or disrupt the unity and fellowship within the church. The church covers a vast area, in fact, all states of the Indian Union with the exception of the four states in the south. This amounts to 80% of the surface and 75% of the population of India. Apart from English and Hindi, five regional languages are in use — Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali, Oriya, and Assamese — along with six major tribal languages. Almost all the cultural differences of India’s people are to be found within the CNI with its congr spread throughout the cities, towns, and villages. The pastoral and organizational problems of the church are considerable.
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