Mission and Unity an Ecumenical Perspective with Special Reference to United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India

Abstract

In the introduction it is clearly shown that Church is divided and divisions of the Church are newlineaffecting its vision and Mission. Like in the Western and European churches, the disunity is newlinealso becoming an integral part of the work and witness of the Church in India with the newlineexistence of different historical churches and numerous diverse denominational groups. Many newlineChristians as well as non-Christians are confused with the visible disunity of the churches newlinewho all proclaim the same Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of the world and share One newlineLord, One Faith and One Baptism , as the essence of Christianity. Therefore, Churches in newlineIndia are in need of becoming one in the spirit of unity as reflected in the High Priestly prayer newlineof Jesus Christ. In this prayer Jesus intercedes the mystery of communion of the divine newlinepersons. The prayer for unity of Jesus Christ to some extent has become a reality with the newlineformation of the Church of South India (1947), the Church of North India (1970) and the newlineformation of North-East Indian Church Council (1950). United Evangelical Lutheran newlineChurches in India is another notable example of unity (1975). As a federation of Indian newlineLutheran Churches, UELCI has been endeavouring as a forum to strengthen and enrich unity newlineof the eleven Lutheran churches and establishing a wider unity with other major churches. newlineThou ecumenity are the idea that the household of God has been ingrained in the theological newlineunderstanding of the church over the last 2000 years. The idea of the unity of the church or newlinethe ecumenicity has found its visible expresses by way of the World Missionary Conferences newlinewhich finally needed itself to become what obliviously known as World Council Churches. In newlineIndia, church unity was sought in various models that include Federation Model, Organic newlineModel, Reintegration Model and Conciliar Models. Thou, the Organic Unity Model was newlinedesirable goal of ecumenical movement. Its expressions in the churches like Church of South newlineIndia and Church of North India have remained