The Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) is a
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...
in north coastal
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
. The churches are part of the
Telugu Christian community of Southern India. Its language is
Telugu. It is affiliated to the
Baptist World Alliance
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is an international communion of Baptists, with an estimated 51 million people from 266 member bodies in 134 countries and territories as of 2024. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA accounts f ...
(BWA), the
National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) and the
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...
(WCC).
History
CBCNC was founded in 1874
[Mary Stillwell McLaurin, ''Chetti Bhanumurti'' in John Craig, J. R. Stillwell, I. C. Archibald, A. E. Baskerville (Edited), ''Some of the Trophies: Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission Board Jubilee Volume, Telugu Trophies – The Jubilee story of some of the principal Telugu converts in the Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission in India from 1874 to 1924'', American Baptist Publication Society, Toronto]
/ref> by the Canadian Baptist Mission founded by Thomas Gabriel along with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec.
From 1947 to 1972, the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars was managed effortlessly in spite of difficulties. During 1972, crisis brew in the Convention leading to irreparable damage. M. B. Diwakar researched on the crisis with the title, ''An Investigation into the historical antecedents of the crisis in the CBCNC during 1972 to 1974''. Due to the crisis, the Churches established by the Canadian Baptist Mission continued to move forward due to the congregational
Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...
type of structure. However, the central leadership is not in place as there are many fractions of the Convention, each claiming to be the rightful successor and the matter continues to be subjudice.
According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 310 churches and 240,000 members.[Baptist World Alliance]
Members
baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023
Schools
* Ministerial
** Andhra Christian Theological College
Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) is a seminary in Telangana which was founded in 1964. It is affiliated with India's first university, the Senate of Serampore College (University) (a university under section 2(f) of the University Gr ...
, Secunderabad
Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...
, Telangana
Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...
(through Seminary Council),
** Baptist Theological Seminary, Kakinada
Kakinada (; formerly known as Cocanada) is a Port, port city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated along the Bay of Bengal, it serves as the headquarters of Kakinada district and is a prominent economic and c ...
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
,
* Ministerial and technical
** Eva Rose York Bible Training and Technical School for Women, Tuni, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
References
;Notes
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See also
* Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches
{{Churches in India
Organisations based in Andhra Pradesh
Affiliated institutions of the National Council of Churches in India
1874 establishments in India