Reformed and Presbyterian Fellowship of India

Indian ecumenical organization

Reformed and Presbyterian Fellowship of India

Type| Fellowship
Classification| Protestant
Orientation| Confessionally Reformed
Origin| 2001; 24 years ago (2001)
Members| 86,132
Places of worship| 817

The Reformed and Presbyterian Fellowship of India is a national ecumenical organization, bringing together Presbyterian and Continental Reformed churches in India.[1]

It was formed in 2001[2] and in 2019 it was formed by 14 member denominations.[3][4][5]

## History

[edit]

In 1969, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of India established the Dehradun Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which, unlike other Presbyterian theological institutions in India, rejected Theological liberalism and subscribed to the Westminster Confession of Faith.[2]

In the following decades, various Presbyterian and Continental Reformed denominations began to send their pastors for seminary training.

This training of pastors of various denominations in the same seminary led to a rapprochement between them and the formation of the Reformed and Presbyterian Fellowship of India in 2001.[1][2]

## Members

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In 2019, Fellowship members were:[3]

denominational subfamily | Denomination | Communion | Number of congregations | Number of members | Year

|
|
|
|
|

Presbyterians | Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Sikkim | - | 120 | 61,000 | 2018[6]
Presbyterians | Reformed Presbyterian Church North East India | WCRC and WFR and ICRC | 105 | 11,376 | 2021[7]
Presbyterians | Presbyterian Church in India (Reformed) | WRF | 50 | 10,000 | 2015[8]
Presbyterians | Reformed Presbyterian Church of India | WRF and ICRC | 10 | 3,000 | 2004[9]
Presbyterians | Presbyterian Church in South India | - | 70 | - | 2020[10]
Presbyterians | Free Presbyterian Church, Kalimpong | - | 47 | - | 2018[11]
Presbyterians | Presbyterian Free Church of Central India | ICRC | 18 | 756 | 2021[7]
Presbyterians | Presbyterian Reformed Church in India | WRF | 10 | - | 2022[12]
Continental reformed | Christian Reformed Fellowship of India | WRF | 300 | - | 2019[13]
Continental reformed | Evangelical Reformed Church of India | WRF and CIIR | 84 | - | 2022[14]
Continental reformed | South India Reformed Churches | - | 3 | - | [15]
Continental reformed | Protestant Reformed Church (India)[n 1] | - | - | - | \-
Continental reformed | Reformed Covenant Assembly (India)[n 2] | - | - | - | \-
Continental reformed | Reformed Churches in South Africa | - | - | - | \-
Total | 817 | 86,132 | 2004-2024

## References

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1. ^ a b "Presbyterian and Reformed Fraternity of India". Retrieved December 16, 2021.
2. ^ a b c "History of the Theological Seminary Presbyterianism of India". Retrieved December 20, 2021.
3. ^ a b "History of the Reformed and Presbyterian Fellowship of India" (PDF). The Presbyterian Banner. November 1, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
4. ^ "Second Meeting of the Reformed and Presbyterian Fellowship of India". IRFA. January 12, 2005. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
5. ^ "Reformed and Presbyterian Fellowship of India". July 20, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
6. ^ Stephen Christopher (June 15, 2018). "Tribal Christianity in the Himalayas". Kyoto University. p. 8. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
7. ^ a b "Minute of the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church" (PDF). June 2024. pp. 332–347. Retrieved September 16, 2024.332-347&rft.date=2024-06&rft_id=https://opcgaminutes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/90th-GA-Minutes-2024-Digital-Edition-Edited-for-opc.org-09.13.24-Version.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Reformed+and+Presbyterian+Fellowship+of+India" class="Z3988">
8. ^ "History of the Presbyterian Church in India (Reformed)". Retrieved 27 December 2021.
9. ^ "Reformed Presbyterian Church of India". Reformiert Online. October 21, 2004. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
10. ^ "Indian Brotherhood Churches in Australia". IRFA. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
11. ^ "Presbyterian Church Council Statistics Live". Retrieved February 20, 2022.
12. ^ "List of churches of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in India". Retrieved December 16, 2021.
13. ^ "History of the Presbyterian and Reformed Fellowship of India" (PDF). The Presbyterian Banner. November 1, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
14. ^ "Minutes of the Synod of the United Reformed Churches in North America". October 7, 2022. p. 43. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
15. ^ "Inter-Church Relations of the Dutch Reformed Churches: India". Retrieved December 22, 2024.

## Notes

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1. ^ mission of the United Reformed Churches in North America
2. ^ mission of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America