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{{EngvarB|date=April 2014}}
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'''Church of South India Synod''' is the highest administrative body of the Church of South India. The '''Synod''' (CSI Synod) governs the whole church and convenes the annual general meeting of CSI. The Moderator of the Synod is a Bishop who is a presiding officer of the election conducted in the Annual General Meeting. The elected board is normally to hold office for three years. Church of South India Trust Association was constituted as a legal holding body of the movable and immovable properties of the Church of South India. The CSITA was incorporated in 26 September 1947 under Section 26 of the Indian Companies Act 1913<ref>{{Cite web |title=Church of South India Trust Association: Certificate of Incorporation |url=https://csigni.edu.in/Document-Links/Trust-Proof.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706165219/https://csigni.edu.in/Document-Links/Trust-Proof.pdf |archive-date=2024-07-06 |access-date=2026-01-19 |website=csigni.edu.in}}</ref> (now Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act 1956) as a religious and charitable company which has no business character and with no profit motive. The properties of the Churches in Union have been transferred to CSITA.

==About the Synod==
The CSI synod consists of bishops of 24 dioceses, presbyters and layman (both men and women) who are elected from the respective diocesan councils to the synod. The synod members will elect the apex body consisting of a Moderator, Deputy Moderator, general secretary and Treasurer. The Moderator is the spiritual and administrative head of the Church. Only Bishops are eligible to contest for the Moderator and Deputy Moderator posts. Pastors and lay members are eligible to contest for the remaining two posts of General Secretary and Treasurer. The ordinary session of the synod is held once every three years. The last synod meeting was held in January 2023 at [[Hubli]]. The practice has been to hold the meeting during the pongal holidays in mid January and over four days. Special meetings of the synod (between ordinary sessions) could also be convened by a decision of the Synod Executive. The Synod office is situated at CSI Center, [[Royapettah]], [[Chennai]].

==Synod Executive==
As the Church of South India synod meets only once in every three years, the power of the Synod is mostly delegated to Synod Executive which is appointed by the Synod and which meets at least twice a year. The Synod Executive is a subset of Synod which has 107 members excluding the Officers of the Synod. The Synod Executive consists of 4 members each from the 24 dioceses of [[Church of South India]], 3 nominees of the Moderator and 4 officers of the synod (Moderator, Deputy Moderator, General Secretary and Treasurer).

==Synod Working Committee==
The Synod Working Committee is a subset of the Synod Executive and it consists of 24 members excluding the Officers of the Synod. The working committee has a representation of one member each from the 24 dioceses of [[Church of South India]] and 4 officers of the Synod. The Synod Working Committee meetings are held based on need basis and they are held in between Synod Executive meetings. All decisions of the Synod Working Committee must be ratified at a subsequent meeting of the Synod Executive.

==Church of South India Synod Participants==

According to the Church of South India constitution the participants in the Synod belong to five categories:
*Bishops of the 24 dioceses and assistant bishops, if any.
*The Outgoing general secretary and treasurer.
*Two members of the [[CSI Order of Sisters]],
*The President and General Secretary of the Women's Fellowship,
*Presbyters and lay persons representing the various dioceses who are elected by their dioceses to represent them at the Synod.
*10 members nominated by the moderator

Dioceses send representatives based on a graded scale that starts with those having 10,000 baptised members sending two pastors and four lay persons while the maximum number of representatives to the synod come from dioceses with over 150,000 baptised members that send six presbyters and 11 lay persons.

According to the report of the 2014 synod meeting, there were<ref>{{cite news|title= Krishna-Godavari Diocese Bishop all set to become head of CSI|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/krishnagodavari-diocese-bishop-all-set-to-become-head-of-csi/article5565920.ece/.accessdate=|newspaper=The Hindu|date =11 January 2014}}</ref> 135 presbyters, 275 lay members and 22 bishops who participated in the synod. Other invitees to synod meetings include accredited visitors, heads of synod departments, fraternal delegates (representing various CSI affiliated bodies), special invitees, overseas guests and resource persons.

==Quorum==

*The quorum is one-third of the total membership of which not less than two-thirds shall be lay members.

==Agenda==

First day of the synod meeting consists of confirmation of minutes of the previous Synod, Appointment of various committees to oversee elections, Take up resolutions, moderator's address, general secretary's report and Election of the four Officers of the Synod (Moderator, Deputy Moderator, general secretary and Treasurer). The second, third and fourth days of the Synod consists of a series of presentations by the treasurer, heads of synod departments, special invitees, etc. and some limited question-answer sessions. The final act of each Synod is the formal installation of the new Officers of the Synod on the last day.

==Officers==

Due to the Madras High Court's ruling, which invalidated the recent elections and identified procedural discrepancies at the Synod meeting held in Hubli in January 2023.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2024-04-13 |title=HC appoints retired judges to run affairs of CSI |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/hc-appoints-retired-judges-to-run-affairs-of-csi/articleshow/109259211.cms |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2024-04-12 |title=Madras High Court appoints a Committee of Administrators for CSI and CSI Trust Association |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/madras-high-court-appoints-a-committee-of-administrators-for-csi-and-csi-trust-association/article68058213.ece |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Sivakumar |first=R. |date=2024-04-13 |title=Madras HC red-flags CSI poll, names judges' panel to administer body |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2024/Apr/13/madras-hc-red-flags-csi-poll-names-judges-panel-to-administer-body |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> The officers were elected for a three-year term at the Synod meeting in Hubli, January 2023. The Moderator and the Deputy Moderator position along with the position of General Secretary and Hon. Treasurer is currently vacant and awaiting election.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> The church is presently under the administration of court-appointed administrators, Justice R. Balasubramanian and Justice V. Bharathidasan, pending new elections for these key leadership roles.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

==Dioceses==
{{further|Church of South India#Dioceses}}

==Missions and Committee==

For proper guidance of the life and work of the Church the CSI Synod has set up various Commissions and Committees. The following are some of the important ones:

*Ministerial Committee: which deals with issues relating to the ordained ministry.
*Theological Commission: which deals with questions relating to the faith of the Church.
*Liturgy Committee: for advising the Church on matters relating to worship and orders of service for different occasions.
*Board of Mission and Evangelism: for promoting missionary outreach both within the CSI area and outside.
*Union Negotiations Committee: for negotiations with other churches towards wider union.
*Commission on Political Questions: for considering issues of justice and peace from the perspective of the Church's witness to the Gospel.

==List of Synod Meetings ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Synodical Sessions of the Church of South India with years, venue and elected Moderator and Deputy Moderator<ref name="George">K. M. George, ''Church of South India: Life in Union, 1947–1997'', Jointly published by Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, New Delhi and Christava Sahitya Samithi, Tiruvalla, 1999. [https://books.google.com/books?id=zmjZAAAAMAAJ&q=]</ref>

|-
! Session !! Synod !! Host diocese !! Venue !! Moderator !! Deputy Moderator

|-
| I || 1948 || [[Madurai-Ramnad Diocese of the Church of South India|Madurai-Ramnad]] || [[Madurai]] || {{sortname|Michael|Hollis}},  [[Bishop in Madras]] || {{sortname|Cherakarottu Korula|Jacob}},  [[Diocese of Madhya Kerala of the Church of South India|Bishop in Central Travancore]]

|-
| II || 1950 || [[Diocese of Madras of the Church of South India|Madras]] || [[Madras]] || {{sortname|Michael|Hollis}},  [[Bishop in Madras]] || {{sortname|Frank|Whittaker}},  [[Bishop in Medak]]

|-
| III || 1952 || [[Diocese of Krishna-Godavari|Krishna-Godavari]] || [[Machilipatnam]] || {{sortname|Michael|Hollis}},  [[Bishop in Madras]] || {{sortname|Hospet|Sumitra}},  [[Bishop in Rayalaseema]]

|-
| IV || 1954 || Madras || Madras || {{sortname|Hospet|Sumitra}},  [[Bishop in Rayalaseema]] || {{sortname|Lesslie|Newbigin}},  [[Bishop in Madurai-Ramnad]]

|-
| V || 1956 || [[Trichy-Tanjore Diocese of the Church of South India|Trichy-Tanjore]] || [[Trichy]] || {{sortname|Hospet|Sumitra}},  [[Bishop in Rayalaseema]] || {{sortname|Lesslie|Newbigin}},  [[Bishop in Madurai-Ramnad]]

|-
| VI || 1958 || [[Diocese of Kanyakumari|Kanyakumari]] || [[Nagercoil]] || {{sortname|Hospet|Sumitra}},  [[Bishop in Rayalaseema]] || {{sortname|Lesslie|Newbigin}},  [[Bishop in Madurai-Ramnad]]

|-
| VII || 1960 || [[Church of South India Diocese of Mysore|Mysore]] || [[Bangalore]] || {{sortname|Hospet|Sumitra}},  [[Bishop in Rayalaseema]] || {{sortname|Augustine|Jebaraj}},  [[Bishop in Tinnevelly]]

|-
| VIII || 1962 || [[Diocese of Tirunelveli|Tirunelveli]] || [[Palayamkottai]] || {{sortname|Arnold|Legg}},  [[Bishop in South Travancore]] || {{sortname|Augustine|Jebaraj}},  [[Bishop in Tinnevelly]]

|-
| IX || 1964 || Tirunelveli || Palayamkottai || {{sortname|Arnold|Legg}},  [[Bishop in South Travancore]] || {{sortname|Pereji|Solomon}},  [[Bishop in Dornakal]]

|-
| X || 1966 || [[Diocese of Madhya Kerala|Madhya Kerala]] || [[Kottayam]] || {{sortname|Pereji|Solomon}},  [[Bishop in Dornakal]] || {{sortname|Lesslie|Newbigin}},  [[Bishop in Madras]]

|-
| XI || 1968 || [[Diocese of Coimbatore of the Church of South India|Coimbatore]] || [[Coimbatore]] || {{sortname|Pereji|Solomon}},  [[Bishop in Dornakal]] || {{sortname|Lesslie|Newbigin}},  [[Bishop in Madras]]

|-
| XII || 1970 || Madras || [[Tambaram]] || {{sortname|Pereji|Solomon}},  [[Bishop in Dornakal]] || {{sortname|Lesslie|Newbigin}},  [[Bishop in Madras]]

|-
| XIII || 1972 || Madras || Tambaram || {{sortname|I.R.H.|Gnanadason}},  [[Bishop in Kanyakumari]] {{sortname|Ananda Rao|Samuel}},  [[Bishop in Krishna-Godavari]] || {{sortname|Ananda Rao|Samuel}},  [[Bishop in Krishna-Godavari]] {{sortname|Lesslie|Newbigin}},  [[Bishop in Madras]]

|-
| XIV || 1974 || Madras || Madras || {{sortname|Ananda Rao|Samuel}},  [[Bishop in Krishna-Godavari]] || {{sortname|Solomon|Doraiswamy}},  [[Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore]]

|-
| XV || 1976 || Trichy-Tanjore || Trichy || {{sortname|Ananda Rao|Samuel}},  [[Bishop in Krishna-Godavari]] || {{sortname|Solomon|Doraiswamy}},  [[Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore]]

|-
| XVI || 1978 || Madhya Kerala || Kottayam || {{sortname|Ananda Rao|Samuel}},  [[Bishop in Krishna-Godavari]] || {{sortname|Solomon|Doraiswamy}},  [[Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore]]

|-
| XVII || 1980 || Madras || Tambaram || {{sortname|Solomon|Doraiswamy}},  [[Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore]] || {{sortname|Isaiah|Jesudason}},  [[Bishop in South Kerala]]

|-
| XVIII || 1982 || [[Diocese of Vellore of the Church of South India|Vellore]] || [[Vellore]] || {{sortname|Isaiah|Jesudason}},  [[Bishop in South Kerala]] || {{sortname|Sundar|Clarke}},  [[Bishop in Madras]]

|-
| XIX || 1984 || [[Diocese of Medak|Medak]] || [[Secunderabad]] || {{sortname|Isaiah|Jesudason}},  [[Bishop in South Kerala]] || {{sortname|Sundar|Clarke}},  [[Bishop in Madras]]

|-
| XX || 1986 || [[Diocese of South Kerala|South Kerala]] || [[Trivandrum]] || {{sortname|Isaiah|Jesudason}},  [[Bishop in South Kerala]] || {{sortname|Victor|Premasagar}},  [[Bishop in Medak]]

|-
| XXI || 1988 || Madurai-Ramnad || Madurai || {{sortname|Victor|Premasagar}},  [[Bishop in Medak]] || {{sortname|David|Pothirajulu}},  [[Bishop in Madurai-Ramnad]]

|-
| XXII || 1990 || [[Diocese of Northern Karnataka of the Church of South India|Karnataka North]] || [[Dharwad]] || {{sortname|Victor|Premasagar}},  [[Bishop in Medak]] || {{sortname|Vasant P.|Dandin}},  [[Bishop in Karnataka Northern]]

|-
| XXIII || 1992 || Tirunelveli || Palayamkottai || {{sortname|Ryder|Devapriam}},  [[Bishop in Nandyal]] {{sortname|Vasant P.|Dandin}},  [[Bishop in Karnataka Northern]] || {{sortname|Jason|Dharmaraj}},  [[Bishop in Tirunelveli]]

|-
| XXIV || 1994 || Trichy-Tanjore || Trichy || {{sortname|Vasant P.|Dandin}},  [[Bishop in Karnataka Northern]] || {{sortname|Rajamanickam|Paulraj}},  [[Bishop in Trichy-Tanjore]]

|-
| XXV || 1996 || Coimbatore || Coimbatore || {{sortname|Vasant P.|Dandin}},  [[Bishop in Karnataka Northern]] || {{sortname|William|Moses|dab=Bishop in Coimbatore}},  [[Bishop in Coimbatore]]

|-
| XXVI || 1998 || [[Diocese of Rayalaseema|Rayalaseema]] || [[Madanapalle]] ||{{sortname|William|Moses|dab=Bishop in Coimbatore}},  [[Bishop in Coimbatore]] || {{sortname|Kunnumpurathu|Samuel}},  [[Bishop in East Kerala]]

|-
| XXVII || 2000 || Medak || Secunderabad || {{sortname|Kunnumpurathu|Samuel}},  [[Bishop in East Kerala]] || {{sortname|Peter|Sugandhar}},  [[Bishop in Medak]]

|-
| XXVIII || 2002 || [[Diocese of East Kerala of the Church of South India|East Kerala]] || [[Melukavu]] || {{sortname|Kunnumpurathu|Samuel}},  [[Bishop in East Kerala]] || {{sortname|Peter|Sugandhar}},  [[Bishop in Medak]]

|-
| XXIX || 2004 || [[Diocese of Central Karnataka of the Church of South India|Karnataka Central]] || [[Bangalore]] || {{sortname|Peter|Sugandhar}},  [[Bishop in Medak]] || {{sortname|Suputhrappa|Vasantha Kumar}},  [[Bishop in Karnataka Central]]

|-
| XXX || 2006 || [[Karnataka Southern Diocese|Karnataka Southern]] || [[Mysore]] || {{sortname|Peter|Sugandhar}},  [[Bishop in Medak]] || {{sortname|Suputhrappa|Vasantha Kumar}},  [[Bishop in Karnataka Central]]

|-
| XXXI || 2008 || Krishna-Godavari || [[Visakhapatnam]] || {{sortname|John|Gladstone|dab=bishop}},  [[Bishop in South Kerala]] || {{sortname|Christopher|Asir}},  [[Bishop in Madurai Ramnad]]

|-
| XXXII || 2010 || Tirunelveli || [[Courtallam]] || {{sortname|Suputhrappa|Vasantha Kumar}},  [[Bishop in Karnataka Central]] || {{sortname|Gnanasigamony|Devakadasham}},  [[Bishop in Kanyakumari]]

|-
| XXXIII || 2012 || Kanyakumari || [[Kanyakumari]] || {{sortname|Gnanasigamony|Devakadasham}},  [[Bishop in Kanyakumari]] || {{sortname|Govada|Dyvasirvadam}},  [[Bishop in Krishna-Godavari]]

|-
| XXXIV || 2014 || Krishna-Godavari || [[Vijayawada]] || {{sortname|Govada|Dyvasirvadam}},  [[Bishop in Krishna-Godavari]] || {{sortname|Thomas K.|Oommen}},  [[Diocese of Madhya Kerala of the Church of South India|Bishop in Madhya Kerala]]

|-
| XXXV || 2017 || [[Diocese of Madhya Kerala of the Church of South India|Madhya Kerala]]|| Kottayam || {{sortname|Thomas K.|Oommen}},  [[Diocese of Madhya Kerala of the Church of South India|Bishop in Madhya Kerala]]|| {{sortname|Vadapalli Prasada|Rao}},  [[Bishop in Dornakal]]

|-
| XXXVI || 2020 || Trichy-Tanjore || [[Tiruchirappalli]]|| {{sortname|Dharmaraj|Rasalam}},  [[Bishop in South Kerala]]<ref name="Conger">George Conger, ''New moderator for the Church of South India'', Anglican Link, January 12, 2020.[http://anglican.ink/2020/01/12/new-moderator-for-the-church-of-south-india/]</ref>|| {{sortname|K. Reuben|Mark}},  [[Bishop in Karimnagar]]<ref name="Conger"/>
|}

==See also==
*[[Church of South India]]
*[[Synod]]
*[[Diocesan Synod]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.csisynod.com/ CSI Synod] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829024131/https://www.csisynod.com/ |date=29 August 2018 }}
* [http://www.csiallsaintschurch.org CSI All Saint's Church]

[[Category:Church of South India]]

Church of South India Synod - Revision history

Rxsolution at 12:36, 19 January 2026