Orissa, India PIN-764059Registered under Societies Registration Act. XXI of 1860
The Breklum Mission (Germany) had sent missionaries to India in 1882. Ernst Pohl and Bothman came to India and established Lutheran Churches in Orissa State area. There was a tremendous Missin Church growth during that time. The Orissa Missions ultimately became a member of Lutheran World Federation. When the Lutheran churches in Orissa appeared established the time came the German missionaries went back to their home country. Problems began to develop following the leave taking of the Missionary leaders. The Evangelical work faltered. Continual fighting and division took place over struggles for money and power. The pure Lutheran teachings were increasingly abandoned and considerable religious impurity developed as a result of the ecumenical movement. Pentecostal/ charismatic missionaries came, misguided folk and added to doctrinal confusion.
The India National Lutheran Church (INLC) was founded in 1995 by Rev. Pramod Kumar Nag an ordained Lutheran Minister. His purported goald was to restore Lutheran teaching and he started with a new congregations. This approach was quite different from the approaches of other Lutheran Churches in India. Slowly other congregations started coming to join hands with INLC until there were 23 confessional Lutheran Congregations with Pastors and catechist. However Pastor Pramod was also working with a grouping of Non Lutheran congregations during the same time and these seem to have influenced him in decisions he made in 2004 and 2005. While declaring that "his vision and burden was to reach, preach and teach the Gospel and plant Confessional Lutheran Churches in Orissa state as well as in North India" Rev. Nag was making application for affiliation and Mission support from the Church of God (Holiness). When his double efforts were discovered he then left the INLC, attempted to dissolve it, and took with him a number of the pastors and congregations into an India Church of God (ICG) grouping.
INLC had entered into official affiliation and fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Conference & Ministerium of North America (ELCM) on June 8, 2004. However, when the founding Pastor, Rev. Nag had changed in his orientation and decided to join the Church of God (Holiness) Movement and he and a number of INLC pastors and members left INLC in early 2005 a faithful Lutheran core retained a desire to remain as INLC under the leadership of a new President, Hansudaya Asher of the Kotpad District of Orissa State. Thus INLC continues to exist and retains faithful core of Lutheran Christians in the Kotpad and Nabarangpur Districts of this Northern Indian State of Orissa.
The Lord has preserved a faithful core of Lutherans as the India National Lutheran Church and this winnowed INLC continues in affiliation with ELCM. Sola Dei Gloria!
NAME: - The name of the society shall be INDIA NATIONAL LUTHERAN CHURCH and here in after referred to as society.
- The registered office of the Society will be for at present located at Senapati Street in Ward No - 14 of Nabarangpur Municipality.
Address for Correspondence:
- President
INDIA NATIONAL LUTHERAN CHURCH,
At - Senapati Street, PO/ Dist- Nabarangpur. (Orissa), INDIA.
- The operational area of the Society shall be the geographical boundary of Nabarangpur district and later through out Orissa & India.
- The aims and objectives of the society shall be to promote Evangelism, Church planting, Support of native Pastors and Missionaries, Leadership, training. Theological education & research, Integrated Rural & Urban Development, water supply, irrigation, agricultural developments, non formal education, medical work, relief aid, orphans & widows care, home for the aged and women's skills training programmes, irrespective of caste, creed, colour or any other consideration.
- This church acknowledges and accepts all the canonical books of the Old and the New Testament as the inspired and revealed word of God, and acknowledges and accepts all the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, to be true and genuine exposition of the doctrines of the Bible. These Symbolical Books are the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostolic, the Nicene, and the Athanasian), the unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the same, the Smalcald Articles, Luther's Large and Small Catechisms, and the Formula of Concord.
- For the better attainment of its objects and purpose this church and its Pastor shall be affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Conference & Ministerium (ELCM), U.S.A. and other similar bodies worldwide.
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i) All baptized children and adults in this Church and all baptized by the Pastors in this Church shall be baptized member of the church.
ii) All adults and children who have been baptized in the name of Triune God, who have been received in to this Church by confirmation, baptism of Adults and / or profession of faith, who by God's grace strive to remain true to their baptismal covenant and therefore, make their diligent use of means of grace; and who lead a Christian life, who submit to this constitution and support the Church, with their means and talents shall be COMMUNICANT MEMBERS of this Church.
iii) All communicant members of this church shall be voting members, entitled to active participation in all church meetings and to vote at all elections.
iv) Church membership shall be terminated by death, joining in other non Lutheran churches & immoral in character.
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(a) All the members of the Church shall form the general body.
(b) All members shall have to right to vote, no proxy vote shall be allowed. One by fifth (1/5th) of the members of minimum 9 members shall form the quorum.
- The annual meeting of the general body shall be held within 9 months of the year and (or) any month convenient to the local Church each year. The Secretary and Treasurer for the approval of the General body shall present the annual report and financial report. A renew of all activities of the Church shall be mode by the President.
(a) The general body will elect executive body.
(b) The society shall have power to add or to amend any of the items of charitable, religious or seculars here in before provided or hereinafter undertaken and have power to change the name and rules and regulation.
(c) The society will organize meeting workshops seminar and training camps for its members and general public for the aforesaid purposes.
(d) Considering other important subjects, if any.
(a) The Church executive body of the church shall consist of nine members, of which eight shall be elected by the general body of the Church, and the ninth shall always be the President, who will be the President of those eight one will be the Secretary and one will be the treasurer and the six are the members.
(b) The President shall preside all the session of the Executive body.
(c) All the decision of the Executive body should be communicated to the church for information.
(d) Vacancy: Whenever a vacancy shall arise in the Executive body, it should be filed by the election by the general body. If the office of the President falls vacant the Secretary of church immediately should inform about its executive committee of the INDIA NATIONAL LUTHERAL CHURCH:-
All the accounts will be audited periodically by an auditor appointed by the General body and yearly statement of the audited accounts will be put up at the time of the annual meeting of the general body.
The President will preside over all the meeting of the general body and the executive body and will direct the Secretary to call such meetings.
He shall keep all records and carry on all correspondence on behalf of the Society.
• Calling the meetings of the General body and the executive body with the advice of the President.
• He will record the minutes of the business meetings from time to time and maintain other records related to his office.
he will keep all the accounts and acquaint the church with the financial conditions of the church from time to time. The balance should be deposited in a Bank where the church has an account. The Executive body has the power to open and operate account in any nationalized bank, in the name of the church to be operated jointly by the President or Treasurer.
• The Society shall raise funds from all possible sources.
• A qualified auditor or chartered accountant shall audit the funds of the society annually.
• The financial year of the society shall be from 1st April to 31st March of each year.
The society may accept the management of any endowment funds or trust funds or subscriptions or donations from national and international agency, churches, charities, bank Government both state and central.
All the church properties should be purchased in the name of the Indian National Lutheran Church any movable property, which is of no use, has to be disposed off. It should be done by the approval of the executive body of the church. The sale proceeds should be deposited in the church account. The president, Secretary and Treasurer shall have transaction on behalf of the church. For the safety immovable properties of the local church, at the time of purchasing, in the deed it should be mentioned for the India National Lutheran Church.
- The following registers should be maintained. - Membership register, bearing names, address & occupations
- Minutes books
- Account book, Cash Book, General ledger & expenditure voucher file.
- Property register
- Birth register & Death register.
- Marriage register (If the pastor holds the marriage license from the Government).
The amendment to the constitution shall be made in consultation with President, The general body meeting of the church and shall require and 3/5 majority vote for adoption.
In the event of dissolution of the church, if the there remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities and property. Whatsoever, the same shall not be paid or distributed among the members of the church, but the same shall remains in the property of INDIA NATIONAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.
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(01) We the undersigned members of the Governing body of the society, do hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of the rules and regulations of the Society
(02) Certified that there is no other society by the name of INDIA NATIONAL LUTHERAN CHURCH.
I. Hansudaya Asha, President
II. Rev. Samuel Sadhu Vice- President
III. Executive Secretary
IV. Teresa Elizabeth Kennedy Treasurer
V. Pastor Subash Chandra Jokshya Ex. Member
VI. Pastor Sudhakar Dukhi Ex. Member
VII. Pastor Obadiah Suna Ex. Member
VIII. Pastor Esmayel Kuso Ex. Member
IX. Rev. Abraham Benya Ex. Member