Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church

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Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg
Silver bust of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg in Tranquebar.
Golden bust of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg behind the school square to the right of the Tranquebar high school.
Monument of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg in Tranquebar.
The golden monument of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg in Tranquebar.
Portrait of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg on the monument in Tranquebar.
Grave slab of Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg in Tranquebar.
Monument on Tranquebar Beach.
Original steel engraving by Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg from a mission report from 1715.

Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) is the name of the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tamil Nadu , South India. The TELC was founded in 1919 in the tradition of the Leipziger Missionswerk and the Swedish Lutheran Mission "Church of Sweden Mission (CSM)". It achieved full independence in 1950 when it took over responsibility for the church institutions (mission stations, schools, boarding schools and hospitals) in Tamil Nadu from the Leipzig Mission and the Swedish Lutheran Mission "Church of Sweden Mission (CSM)".

The birth of the TELC and its striving for complete independence

Mission stations in Tamil Nadu
Mission stations of the Leipzig Mission in Tamil Nadu in 1914 shortly before the founding of the TELC. Please zoom in on the right sign and tap on the resulting cards twice.

In 1706 the Germans Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütschau were the first Lutheran missionaries to bring the Evangelical Lutheran faith to Tamil Nadu. In the Indian coastal town of Tranquebar acquired by the Danes , they began Lutheran missionary work in the service of the Danish-Halle Mission . Through the work of Lutheran missionaries from the Danish-Halle Mission , the Leipzig Mission and the Swedish mission organization "Church of Sweden Mission (CSM)", which was established in partnership with this work, numerous grew within 213 years in the vicinity of Lutheran mission stations, especially in the center of Tamil Nadu Parishes and ecclesiastical institutions that were under the direction of the senior of the Leipzig Mission.

The leading senior had the task of representing the interests of the Leipzig Mission towards the missionaries and the members and leaders of the emerging Lutheran Church in Tamil Nadu. This is what the title senior meant . By 1901 the meaning of the word senior expanded. The senior became chairman of the mission council, which looked after the interests of the Leipzig mission in Tamil Nadu. He was given priestly functions. In 1901 he also received the title provost . He was also President of the "Synod" of Missionaries.

On January 14, 1919, the Lutheran parishes in Tamil Nadu declared their independence at the Synod of Tanjore vis-à-vis the "Leipzig Mission" and the "Church of Sweden Mission" and founded the "Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC)". From 1921 they placed their newly founded church under the direction of their first Swedish and later Indian bishops of Tranquebar .

With this the two mission organizations "Leipziger Mission" and "Church of Sweden Mission" lost their competence and their responsibility for the church congregations they founded and now reallocated. Until 1950, the two mission agencies in the TELC area only had the management and administration of the church institutions they had set up in Tamil Nadu (for example mission stations, schools, boarding schools and hospitals). In 1950 the TELC also took over the management and administration of these church institutions. The only task left for the two mission societies was to pay the subsidies for the TELC and a voting right with which they could only accompany TELC decisions in an advisory capacity.

Christianity in India
Among the Indian population of 1,210 million people (2011) are 81.3% Hindus, 12% Muslim, 2.3% (25 million) Christians, of which around 8.7 million are Evangelicals and 1.3 million Lutherans. Please enlarge to original size at the right sign.

After the outbreak of World War I , the German missionaries were interned by the English colonial rulers and brought back to Germany in 1918. From 1914 until the dispatch of the missionary Paul Gäbler in 1925, there were no missionaries of the Leipzig Mission in Tamil Nadu. Like the other German mission organizations, the Leipziger Missionswerk had subsidized the payment of salaries to the Lutheran congregations and church institutions in Tamil Nadu until 1914. From 1914 on, the German mission organizations were unable to transfer money to India due to the decline in donations and salary payments in Germany, the war-related money export bans, post-war inflation in Germany and the global economic crisis . Other Lutheran mission organizations had to take over the outstanding payments from the German mission organizations. The American "United Lutheran Church of America (ULKA)" paid more than 100,000 US dollars annually and the Swedish "Church of Sweden Mission" paid a total of around 1,300,000 US dollars in the nine years from 1914 to 1922 alone, but had to take over the subsidies of the various German mission organizations for the TELC and the salaries of newly sent German missionaries for many years until the Second World War ended the work of the German missionaries in India and until the TELC would at some point fully finance their expenses, which not even in 1981 was foreseeable.

The TELC strived for full independence and in 1950 also took responsibility for the church institutions in Tamil Nadu. All church and missionary activities were subordinated to the Church Council of the TELC. Subsequently, the Leipzig Mission and the Church of Sweden Mission (CSM) only had an advisory vote on the decisions of the now independent "Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC)".

The independence of TELC

Since the independence of the TELC, the work of the bishops and the church leadership has been endangered by internal uprisings, so that the continued existence of the TELC could only be secured by state court decisions. Such a situation arose in 2017, for example, so that the TELC had to be "administratively managed by an administrator appointed by a court decision".

In 2011 the TELC had 105,773 parishioners in 110 parishes. TELC is based in PO Box 86 Tranquebar House, Trichynopoly , Tamilnadu, India 620 001.

Training centers of the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church

Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church, election poster, Tranquebar, India
  • Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute, Chennai teaches in English .
  • Tamilnadu Theological Seminary (TTS), Madurai trains in the Tamil language .
  • United Theological College (UTC), Bangalore teaches in English .
  • Senate of Serampore College, Calcutta.

Memberships

Major churches of the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church

Tranquebar Mission Station
The New Jerusalem Church was built in Tranquebar between 1707 and 1718. Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg is buried in her cemetery.
The Zionskirche in Tranquebar in 1922. It was built in 1701 by Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg.
  • TELC HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL, Trichynopoly .
  • TELC Adiaikalanathar Church
  • TELC Christ Church, Thiruvotriyur , Chennai -600019
  • TELC Arulnathar Church, Kilpauk, Chennai
  • TELC Anbunathar Church, Annanagar, Chennai
  • TELC Holy Redeemer's Church, Madurai
  • TELC Emmanuel Church, Mayiladuthurai
  • TELC New Jerusalem Church, Tranquebar
  • TELC Zion Church, Trichynopoly .
  • TELC Christ Church, Anaimalai.
  • TELC World Savior Church-Uluthukkupai, Mayiladuthurai
  • TELC Pavanasar Lutheran Church - Bangalore .
  • TELC goat bellows Jubilee Church - Sirkali
  • TELC St Paul's Church, Sengaraiyur
  • TELC World Savior Church, Pollachi
  • TELC Bethlehem Church, (TBML College) Porayar
  • TELC Arulnathar Church, Tirukattupalli Trichynopoly .
  • TELC Saint John Church, Trichynopoly

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hugald Grafe: "Church under Dalits, Adivasi and caste people in South India. The Indian partner churches of the Lutheran churches in Lower Saxony. Becoming and growing." Publishing house Dr. W. Hopf, Berlin 2013. Pages 164-165.
  2. ↑ Source: Hugald Grafe (Ed.): Evangelical Church in India. Information and insights. Verlag der Ev.-luth. Mission Erlangen. Erlangen 1981. Page 183.
  3. ^ Kurt Schmidt-Clausen: From the Lutheran World Convention to the Lutheran World Federation . History of the Lutheran World Convention (1923–1947). Pages 80–81.
  4. ↑ Source: "Church worldwide", bulletin of the Leipziger Missionswerk 2/2017, page 21: "Decisions in the TELC".
  5. ↑ GLTC site . Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  6. ↑ TTS site . Retrieved on March 9, 2016.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / ttsarasaradi.org  
  7. ↑ UTC site . Retrieved March 9, 2016.

literature

Publications of the Leipziger Missionswerk during the creation of the TELC

  • Annual report of the Evangelical Mission Association in Leipzig. Evangelischer Missions-Verein Leipzig, Leipzig 1821-1901 (published: [1.] 1821; 2.1822 - 83.1902 [?]).
  • Advertising paper for the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Society in Dresden. Supplement to: Pilgrims from Saxony. Dresden October 1, 1836 to the end of 1838.
  • Dresden Mission News. Ed .: Evangelical Lutheran Mission Society in Dresden. Naumann, Dresden 1839-1840.
  • Mission messages of the Ev.-Luth. Mission Society to Dresden. Ed .: Evangelical Lutheran Mission Society in Dresden. Dresden: Naumann, 1841-1845.
  • Evangelical Lutheran Mission Journal. Ed .: Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Leipzig. Dresden 1846-1847 and Leipzig 1848-1941. After that, the publication was discontinued. From 1892 in: Annual report of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Leipzig.
  • Annual report of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Leipzig. Leipzig 31.1849 / 50 - 109.1927 (1928) (verified). From 74.1892 also in: Evangelical-Lutheran mission sheet . Then: The work of the Leipzig Mission. Annual report. Leipzig 110.1928 (1929) - 122.1940 / 41. Then: From the service of the Leipzig Mission (issues not proven).
  • Leaves for mission. A people's mission sheet of the Leipzig Mission. Published by the Saxon Main Mission Association and the Mission Conference in Saxony. Published: Dresden 1863-1939, date of publication: [1.] 1863/64 - 77.1939. Hanover issue 1940-1940 (date of publication 1.1940 - 2.1941 [?]).
  • Collection of missionary writings . Verlag der Evang.-Luth. Mission, Leipzig (volumes 1–12 verified) 1888 to 1901.
  • Report for the women's aid associations of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Leipzig Leipzig 1.1896 - 11.1906 [?], Later: Annual report for the women's aid associations of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Leipzig 14.1909 (?) - 25.1919 (verified).
  • Leipzig Mission Studies. New episode 1-7, Verlag der Evang.-Luth. Mission, Leipzig 1928-1934.
  • From the past and present of the Leipzig Mission. Series with 10 brochures (verified). Verlag der Evang.-Luth. Mission, Leipzig 1936.

Secondary literature

Altar from 1913
Altar with the crucifixion group in the prayer room of the mission house in Leipzig. Please click on the picture. Then the explanation of the picture appears.
  • Richard Handmann: The Evangelical Lutheran Tamulen Mission in the time of its re-establishment , JC Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung, Leipzig 1903.
  • Ulrich Gäbler: * “A missionary life”. Hermann Gäbler and the Leipzig Mission in South India (1891-1916) . Evangelische Verlagsanstalt GmbH, Leipzig 2018.
  • Paul Fleisch: Hundred Years of Lutheran Mission Leipzig, Verl. D. Evangelical Lutheran Mission, 1936
  • Carl Ihmels: A Tamulenkirche is being built. (From the past and present of the Leipzig Mission; H. 7) Leipzig: Verl. D. Evangelical Lutheran Mission, 1936.
  • W. Hellinger: The Leipzig Evangelical-Lutheran Mission. In: CH Swavely (ed.): The Lutheran Enterprise in India. Madras, Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (FELCI) 1952, 15–31.
  • Hugald Grafe (Hg): Evangelical Church in India. Information and insights. Erlanger pocket books volume 51. Verlag der Ev.-Luth. Mission, Erlangen 1981.
  • Niels-Peter Moritzen: God's tool in the world: Leipziger Mission 1836-1936-1986 , Verlag der Ev.-Luth. Mission, Erlangen 1986.
  • Ponniah Manoharan: Warungal. The Indian Tamulenkirche invites you. Verlag der Ev.-luth. Mission, Erlangen 1986.
  • One hundred and fifty years of the Leipzig mission. God's tool for them. World. Documentation. Erlangen: Verl. D. Ev.-Luth. Mission, 1987
  • Hugald Grafe: The History of Christianity in Tamilnadu from 1800 to 1975. Erlangen 1990. (Erlanger Monographs from Mission and Ecumenism; 9).
  • CS Mohanavelu: German Tamilology. German contributions to Tamil language, literature and culture during the period 1706-1945. Madras 1993.
  • Andreas Nehring: Orientalism and Mission. The representation of Tamil society and religion by Leipzig missionaries 1840-1940 , (Studies on the history of Christianity outside of Europe; Vol. 7) Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2003.
  • Erika Pabst (ed.): Sources of the India Mission 1700–1918 in archives of the German-speaking area. Halle Source Publications and Repertories 9. Halle 2005.
  • Roland Sckerl: Tranquebar. Pictures from the first hundred years of Lutheran missions in India. Three short biographies based on old reports. Durmersheim, 2006.
  • Eva-Maria Siebert Johnson: Praise God with hymns and words, with bow songs and sermons. , Leipziger Missionswerk , lecture in Leipzig on June 30, 2012.
  • Hugald Grafe: Church under Dalits, Adivasi and caste people in South India. The Indian partner churches of the Lutheran churches in Lower Saxony. Becoming and growing. Sources and contributions to the history of the Hermannsburg Mission and the Evangelical Lutheran. Missionswerkes in Niedersachsen Vol. 22. LIT Verlag Dr. W. Hopf, Berlin 2013.
  • Ponniah Manoharan: Work of the ELM in India. December 3, 2003, accessed February 25, 2016.

Web links

Commons : Bishops of Tranquebar  - Collection of images, videos and audio files