Worship is central to the life of the Church. We have a rich variety of forms of worship through which we hear the Word of God read and preached and we receive the sacraments. The Anglican Church of South India in its corporate worship makes use of The Book of Common Prayer, which was originally published in 1549 and has subsequently been revised on four occasions, most recently in 2006. Our most common forms of worship are the Holy Communion (or Eucharist) and Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Holy Communion is the central act of worship of the Church. We warmly invite all communicant members of Christian churches to join us at the Lord’s Table.
A personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the heart of the Christian faith. Men and women are created in the image of God yet separated from Him by our rebellion against Him. In His unconditional love for us, God entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ – fully human and fully divine – to give a new life through the cross which reconciles us to God. Thereafter we begin a new life with Jesus as Lord which continues into eternity as He has conquered death through His resurrection. The Apostles’ Creed affirms our belief in God as Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and that Christ was born to the Virgin Mary, died and rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will come again. We have the privilege and opportunity to approach God in prayer and to receive His teaching through the Bible. The Anglican Church of South India has two sacraments – Baptism and Holy Communion (also known as the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist) – which are outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace given to us by God, and also a means to receive that grace. Holy Communion strengthens and refreshes the souls of those who receive it by faith.
Local clergy are always happy to discuss infant and adult baptisms. A service of baptism will usually take place as part of regular worship on a Sunday morning. The Anglican Church of South India recognises baptism by water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit by other Christian traditions. Therefore the Church will not rebaptise a person who has previously been baptised. Similarly, baptism in The Anglican Church of South India is regarded as equivalent to a baptism in many other Christian traditions. With the baptism of children, it is desirable that parents are sponsors for their own children. Parents will often choose godparents with whom they will share the responsibility for bringing up a child in the Christian faith. Sponsors and godparents must be baptised Christians and at least two must be members of the Anglican Church or a denomination in communion with the Anglican Church.
Planning your wedding day is an exciting time in your life: many congratulations! If you are thinking of getting married in The Anglican Church of South India, the best place to start is by contacting your local clergyperson in your local church. Marriage in church is governed by the law of the land, as well as by the liturgy and rules of the Church of ACSI. For example, one of the partners seeking marriage must be baptized, and one of you must be a member of the Church of ACSI or of a Church in full communion with the Church of ACSI, unless, in exceptional circumstances, a Bishop gives permission. Similarly, a marriage must take place in a church building, unless a Bishop gives permission, again in exceptional circumstances, for it to take place somewhere else. In all instances, you will need to contact the local clergyperson of the church in which you hope to get married. You will then be able to have a conversation about marriage. You should check with the local church and clergy to see if they are free before making a firm booking for your wedding reception venue. Responsibility for dealing with all of the civil requirements necessary to get married rests with you, the couple. Where one of you is divorced (or both of you are) marriage in church may still be possible. Your local clergyperson will explain the process to you, and he or she has to seek the opinion of the local Bishop.
Vocation means what you are called by God to be and do. For some, this is a specific calling to ministry. For others, it can mean serving God through faithful discipleship in everyday life. God calls each of us to different tasks. He gave some to be ‘apostles, some to be prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and some teachers.’ Ephesians 4: 11. Vocation isn’t just about being ordained – ordination is not for everyone. Indeed, many of the Church’s ministers are not ordained. Youth and children’s ministers, evangelists, readers and many chaplains are generally not ordained, and are collectively known as lay ministers who serve alongside the ordained. While the Church is keen to foster vocations to the ordained ministry, there are many ways in which to serve the Church. If you are wondering what God wants you to do with your life and are keen to explore further the various stages in discerning your call, you will find it helpful to speak with your Rector or local Diocesan Director of Ordinands. They can encourage you, as you prayerfully discern what area of ministry God is calling you to.
PREAMBLE AND DECLARATION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL SYNOD IN THE YEAR 2006 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen: We, the Archbishop and Bishops of this the Ancient Catholic and Apostolic Church of ACSI, together with the representatives of the clergy and laity of the same, in General Synod assembled in Chennai in the year of our Lord God Two thousand and Six, before entering on this work, do solemnly declare as follows: 1. The Church of ACSI doth, as heretofore, accept and unfeignedly believe all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as given by inspiration of God, and containing all things necessary to salvation; and doth continue to profess the faith of Christ as professed by the Primitive Church. 2. The ACSI Church will continue to minister the doctrine, and sacraments, and the discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded; and will maintain inviolate the three orders of Bishops, Priests or Presbyters, and Deacons in the sacred ministry. 3. The ACSI Church receive and approve The Book of the Articles of Religion, commonly called the Thirty-nine Articles, received and approved by the Archbishop and Bishops and the rest of the Clergy. The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. The Anglican Church of South India will maintain communion with the sister Church of England.
WHAT WE
We are disciples of Jesus Christ, worshippers of God the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and subscribers to the Creeds of the early Church.
In keeping with Anglican theology, our beliefs and practices derive from Scripture, reason and tradition. We are Catholic in holding all the Christian faith in its fullness and being part of the one worldwide Church of God. We are Reformed in believing that the Church’s life should be aligned with Scripture and that the Church should only require its members to believe those doctrines to which Scripture bears witness.
We are disciples of Jesus Christ, worshippers of God the Holy Trinity and subscribers to the Creeds of the early Church.
The Anglican Church of South India is a member Church of the Anglican Communion of Churches in India, a family of independent Churches in full communion with each other and with the See of Canterbury.
We rejoice in the progress on unity made by the ecumenical movement and we seek to remove obstacles to full communion between Christians and to gain from the insight and experience of others.We provide a context in which people of diverse views on theology and liturgy can live and worship together.
We regard worship as a priority for every Christian. In particular, we see the Holy Communion (the Eucharist) as the main way in which church members celebrate their love for God and for each other and become renewed as the Body of Christ for mission and service.
We regard worship as a priority for every Christian.
The Book of Common Prayer is a source of unity within the Church and an expression of a liturgical language, traditional and modern, which over the years has captivated people by its beauty and spiritual power. We see a direct relationship between the language of common prayer and the language of doctrine: the words that church members themselves pray and own become the expression of what the Church itself believes.
We affirm the ancient three–fold ministry of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. The ordained ministry serves the whole people of God, to facilitate and encourage its members in their worship, and to enable each of them to identify their own particular ministry as baptised Christians.Sign up to hear from us about Special Meetings, Prayers, and Events.
