Baptist Church of Mizoram is a Baptist Christian denomination in India. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Lunglei, Mizoram.
| Baptist Church of Mizoram | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Evangelicalism |
| Orientation | Baptist |
| President | Rev. Dr. C. Vanlaldika |
| General Secretary | Rev. Dr. H. Lalthlamuana |
| Associations | Baptist World Alliance |
| Headquarters | Baptist Church of Mizoram Office, Serkawn, Lunglei, Mizoram, India |
| Origin | 11 January 1894 Mizoram, India |
| Congregations | 663 |
| Members | 122,072 |
| Official website | www |
History
edit
The Baptist Church of Mizoram has its origins in an English Baptist mission established in 1894, by Frederick William Savidge and James Herbert Lorrain of the Baptist Missionary Society.[1] In 1914, the first council of the Church was formed.[2] In 2000, it founded the Academy of Integrated Christian Studies.[3]
According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 663 churches and 122,072 members.[4]
A concise account of Mission Department
editA concise account of the BCM Mission works, as it stands for 46 years (1966 – 2012) from the inception of the BCM Mission Department as the Zoram Baptist Mission, can be made as follows:
Missionary personnel
editZBM started cross-culture missionary work, employing only two full-time missionaries in 1939. Now, (in 2012) BCM Mission Committee has more than 800 mission workers including missionaries.
Mission fields and stations
editBCM Mission Committee has 23 mission fields including mission stations in different parts of India and works in partnership with other mission agencies outside India.
Mission fund
editThe ZBM (as its previous name) had only Rs. 12.50p (Rupees twelve and fifty paisa) in its initial stage. Now the BCM Mission budget of 2012 - 2013 has grown to Rs.11, 79, 78,000.00(Rupees eleven crore seventy-nine lakhs and seventy-eight thousand).
Schools and students
editAt present Mission Committee runs 54 mission schools within and outside Mizoram, of which 10 are High Schools, 5 Middle Schools, 39 Primary Schools and having around 6500 students.
Affiliation
editBCM is a member of the Baptist World Alliance.
Education
editAcademy of Integrated Christian Studies
edit | |
| Established | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Affiliations | Senate of Serampore College (University), Baptist Church of Mizoram |
| Principal | Rev. Dr. Vanlalchhawna Khiangte |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | aics |
Academy of Integrated Christian Studies (AICS) is a Christian college situated in Aizawl, Mizoram, affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University). It was established by the church under the leadership of Dr. R.L. Hnuni in 2000,[5][6] and uses English as an instruction medium.[7] It aims to provides a holistic theological education to baptists of Northeastern India. This institution offers several programs such as Theological Training, Missionary Training, Ministerial Training, Music Training and Research and Development. The institution is located in 'Shekina Hill.
R. L. Hnuni
editR. L. Hnuni is the founding principal of the academy, and an author of theological and feminist works.[5][8] In 2011, Hnuni was recommended by the pastoral committee of the church to become the first ordained female pastor in the state. Gowever, The BCM assembly, then rejected this recommendation in January 2011.[9][10] The women's wing of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod separately passed a resolution supporting her ordination around the same time.[11]
Following a second recommendation, the BCM assembly accepted the proposal, and on 11 March 2012 Hnuni was ordained by Rev. Raltawnga, becoming the first woman ordained by any Christian denomination in Mizoram. However, church leaders indicated she would not be assigned an independent parish as male priests are.[12][13]
Baptist Higher Secondary School (BHSS)
edit
Baptist Higher Secondary School is a school owned by Baptist Church of Mizoram. The school enrolls students for Secondary and Higher Secondary levels. The current Principal of Baptist Higher Secondary School is Pu. C. Lalhmingmuana
The school has three hostels, one for Junior section, the Girls’ hostel and one for the boys. The over all administration is run by the Principal with the help of the two Vice Principals. The over all strength of the staff is around 80 in number. The school's motto is "The Utmost for the Highest".
Baptist Church of Mizoram expanded the school into lower classes including Nursery to Middle Schools by merging with co-existing school called Baptist English School , thus, from 2005 it is known as Baptist Higher Secondary School Junior Section. It enrolls a number of 1,070 students in the 2019-20 Academic Session with 43 Teaching Staffs.
HATIM is the first Christian residential co-educational college in Mizoram, India, and is located in Lunglei.
Nursing College
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ↑ Gerald H. Anderson, Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, USA, 1999, p. 410
- ↑ ToMz, Baptist Church of Mizoram : About & History, timesofmizoram.com, India, June 28, 2017
- ↑ ToMz, Baptist Church of Mizoram : About & History, timesofmizoram.com, India, June 28, 2017
- ↑ Baptist World Alliance, Members, baptistworld.org, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023
- 1 2 Chanchinmawia, F.; Verma, M. K. (2017). "Assessment of information literacy skills among students of academy of integrated christian studies, Aizawl: A survey". International Research: Journal of Library and Information Science. 7 (3): 4.
- ↑ ToMz, Baptist Church of Mizoram : About & History, timesofmizoram.com, India, June 28, 2017
- ↑ "Rebecca Gilmer". The Quad, Princeton Theological Seminary. Princeton Theological Seminary. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ↑ Hnuni, R. L. (April 2004). "Contextualizing Asian Theologies: Women's Perspective". Asia Journal of Theology. 18 (1): 138–145.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ↑ "Church dashes woman pastor dream". The Times of India. 22 January 2011.
- ↑ The Hindu Bureau (12 November 2011). "Mizo church rejects move to ordain women as pastors, elders". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
- ↑ "Mizo Synod nod for woman pastor?". The Times of India. 9 March 2011.
- ↑ "No priesthood for woman theologian in Mizoram". The Assam Tribune. 14 September 2010.
- ↑ "First woman priest for Mizoram". The Times of India. 12 March 2012.
- ↑ "GNM Admission Notice – 2023". mizobaptist.org. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ↑ "Serkawn Christian Hospital Nursing School-a graduate". zonet. Retrieved 13 July 2023.