Church of South India appoints Rev. E Pushpalalitha as its first Woman Bishop

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

29 September 2013
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

CCA congratulates Rev. E Pushpalalitha on her appointment as Bishop of Nandyal Diocese, and the Church of South India for recognizing and honouring the gift of women to serve, inspire and lead.

In a historic decision, the Church of South India [CSI] appointed Rev. E Pushpalalitha as Bishop of its Nandyal Diocese in Andhra Pradesh, South India. She will be consecrated as Bishop on Monday, 30 September 2013. Rev Pushpalalitha who hails from a small village in Kurnool was ordained in the Rayalaseema diocese, and has served several pastorates in Nandyal, besides being the Treasurer of the diocese.

Reacting to the decision she said "I am glad that the supreme authorities of the church chose me but more than that I am glad that the Lord chose me. It is the grace of God and a gift from God. I depend on him to show me the way. Nandyal is a rural diocese and I would work for the spiritual development of the Church."

The CSI began ordaining women as priests in the year 1976. Rev E Pushpalalitha was chosen among three other men candidates short listed by the Selection Board. "It was a unanimous decision," says M M. Philip, the General Secretary of the CSI. “This, he added, "would definitely empower women. While many western churches are debating this issue, the CSI has been leading in revolutionary thinking from women's education to empowerment."

Rev Pushpa Lalitha is single. She earned her BA from Andhra University and BD from the Andhra Christian Theological College in Hyderabad. She was also trained in the UK.

Just last week, Anglicans set history by appointing Rev Pat Storey as the first woman Bishop in the UK and Ireland.

The CSI church has approximately 4.3 million members in 15,000 parishes spread over 22 dioceses in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Sri Lanka.

Photo credit: Internet sources