The CSI Synod
One church of 26 dioceses, and the council that holds them together.
- Formed 27 September 1947
- 26 dioceses
- About four million members
How three traditions became one church
On 27 September 1947, at St George's Cathedral, Madras, Anglicans, Methodists and the churches of the South India United Church became the Church of South India: the first union anywhere of churches with bishops and churches without. Two more streams joined later. Choose one to follow it.
- 1919Talks towards one church begin at Tranquebar (Tharangambadi), on our own coast.
- 1947The Church of South India is inaugurated at St George's Cathedral, Madras, on 27 September, with fourteen dioceses.
- 1972The Synod adopts the emblem: the cross, the lotus and the flames.
- 2013The Rt. Rev. Eggoni Pushpa Lalitha, Bishop in Nandyal, becomes the Church's first woman bishop.
- 2026Eighty years: the 80th Formation Day is kept at the Synod Centre, Chennai, on the theme “Journey of Faith: Affirming Hope and Justice”.
Those who lead the Synod
The Moderator presides over the Synod and leads the whole Church of South India; the Deputy Moderator stands beside him. The General Secretary and the Treasurer carry its daily work from the Synod Centre in Chennai.
ModeratorThe Most Rev. Dr. K. Reuben MarkBishop in Karimnagar Bishop in Karimnagar since 2015. Elected Moderator at a special session of the Synod on 21 July 2025, after serving as Deputy Moderator.
Deputy ModeratorThe Rt. Rev. V. S. FrancisBishop in East Kerala Bishop in East Kerala since 2019. Installed as Deputy Moderator on 22 December 2025.
General SecretaryAdv. C. Fernandas Rathina RajaMadurai-Ramnad Diocese Formerly Registrar of the Madurai-Ramnad Diocese. First elected in January 2020 at the 36th Synod, held here in Tiruchirappalli.
Honorary TreasurerProf. Dr. B. Vimal SukumarMedak Diocese From the Medak Diocese. First elected in January 2020 at the 36th Synod, held here in Tiruchirappalli.
Portraits courtesy of the CSI Synod. As listed by the Synod on 13 October 2026.
Bishops, presbyters and lay people, governing together
The Church of South India joins the episcopal and the synodical: every diocese has its bishop, and the whole Church is governed by a Synod in which clergy and lay people sit with the bishops.
- Every three yearsThe SynodThe Church's governing assembly: bishops, presbyters and lay people from every diocese. It meets in ordinary session every three years.
- At least twice a yearThe Executive CommitteeCarries the Synod's work between sessions, with the bishops and the diocesan representatives.
- Elected by the SynodThe OfficersThe Moderator, the Deputy Moderator, the General Secretary and the Treasurer. Only a bishop may be Moderator or Deputy Moderator.
The Synod’s 15 departments
The Church-wide work that the Diocese’s own departments and committees share, from children and schools to ecology and Dalit and Adivasi concerns.
- Board of Child Care
- Board of Education Ministry
- Board of Healing Ministry
- Christian Education
- Communication
- CSI EMS
- CSI Order of Sisters
- CSI SEVA
- Dalit and Adivasi Concerns
- Ecological Concerns
- KORIND Mission
- Mission and Evangelism
- Pastoral Concerns
- Women's Fellowship
- Youth
One church, from Kanyakumari to Dallas
Fourteen dioceses at the union; twenty-six today, across five states of South India, the north of Sri Lanka, and the Diaspora Diocese of North America, which held its first council in 2026.
Tamil Nadu9
- Coimbatore
- Erode-Salem
- Kanyakumari
- Madras
- Madurai-Ramnad
- Thoothukudi-Nazareth
- Tirunelveli
- Trichy-Tanjoreours
- Vellore
Kerala6
- Cochin
- East Kerala
- Kollam-Kottarakkara
- Madhya Kerala
- Malabar
- South Kerala
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana6
- Dornakal
- Karimnagar
- Krishna-Godavari
- Medak
- Nandyal
- Rayalaseema
Karnataka3
- Karnataka Central
- Karnataka Northern
- Karnataka Southern
Sri Lanka1
- Jaffna
North America1
- Diaspora
Here from the first day
The Tiruchirappalli–Thanjavur Diocese was there at the union, has given the Church a Moderator and a Deputy Moderator, and has welcomed the Synod to Tiruchirappalli four times.
- 1947
One of the fourteen dioceses at the Church's birth. Its first Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Edgar Bentley Thorp, was consecrated at the inauguration itself.
- 1956
The Synod meets in Tiruchirappalli, the first of four sessions held here (1956, 1976, 1994, 2020).
- 1980
Bishop Solomon Doraisawmy, the Diocese's first Indian Bishop, is elected Moderator of the Church of South India (1980–1982).
- 1994
Bishop R. Paulraj is elected Deputy Moderator (1994–1996).
- 2020
The 36th Synod meets at Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli, and elects the present General Secretary and Treasurer.
“That they all may be one”
The Church's prayer, from John 17:21, is written around its emblem, and around our Diocese's crest too.
- The cross
- Four equal arms, for equality and harmony among all people.
- The lotus
- Born in the mud and opening to the sun: a church rooted in Indian soil, depending on the grace of God.
- The flames
- Tongues of the Holy Spirit, woven through the petals and the arms of the cross.
- The words
- “That they all may be one”, around the whole: a prayer for unity, reaching beyond the Church.
Red for life, purple for devotion and the Church, white for purity. Designed by Prof. J. Vasanthan and adopted by the Synod in 1972. It is the Synod's registered emblem, shown here unaltered.
Our Diocese’s crestA united church, and a uniting one
Because it carries several traditions, the Church of South India belongs to the world families of each of them.
- The Anglican Communion
A member province, as the Church of South India (United).
- World Communion of Reformed Churches
Through its Presbyterian, Congregational and Reformed heritage.
- World Methodist Council
Through its Methodist heritage.
- World Council of Churches
A member since the Council's first assembly in 1948.
- Council for World Mission
A member church.
- The Communion of Churches in India
With the Church of North India and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, since 2003.
- National Council of Churches in India
And the Christian Conference of Asia.
- The CSI Synod CentreNo. 5, Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai 600 014+91 44 2852 1566csisynod@gmail.comcsi1947.com
From the Synod’s own website and the World Council of Churches, checked on 13 October 2026.