Believers Eastern Church

Believers Eastern Church
A parish of the Believers Church
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationEastern Protestant
PolityEpiscopal
Metropolitan bishop
Samuel Mor Theophilus[1]
Bishops30 (2017)[2]
Dioceses57
AssociationsKerala Council of Churches[3] and National Council of Churches in India
LiturgyOrthodox Liturgy
HeadquartersSt. Thomas Community, Thiruvalla, Kerala
FounderMoran Mor Athanasius Yohan I Metropolitan
Origin1993
Members3,500,000[citation needed]
Places of worship15000 parishes worldwide
HospitalsBelievers Church Medical College Hospital, Belivers City Clinic, Believers Hospital - Konni
Secondary schoolsBelievers Church Residential School - Thiruvalla, Believers Church Residential School, Believers Church Mahatma Central School, Believers Church English Medium School Alappuzha, Believers Church Vijayagiri Public School, Believers Church Grace Garden School and many other schools
Other name(s)Believers Church (formerly)
Official websitewww.bec.org

Believers Eastern Church (BEC, previously Believers Church) is a church of Indian origin with congregations and parishes worldwide. It follows an episcopal governance and structure.[4] It holds Christ as its head (Col 1:18) and further requires that bishops and ordained ministers submit to its metropolitan and his successors. It is governed by a committee of bishops, the synod, with one central bishop holding the honorary title of "first among equals" and follows Evangelical Christian doctrine.[5] BEC is administratively based in the state of Kerala in southwestern India. The church has 57 dioceses in 14 nations.[6] Its membership consists of more than 3.5 million in 10 countries speaking a hundred languages. It has 30 bishops, and the Metropolitan Bishop is Moran Mor Samuel Theophilus[1][7] who replaced Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan I Metropolitan[8] (formerly known as K. P. Yohannan).

  1. ^ a b "Holy Synod Elects New Metropolitan". Believers Eastern Church. 17 June 2024.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference TH2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "CSI to stiffen stance over believers church's induction into KCC". The New Indian Express. 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  4. ^ "About". Believers Eastern Church. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  5. ^ "History of Believers Eastern Church". Gospel for Asia. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Believers Eastern Church". Believers Eastern Church. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Moran Mor Samuel Theophilus Metropolitan". Believers Eastern Church. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan Metropolitan". Believers Eastern Church.