Mongkeydyoyo88 at 13:12, 26 July 2025

2025-07-26T13:12:57Z

imported>GünniX: brackets fixed; duplicate references

2021-06-22T18:58:15Z

brackets fixed; duplicate references

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
| icon =
| icon_width =
| icon_alt =
| name = The Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image =
| image width =
| alt =
| caption =
| abbreviation = STBC
| type =
| main_classification = [[Protestant]]
| orientation = [[Evangelical]]
| scripture = [[Bible]]
| theology =
| polity =[[Congregational]]
| governance = General Council
| structure = Field Associations, Regional Associations, General Council, Executive Committee of the General Council, Board of Education, Board of Medical Work, Board on Life and Work of the Church, Samavesam Property Committee, SEDP Committee, Programme Committee, Registration Committee, Nomination Committee, Elected Officers, Appointed Officers
| leader_title = General Secretary
| leader_name = Rev. Dr. J.M. Franklin
| leader_title1 = Associate Secretary
| leader_name1 = G. Judson Mathew
| leader_title2 = Director for Evangelism
| leader_name2 = Rev. J. Yesurathnam
| leader_title3 = G.D.D. Diwakar
| leader_name3 = Functional Advisor
| fellowships_type =
| fellowships =
| fellowships_type1 =
| fellowships1 =
| division_type =
| division =
| division_type1 =
| division1 =
| division_type2 =
| division2 =
| division_type3 =
| division3 =
| associations = {{unbulleted list | Southern Association{{efn|[[Chennai]], [[Nellore]], [[Atmakur, Nellore district|Nellore]], [[Udayagiri, Andhra Pradesh|Udayagiri]], [[Allur, Nellore district|Allur]], [[Kavali]], [[Ramayapatnam]].}}<ref name="Quench">K. J. W. Jayakumar (Compiled), ''The Lights That Never Quench - Baptist Missionaries'', Self published by the author, Nellore, 2008, p.132.</ref> | Central Association{{efn|[[Ongole]], [[Addanki]], [[Donakonda]], [[Podili]], [[Kanigiri]], [[Kandukur]].}}<ref name="Quench"/> | Northern Association{{efn|[[Guntur]], [[Bapatla]], [[Vijayawada]], [[Madhira]], [[Sattenapalli]], [[Narasaraopet]], [[Gurazala]], [[Vinukonda]].}}<ref name="Quench"/> | Western Association{{efn|[[Kurnool]], [[Nandyal]], [[Cumbum, Andhra Pradesh|Cumbum]], [[Markapur]].}}<ref name="Quench"/> | Deccan Association{{efn|[[Secunderabad]], [[Jangaon]], [[Suryapet]], [[Nalgonda]], [[Hanumakonda]].}}<ref name="Quench"/>}}
| area = [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Telangana]]
| language =[[Telugu language|Telugu]]
| headquarters =C.A.M. High School Compound, [[Nellore]], [[Andhra Pradesh]]
| origin_link =
| founder = [[American Baptist Foreign Mission Society]]
| founded_date =
| founded_place =
| separated_from =
| parent =
| merger =
| absorbed =
| separations =
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| defunct =
| congregations_type =
| congregations = 1,214
| members = 844,150
| ministers_type =
| ministers = Rev. Dr. J.M. Franklin, General Secretary-Mr. G. Judson Mathew, Associate Secretary-Mr. T. Jagath Kumar, Treasurer-Mr. Chilaka Solomon Raju, Director, SEDP-Rev. J. Yesurathnam, Director for Evangelism-Rev. M. Kshetrapal, Promotional Secretary-Mr. P. Krupa Rao, Educational Secretary
| missionaries =
| churches =
| hospitals =
| nursing_homes =
| aid =
| primary_schools = 14
| secondary_schools = 14
| tax_status =
| tertiary =
| other_names =
| publications =
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| slogan =
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| footnotes =
}}
{{Baptist}}
'''Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches''' ('''STBC''') is a [[Baptist]] [[Christian denomination]] in the three states of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Telangana]] and [[Tamil Nadu]] in [[India]]. The churches are part of the [[Telugu Christian]] community of Southern India. Its language is [[Telugu language|Telugu]]. It is affiliated to the [[Baptist World Alliance]] (BWA),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bwanet.org/about-us2/statistics |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031232323/http://bwanet.org/about-us2/statistics |archive-date=2013-10-31 }}</ref> the [[National Council of Churches in India]] (NCCI) [[World Council of Churches]] (WCC) and Christian Conference of Asia. The Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches today consists of 3,680 churches and 10,50,000 baptized members.

== History ==
[[American Baptists]] started missionary work in South India among Telugu-speaking people in 1836. In February 1840, Samuel Day along with his family moved to Nellore and rented a small bungalow to start his work. In March 1840, one more missionary couple, Van Husen and his wife, joined them and with the help of a local British judge, Mr. Walker, they got some eight acres of land for a mission compound where a bungalow and a chapel were immediately erected on this land by 1841. On September 27th, 1840, the first Telugu person Venkappa was baptised in the Penna river near Nellore. The Nellore church was formally organized in 1844 with 8 members including two missionary couples, two other Americans and only two local person. The first local person to be ordained as a priest by the mission was Kanakiah who was from the Naidu caste and a native of Visakhapatnam. In 1855 when he was eighteen years old he took baptism and in 1860 he became the first ordained native pastor of the Nellore church.
<ref>{{cite web|URL=https://telugubaptisthistory.weebly.com/reaching-out-to-telugu-people.html |title=Telugu Baptist History |website=https://telugubaptisthistory.weebly.com/}}</ref>

In 1887 the existing churches were organized into the Convention of Telugu Baptist Churches. In 1962 the convention became the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches, with a unanimously adopted constitution. It was registered in 1963. The Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches would have 1,214 churches and 844,150 baptized members.<ref name="oikoumene.org">[https://www.oikoumene.org/member-churches/samavesam-of-telugu-baptist-churches Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches], oikoumene.org, retrieved May 8, 2021</ref>

== Activities ==
Evangelism and the development of Christianity in Andhra Pradesh, [[Telangana]] and [[Tamil Nadu]] States are at the heart of the STBC. It runs educational institutions, hospitals, health centres and one theological seminary, in Ramapatnam. There are five degree colleges, eight junior colleges, 14 high schools and 14 primary schools. The STBC would have 4,500 Sunday schools with an enrollment of some 72,000 children.<ref name="oikoumene.org"/>

The STBC strongly favours interdenominational cooperation through the regional Councils of Churches in [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Telangana]], [[Tamil Nadu]] and the [[National Council of Churches in India]] (NCCI). It participates actively in the programme of retreat and training centres of the Councils of Churches, for the training of voluntary church workers. It is involved in the work of the Henry Martin Institute of Islamic Studies in Hyderabad and the Christian Medical College in Vellore. It supports the Student Christian Movement and the United Mission Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Arogyavaram.

== Theological college ==
The STBC train Pastors to work in its affiliated Churches through Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary, Ramayapatnam, Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh. The [[Andhra Christian Theological College]] is an interdenominational theological college at Hyderabad is affiliated with the [[Serampore University]], Kolkata.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal
| author=A. John Prabhakar
| title=Preaching Contextually: A Case with Rural Dalits in India
| year=2016
}}
* {{cite journal
| author=Ch. Vijaya Kumar
| title=Educational services of the American Baptist Telugu Missionaries in Andhra Pradesh (International Journal of Multidisciplinary Educational Research)
| year=2016
| volume=5
| issue=1(3)
| issn=2277-7881
}}
* {{cite journal
| author=T. Punnaiah
| title=My Memoir, Ministry and Message
| year=2010
}}
* {{cite journal
| author=K. J. W. Jayakumar (Compiled)
| title=The Lights That Never Quench - Baptist Missionaries
| year=2008
}}
* {{cite journal
| author=[[Ravela Joseph|R. Joseph]]
| title=A History of the Telugu Baptist Churches ([[American Baptist Mission]])
| year=2003
}}
* {{cite journal
| author=[[Ravela Joseph|R. Joseph]], [[Suneel Bhanu|B. Suneel Bhanu]] (Compiled)
| title=Bibliography of Original Christian Writings in India in Telugu
| year=1993
}}
* {{cite journal
| author=American Baptist Historical Society
| title=Foundations: A Baptist Journal of History and Theology
| year=1968
| volume=11-12
}}
* {{cite journal
| author=David Downie
| title=The Lone Star: A History of the Telugu Mission of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society
| year=1924
}}

{{Churches in India}}

[[Category:Baptist Christianity in India]]
[[Category:Christianity in Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Members of the World Council of Churches]]
[[Category:Baptist denominations in Asia]]
[[Category:Affiliated institutions of the National Council of Churches in India]]

Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches - Revision history

Mongkeydyoyo88 at 13:12, 26 July 2025

imported>GünniX: brackets fixed; duplicate references