Diocese of Rayalaseema of the Church of South India CSI

Following a resolution of the synod of the church of south India passed in January 1950, the Deputy Moderator, on July 16, 1950 declared in Kamalapuram that the dioceses of Anantapur, Kurnool and Cuddapah, which had been formed at the time of the inauguration of the church of South India, were in future to be one diocese to be known as the Rayalaseema Diocese. This necessitated the acceptance of a constitution for the new diocese, and a draft constitution which had been provisionally drawn up was accepted at a meeting of the Diocesan Council of the Rayalaseema Diocese held on July 17, 1950.

Since that time certain developments have taken place, especially with regard to the handing over to the Diocese of work which had hitherto been carried on by the Telugu combined committee of the London Missionary Society and the Arcot Coordinating Committee of the American Arcot Mission. The Diocese having accepted responsibility for this work, the constitution of the Rayalaseema Diocese passed on July 17, 1950, needed revision in order to include within its scope the new work. The subjoined constitution, which was passed by the Rayalaseema Diocesan Council at its meeting in October 1953, superceding the one passed in July 1950 and in force from April 1, 1954, has been further revised at meetings of the Rayalaseema Diocesan Council in October 1957, October 1961 and December 1967.

The present printing (December 2003) incorporates all amendments passed by Diocesan Councils and clarifications made by the Central Board to date. This also incorporates the synod Revised Constitution as per the resolution of the Synod Executive Committee dated 25th November 2002 and it was adopted in the Special Diocesan Council November 2003.