Church of Bangladesh

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Church of Bangladesh
চার্চ অব বাংলাদেশ
Priests
31
Missionaries
Hospitals2
Nursing homes1
Primary schools44
Tertiary institutions1 (St. Andrew's Theology College, Bangladesh)
Other name(s)CoB
PublicationsKapot (কপোত)
Official websitewww.churchofbangladesh.org
SloganWitnessing Christ

The Church of Bangladesh (

Presbyterian denominations. The Church of Bangladesh is full communion with the Anglican Communion. Also it's a member of World Communion of Reformed Churches
.

The history of the plantation of this united Protestant church is quite old. Presbyterianism and Anglicanism in Bengal became established from the time of British rule in colonial India; since the Anglican Church in England is called the Church of England, the Anglican Church in undivided India was known as the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon, which eventually became the Church of North India, Church of South India and Church of Pakistan; after the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan, the Church of Bangladesh emerged from the Church of Pakistan.

The Church of Bangladesh currently has three dioceses – Dhaka Diocese (Archbishop Samuel Sunil Mankhin), Kushtia Diocese (Bishop Hemen Halder), and Barisal Diocese (Bishop Shourabh Pholia). There are a total of 8 deaneries and 115 parishes under the three dioceses. The population is about 22,000. Membership is diverse, including many different cultures. About half of the total members are from the Garo, Santal, Marma and Chakma ethnic groups of Bangladesh.

History

The Church of Bangladesh came into being as the outcome of the separation of East Bengal province from Pakistan. This started as a movement which focused on language and took shape through the liberation war in 1971, which created an independent Bangladesh. The Synod of the Church of Pakistan on 30 April 1974 declared and endorsed a free and independent status for the Church of Bangladesh. The Church of Bangladesh brings together the Anglican and English Presbyterian Churches.

Following the creation of the Church of Bangladesh, efforts were made to increase local leadership. B. D. Mondal was consecrated as the first national bishop of Dhaka Diocese in 1975. He tried to follow the path of Bishop Blair, by encouraging the active participation of lay leaders from all sections of the church congregations. After the creation of the synod, B. D. Mondal became the first moderator of the Church of Bangladesh and Michael S. Baroi the deputy moderator. At the time of B. D. Mondal's retirement, a new bishop was elected, and

Samuel Mankhin
, enthroned on 5 December 2018.

Dioceses

There are three dioceses in the Church of Bangladesh:

Church of Bangladesh Diocese of Dhaka

Erected in 1956 by dividing the

Moderator of the Synod has usually also been Archbishop of Dhaka Church of Bangladesh.[5]


Church of Bangladesh Diocese of Kushtia

Founded from Dhaka diocese in 1990; the Bishop in Kushtia was ex officio deputy moderator until 2018,[5] when the new bishop in Barisal became deputy moderator (as the second most senior bishop by consecration).

  • Michael S. Baroi (consecrated 30 November 1990, St Peter's
    Ratanpur
    )
  • Paul Shishir Sarkar (consecrated 5 January 2003, Oxford Mission Church)
  • ?–2019: Samuel Sunil Mankhin (consecrated 8 November 2009, St Mary's
    Haluaghat; Moderator since 19 November 2018)[8]
  • 2019–present: Hemen Halder (consecrated 27 January 2019)[9]


Church of Bangladesh Diocese of Barisal

Formed in 2017[10] from Dhaka diocese.[11]

  • 2017–present:
    Khalishpur;[13] installed 18 June;[14] Deputy Moderator since 19 November 2018)[8]

Anglican realignment

The Church of Bangladesh is a member of the

Global South. Former Moderator Paul Sarker attended an Anglican Church in North America meeting on 13–15 May 2017, at Holy Cross Cathedral, in Loganville, Georgia. He and Archbishop Foley Beach, of the ACNA, signed "A Joint Statement on Communion from the Primate of Bangladesh and the Primate of the Anglican Church", to affirm and celebrate the communion between both churches. It was also discussed how both provinces could work together with mission partnerships. The Church of Bangladesh was the first united province of the Anglican Communion to declare full communion with the ACNA.[15][16]

The Church of Bangladesh was not represented at GAFCON III, on 17–22 June 2018, because it took place in Jerusalem, but Samuel Sunil Mankhin attended G19, the additional conference that took place in Dubai, on 25 February – 1 March 2019.[17][18]

References

  1. .
  2. ^ Mankhin, Samuel Sunil (14 January 2020). "Anglican Cycle of Prayer: The Church of Bangladesh". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Member Church - Bangladesh". Anglican Communion. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  4. ISSN 0009-658X
    . Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
  5. ^ a b "Our History". Church of Bangladesh. 2012-01-29. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  6. ISSN 0009-658X
    . Retrieved 24 July 2019 – via UK Press Online archives.
  7. ^ Conger, George (2016-01-03). "Primates of the Anglican Communion - Moderator of the Church of Bangladesh". Anglican Ink © 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  8. ^ a b c "Church of Bangladesh has new Moderator and Deputy Moderator". Church of Bangladesh. 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  9. ^ "Rev. Hemen Halder was consecrated as the new Bishop of Kushtia Diocese". Church of Bangladesh. 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  10. ^ "The First Council of Barisal diocese held". Church of Bangladesh. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  11. ^ "Dhaka Diocese Council 2016 held". Church of Bangladesh. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  12. ^ "Bishop Elected for Barisal Diocese". Church of Bangladesh. 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  13. ^ "Bishop Consecration held" (PDF). Church of Bangladesh Newslatter. January–May 2017.
  14. ^ "Enthronement of Rt. Rev. Shourabh Pholia". Church of Bangladesh. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  15. ^ A Joint Statement on Communion from the Primate of Bangladesh and the Primate of the Anglican Church, ACNA Official Website.
  16. ^ "Moderator in USA with PCUSA" (PDF). Church of Bangladesh Newsletter (Special Issue January-May 2017 ed.). Church of Bangladesh. June 2017. p. 7. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  17. ^ Fuel for Prayer Archived 2019-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, GAFCON Official Website.
  18. ^ Standing with the Suffering, GAFCON Official Website, 1 April 2019.

External links