Church leaders from across India’s church spectrum launched the National Federation of Churches in India (NFCI) on May 8 in response to escalating anti-Christian violence and legal restrictions targeting the Christian community.
The federation was established during the Fourth National Ecumenical Bishops’ Fellowship Meeting at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences. Approximately 45 archbishops, bishops, church heads, and delegates attended, representing Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, Pentecostal, and independent churches.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Vincent Vinod Kumar, Bishop of the Church of South India’s Karnataka Central Diocese, was elected as one of three founding Conveners. Cardinal Anthony Poola, Archbishop of Hyderabad and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), was elected inaugural Chairman. The other Conveners are Archbishop Joseph D’Souza of the Good Shepherd Church in India and Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, Chairman of the CBCI’s Office for Dialogue and Desk for Ecumenism.
Church leaders cited violent attacks on Christians — some reports indicate at least two per day nationwide — alongside anti-conversion laws in several states, efforts to seize church properties, and proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). Leaders also expressed concern about a proposed Christian Welfare and Property Board, which they say would give the government control over church assets.
“Recognizing the urgent need for a united and collective response, Church leaders and representatives resolved to create a national ecumenical platform that would represent the Churches in India with one united voice,” the CBCI stated.
While several national Christian organizations exist in India, including the National Council of Churches in India established in 1914, church leaders said none had achieved full denominational representation or functioned specifically as a platform for bishops and heads of churches. The NFCI is designed to respect each member church’s distinct identity, theology, and governance while providing unified representation.
The federation will present a unified Christian voice to government institutions, address legal and property challenges, strengthen fellowship among church leaders, and advance ecumenical cooperation.
The CBCI described the formation as “a significant step towards Christian unity, a milestone in the ecumenical journey, and a new chapter in the fraternity and solidarity of the Churches in India”.