Objectives of the Parish

1. To profess, practice, preach, teach, and propagate the Christian Faith and Gospel to the community of Believers and others, as enumerated in the objectives of the STECI Constitution as follows:

a. Guard the Sound Doctrine

Contend for the Faith

We are called to earnestly contend for the most holy faith once delivered unto the saints, as revealed in the Scriptures (Jude 3, 20). This faith is not a human invention but a divine trust, handed down through the apostles and preserved in the Word of God.

The Authority of Scripture

The Bible, consisting of 66 books in the Old and New Testaments, is the sole basis for all faith and conduct. Every aspect of life and belief must be measured against its truth, for not one jot or tittle shall pass away until all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:18).

Stewardship of Divine Instruction

We are stewards of the divine instructions revealed through Jesus Christ and proclaimed by His apostles. This stewardship requires vigilance, reverence, and obedience, ensuring that the truth is preserved, taught, and lived out faithfully in every generation.

b. Holy Life

Emphasis on Holiness

We are called to emphasize holiness in life as described in the Bible. Our life and practices must align with the teachings of Scripture (Matthew 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:1–2).

Spiritual Enrichment

The spiritual life of believers is enriched through the ministry of the Word and the sacraments, and by observing these teachings with sincerity and devotion. Holiness is not optional—it is the mark of true discipleship and fellowship with God.

c. Evangelisation

The Gospel of Grace

We are called to preach the gospel of grace to all nations, making disciples of everyone who believes, and baptizing them in the name of the Triune God (Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8).

Commitment to the Great Commission

As a Church, we commit ourselves to evangelism in obedience to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. This mission is especially urgent in our land of India, where we are entrusted to proclaim Christ faithfully and invite all people into His kingdom.

2. To engage and carry out any educational and other charitable works that find expression from biblical beliefs and doctrines and tenets of the Christian Faith.

STECI & Mission

STECI is Historically Based

Apostle Thomas, one of the Twelve, was known as the Apostle of Christ to India. The ministry and life of Apostle Thomas were abundantly blessed with churches formed and left behind him. The churches of Kerala and the traditions of his martyrdom on the Coromandel Cost (nothing less than the St. Thomas Mount in South Madras, not far from the Mylapore coast) all need satisfactory explanation. That is what we try to do in our Church, along with other different ecclesiastical streams, to say Apostle Thomas originated Christian history in India after 52 AD. This is just about when Apostle Paul reached Europe with the Gospel.

The witness to Jesus Christ as Savior and God comes through nearly two millennia of Christian existence on the Malabar Coast of south India.

The STECI is related to this historical and traditional realities of India. This is important for us. So our name upholds this. There are other Christians in Kerala, equally valid, who do not wish to relate to Apostle Thomas. May be to them history is not all that significant. But in an ancient country like India this historical is good and valuable for us. So we must hold on.

STECI is Evangelical

It is a fact that through the years Christian church in Malabar and all over the world became more tradition bound than impregnated by the Scriptures. With the coming of the Church Missionary Society missionaries in Kerala nearly two hundred years ago did the Syrian Christians receive Bible of the 66 books in Malayalam tongue. The coming of the open Bible in Malayalam gave the sense of the evangelical message in the church, through the clear Word of God. Abraham Malpan among the Syrian Christians was like John Wycliffe of the West. He liberated the evangelical message in Kerala. That message was of special and revolutionary effect among the existing Christians, The Mar Thoma Church resulted from Abraham Malpan’s course of teachings and evangelical reformation. The evangelical, Biblically true and related, message became clearer and finer until in 1961, that is until our church fathers brought into existence and from the Declaration of the STECI and proclaimed it at the Great gathering of 25000 strong in Thiruvalla. That clearly placed Evangelical Church, our church, in the biblical and world evangelical stream the church catholic.

Thus the STECI is related to and based on the whole Bible. In that way, it is part of the reformed tradition in theology and doctrine. The Reformation and renewals have taken place in the Western Church through such leaders and John Wycliffe, Martin Luther and others. Our Church gets related to these reformations due to the doctrinal and theological cleansing which came to us through the proclamation of the Word of God and exposition of the Scriptures, and missionary impetus.

The Evangelical Church (STECI) is the group of believers who proclaims the whole counsel of God according to the Scriptures. This takes the whole Bible with its 66 books making up the evangelical message. The Bible, in this manner, becomes fundamentally necessary for us in the STECI. And we are evangelical.

STECI is for Church Planting

The STECI is a Church and is out to extend the church of Jesus Christ. Church planting becomes of the focus of the objectives of the Church. Along with all the other aims of the Church, evangelizing, disciple-making and Church planting take up the primary position in our goals. To these we are committed. The reformed churches are all so committed and Missions have launched out for this from living churches.

Church life is guided by the examples and dynamic of the Lord Jesus and His Apostles. The individual Christian is to pattern his life after Jesus. This means Christians are to be marked by holiness of life. That is to live even as Jesus lived 33 and 1/2 years on this earth. This is incarnation or the life of God in the world in any believer.

STECI is India Comprehending

There was a time when India was splintered in so many sections, groups and languages. From 1947 and the formation of the Indian Republic a new India emerged. It was an India superseding all her divergence, differences and division. That nation building still goes on. To this new India the STECI got oriented and related in 1961.We become a Church envisaging and comprehending the whole of India, with all her languages, caste divisions or the tiny geographical sector of Kerala were given up to take in the vastness and millions of people of India into our bulging swoop of advance.

This means the missionary programme and church planting need to comprehend the whole nation of India. Every language (there are 17 statutory languages in India) becomes the languages of the Evangelical Church. Reaching out in the lingua Francona, English, is a must to cover the significant sections of India. Our programme must be also in all the languages of India. Being an Episcopal Church such comprehensive programmes will mean local parishes in all languages of India. Indeed this is a heroic programme and challenging plan.

To such a vision our founding fathers geared this Church, STECI, and launched her 60 years ago. That is what shall guide and challenge her, and us. Various forces may try to limit us, tell us that we are a small people and it is enough to do this and so. We are called to go the full compass of claims and commitment. All our programmes, activities, plans and movements are with the purpose of living up to our name.

Along with the relevance to all of India we shall be concerned about the evangelization of the whole world. That is included in the evangelical commitment of the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus. Our Declaration calls us to this unfinished task as well.

We have great things to do. We have much way to go. Our destiny is to fulfill our life as a church according to God’s purpose in Christ. This will determine and require each individual member fulfilling his/her part in this comprehensive call.

(Excerpt from Late Very Rev. P. T Chandapilla)