our history

OUR HISTORY

The seed was sowed by the first Protestant Missionaries Rev.Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg and Rev. Henrich Plutchau, who were sent by the Lutheran King of Denmark Frederick IV. They arrived at Tranquebar after a voyage of 7 months on 9th July 1706 and laboured against all odds to preach the 'Good New's to the poor and outcasts in Tranquebar. Ziegenbalg did the Missionary work till his death within a span of 13 years. He has done marvelous work. He has made many firsts.

»The First Protestant Missionary to India 
»The First Royal Missionary from Denmark
» The First to propagate Protestantism
» The First to introduce the Printing Press in India
» The First to start the Paper Mill in India
» The First to translate the New Testament in Tamil
» The First to print the New Testament in Tamil
» The First to print the Tamil Calendar
» The First to translate German Hymns into Tamil
» The First to translate Tamil Books into German
» The First to introduce the Prose Order
» The First to start the School for the Girls in India
» The First to open the Boarding Home in India
» The First to start the Tailoring Unit
» The First to introduce the Free Noon-meal Scheme
» The First to print Tamil Text Books for the Schools
» The First to build the Tamil Protestant Church
» The First to preach the Sermon in Tamil
» The First to start the Seminary to create Native Leaders
» The First to organize Inter-Religious Dialogues
» The First to produce the Tamil Dictionary
» The First to write the Genealogy of South Indian Gods
» The First to establish Ecumenical Relationship
» The First to recommend Tamil to be taught in Germany 

Rev.Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg

Ziegenbalg, Ernst Grundler, Benjamin Schultze, Fabricious, Christian Frederick Schwartz and few others were some of the significant missionaries who have served through Royal Danish Halle Tranquebar Mission. During their period of service apart from Tranquebar Mission stations were established in Porayar, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Tiruchirapalli, Palayamkottai and in Chennai. From 1814 the Mission work was continued by the Leipzig Evangelical Lutheran Mission (LELM) Germany. In 1848 the Swedish Missionaries (CSM) joined. The Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church was constituted on 14.1.1919 amalgamating all of the Tranquebar Mission work and was registered as a Society on 29th January, 1919. In 1921 the Episcopacy was introduced and in1950 it became autonomous.

In 2006, along with the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church, the whole Protestant Community in India celebrated the Ter-centenary of Tranquebar Mission in Tranquebar in a grand manner. The celebration was witnessed by people of faith from all over the world. The Landmark of the celebration was the Women Ordination in the history of the TELC. For the first time in the long history of TELC theologically trained women were ordained which became a break-through in the miles stone of TELC. During that time, Bishop T. Aruldoss has inaugurated the Ziegenbalg Missionary Movement (ZMM) with the aim of reaching the unreached. Since the TELC was founded with the Missionary Zeal a vow is taken to send three hundred Missionaries in commemoration 300 years of Tranquebar Mission.

Thank to 

Pollachi T.E.L.C. World Saviour Church