PATHANAMTHITTA: Following the sudden demise of Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan I Metropolitan, the supreme head of the Believers Eastern Church, on Wednesday, the task of taking a call on the religious institution’s future has fallen on the synod, which comprises around 30 bishops.
The synod, which ordinarily meets two to three times a year to discuss matters of governance, is expected to convene shortly. The Metropolitan is appointed from among its duly-consecrated bishops (episcopas).
Metropolitan Yohan, who was formerly known as K P Yohannan, was a gospel preacher who began with a simple spiritual broadcast before becoming a bishop and building his cash-rich Church that was raided multiple times by the Income Tax department.
From a new-age gospel mission to a religious institution shouldering “ancient values”, Believers Eastern Church stood in conflict with both traditional and new-generation churches on many aspects.
The founder of Gospel For Asia (GFA), a non-profit missions organisations, Metropolitan Yohan was a well-known speaker who travelled around the globe speaking on the importance of missions, and was known for his sharing of gospels through various radio stations, podcasts, and TV broadcasts.
He also wrote over 250 books that, as per the Church’s website, offered practical and spiritual guidance on hundreds of subjects.
His son, Bishop Daniel Mor Timotheos (formerly Daniel Punnoose), was consecrated as an Episcopa (bishop) of the Believers Eastern Church on March 2, 2017. He received a Bachelor of Theology degree from the Believers Eastern Church Theological Seminary.
At present, in addition to his responsibilities as Diocesan Bishop of the Canadaian Diocese, Bishop Daniel serves as vice-president of GFA World USA.
The Believers Eastern Church adheres to the episcopal governance and structure embodied in the Holy Scripture, the writings of the Church Fathers, and the canons of the Orthodox Church. At the same time, it broke away from the practices of Pentecostal churches which it was earlier aligned with.