K. Reuben Mark

The Right Reverend

K. Reuben Mark

CSI
The Right Reverend; K. Reuben Mark; CSI
Bishop – in – Karimnagar
Church	Protestant
Diocese	Karimnagar
See	Church of South India
In office	2015-
Predecessor	The Right Reverend P. Surya Prakash
Successor	Incumbent
Previous post(s)	Pastor, Diocese of Karimnagar, Church of South India (1988–1995), Professor, Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad (1995-2015)
Orders
Ordination	by Bishop K. E. Swamidass at CSI-Wesley Cathedral, Karimnagar
Consecration	4 May 2015; by The Most Reverend G. Dyvasirvadam, Moderator, The Right Reverend Thomas K. Oommen, Deputy Moderator

The Right Reverend K. Reuben Mark is the present (2015^[1] onwards) Bishop - in - Karimnagar and the sixth in succession. Reuben Mark occupies the Cathedra of the Bishop placed in Karimnagar's CSI-Wesley Cathedral.

Prior to assuming the ecclesiastical office of the Bishop, Reuben Mark was Professor^[2] - in - Homiletics from 1995 through 2015 at the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Hyderabad, a near-ecumenical Seminary.

Ministerial formation

Graduate

After the completion of graduate studies in Hanumakonda, Reuben Mark was sent for spiritual formation by then Bishop G. B. Devasahayam to the United Theological College, Bangalore, where he studied Bachelor of Divinity degree from 1984 to 1988^[3] under the Principalship of E. C. John. In 1988 when Reuben Mark returned to the Diocese, he was ordained in 1988/1989 by then Bishop K. E. Swamidass following which he began ministering in parishes of the Diocese of Karimnagar.

Postgraduate

In 1992, Reuben Mark was resent to the United Theological College, Bangalore to upgrade his academics and studied from 1992 to 1994 taking a postgraduate degree in Master of Theology^[3] specializing in Homiletics under Professor P. Surya Prakash, then Faculty Member^[3] at the United Theological College, Bangalore. Reuben Mark was awarded graduate and post-graduate degrees by the Senate of Serampore College (University) during the Registrarship of D. S. Satyaranjan.

Research studies

After a period of teaching ministry at the near-ecumenical Seminary in Hyderabad, Reuben Mark was again sent by his Bishop S. John Theodore for research studies at the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Theology, Copenhagen, Denmark where he researched from 2000 to 2004 on the theme, A Homiletical analysis of the Revival Sermons of D. G. S. Dhinakaran and its Relevance of the Dalit Perspective^[4] and later transferred himself to the Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad researching under the able guidance of Prof. V. K. Singh^[4] and was awarded the doctoral degree in 2009.^[5]^[6]

Ecclesiastical ministry

Pastoral

After his Seminary studies, Reuben Mark was ordained as a Deacon in 1988 by then Bishop K. E. Swamidass and the following year as a Presbyter at the CSI-Wesley Cathedral in Karimnagar and began pastoring parishes within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Karimnagar until 1992 when he went to upgrade his academics in the Protestant Seminary in Bangalore. After his return from the Seminary in 1994, Reuben Mark began re-pastoring the parishes until 1995 when Bishop S. John Theodore sent him for teaching ministry to the Protestant Regional Seminary in Hyderabad.

Teaching

In 1995, Reuben Mark joined the Faculty of the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad affiliated to India's first^[7] University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) {a University under Section 2 (f) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956}^[8]with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish Charter and ratified by the Government of West Bengal and began teaching Practical Ministry/Homiletics^[2] at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad from 1995 to 2015 and taught in a near-ecumenical setting beginning with the periods of Principalship comprising the Church of South India, the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars, the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches, and the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church notably under The Rev. R. Yesuratnam, CSI, The Rev. K. D. G. Prakasa Rao, CBCNC and D. J. Jeremiah, CBCNC, The Rev. B. J. Christie Kumar, STBC, The Rev. N. V. Luther Paul, AELC, The Rev. Ch. Vasantha Rao, CSI and The Rev. T. Mathews Emmanuel, CBCNC.

After a two-decades teaching ministry that began in 1995, Reuben Mark was recalled to the Diocese of Karimnagar by the Church of South India Synod in mid-2015 as his name was announced as Bishop-elect for the Diocese of Karimnagar resulting in his resignation from the Faculty of the near-ecumenical Protestant Regional Theologiate in Hyderabad.

Bishopric

During the period when Reuben Mark was teaching at the Seminary in Hyderabad, the Diocese of Karimnagar saw the change of at the Bishopric in 2007 following which P. Surya Prakash, Reuben Mark's Professor at Bangalore was consecrated as the fifth Bishop - in - Karimnagar who occupied the Cathedra up to 2014 until his resignation on account of superannuation resulting in sede vacante. The Church of South India Synod conducted elections for the Bishopric following which G. Dyvasirvadam, Moderator of the Church of South India Synod announced the appointment of K. Reuben Mark as Bishop-elect for the Diocese of Karimnagar.

On 4 May 2015^[1] the Most Reverend G. Dyvasirvadam, Moderator principally consecrated Reuben Mark with other co-consecrator, The Right Reverend Thomas K. Oommen, Deputy Moderator at the CSI-Wesley Cathedral, Karimnagar in the presence of Bishops of the adjoining dioceses, B. D. Prasada Rao, Eggoni Pushpalalitha, V. Prasada Rao and the General Secretary of the Church of South India Synod, Daniel Sadananda. Also present were the two living patriarchs of the Diocese of Karimnagar, the Old Testament Scholar S. J. Theodore and P. Surya Prakash.^[1]

Religious titles
Preceded by The Rt. Rev. P. Surya Prakash 2007-2014	Bishop - in - Karimnagar Church of South India 2015-Present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Academic offices
Preceded by The Rev. P. Joseph, STBC, 1986-1994	Professor - in - Homiletics Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad 1995-2015	Succeeded by The Rev. A. John Prabhakar, STBC 1999-

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e CSI Synod News, New Bishop consecrated and installed in CSI Karimnagar Diocese, Monday, 18 May 2015. [1]
^ ^a ^b Senate of Serampore College (University), Directory of Teaching Staff. [2]
^ ^a ^b ^c K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), Directory of the United Theological College 1910-1997, Bangalore, 1997. pp.70 and 134
^ ^a ^b Annual Report, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad, 2008-2009, p.22. [3]
^ List of Ph.D. Scholars. Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad. [4]
^ User Bishopreuben unsourced edit on 13 March 2016: He registered on 1-9-2000 as a Ph.D. Student in the Copenhagen University and studied for three years (I.e. Upto 31-8-2004) in the field of Homiletics, concentrating especially on the Indian revival sermons by Dhinakaran. He has also conduced valuable fieldwork in India and gathered material related his research. In general has has fulfilled Ph.D.requirements of Copenhagen University except submission of his thesis. He wanted to transfer his Ph.D. Studies to one of the Indian universities that are under UGC, India for he wanted to do it in India under and Indian scholar for an able guidance, for which the University of Copenhagen also agreed and transferred his candidature from University of Copenhagen to any of the Universities in India. The reasons to transfer his candidature firstly, the research is mostly I.e. 80% related to Indian context. Secondly, as there was no Indian scholars in Copenhagen University and as the studies needed to have further guidance and to be evaluated by Indian experts, informed about the specific social and religious environment in India. Hence, he got transferred to Sam Hagginbotham Institute of Agriculture and Technological Sciences (formerly Allahabad Agricultural Institute) - Deemed University and was awarded a Ph.D. on 25th February 2009.
^ Sankar Ray, The Hindu (Business Line), 11 April 2008 Almost a century later, the charter was endorsed officially under the Bengal Govt Act IV of 1918. Internet, accessed 30 November 2008. [5]
^ The Senate of Serampore College (University) is a University within the meaning of Section 2 (f) of the UGC Act, 1956 under which a University means a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act, and includes any such institution as may, in consultation with the University concerned, be recoginsed by the Commission in accordance with the regulations made in this behalf under this Act. The UGC took the opinion that the Senate fell under the purview of Section 2 (f) of the said Act since The Serampore College Act, 1918 was passed by the Government of West Bengal.