Who We Are

Rt. Rev. Dr. Kirby de Lanerolle is the bishop of the Apostolic Diocese of Ceylon (ADC) which is a denomination that has been established in 1991 and its revived mandate aims to establish bishopric governance within the free churches. The ADC currently episcopates over 600 churches establishing the Diocese as one of the largest Christian denominations nationally. As the Independent and autonomous free church movement was growing; The necessity for leadership and representation was a national concern. After discussions with the free church community and government leaders the ADC took the pioneering step to invite already existing independent churches to come under one umbrella. In July of 2015 under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Honorable Ranil Wickremasinghe and the Minister of Christian Affairs Hon John Amaratunge; The ADC launched its first steps envisioning the first Diocese for already existing free churches nationally. Within the last year the ADC is in training of close to 150 free churches to be a part of an Episcopal culture. It is the only diocese that offers episcopal governance for free churches with an institute to train and educate clergy. A part of the ADC vision is to bring back certain episcopal traditions that were lost in the progression of the charismatic revival.

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The ADC is the Sri Lanka branch of the Indian National Apostolic Diocese (INAD), which is the largest government sanctioned Diocese for Free Churches in India with over 11,500 churches to its name. It is headed by Bishop Paul T. Maran, who ordained Rt. Reverend Dr. Kirby de Lanerolle as Chief Overseer of the ADC in a ceremony held in July 2015. The event was graced by the Honourable Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of Christian Affairs John Amaratunge, Minister of Telecommunications Harin Fernando, the then Minister of Children’s affairs Rosy Senanayake and then Minister of Special Projects Felix Perera.​

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The Mandate…

A part of the ADC mission is to set up a structure of governance based on the five-fold ministry – namely Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists. If these five offices are not established the body of Christ in that area becomes weakened and dysfunctional; hence the principal mission of the ADC is to identify the five-fold ministry and strengthen it within the Free Churches, as a necessary step towards promoting functionality within the Kingdom of God.

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With the guidance of Rt. Rev. Dr. Kirby de Lanerolle The ADC also aims to operate as a solution based ministry and a tool of reconciliation between faiths. INA Diocese has appointed Bishop Kirby de Lanerolle as the secretary for inter-religious harmony. The Sri Lankan population comprises of a variety of religions and ethnicities that coexist within one cultural spectrum, and yet the history of this nation has been marred by religious and ethnic conflict. Identifying itself as a ‘Ministry of Reconciliation”, the ADC aspires to bridge the gap in serving the nation together by promoting inter-religious dialogue through its various social programs.

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The ADC further intends to provide the Churches with a proper education that is worthy of their office. Through the INAD Open University, degrees and diploma qualifications in Christian Theology and Ministry are open to pastors and preachers of the churches nationally.

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Rt. Rev. Dr. Kirby de Lanerolle, was appointed as the General Secretary of the IIADS in 2024, and will now cover, oversee, and be responsible for the spiritual welfare of over 11,000 churches across South Asia, the Middle East, and the United States