This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus | |
---|---|
Classification | Protestant (Evangelical Christianity) |
Orientation | Lutheran (with some Pentecostal [1] influence and one Presbyterian-leaning synod) |
Theology | Pietistic Lutheranism [2] |
Leader | Yonas Yigezu |
Associations | LWF, WCRC, AACC, WCC, FECCLAHA, ECFE, P'ent'ay Ethiopian–Eritrean Evangelicalism |
Region | Ethiopia |
Origin | 1959 Addis Ababa |
Congregations | 8,500 + 4000 preaching stations [3] |
Members | 10,404,128 (2019) [4] |
Ministers | 3,000 |
Missionaries | Mekane Yesus International Missionary Society |
Official website | www |
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY; also called Mekane Yesus Church) is a Lutheran denomination in Ethiopia. It is the largest member church of the Lutheran World Federation. It is a Lutheran denomination with some Pentecostal [1] influence and one Presbyterian-leaning synod, with a large Pietistic following. [5]
With the encouragement of the Lutheran and Presbyterian missionary societies in Ethiopia and the Lutheran World Federation, the Evangelical congregations in several parts of the country met on April 23 and 25, 1958 to deliberate on the draft constitution and establish the EECMY. From these joint efforts the church was instituted as a national church on January 21, 1959, taking its name from the first congregation in Addis Ababa, Mekane Yesus ("Place of Jesus"). [6] EECMY has a motto of "Serving the Whole Person" that was developed in the 1970s. This "holistic ministry" theme has helped it to carry out its ministry in evangelism and development work. One of the leading theologians of the EECMY was Gudina Tumsa (1929–1979), who was general secretary for several years up until his arrest and murder at the hands of the communist government of Ethiopia in 1979.
The church, which was born out of Swedish missionary work amongst others, today through Mekane Yesus International Missionary Society itself has many missionaries in countries all around the world: South Asia, several African countries, the Middle East, and Guyana. [7]
The EECMY was founded on work begun by Northern European missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These missionaries concentrated their work in southern Ethiopia, where the Orthodox Christian influence was less profound.
The Reformed section of the denomination was founded by the United Presbyterian Church in 1869. Dr. Thomas Lambie, a missionary of the United Presbyterian Church, begun work in the western part of the country. During the Italian occupation, missionaries were forced to leave, but the Bethel Evangelical Church was founded with native believers. It became an independent church in 1947. After World War II, BEC experienced rapid growth. In 1974 it became part of the EECMY, and now it has more than 1,000 000 members. Former BEC presbyteries and synods retain their names. In the western Synod of Gambela, more than 60% of the population are members of the Bethel Evangelical Church. [8]
EECMY claimed almost 2.3 million members in 2007, growing to 8.3 million baptized members according to the 2016 statistics. [9] They operate a seminary in Addis Ababa with 150 students. The church also owns several bible colleges, schools, and health care and social facilities in various locations throughout the country. In Addis Ababa they also run a language and cultural orientation school, called MY-LINC, for people who want to learn Ethiopian languages. Most congregations speak local languages, but the International Lutheran Church (Ethiopia) is English-speaking.
The EECMY approved the establishment of a full communion relationship with the North American Lutheran Church at their convocation in August 2011. [10] The EECMY decided to end its partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Church of Sweden, because of their acceptance of same-sex unions and non-celibate homosexual clergy, after a resolution that was approved at the 19th General Assembly in Addis Ababa, on February 11, 2013. [11] The EECMY has also established relationships with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and the Reformed Church in America, both from the United States. [12] [13]
The EECMY is a member of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Council of Churches, the All Africa Conference of Churches, the Lutheran Communion in Central and Eastern Africa, and the World Communion of Reformed Churches. [14]
The EECMY, because of its development work, is a member of ACT Development, a global alliance of churches and related agencies committed to working together on development. EECMY is a participant in the Wycliffe Global Alliance and it is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa.
As a member of the Evangelical Church Fellowship of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus is in communion or cooperation with the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (a Baptist denomination), the Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers' Church (a Pentecostal denomination), and the Meserete Kristos Church (a Mennonite-affiliated denomination). [15]
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church. Presbyterian churches derive their name from the presbyterian form of church government by representative assemblies of elders. Many Reformed churches are organised this way, but the word Presbyterian, when capitalized, is often applied to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of 2021, it has approximately 3.04 million baptized members in 8,724 congregations.
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the many differing Lutheran churches. Since 1984, the member churches are in pulpit and altar fellowship, with common doctrine as the basis of membership and mission activity.
P'ent'ay is an originally Amharic–Tigrinya language term for Pentecostal Christians. Today, the term refers to all Evangelical Protestant denominations and organisations in Ethiopian and Eritrean societies. Alternative terms include Ethiopian–Eritrean Evangelicalism or the Ethiopian–Eritrean Evangelical Church. Sometimes the denominations and organizations are known as Wenigēlawī.
Evangelical Church may refer to:
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) was a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin. Its headquarters was in Geneva, Switzerland. They merged with the Reformed Ecumenical Council in 2010 to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
Lutheranism is present on all inhabited continents with an estimated 81 million adherents, out of which 74.2 million are affiliated with the Lutheran World Federation. A major movement that first began the Reformation, it constitutes one of the largest Protestant branches, claiming about 80 million of 920 million Protestants, The Lutheran World Federation brings together the vast majority of Lutherans, the second largest grouping being the International Lutheran Council with 7.15 million in 46 countries. Apart from it, there are also other organisations such as the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference, as well as multiple independent Lutheran denominations.
The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Calvinist churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Christian communion in the world after the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. This ecumenical Christian body was formed in June 2010 by the union of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC).
Radio Voice of the Gospel (RVOG) was a Lutheran World Federation international radio station based in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, starting in 1963.
The International Lutheran Church (ILC) is the English-speaking congregation of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) which meets in the Lidetta section of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Although it follows the Lutheran confession and worship, ILC welcomes any Christian worshippers.
In Christianity, the ordination of women has been taking place in an increasing number of Protestant and Old Catholic churches, starting in the 20th century. Since ancient times, certain churches of the Orthodox tradition, such as the Coptic Orthodox Church, have raised women to the office of deaconess. While ordination of women has been approved in many denominations, it is still a very controversial and divisive topic.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa is a Protestant denomination in the Reformed tradition.
Gudina Tumsa was an Ethiopian Lutheran and Evangelical Christian theologian and General Secretary of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Iran was a joint effort of American Presbyterian and Congregational missionaries in 1834. First they evangelised the Assyrians and later worked in north-west Iran, in a region called Rezaieh. The missionaries wanted to revitalise the old churches, but their members who converted to Protestantism were forced to leave their old denominations. Various Protestant churches were established. In 1862 the first presbytery was organised, and later more presbyteries were formed. Meanwhile, these Presbyterian missionaries' ministry led to the formation of congregations from Armenian Christian, Muslim, Judaism, and Zoroastrian background. In 1934 the Synod of the Evangelical Church in Iran was formed. In 1963 it adopted the current name. The common language is Persian, Armenian and Assyrian are also used. It has 1,500 members and 7 congregations.
Bonnie Lou Jensen is an American former missionary, international relations specialist, and director of the ELCA Global Mission.
Pentecostalism in Ethiopia is the practice of various Pentecostal forms of Christianity—often included within the evangelical category of P'ent'ay—in Ethiopia, with a constituency of above 1 million members. Despite persecution by the government and the dominant Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Pentecostalism relied on youth and technology to spread its practices throughout the country. It has been found to contribute to the prosperity of people in Ethiopia. The message of Pentecostalism includes prosperity and beliefs around expectations for a better life. After gaining religious freedom in 1991, churches began preaching prosperity and growth outside the government and to discuss fighting corruption. Some Pentecostal worshipers state that the style of worship offers them tangible help for worldy problems. Worship services include the practices speaking in tongues, divine healing, exorcism, prophecy, and powerful prayer.
The Global Confessional & Missional Lutheran Forum is a global gathering of national and regional Lutheran churches. The forum was founded in Dallas, Texas by invitation of the North American Lutheran Church in 2015 to bring together Confessional Lutheran bodies who wish to emphasize missional discipleship as the focal point of ministry in the world. The gathering can be seen as an alternative to the more liberal Lutheran World Federation and to the more conservative International Lutheran Council and Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)