Evangelical Christian Church of the Land of Papua

Last updated
Evangelical Christian Church of the Land of Papua
Gereja Kristen Injili Tanah Papua
Classification Protestant
Orientation Calvinist
RegionWestern New Guinea
Headquarters Jayapura, Papua
OriginOctober 26, 1956;67 years ago (1956-10-26)
Tertiary institutions Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Teologi GKI Izaak Samuel Kijne

Evangelical Christian Church of the Land of Papua (Indonesian : Gereja Kristen Injili Tanah Papua, abbreviated as GKITP) is a Protestant denomination in Indonesia, particularly in western Papua region.

The denomination is the single largest church in Irian where about 30% of the population belong to it. [1]

Its motto is from the Epistle to the Ephesians 5:8 "For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light" (NRSV). In the areas of human rights and politics in the region, the church plays a significant role. It has a presbyterian-synodal model of church government, the synod is the highest governing body. [2]

The church had 650,000 members and 1869 parishes. The church belong to the World Communion of Reformed Churches [3]

History

In 1855 two German missionaries arrived in northwestern Irian. This was the Gossner Mission. In 1962 the Utrechtische Zendingsvereeining of the Reformed Church in the Netherlands took over the work. Dutch missionaries assisted by teachers and preachers from other islands.

The work progressed slowly. In 1907 a great revival started, and there were thousands of converts. The mission spread to the whole island. The period between 1907 and 1942 was gradual development. During the Japanese invasion no General Assembly was held. In 1950 the first Irianese were ordained. In 1956 the first Synod was held and seven years later the Dutch missionaries left the island.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United and uniting churches</span> Union of Protestant churches of different creeds

A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinct denominational orientations or traditions. Multi-denominationalism, or a multi-denominational church or organization, is a congregation or organization that is affiliated with two or more Christian denominations, whether they be part of the same tradition or from separate and distinct traditions.

The Christian Reformed Churches of Australia (CRCA), formerly known as the Reformed Churches of Australia (RCA) is a Christian denomination established in Australia belonging to the Reformed/Presbyterian tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Reformed Churches</span>

The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands is a Protestant church in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus</span> Lutheran denomination in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus 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 influence and one Presbyterian-leaning synod, with a large Pietistic following.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lutheranism by region</span> Aspect of religion

Lutheranism is present on all inhabited continents with an estimated 80 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 around 80 million out of 920 million Protestants. The Lutheran World Federation brings together the vast majority of Lutherans. Apart from it, there are also other organisations such as the International Lutheran Council and the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference, as well as multiple independent Lutheran denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Botswana</span> Christianity history of botswana

More than 70% of the population of Botswana is Christian. Most are members of the Anglican, United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, and African independent churches. Anglicans are part of the Church of the Province of Central Africa. The Roman Catholic Church includes about 5% of the nation's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Indonesia</span>

Christianity is Indonesia's second-largest religion, after Islam. Indonesia also has the second-largest Christian population in Southeast Asia after the Philippines, the largest Protestant population in Southeast Asia, and the third-largest Christian population in Asia after the Philippines and China, followed by India. Indonesia also has the second-largest Christian population in the Muslim world, after Nigeria, followed by Egypt. Indonesia's 29,1 million Christians constituted 10,49% of the country's population in 2022, with 7,43% Protestant (20.6 million) and 3,06% Catholic (8.5 million). Some provinces in Indonesia are majority Christian. In Indonesia, the word Kristen refers to Protestantism, while Catholicism is referred to as Katolik. In recent times, the rate of growth and spread of Christianity has increased, especially among the Chinese minority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestantism in Indonesia</span> Overview of the role of Protestantism in Indonesia

Protestantism is one of the six approved religions in Indonesia, the others being Islam, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. It constitutes the bulk of Christianity in Indonesia, which is the second largest religion in the country after Islam.

The Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) is a mainline Protestant church based in India, with over one and a half million adherents, mostly in Northeast India. It is one of the largest Christian denominations in that region.

Benny Giay is a theologian, a social anthropologist, and an activist, known for his activities in reconciliation to protect the rights of the Papuans of the Western, Indonesian controlled, part of New Guinea.

Christian Evangelical Church in Timor is the second largest Protestant church in Indonesia with 2 million members and 2,161 congregations and almost 1,100 ministers. The Christian Evangelical Church in Timor belongs to the Reformed family of Protestantism. Despite its name, the church spreads across the Eastern Indonesian provinces. The church ministers in culturally diverse and poor areas.

The Evangelical Christian Church in Halmahera (GMIH) represents the half of the population in the island of Halmahera. The denomination was a mission established by the Netherlands Reformed Church, and become autonomous in 1949. It has 300,000 members in 411 congregations and 27 presbyteries. GMIH follows the Presbyterian Church governance. The church is Reformed in theology and owns its own Theological Seminary.

The Gereja-Gereja Reformasi di Indonesia or the Indonesian Reformed Churches is a confessional Reformed church in the country of Indonesia established by orthodox Calvinist Dutch missionaries.

Gereja Jemaat Protestan di Indonesia is a Reformed church in the Province of Papua in Indonesia. It was created on 25 June 1984 by the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands. It began pioneer mission work in the Yali territory. Historically this was known as Irian Jaya and was part of the Dutch East Indies. In Papua there are 250 different languages.

The Gereja-Gereja Reformasi Calvinis di Indonesia (GGRCI) is a Reformed denomination in Indonesia. This denomination is a member of International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC). GGRCI has churches and mission works all around Indonesia, including in: Rote island, Sabu island, Timor island Java island, Sumba island, and Celebes island. GGRCI holds the Reformed confessions (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and Canons of Dort.

The Protestant Church in Indonesia is a Reformed church; it is a member of World Communion of Reformed Churches.

The Evangelical Church of Gabon belongs to the Reformed family of churches.

The Mission Friends was an interdenominational Christian, mostly Pietist and Radical Pietist association in Sweden and among Swedish Americans in the United States, that eventually had an impact on several Protestant denominations and their missionary societies today, even outside of Lutheranism, the Swedish community, and the United States, eventually influencing other communities and forming new independent Radical Pietist, Baptist – especially Swedish Baptist – and later on Pentecostal and Charismatic free church denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Papua</span> Province in Indonesia

Central Papua, officially the Central Papua Province is an Indonesian province located in the central region of Western New Guinea. It was formally established on 11 November 2022 from the former eight western regencies of the province of Papua. It covers an area of 61,072.92 km2 and had an officially estimated population of 1,430,951 in mid 2022. It is bordered by the Indonesian provinces of West Papua to the west, province of Papua to the north, and by Highland Papua and South Papua to the east. The designated administrative capital is located in Nabire Regency.

References

  1. "Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions". Reformiert-online.net. Archived from the original on 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  2. "Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua". Archived from the original on 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  3. "Member churches | Bringing together 80 million Reformed Christians worldwide". Wcrc.ch. 2013-02-14. Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2013-08-18.