Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola

Last updated

The Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola is a Reformed denomination in the country of Angola established by the missionaries of the Swiss Reformed church.

Contents

History

The Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola (Igreja Evangelica Reformada de Angola in Portuguese) was established in 1925 in Kikaya, Uige Province in the North by Swiss and English missionaries, especially Archibald Patterson from Liverpool and Ernest Nickleus of the Swiss Reformed Church. The Mission of Northern Angola covered the Northern part of Angola, included the cities of Kikuya, Kinkuni, and Kimbela. During the Portuguese rule, catechists and evangelist were often arrested. During the war the church suffered persecution, and properties were destroyed. Later the mission was divided into 3 parts, one part fled to Zaire during the war, the other in the woods to the guerillas, the third remained the towns and cities. [1] After war parishes were reconstructed. A fifth of the members could not be destroyed. The church reopened in 1973. Headquarters were removed from Uige to Luanda. It is primarily strong in the Eastern part of the country though it is present in 11 Provinces out of the 18 in Angola. In 1978 adopted the current name. [2]

The Presbyterian Church of Angola separated from the denomination in 1986 under the leadership of Neves Massaqui.

Doctrine

The church affirms the historic confessions of:

Member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. [3]

Statistics

The church has 300,000 members in 450 congregations served by 370 pastors. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

Congregational church religious denomination

Congregational churches are Protestant churches in the Reformed tradition practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs.

Presbyterian Church in America Conservative Reformed Christian denomination in the United States and Canada

The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Reformed denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology, presbyterian in government, and active in missions. It is characterized by a blend of Reformed practice and broad evangelicalism.

Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales (EPCEW) is a reformed and conservative evangelical denomination in both England and Wales with churches in Germany and Sweden. Founded in 1996, the denomination is small but growing.

Igreja Presbiteriana de Moçambique is one of the largest Protestant denominations of Mozambique.

Christianity in Angola

Christianity in Angola has existed since 1491. Today 79% of Angolans practise some form of Christianity.

Religion in Angola religion in Angola

Religion in Angola consists in about 1,000 religious communities in the country, most of which are Christian. Roman Catholics constitute about half of the population. Other Christian denominations include Baptists, Methodists, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Reformed Churches and Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses − all these denominations making up about a quarter of the population. Since independence, numerous Pentecostal, Evangelical and other communities have sprung up, the most important being the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, of Brazilian origin. Two syncretic "African Kala Christian" churches exist, the Kimbanguists who have their origin in what is the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo, and the indigenous Tokoist faith. There is also a small Muslim minority, consisting of Sunni immigrants from a diversity of African and other countries, who do not form a community. Some Angolans − mostly in remote rural societies − currently profess African Traditional Religions, but traditional beliefs subsist among a substantial part of those who have become Christians.

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine is a conservative Evangelical Protestant denomination in the Reformed tradition. It holds to the presbyterian form of church governance and to the Reformed theology of the Westminster Standards.

The Diocese of Angola is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, encompassing the entire country of Angola. It is divided into four archdeaconries with a total of 63 parishes.

The Baptist Convention of Angola is a Baptist Christian denomination in Angola. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Luanda.

Presbyterian Church of Brazil

The Presbyterian Church of Brazil is an Evangelical Protestant Christian denomination in Brazil. Oldest of the Reformed family of Protestantism in Brazil. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country, having an estimate 1,011,300 members, 8,315 ordained ministers and 5,015 churches and 5,392 parishes. It is also the only Presbyterian denomination in Brazil present in all 26 States and the Federal District. It was founded by the American missionary Rev. Ashbel Green Simonton, who also oversaw the formal organization of the first congregation and the first Presbytery. Although the Presbyterian Church of Rio de Janeiro was only formally organized in January 1863, and the Brazilian church only left the jurisdiction of the joint missions board of the American churches in 1888, when the Synod was formed, the denomination considers the date of Simonton's arrival in Brazil, August 12, 1859, as its foundation date.

The Presbyterian Church of the Philippines (PCP), officially The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the Philippines, is a growing evangelical, Bible-based Reformed church in the Philippines. It was officially founded in 1987 and the General Assembly was organized in September 1996.

The Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church (AEPC) is a growing conservative Presbyterian and Reformed Church which adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith started in Kenya, later spread to the surrounding countries like Burundi, Tanzania, Congo and as far as Zimbabwe. The headquarters of the church is located in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Presbyterian Church in Sudan or also the Presbyterian Church in South Sudan is a major Reformed denomination in South Sudan, when it become independent from Sudan.

Presbyterian Church of Angola

The Presbyterian Church in Angola is a federation of theologically orthodox Reformed churches, that was founded in the mid-1980s, adopting the Westminster Confession of Faith as the official Standards.

The Evangelical Congregational Church in Angola is a Reformed Christian denomination in Angola.

The Reformed Church of Latin America is a confessional Reformed and Presbyterian church in Colombia and the Caribbean and the surrounding Latin American countries.

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of East Timor is a Reformed Presbyterian denomination in East Timor with 14 churches and 3 chapels. It has 3,500 members and 9 pastors - 6 full-time 3 part- time pastors and 6 evangelists. The church is supported by the Presbyterian Church of Australia, and sister church relationship was also formed between these denominations. It held the foundational Synod in 2011. Contacts with the Christian Presbyterian Church in Portugal was also established and mission trip was made in East Timor on August 2012.

The Presbyterian Church in Japan is a conservative Reformed denomination in Japan, founded by American missionaries in the mid-1900s.

The Evangelical Reformed Church is a small Reformed denomination with 5 congregations in Austria and in Switzerland. It is in part a fruit of the missionary work of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated). In 1984, the first congregation was established in Neuhofen an der Krems, Austria. In 1998, a congregation was founded in Rankweil, followed later in 2005 in Winterthur, in 2008 Basel, and in 2009 the bilingual Vienna congregation New City Wien was started with the help of World Harvest Mission/Serge. Total membership is around 150. Some churches in the denomination receive financial support from the Dutch organization SSRO. The Westminster Confession (1647) is the doctrinal basis of the denomination, together with the Heidelberg Catechism.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-05-27. Retrieved 2013-04-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ "NOSSA HISTÓRIA". ierasg.blogspot.hu. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  3. ↑ Fasse, Christoph. "Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions". www.reformiert-online.net. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  4. ↑ "Evangelical Reformed Church of Angola — World Council of Churches". www.oikoumene.org. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  5. ↑ "NOSSA HISTÓRIA". ierasg.blogspot.hu. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.