The Gereja Batak Karo Protestan or Karo Batak Protestant Church is the largest church among the largely Christian Karo people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. It was established formally in 1941.
The first Christian evangelism was conducted among the Karo people in 1890 by the Netherlands Missionary Society. Due to the perceived association with the colonialism of the Dutch East Indies, only a minority of the Karo converted initially, and it was not until after Indonesian independence in 1945 that Christianity acquired significant support among the Karo people. [1]
The church has 276,000 members (as of 2006) in 398 congregations with 196 pastors. [2] Member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. [3] As of 2020, GBKP has 400,000 active members in 27 classis and 773 congregations.
The Head Office from GBKP or "Gereja Batak Karo Protestan" is located at Pala Bangun Captain Street No 66 Kabanjahe in North Sumatera. From 2020, Pdt. Krismas Imanta Barus acts as the Chairperson, Pdt. Yunus Bangun as the General Secretary, and Mulia Perangin-angin as the Treasurer.
Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, Angkola, and Mandailing which are related groups with distinct languages and traditional customs (adat).
The Christian Conference of Asia is a regional ecumenical organisation representing 15 National Councils and over 100 denominations (churches) in New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.
The Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP), which translates in English as Batak Christian Protestant Church, is a Protestant Christian denomination church and the oriented towards Lutherans among the Batak people of traditionally, generally the Toba Batak in Indonesia. With a baptized membership of 4,500,000, it is one of the largest Protestant churches in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Its present leader is Ephorus (Bishop) Robinson Butarbutar.
The Karo, or Karonese, are a people of the Tanah Karo and part one of Batak people sub-ethnic group from North Sumatera, Indonesia. The Karo lands consist of Karo Regency, plus neighboring areas in East Aceh Regency, Langkat Regency, Dairi Regency, Simalungun Regency and Deli Serdang Regency. In addition, the cities of Binjai and Medan, both bordered by Deli Serdang Regency, contain significant Karo populations, particularly in the Padang Bulan area of Medan. The town of Sibolangit, Deli Serdang Regency in the foothills on the road from Medan to Berastagi is also a significant Karo town.
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 fourth-largest Christian population in Asia after the Philippines, China and India. Indonesia's 28.6 million Christians constituted 10.72% of the country's population in 2018, with 7.60% Protestant (20.25 million) and 3.12% Catholic (8.33 million). Some provinces in Indonesia are majority Christian.
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. According to CIA statistic, in 2000 5.7% of the population of Indonesia were Protestant. A nationwide census of 2018 noted that 7.6% (20,250,000) of the population considering themselves Protestant, largest in Southeast Asia.
Gereja Kristen Protestan Simalungun is a Lutheran and Reformed Protestant church formally founded to spread Christianity among the Simalungun people, a tribe living in Simalungun, North Sumatra, Indonesia. It has a baptized membership of 211,383.
The Protestant Church in Sabah or PCS is one of the four Lutheran World Federation member churches in Malaysia. It currently has 322 congregations nationwide in 21 parishes with a total of 32,000 baptised members, making the PCS the second largest of the four Lutheran body in the country. The PCS' membership is primarily made up of the indigenous peoples of Sabah. The current president of the Protestant Church in Sabah is the Rev. Jensey Mojuin.
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.
The Protestant Church in Indonesia is a Reformed church; it is a member of World Communion of Reformed Churches.
The Protestant Church of Maluku is a Reformed church in Indonesia. It is known locally as: Gereja Protestan Maluku or simply GPM. It was formed on September 6, 1935 when it was separated from the Protestant Church in Indonesia. The Protestant Church of Maluku has congregations only in the provinces of Maluku and North Maluku.
The Protestant Church in Western Indonesia is a Reformed Church, and its theology is based on the teaching of John Calvin. It was established on 31 October 1948. It was called the "De Protestantse Kerk in Westelijk Indonesie", founded in 1605 in Ambon, Moluccas. In its formative years it consisted of seven classes: Jabar, Java, Jatim, Sumatra, Bangka, Borneo, Sulawesi. It is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference in Asia.
The Protestant Christian Church in Bali is a Reformed denomination established on 11 November 1931 in Bali, Indonesia. It was a fruit of the efforts of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, but the Dutch Reformed Church and the Church in East Java participated in the work. Significant development took place after 1950. The denomination adopted its current name on 21 April 1949. The church is located in Bali, Java, West Nusa Tenggara. There are also churches located in Hamburg, Germany and two churches are in Bern and Amsterdam.
Indonesian Protestant Church in Buol Toli-Toli is a Protestant Church group in Buol and Toli-Toli, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. In the 19th century Europeans and Indonesians immigrated to this part of the island. The Minahasan ministers established the Protestant church. In 1937 the region was transferred to the Minahasan Church. Because the distance the church didn't remained in the Minahasan Church. In 1965 it became an independent denomination. It has 200 congregations and 51 fellowships, and 23,000 members. It is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
The Luwu Indonesian Protestant Church is a member of the Protestant Church in Indonesia centered around the Luwu Regency.
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Ramlan Hutahaean was an Indonesian Lutheran minister. He was the 9th General Secretary of the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) between 2008 and 2012.
Gereja Kristen Protestan Angkola is a church Christian Protestant synod in Indonesia with its head office in Padangsidimpuan, North Sumatra province. This church organization was officially established on October 26, 1975 when it obtained autonomy from Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP), under the name HKBP-A. In 1988 it merged with the "Angkola Protestant Church (GPA)", and began to take the name "Angkola Protestant Christian Church". GKPA serves specifically the Angkola Batak community in their local language.