A handbook of councils and churches profiles of ecumenical relationships
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Christian Protestant Church in Indonesia (Gereja Kristen Protestan Indonesia, GKPI) Church Family: Lutheran Membership: 348,575 Regions: 17 Districts: 168 Congregations: 1,114 Pastors: 200 (163 men, 37 women) Elders: 6289 men, 435 women Member of: WCC (1977) – CCA – CCI – LWF – UEM Periodical: GKPI Voice (monthly, in Indonesian) This church grew out of a spiritual, congregational reform movement in the Batak Protestant Christian Church (HKBP) which led to a split due to some disagreement in the leadership. The GKPI was established in 1964. The first years were difficult because the church had no relationships locally and internationally. Its membership increased and the isolation was overcome when the church joined the Lutheran World Federation and the United Evangelical Mission in 1977. The GKPI is a national church which has spread around Sumatra, to Java and Kalimantan, but its members are mainly of the Toba-Batak ethnic groups and its geographical concentration is in North Sumatra. More than 75 percent of the members are small farmers living in the villages and rural areas. Others are in government service or in the military, or are shop-holders, beçak drivers, etc. Most of them belong to the low income group with few skills to improve their living conditions. The GKPI has three departments, for witness, general organization and finance, under which several sections deal with programmes like evangelization, training and education, Sunday school, research, youth, women, men etc. There are also some foundations, for the blind, for general education, the Mamre Orphanage and the Agapè Foundation. The work depends on the financial support of the congregations, which are also responsible for the salary of their parish pastor. Some of the programmes are also supported by the United Evangelical Mission. The GKPI is in favour of the type of partnership promoted by UE, because it helps the churches to know each other’s conditions, needs and challenges, and to learn from each other how to implement the mission of Jesus Christ in the world, and it enables the churches to carry out their ministry. Among the priorities of the church are the training of pastors, elders and church leaders to develop their knowledge, skills and leadership abilities, and to deepen their spiritual life and dedication. The GKPI has encouraged a number of pastors to do post-gradu-ate studies. The church is also planning a cooperative budgeting system for its activities, aiming at local fundraising and financial self-reliance.
(Gereja Kristen Jawi Wetan, GKJW) Church Family: Reformed Membership: 130,000 Presbyteries: 12 Congregations: 148 Pastors: 156 Member of : WCC (1948) – CCA – CCI – WARC – UEM Periodical: DUTA (monthly, in Indonesian) The East Java Christian Church has been a missionary church from the beginning. It grew from a spontaneous movement among the Javanese in the middle of the 19th century. In the 1830s groups of Javanese believers near Surabaya were brought into contact with the gospel by the activities of European lay people; the first baptism occurred in 1843. In the 1850s the Dutch mission (NZG) took over and started what it considered to be a necessarily long process of bringing the church to maturity. This process was concluded by the convening of the first synod in 1931, when the church had 23,000 baptized members, in 45 local parishes. But, as elsewhere in Indonesia, the NZG remained as a “guide towards adulthood” until 1942. So great was its influence that the GKJW considers itself a daughter church of the Netherlands Reformed Church (now Protestant Church in the Netherlands). The coming of the Japanese brought the end of missionary domination. During and after World War II the church went through hard times. After 1950 a slow but steady growth began, which peaked after the elimination of communism in 1965-1967. From the beginning, the GKJW has been a rural church; many congregations were founded by clearing forests and establishing Christian villages on the reclaimed land. The other churches in East Java are based in the cities. Together they constitute 1.5 million (including Roman Catholic) of the 34 million population of East Java, the overwhelming majority (95.5 percent) being Muslim. In 1995 and 1996 riots occurred several times, resulting in severe damage to Christian lives and property. The GKJW has a number of hospitals, clinics, a small number of schools for elementary to senior high level and an orphanage. In 1987 the church commenced its first six-year comprehensive church development plan, which consists of programmes for the development of theological activities, community life, Christian service, Christian witness, and stewardship. Pastors are trained at the theological school in Malang. The GKJW is connected with the Duta Wacana Christian University in Yogyakarta. The church considers December 11, 1931 as its birth date. It uses three languages: Indonesian, Javanese and Madurese. Its organization is presbyterian-syn-odal. Since 1981 the GKJW has been in relationship with the United Evangelical Mission in Germany. It has partnership relations with the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, the Evangelical Church in Rhineland (Germany) and the Presbyterian Church (USA). The theme of the church for 1999-2004 was: Realizing the year of the Lord’s favour to all people (Isaiah 61:1-3). The theme for 2005-2010 is: Realizing the family of God as the Lord’s favour to all people (Psalm 128).
(Gereja Masehi Injili Halmahera, GMIH) Church Family: Reformed Membership: 300,000 Congregations: 374 Pastors : 326 Evangelists: 48 Member of: WCC (1979) – CCA – CCI – WARC The Evangelical Christian Church in Halmahera (North Moluccas) grew out of the missionary work of the former Netherlands Reformed Church. It became Asia
autonomous in 1949. The church is organized according to the presbyterian-syn-odal model. In 1999-2000 and again in 2001, mass violence erupted in North Moluccas which caused death and destruction. People had to flee their homes and hide in the bushes, and many ended up as internally displaced persons in camps, in North Sulawesi and elsewhere. Although on a lesser scale, the tensions continue and people live in constant fear of provocation and terror. Widows and children are bearing the brunt of the conflict. They have to struggle for survival in conditions where there is very little access to basic necessities. The church has been severely affected by the situation. Its membership has decreased by more than half. It is trying to help its people in the congregations who have lost everything. The GMIH is convinced that the origins of the conflict were not religious but political, and that it was caused by forces from outside the area. Halmahera has become a province of its own, the Province of North Moluccas, with a Muslim majority. A Muslim-Christian working group has been set up and is working with the people to restore the relationships in the communities and bring back the normal conditions of daily life in the society. Displacement and resettlement have psychological and mental consequences for the population. Since 1968 the GMIH operates its own theological college. It was moved from Ternate to Tobelo in 1989. The church is also related to the Theological Seminary in Ujung Padang (South Sulawesi). Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua (Gereja Kristen Injili di Tanah Papua, GKITP) Church Family: Reformed Membership: 600,000 Districts: 39 Congregations: 1148 Pastors: 498 Evangelists: 430 Member of: WCC (1961) – CCA – CCI – WARC Periodical: Serikat (“United”, quarterly, in Indonesian) The Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua is the fruit of the work of the Gossner Mission (Germany) which started in 1855, and of the mission of the Netherlands Reformed Church which began in 1870. The church became autonomous in 1956. Its motto is from Ephesians 5:8 “for once you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” The Evangelical Christian Church in Tanah Papua seeks to grow and to develop its theological vision in the spirit of Eph. 5:8. Ideally this is the vision of the kingdom of God. Operationally, the theological vision of the church is to demonstrate the signs of the kingdom, e.g. “Shalom”, in its mission activities. It has been able to develop into a mature church which has the capacity to support its actions of service by means of its own financial and human resources. The four main programmes are 1) public services in the area of human rights, legal support, politics and human security; 2) theology, evangelism and mission; 3) education, from elementary to tertiary levels; and 4) awareness building for financial self-reliance. The church has its own theological seminary for the training of pastors. The GKITP is organized according to the presbyterian-synodal model. The synod is the highest governing body. It elects an executive board, composed of eight regional and five executive members, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the church. In the areas of human rights and politics in Papua the GKITP is playing a very significant role. Through the campaign “Papua as Land of Peace” the church is involved in the resolution of conflicts in the community, in cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church, other Protestant churches and other faith groups in the region.
(Gereja Kristen Indonesia, GKI) Church Family: Reformed Membership: 220,000 Presbyteries: 18 Congregations: 208 Pastors: 295 Member of: WCC (1965) – CCA – CCI – WARC – REC Periodical: Majalah GKI (quaterly, in Indonesian) The Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) is a uniting church. It was formed by three churches which came together in 1962 and established one church in 1988. The three were the Indonesian Christian Church of West Java, the Indonesian Christian Church of Central Java and the Indonesian Christian Church of East Java. Formerly, these three were Chinese churches developed by the former Netherlands Missionary Society. The new church approved its “Church Order” at its 13th general assembly, held in November 2002. The Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) is a reformed church, and an ecumenical church. It recognizes the interdependency of churches around the world, particularly those of the same confession. It has developed fellowship with other churches in a mutual relationship. It actively promotes the ecumenical movement locally, regionally and internationally. Indonesian Christian Church (Huria Kristen Indonesia, HKI) Church Family: Lutheran Membership: 342,300 Congregations: 710 Pastors: 123 Teacher preachers: 710 Member of: WCC (1974) – CCA – CCI – LWF The Indonesian Christian Church (HJI) was established in 1927, asserting its autonomy and self-government from the Rhineland Mission (Germany). At issue were the ordination of Batak ministers, the indigenous role in regional and local church affairs, and the Batak role in national identity. Soon after the proclamation in 1946 of Indonesian independence, the church changed its original name “Huria Kristen Batak” to “Huria Kristen Indonesia”. The HKI adopted a synodal form of policy, headed by an ephorus. Since 1968 it has used the Nommensen University for the formation of pastors, teachers and others. The congregations are located mostly in Sumatra, where the language is Batak Toba, and Java. The majority of members live in rural areas. They are small farmers who raise cattle, water buffalo, pigs and chickens. Others live in towns and cities, including Jakarta, working as civil servants, policemen, soldiers, retailers, etc. Since 1970, the church has had connections with the Lutheran Church in America. With expatriate assistance, it conducts a programme in theological education by extension in which the Gereja Kristen Protestan Simalungun, the Asia Gereja Kristen Protestan Indonesia and other churches participate. In 1982 a theological education programme for teacher-preachers was started. Some newly trained church members will be sent as evangelists to the frontiers. A third programme is the family discussion group, undertaken in rural and urban places. The HKI is also involved in development projects. In 1976, an agricultural smallholders’ rice-growing project was initiated with outside aid. As the invested money is repaid, the revolving fund will help launch new projects for more people. Javanese Christian Churches (Gereja-Gereja Kristen Java, GKJ) Church Family: Reformed
The Javanese Christian Churches carry on missionary work among Javanese transmigrants in Sumatra and in central Java through a number of agencies. These include schools for education at all stages, teacher training schools and hostels for students; general hospitals and maternity hospitals; a bookshop; orphanages and an old people’s home; and Sunday schools. Apart from full-time missionaries, the church has a number of its members working in a voluntary, part-time capacity. There are many Bible study groups. Kalimantan Evangelical Church (Gereja Kalimantan Evangelis, GKE) Church Family: Reformed Membership: 245,035 Congregations: 1,057 Pastors: 386 Member of: WCC (1948) – CCA – CCI – WARC Periodicals: Berita GKE (in Indonesian) Talita Kum (Women Commission, in Indonesian) From 1835 to 1925 the Rhenish Missionary Society worked on the island of Borneo among the Dayak people. Progress was slow because the Dayaks held tenaciously to their traditional beliefs and practices, and also because of Muslim opposition. By 1925 there were only 5,400 Christians. From 1925-35 the Basel Mission took over but faced also many difficulties. The church became autonomous under the name Dayak Evangelical Church. It endured great hardships under the Japanese occupation. In 1950 the church adopted the name Kalimantan Evangelical Church, to express the fact that the entire island, where other tribes live besides the Dayaks, is the church’s mission field (Kalimantan is the name of the part of the island belonging to Indonesia). There are many ethnic groups in Kalimantan: Dayak, Banjar, Bugis, Java, Madura, Bali, Sunda, thus forming a pluralistic society of different cultures, customs and languages. Though there has been intermarriage and some assimilation of culture, tensions and conflicts remain. The church is aware of the fact that there are positive values in the customs and traditions of the ethnic groups of Kalimantan and that they relate in different ways to the Christian faith. The Muslim majority of Kalimantan is conservative and strongly influenced by local traditions and culture. In some areas migrants greatly outnumber the indigenous population. An example is the district of Pangkoh in Central Kalimantan. In 1980, it had a population of 6,000, mostly comprising people from the Dayak tribe. Within a few years the population increased to 56,000 due to migration. In 2000 communal violence erupted in Central Kalimantan, where the majority of the Christians live. It was not a Christian-Muslim conflict but ethnic violence marked by a resurgence of traditional belief in magic powers which resulted in killings. The fact that this could happen remains a problem for the church. The answer lies not so much with Christian-Muslim dialogue but rather in promoting activities of common interest for the different ethnic groups. The GKE is spread over an area of 230,000 square miles and divided into four provinces, 64 parishes (or regions) and seven parishes in formation. A great problem is the lack of transportation for the pastors, teachers, and other church workers. The church participates in education and development through agricultural and technical schools (e.g. carpentry), rural development centres, health services in rural areas, several elementary schools and high schools, a university and some boarding homes. Pastors are trained at the theological seminary in Banjarmasin.
(Gereja Batak Karo Protestan, GBKP) Church Family: Reformed Membership: 276,912 Presbyteries: 20 Congregations: 398 Pastors: 196 Evangelists: 34 Elders & Deacons: 7476 Member of: WCC (1969) – CCA – CCI – WARC – UEM Periodicals: Maranatha (monthly, in Karonese) Beras Piher (quarterly, Indonesian and English) Website: www.gbkp.or.id Work among the Karo Batak people was started in 1890 by the Dutch Missionary Society, financially assisted by the Dutch Plantation Company. The Karo people used to accuse the missionaries of being agents of colonialism. The church grew slowly, at its 50th anniversary it had 5,000 members. The GBKP was founded at the first synod in 1941. At that time there were two ordained Karonese pastors. During the Japanese occupation the missionaries were detained in camps and the Karo Christians had to take responsibility, without proper preparation financially, institutionally, theologically or in terms of human resources. Two periods of rapid growth occurred in 1965 and 1966 with mass baptisms at the time of the repression of the communist rebellion, and in the 1980s through the family approach model of evangelization. The increase in numbers created a problem for Asia
the church because there were not enough pastors to teach the new members in the faith. To meet the need, elders and deacons were trained to conduct worship services and take over other tasks of the pastors. A lay training centre was set up and later a school for evangelists. Elders and deacons continue to fulfill important functions in the church, including pastoral responsibilities. The GBKP is organized according to the presbyterian-synodal model. The general assembly is the highest governing body. In 2005 the general assembly voted a new church order. There are three departments: Diakonia (orphanages, care for the mentally handicapped, homes for the elderly, credit unions etc); Marturia (evangelization, Christian schools, theological education, pastoral counselling, etc.); Koinonia (Sunday schools, youth, women, lay training, retreat centre, etc.). For the next five years the programmes will put emphasis on theological and spiritual development, human resources development, and financial support. Some of the current challenges which the church faces are syncretism, formalism (“Sunday Christians”), materialism, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, violence in the families, poverty and lack of skills in the rural areas, the belief that the church should not be involved in socio-economic and political issues, etc. Therefore the GBKP is giving high priority to programmes of education and training, lay participation, health, social and economic questions, a theology of giving (the tithe has been introduced), and continuous strengthening of all sectors and institutions of the church. The GBKP would like to enter into partnership relationship with other churches, through the WCC, e.g. short-term exchanges South-North and South-South, twinning of congregations, mutual learning in mission, joint programmes of WCC member churches, etc.
(Gereja Metodista Indonesia, GMI) Church Family: Methodist Membership: 119,000 Districts: 12 Congregations: 469 Pastors: 232 Member of: WCC (2005) – CCA – CCI – WMC The Methodist Church in Indonesia is the fruit of missionary work of the Methodist Church in America, which began in 1904. The church became autonomous in 1964. From North Sumatra it has spread to the other parts of the island and of the country (Java in particular). The church is organized in two annual conferences, one in North Sumatra and one in Java, each with a bishop. Besides the established congregations there are over a hundred preaching posts with almost the same number of Bible teachers. Theological training of the pastors takes place in the seminary near Medan. Apart from the training for the ministry it also offers a two-year course of continuing theological training for pastors and lay preachers. The church ordains women (currently almost half of the students in the seminary are women). The priorities of the GMI are in the areas of mission and evangelism, education (48 elementary schools, 40 junior and 22 senior high schools, one university and one academy), urban rural ministry, youth and women. Education has played a very central role in the life and history of the Methodist Church in Indonesia, and continues to be its main ministry in the society. Almost each local congregation has its school. In the Medan District there are more school children (24,000) than church members (17,000). Apart from Indonesian, several other languages are used in the church for worship and congregational life, including Chinese and English. This multilingual diversity is held together in unity in the connexial structure of Methodism. The GMI has evangelism programmes in Riau (central east Sumatra), Kalimantan, Bali and South Sulawesi. Nias Christian Protestant Church (Banua Niha Keriso Protestan, BNKP) Church Family: Lutheran Membership: 367,721 Districts: 101 Congregations: 902 Pastors: 193 (48 women) Preachers/ Teachers: 822 Member of: WCC (1972) – CCA – CCI – LWF – UEM The Nias Christian Protestant Church (BNKP) grew out of the work of the Rhenish Mission (Germany) on the island of Nias, which began in 1865. Missionaries from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Netherlands began working in the southern part of the island in 1889. The first synod of the BNKP was held in 1936, when the autonomy of the church was acknowledged by the Mission Society and the Dutch colonial government. The Protestant Christian Church which had grown out of the Dutch Lutheran mission merged with the BNKP in 1960. The church accepts the word of God as written in the scriptures, the Apostolic Creed, and the Small Catechism of Luther. Enriched by its Lutheran heritage, the BNKP is living out its vision and mission along with other churches, nationally and globally. It has identified five major areas of concern: 1) religious pluralism and dialogue with people of other faiths; 2) pursuing justice, serving the needy, opposing gender discrimination; 3) care for creation; 4) science and rapid technological change; 5) gospel and culture. The programmes of the church are grouped under Witness (sending out missionaries and speaking prophetically in the society); Community (worship in Indonesian and Nias languages, weekly Bible studies in the congregations, relations with other churches and ecumenical bodies); Service (orphanages, care for the needy, schools, and rehabilitation and reconstruction). The majority of the population of Nias belongs to the BNKP. The church has put much emphasis on the formation of lay leadership, because it is scattered over a vast region and there is a shortage of ordained ministers. The training of more pastors is a high priority. The BNKP has its own theological seminary. Nias is situated west of Sumatra. About 43 percent of the population are considered very poor. It is an isolated area, with a high level of illiteracy. The road conditions are bad, and there is only one hospital on the island. Communications with Sumatra and the rest of Indonesia are difficult. The island of Nias was hit by the tsunami of 26 December 2004, and again by the earthquake of 28 March 2005 which was even more devastating. Many people were killed, many others lost their houses and belongings. Much of the infrastructure of the island was destroyed, including many church buildings. Following these disasters, the main priority of the BNKP has been to reorganize the life of the church and the local congregations, to assist people with trauma counselling and other assistance, and to reconstruct churches and other buildings. The Nias Christian Protestant Church is in relationship with several regional churches in Germany, and with the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. Asia
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