A handbook of councils and churches profiles of ecumenical relationships

Church Family: Reformed

Membership: 400,000

Presbyteries: 27

Congregations : 340

Pastors: 330

Member of: WCC (1961) – CCA – NCCP – WARC

The Presbyterian Church of Pakistan (PCP) was constituted in 1993. It has a long history rooted in the establishment of the Lahore Church Council of the United Church of Pakistan and the Synod of the United Presbyterian Church of Pakistan. Presbyterian mission in the area was started in 1854 by the United Pres­byterian Church of North America. The first presbytery was formed in 1859 and the synod of Punjab in 1893, which was declared autonomous in 1961 under the name United Presbyterian Church of Pakistan. The purpose of the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan is to make the work of God known to all and to spread the good news of Jesus Christ through word, thoughts and deeds. The church is orga­nized in sessions (the basic unit which comprises a pastor and a few elders), pres­byteries (which consist of at least ten sessions) and the general assembly, which is the highest authority and meets annually.

The Presbyterian Church of Pakistan is actively engaged in evangelism, educa­tion, health care, literacy, agriculture and social welfare. Evangelization is done by pastors, evangelists and lay workers and includes the spiritual nurture of the members of the church, church planting and growth, and the building of churches and parsonages. The church’s educational work suffered from the nationalization of the schools in 1972, but the church has established new primary, middle and high schools for boys and girls, and boarding houses for students. The PCP runs two hospitals and provides health education for the people. It began the work of literacy in Pakistan which is now carried out by an NGO, and continues to coop­erate with the government to promote literacy. The Presbyterian Church is also the initiator of theological education in Pakistan, through a seminary for candi­dates for the ministry and extension classes for lay people. Agricultural services focus on helping the peasants with techniques of production, preservation of seeds, fertilizers etc. Through its social welfare the church assists the needy, the sick, the disabled, the poor and oppressed. The PCP is also involved in human rights, especially women’s rights, minorities and child labour. Its main priorities for the future are women, children, and youth ministries. The church wants to care especially for rural communities in order that they may also enjoy the abun­dant life in Christ.

Asia

Population: 82,808,513 Surface area: 300,000 sq.km Capital: Manila GNI per capita: 1,080 US$ Classification: Developing economy Languages: Filipino (Tagalog), Ilokono, English, other Religions: Christian 85%; Muslim 4%; Indigenous 4%; other Christianity: Catholics 68,252,000; Protestants 5,196,420; Anglicans 129,000;

Independent 18,600,040 (double affiliation).

The Philippines consist of an archipelago of over 7,000 islands, which was inhabited long before it was colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century. In 1898 Spain ceded its colony to the USA after the Spanish-American war. Occupied by Japan during World War II, the Philippines became independent in 1946. For 21 years the country was under the corrupt and authoritarian regime of President Marcos, who was ousted in 1986 by a peaceful popular uprising. Popular resis­tance to the neo-colonial domination of the ruling elite, and the struggle for democracy, land reform, gender equality and social transformation remain strong. In the southern island of Mindanao, where the Muslim minority is concentrated, a separatist movement fought for independence until 1996, when a treaty was signed. The economy of the Philippines is based on agriculture and the manufac­turing industry. Increasing poverty has forced many Filipinos to seek work else­where in Asia, Europe and North America. The Philippines is the only predomi­nantly Christian country in Asia, with a majority Catholic Church, established under the Spanish rule. Several large independent churches have separated from the Catholic Church. Protestant missions arrived during the early 20th century. The National Council of Churches was formed in 1963 as an ecumenical group of the “mainline” Protestant churches, committed to unity and service, human rights and social justice. There is some cooperation with the Philippine Council of Evan­gelical Churches, which is affiliated with the WEA. Several large Pentecostal and Evangelical denominations make up about 50 percent of the Protestants.

Founded in 1963 (forerunners: the Philippine Federation of Christian Churches in 1949, Philippine Federation of Evangelical Churches in 1939, National Chris­tian Council in 1929, Evangelical Union in 1901, Missionary Alliance in 1900).

Basis: The National Council of Churches in the Philippines is a fellowship of churches which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures and, therefore, seek to fulfill together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christian organizations other than churches may be received as associate members.

Member churches: Apostolic Catholic Church

Iglesia Unida Ekyumenikal

Lutheran Church in the Philippines The Salvation Army

United Church of Christ in the Philippines

United Methodist Church

Associate members:

Association of Schools and Colleges

Consortium of Christian Organizations for Urban Development

Ecumenical Church Foundation, Inc.(ECLOF)

Kaisahang Buhay Foundation

Lingap Pangkabataan, Inc.

Manila Community Services

Philippine Bible Society

Student Christian Movement of the Philippines

Union Church of Manila

The NCCP is organized in ten regional ecumenical councils: Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Pangasinan-Ilocos-La Union-Abra, Romblon-Mindoro, Palawan, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Cotabato, Misamis Oriental-Camiguin-Butuan-Lanao, Basilan-Zamboanga-Misamis Occidental Regional Ecumenical Council.

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines is affiliated with the Com­mission on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches.

Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches

Church Family: Baptist

Membership: 100,000

Local churches: 749

Pastors: 1,000

Member of: WCC (2001) – CCA – NCCP – BWA – ABF

Periodical: Ang Manugbantala-Herald (quarterly, in Filipino)

The Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches was formed in 1935 and became fully autonomous in 1969. Its origins go back to the work of Baptist mis­sionaries from Sweden. At a later stage, links were developed and maintained with the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society. Originally the work was confined to the Visayas region. While this is still the centre of the CPBC, the church has spread to the islands of Luzon and Mindanao and is now represented throughout the country. Since 1979 the CPBC ordains women and almost half of the local churches are led by women.

The Convention places particular emphasis on educational programmes. Its Christian Education department has the task to help the local churches develop a ministry through which “people and communities are continuously renewed, nur­tured, transformed and empowered faithfully to participate in God’s redemptive acts towards a fuller manifestation of God’s reign”. A department for theological education and ministerial concerns has been established to coordinate theologi­cal schools and Bible colleges and organize continuing education programmes for pastors. Another important area of activities is development ministries, which include work with indigenous peoples, ecological programmes, adult literacy pro­grammes and support of work of cooperatives. The CPBC has also a department for evangelization and mission, which conducts training for the churches to do evangelization and coordinates actions related to revival work.

Asia

Church Family: Anglican

Membership: 125,000

Dioceses: 6

Congregations: 513

Clergy: 289

Member of: WCC (1991) – CCA – NCCP – ACC

Website: www.philippines.anglican.org

The beginning of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines was a worship ser­vice in Manila in 1898 for Americans and other English-speaking people con­ducted by an Episcopal Church chaplain in the US Armed Forces. A mission to Chinese migrants in Manila was started and the bishop of Shanghai was appointed to oversee the church work in the Philippines. In 1901 the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA admitted the church as the Mission District of the Philippine Islands and elected its first bishop. In 1937 the church was allowed to use the name Philippine Episcopal Church. In 1990 it was inaugurated as an autonomous church and a province of the Angli­can Communion with the name Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP).

At the time of the formation of the ECP all the inhabitants of the country were Roman Catholic with the exception of the Muslims in the south and tribal people in the mountains. The policy of the first bishop of the ECP was “no altar over against another altar and no planting of churches over against another church”. Thus the ECP started and formed its membership and congregations by the con­version of non-Christian inhabitants, i.e. the Chinese migrants in Manila and the tribal and indigenous peoples. The isolated mountain tribes were self-sustaining communities with no infrastructures for education, health, transport and com­munication. The Episcopal Church built churches for their souls, schools for their education and hospitals and clinics for their health. It also facilitated the building of roads. This evangelism policy of the ECP explains why most of the members of the church are from the indigenous people in the south and north of the country, and why it took this church 37 years to have its first ordained native clergy, and 69 years to have its first Filipino bishop.

According to its mission statement, the Episcopal Church in the Philippines exists to proclaim with integrity the fulfilling of God’s mission in the world by proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God: baptizing, teaching and nur­turing new believers; responding to human needs by loving service; and seeking to transform unjust structures of society.

Evangelical Methodist Church in the Philippines

(Iglesia Evangélica Metodista en las Islas Filipinas, IEMELIF)

Church Family: Methodist

Membership: 34,381

Districts: 10

Congregations: 225

Bishop: 1

Pastors: 196

Deaconesses: 97

Lay Preachers: 78

Member of: WCC (1972) – CCA – NCCP – WMC

Periodical: IEMELIF Newsletter (in Filipino and English)

Protestant missions started in the Philippines after the USA replaced Spain as the colonial power in the early 1900s. Among them were the Methodists. In the latter part of the first decade of the 20th century serious differences emerged between the Methodist missionaries and the Filipinos on the role of the latter in the running of church affairs. The intense spirit of nationalism that burned in their hearts led some Filipino church leaders to set up their own church that would be self-governing, self-sustaining, and self-propagating. Hence, in 1909, the Iglesia Evangélica Metodista en las Islas Filipinas (IEMELIF) was founded under the leadership of the first Filipino ordained pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The early leaders were simple people. Consequently, their ways and methods of evangelism were attuned to the temper of the ordinary Filipinos, which accounted for the early success in building the church. However, the mem­bership has not grown significantly due to several schisms that occurred in the past.

The church’s early polity was patterned after that of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The discipline and rituals of the IEMELIF followed those of the mother church and were used for over four decades. However, in 1948, the IEMELIF amended its discipline and lodged the responsibility for leading the church in its consistory of elders, composed of 11 ordained ministers and two lay persons. This discipline was used from then on, with minor amendments from time to time. In 2004, a new discipline was approved by the general conference which introduced major structural change in the church organizational set-up, although retaining the consistory of elders as the policy-making body while the general superinten­dent runs the affairs of the church.

At the turn of the 20th century, the church re-envisioned its role and the chal­lenges it faces for the 21st century. By God’s grace and anchoring itself in its own distinctive identity, the IEMELIF will focus in the near future on church growth in the Philippines and broaden its missions abroad. The church will celebrate its centenary in the year 2009. At this early stage, preparations are being made for a meaningful celebration of this very significant event in the life of the church.

Philippine Independent Church

(Iglesia Filipina Independiente, IFI)

Church Family: Independent

Membership: 6,000,000

Dioceses: 33

Parishes: 726

Village Chapels: 2,218

Bishops: 44

Priests: 688

Deacons: 50

Lay readers: 470

Member of: WCC (1958) – CCA – NCCP

Periodical: Ang Tagapunla (The Sower)

Catholic missionary work started in the Philippines in 1565 when Augustin­ian missionaries arrived with the conquering Spanish army. Within a few years most of the population had been baptized. Franciscans, Jesuits and others joined the Augustinians in the 17th century. The church soon became an integral part of the colonial government. There were instances of protests and revolts against Spanish friars in the 17th and 18th centuries, but it was the 19th century that saw the emergence of organized struggle within the Filipino church. The martyrdom of three Filipino priests in 1872 raised nationalist consciousness. This culminated

Asia

in the 1896 Philippine Revolution; independence was proclaimed in 1898. That same year the Americans defeated the Spanish and took over the Philippines as a colony. The Filipino-American war ended in 1902 with the defeat of the Filipinos. It was in this context that the Philippine Independent Church was born in 1902, out of the aspiration of the Filipinos for genuine independence, democracy and abundant life.

The mission statement of the PIC says that as a community of faith steeped in the nationalist history and the workers’ struggle in the Philippines, it affirms its commitment to its historical mission and ministry in empowering the poor, deprived and oppressed through its liberative education, organizing and mobiliz­ing of the Filipino people in pursuing life in its fullness. The church envisions a Philippine nation that is free from foreign domination, where justice and peace reign, and whose people are united in active witness to God’s love in the world.

The PIC now has two colleges in Manila and in Southern Leyte, three theolog­ical seminaries, 14 primary and secondary schools, and many kindergartens. It is much involved in peace-building ministry, human and democratic rights advocacy and ecumenical linkages. It pursues better Christian education and stewardship; the training of more dedicated priests and more aggressive campaigns against all forms of poverty are high on its agenda. Among its programme objectives the PIC seeks to fully inform its members of its history, mission and ministry, to enhance the interaction between national, diocesan and local levels, to establish effective instruments for the implementation of its activities and to achieve recognition as a pillar of Philippine society.

United Church of Christ in the Philippines

Church Family: United and Uniting

Membership: 500,000

Congregations: 2,564

Pastors: 1,593

Lay workers: 1,894

Member of: WCC (1948) – CCA – NCCP – WARC – WMC – UEM

Periodical: United Church Letter

The United Church of Christ in the Philippines, the largest and most wide­spread Protestant church in the country, came into being in 1948. It unites in one church the United Evangelical Church in the Philippines (a 1929 union of Pres­byterian, Congregational and United Brethren churches with the small United Church of Manila), the Philippine Methodist Church and the Evangelical Church in the Philippines (a 1944 union of various Evangelical churches). The UCCP considers itself as an integral part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, called to be a witness to the gospel of the kingdom of God as proclaimed in the life and ministry of our Lord as revealed in the scriptures, and empowered to participate in the ushering in of God’s shalom throughout the whole creation.

The vision of the UCCP is to be a responsible, empowered, self-reliant and caring community of Christian believers committed to the pursuit of a trans­formed church and society, and an abundant and meaningful life for all. In light of this vision, the UCCP commits itself to the mission of establishing and uniting the community of faith for the proclamation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, towards the transformation of both church and society. The UCCP sees itself as journeying towards its next jubilee year carrying on a ministry and witness of pro­claiming, articulating and activating the gospel of hope and promise to both its church members and the larger community, as expressed in the following mission statement:

“We, the members of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, affirming our common faith heritage and mandate, centred and founded in the living Christ, cognizant of our diverse historical traditions and experiences, but sensitive to the problems and challenges of the contemporary society where we are located, do commit ourselves to the pursuit of the following life purpose: to be a community living out Jesus’ example as a servant-prophet to the people; to transform our life and work towards becoming a more effective witness to the church’s vision; to be a faithful proclaimer of the gospel of shalom to and with the people; to work in solidarity with all other sectors and groups in society, and with other faith com­munities who share the UCCP’s vision of society; to continue to work for unity and reconciliation among our own people. We intend to live out these life pur­poses drawing strength from the resources of our faith heritage, from the edifying traditions and lessons of our history as a church, from the stories of faith, hope and struggle of the Filipino people including the martyrs, and from the empow­erment that can only come from the Holy Spirit.”

Within the first five to ten years of its jubilee, the UCCP will translate its mis­sion in three areas: strengthening the faith community; enriching the life-work of communities where local churches are located; deepening the impact of its col­lective response to societal issues and concerns.

Population: 4,371,513

Surface area: 680 sq.km

Capital: Singapore

GNI per capita: 24,220

Classification: Developing economy

Languages: Malay, English, Chinese, other

Religions: Taoist 43%; Muslim 18%; Buddhist 15%; Christian 12%;

Hindu 5%
Christianity: Catholics 210,000; Protestants 190,870; Anglicans 50,000;
Independent 166,184
Singapore was under the Sultanate of Johore (Malaysia). It became a British colony in 1867. Occupied by Japan in World War II, it acquired the status of a self-governing colony in 1959, joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, and became independent in 1965. The island state developed rapidly from a situation of mass

Asia

Founded in 1974 (forerunners: the Council of Churches of Malaysia and Singa­pore founded in 1961, and the Malayan Christian Council of 1948).

Basis: The National Council of Churches of Singapore is founded on a common belief that God has revealed his eternal purpose for humankind in his Son, Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, that the scriptures of the Old and New Testa­ments are the supreme standard of Christian faith and practice, and that the Apos­tles’ and Nicene Creeds express our historical common faith; and as an associa­tion of churches and other Christian organizations, each believing that it is Christ’s will that his body, the church, should again be visibly one, and each desir­ing to work towards this end.

Member churches:

Anglican Diocese of Singapore

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Singapore

Presbyterian Church in Singapore

Lutheran Church in Singapore

Salvation Army

Associate members:

Student Christian Movement

YMCA Singapore

YWCA Singapore

The National Council of Churches of Singapore is affiliated with the Commis­sion on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches.