A handbook of councils and churches profiles of ecumenical relationships

Church Family: Reformed

Membership: 250,000*

Congregations: 314

Pastors: 234

Member of: WCC (1963) – MECC – FMEEC – WARC

Periodical: Al-Huda (in Arabic)

Website: www.epcegypt.org

Founded in 1854 by American Presbyterian missionaries, the Evangelical Pres­byterian Church of Egypt became autonomous in 1926 and has since carried on the tradition of serving the local communities through countless social, educa­tional, medical, evangelistic and mission programmes. At the forefront of educa­tion and inclusivity in Egypt, the Synod of the Nile founded the country’s first primary schools for girls, for students with special needs, and vocational training centres ranging from secretarial work to dairy farming. Inheriting 13 American mission schools, the synod now operates 23, in addition to 37 schools for all ages administered by local churches. Members of the Synod of the Nile are credited with co-founding Egypt’s two leading academic institutions, Cairo University and the American University in Cairo, while training pastors from across Africa and the Middle East at the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo. The seminary reforms itself to this day to meet the demands of mission and pastoral leadership amidst a diverse geographical, socio-economic and religious constituency.

“The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person” reminds all church members of their great privilege and responsibility. This mantra describes the newest training pro­gramme for lay ministers working in hospitals, youth centres, nursing homes, hos­tels, orphanages and retreat centres across the country, struggling for quality and dignity of life for Christians and Muslims alike. The church runs three hospitals and four orphanages. Youth centres have become a vital part of the life of the church; there are five in Alexandria, one in Port Said and several others in dif­ferent places in Egypt. Working with the poorest of the poor, the Coptic Evangel­ical Organization for Social Services represents one of Egypt’s largest development organizations addressing rampant illiteracy, women’s rights, sexual education, industrialized urbanization and tolerance. The Synod of the Nile was among those that initiated the inclusion of the Orthodox and Catholic churches into the Middle East Council of Churches, and continues to be a voice for ecumenism. It hosts an inter-denominational dialogue with the Episcopalians and Lutherans, in which it is hoped to include the Coptic Orthodox Church in the near future. The church is also running two programmes for Christian-Muslim dialogue.

*Official church membership does not accurately reflect church attendance. For various political and social reasons, an unknown but large number of people, while fully active and vital “members” of a congregation, maintain their official membership in the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa

Church Family: Orthodox (Eastern)

Membership: 500,000

Dioceses: 18

Parishes: 500

Metropolitans and Bishops: 18

Priests: 500

Member of: WCC (1948) – MECC

Website: www.greekorthodox-alexandria.org

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa is the second ranking Orthodox See (after the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople). It is in communion with all the (Eastern) Orthodox churches in the world and belongs to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Patriarchate of Alexandria extends its ecclesiastical jurisdiction to all the countries of the African continent. Christianity made its way to Alexandria at a very early date, via the Jews of the Diaspora. However, it is St Mark the Evangelist who is regarded both by tradition and in the light of various written sources as the founder of the church in Egypt and, indeed, throughout the continent of Africa. St Mark arrived in Egypt in 43 AD and met a martyr’s death on his second visit to Alexandria. Already in its very first years the church of Alexandria expanded its activities to cover not only Egypt and Libya, but also the sub-Saharan countries of Africa. The history of the church can be divided into the following periods: from its founda­tion to the First Ecumenical Council in 325; from 325 to the Arab conquest of Egypt in 642; from 642 to 1517 when Egypt came under the sway of the Ottoman Turks; from the Turkish conquest to the liberation of Greece from the Turkish yoke in 1821; from 1821 to the present day. All the way through the first centuries of the life of the Church of Alexandria, persecution and heresy were twin threats, but the church rose to the occasion and never lost its courage. The entire period of Arab rule was also a prolonged torment for the Christians of Egypt. The Patri­archate of Alexandria was more than once in danger of complete extinction as a result of the cruel measures taken by the rulers of Egypt. When the Turks took Egypt in 1517, a new era dawned for the Christians. Persecution ceased. The patriarch received from the sultan a firman safeguarding all the patriarchal priv­ileges and guaranteeing that the patriarchate would be allowed to perform its duties in peace. The 19th century could most aptly be described as the period in which the church experienced a renaissance. The spiritual regeneration reached completion during the 20th century.

Among the most important milestones in the early history of the Church of Alexandria are the appearance of monasticism in Egypt, the creation of the famous School of Alexandria, and the emergence of a distinct Christian commu­nity among the Egyptians, separate from the Greeks. Since the 4th Ecumenical Council in 451 the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa have been separate churches.

In the course of the 20th century the Patriarchate of Alexandria developed a remarkable missionary activity on the African continent, with the assistance of the Orthodox churches of Cyprus and Greece. Whereas in the past the church mainly served the Greek expatriate communities throughout Africa, it was now reaching out to the local people. Kenya, Ghana and South Africa were countries where African Orthodox communities were established and granted recognition, and from where the mission spread to other countries like Uganda, Nigeria, Zim­babwe, the DRC, etc. In 1981 the Orthodox Patriarchal Theological School was

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opened in Nairobi, Kenya. It plays a crucial role in the formation of African clergy. The church is striving to be a truly African Orthodox Church, struggling to find ways and means to support itself and to build upon the foundations of the origi­nal work of the Apostle Mark, Evangelist of Africa.

Population: 70,675,076 Surface area: 1,648,195 sq.km Capital: Teheran GNI per capita: 2,010 US$ Classification: Developing economy Language: Farsi Religions: Muslim 97%; Zoroastrian, Baha’i, Jewish, Christian 3% Christianity*: Orthodox 135,000; Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Catholics 10,000;

Protestants and Evangelicals 5,000

Iran, the old Persia, was settled over 3000 years ago by the Aryan peoples, from which the country’s name is derived. From the 16th century onwards, Iran was ruled by a shah, or king. In 1978, the monarchy was overthrown. An Islamic theo­cratic republic was established, in which the political authority is vested in reli­gious scholars. The regime has conservative and reformist currents. Shi’a Islam has been the official religion of Iran since the 16th century, and Shiites form 89 percent of the population; 9 percent are Sunni. Iran has rich oil and gas reserves. Production and export are controlled by the state. The majority of the population live from small-scale industry, commerce and farming. While Christians form less than 1 percent of the population, the church has a long history in Iran. The Assyr­ian Church of the East extended to Persia and beyond, from the 5th to the 7th cen­tury. Historically, this small church was called the Church of Persia. A small com­munity still exists in Iran. The largest Christian group is the Armenian Apostolic Church, under the jurisdiction of the Holy See of Cilicia. During the 19th century, Catholic (both Latin and Eastern rites), Anglican and Protestant churches were established in Iran. There is also an Assembly of God church (Pentecostal). After the Islamic revolution in 1978, most newly established church properties were confiscated and educational institutions were limited to Christian education among Christians. During the 1980s the Bible society was banned and the gov­ernment shut down many newly formed Protestant and Evangelical churches.

*statistics from Iran

Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Iran

Church Family: Reformed

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Iran developed out of the work of American Presbyterian and Congregational missionaries, the first of whom came to Iran in 1834. The work started among the Assyrian Christians (Assyrian Church of the East) of Urumia (Rezaieh) district in north-west Iran. The hope was that the old churches of the East might be revitalized so that once again, as in the Middle Ages, they would become powerful and zealous agents of mission. Unfortunately, those members who were touched by the evangelical spirit were forced to leave the old church, and in 1855 several Protestant congregations came into existence in and around Rezaieh. The first presbytery was organized in 1862, and others were established later. In the meantime, Presbyterian missionary work in Iran led to the formation of other congregations in various parts of the coun­try, composed of people from different backgrounds, e.g. Armenian Christians and converts from Islam, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. In 1934 all the Evangelical churches in Iran joined together in a synod, which became an autonomous national Iranian church. In 1963, it adopted a new constitution and took the name of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Iran.

Today services in the congregations are held in Persian, Assyrian and Armen­ian, and the three presbyteries are organized according to these languages. The common language is Farsi. Two representatives from each presbytery make up the executive committee of the synod. There are six young lay preachers, two part-time Christian educators and about 30 young women and men who are voluntar­ily involved in different Christian education programmes of the congregations.

ISRAEL / PALESTINE

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Church Family: Orthodox (Eastern)

Membership: 400,000

Parishes: 50

Bishops: 17

Priests: 50

Member of: WCC (1948) – MECC

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, or Church of Jerusalem, is the uninterrupted continuation of the first Christian community, whose first bishop was St James, the brother of the Lord. St James presided over the first Apostolic Council of Jerusalem in 48 AD. From 70 to 134 AD the Church of Jerusalem was in exile in Transjordan, but throughout the centuries the See has been Jerusalem. St Alexander, one of the prominent bishops in the early period, founded a theo­logical school and a library. During the three centuries of persecution against Christianity, many members of the Church of Jerusalem became martyrs. A new period started in the 4th century when St Helen, commissioned by her son the emperor Constantine the Great, erected the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, and the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem. More churches were built in places related to the life of Jesus Christ, such as the river Jordan, the Sea of Galilee, Mount Tabor, the Mount of Olives, etc. A monastic order, the Broth­erhood of the Holy Sepulchre, was established in order to serve and safeguard the Holy Sepulchre and other holy places, and to witness to the truth of Christ.

The period from the 4th to the 7th century was the golden age of the Church of Jerusalem. Many embraced the Christian faith, pilgrims came to the Holy Land,

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and monks gathered in the desert or lived as hermits. It was also the time of great theologians and desert fathers. Their contribution to the doctrinal theology and ascetic life of the church remains an inspiration to this day. The Church of Jerusalem was promoted from a bishopric to a patriarchate (5th after Rome, Con­stantinople, Alexandria and Antioch) by the 4th Ecumenical Council of Chal­cedon in 415. Its jurisdiction covered the territories of the three Palestines: Cae­sarea, Skythopolis and Petra (which correspond in the political situation of today to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan).

The Persian invasion in 614 was a catastrophe for the Church of Jerusalem. It was followed by the Islamic invasion of 638 which put an end to Byzantine sov­ereignty over the city. From that time onwards the church tried to adapt to the new situation of an Islamic state. The Actiname, an agreement signed by Patri­arch Sophronios and Omar-Ibn-Khatab, accorded privileges and rights to the Church of Jerusalem. Again there were some famous theologians, poets and monks in the church. In 1099 a new trauma came, when the Crusaders took Jerusalem. Their presence lasted for almost a century. Salah-Edin restored the rights of the Church of Jerusalem in 1189. New difficulties were to be overcome, but the church’s life continued during the reign of the Mamelukes. From 1517 to 1917, the church was under the authority of the Ottoman empire. During this period, other Christian denominations began to show interest in the Holy Land, accosting the local Orthodox faithful and approaching the Turkish authorities in order to acquire rights to the holy shrines. The struggle for prevalence between communities led to the Berlin Conference in 1878, which confirmed the status quo in the holy places. Several patriarchs of this period deserve special memory, among them Chrysantos, the founder of St George Hospital, and Cyril, in whose days the Theological School of the Holy Cross, the library and the printing press were established and many liturgical books were translated into Arabic, for the Arabic-speaking congregations.

The political changes of the 20th century in the Middle East have affected the church, and have pushed many of the faithful to emigrate from the Holy Land. In spite of all the vicissitudes, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, with the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre and its 100 members, with its congregations in three polit­ical sovereignties, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, continues its reli­gious, social, cultural and reconciling mission, under the spiritual guidance of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III, the 141st patriarch of Jerusalem.

Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East

Church Family: Anglican

Membership: 37,000

Dioceses: 4

Parishes: 31

Bishops: 4

Priests: 78

Member of: WCC (1976) – MECC – ACC

Periodical: Bible Lands

Website: www.jerusalem.anglican.org

The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East was officially inaugu­rated in 1976. It succeeded the old Jerusalem archbishopric and was established in accordance with principles set by the Anglican Consultative Council. Metro­politan authority has been delegated by the archbishop of Canterbury to the cen­tral synod of the church. The primate is elected by the synod from among the diocesan bishops. St George’s Church in Jerusalem is the centre of Anglican pres­ence in the Middle East. Though in no way detracting from the acknowledgment of the position of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem as the successor to St James as Bishop of Jerusalem, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the Cathedral of Jerusalem, St George’s has the status of a cathedral church. It serves not only the diocese, but also in a unique way the whole Anglican communion, with which it is linked by the episcopal canons who have a share in the government of the cathe­dral. The dean of St George’s is appointed by a special electoral college on which the episcopal canons are represented. The cathedral ministers to both local and expatriate congregations and to pilgrims, and works with the bishop in fostering good relations with the other churches represented in the parent city of the Chris­tian faith. While acknowledging the unique place of Jerusalem in the Christian world, the Anglican Consultative Council decided that the general principle by which the Anglican Church in any place is represented by its diocesan bishop should also obtain in Jerusalem and the Middle East, and that the bishop in Jerusalem should therefore, apart from fulfilling his primary function as minister and pastor, be its representative in the holy city.

The diocese of Iran is presently in great difficulties. Besides losing its hospital and other church properties, it has no bishop or ordained priest to give pastoral care. The diocese of Egypt, with jurisdiction over North Africa, Ethiopia and Somalia, ministers to small communities of Egyptians mainly in and around Cairo and to expatriate communities in the other countries. The diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf ministers not only to British and American expatriates but also to Pak­istanis, Indians, Palestinians and others throughout the area of the Gulf. The dio­cese of Jerusalem has considerable responsibilities for schools, welfare centres, and work among the aged and the handicapped. It also ministers to many refugees. St George’s College continues to perform its particular role in providing facilities for study and research; St George’s hostel continues to cater for pilgrims and visitors.

Together with the other churches in Jerusalem, the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East is actively involved in seeking a just solution of the conflict in the Holy Land and building bridges of reconciliation.

LEBANON

Population: 3,760,703

Surface area: 10,452 sq.km

Capital: Beirut

GNI per capita: 4,980 US$

Classification: Developing economy

Languages: Arabic, English, French

Religions: Muslim 59%; Christian 39%

Christianity: Catholics 1,180,000; Orthodox 419,300; Protestants 20,810;

Independent 63,080

Lebanon was Christianized as of the first century AD. With the Arab conquest and Islamization in the 7th century, it became the area with the highest propor­tion of Christians in the Middle East. It was occupied by the Turks from the 16th century until 1918 when the western powers liberated Lebanon. Under French mandate until 1943, it became independent in 1944, with a political system that

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provided a distribution of power between the majority Christians, the Muslims (Sunni and Shi’ite), and the Druze (a Muslim sect). This balance was gradually disrupted because of demographic changes among the religious communities. From 1975 to 1990 Lebanon was the scene of a civil war which devastated the country. It ended with an arrangement that placed Lebanon under the military and political tutelage of Syria. Israel, which had occupied southern Lebanon in the 1980s, withdrew in 2000. Syria repatriated its forces in 2005 under popular and international pressure. Lebanon is faced with the challenges of political sta­bility, economic recovery and reconstruction. Christians have made a distin­guished contribution to the making of Lebanon and continue to play a key role in the social and political development of the country. The largest Christian com­munity is the Maronite Church, which traces its origins back to the 4th century and is Catholic. The main Orthodox churches are the Patriarchate of Antioch (Eastern), and the Armenian Apostolic and Syrian Orthodox churches (Orien­tal). Smaller Catholic churches are the Melkites (Greek), Chaldean, Latin, Armen­ian and Syrian. The small Protestant churches are the fruit of missionary work in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Armenian Apostolic Church (Holy See of Cilicia)

Church Family: Orthodox (Oriental)

Membership: 1,285,000*

Dioceses: 13

Parishes: 150

Bishops: 19

Priests: 120

Member of: WCC (1962) – MECC

Periodical: Hask (monthly, in Armenian)

Website: www.cathcil.org

The origin of the Armenian Church dates back to the apostolic age. Christian­ity was preached in Armenia as early as the second half of the first century by St Thaddeus and St Bartholomew, two apostles of Jesus Christ. During the first three centuries Christianity in Armenia was a hidden religion under heavy persecution. In 301 AD Christianity was officially accepted by the Armenians as the state reli­gion. St Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of the Armenian Church, and King Tiridates III, the ruler of the time, played a pivotal role in the Christianiza­tion of Armenia. It is a well recognized historical fact that the Armenians were the first nation to formally adhere to Christianity.

St Gregory the Illuminator organized the Armenian Church hierarchy and chose as the site of the Catholicosate the then capital city of Vagharshapat (Holy Etchmiadzin). Because of the continuous political upheavals, the Catholicosate was transferred to various cities, beginning in 485, and was established in 1080 in Cilicia, when the Armenian kingdom also settled there. In 1441, a new catholi­cos was elected in Holy Etchmiadzin, in the person of Kirakos Virapetsi. At that time Krikor Moussapegiants (1439-1446) was the catholicos residing in Cilicia. Therefore, due to these historical circumstances and the geographical dispersion of the Armenian people, two Catholicosates – Catholicosate of All Armenians (Holy Etcmiadzin) and the Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia (Antelias) – have continued to function since 1441, with equal rights and privi­leges, and with their respective jurisdictions. His Holiness Aram I, who has since 1991 been the moderator of the central committee of the WCC, is the 142nd pon­tiff counted from the Apostle St Thaddeus.

During World War I, one and a half million Armenians were massacred by the Turkish government. The rest of the Armenians in Turkey were forced to leave their homeland and found refuge in the countries of the Middle East, in Europe, and in North and South America. In 1930, the Catholicosate of Cilicia was estab­lished in Antelias, Lebanon. Thus, a new era opened, with the organization of dio­ceses and the founding of a new theological seminary and community-related institutions. The Catholicosate of Cilicia played a significant role in the organiza­tion of the world-wide Armenian diaspora. It also takes a major part in the cul­tural, social and other aspects of the life of the Armenian communities. The Armenian Church in diaspora finds itself in different contexts and faces various problems and challenges. It is truly a global church. Deeply rooted in its centuries-old tradition, it continues to bear witness to the salvation in Christ, and to work for the renewal of its life by responding to the challenges of modern societies. Theological formation, Christian education, community schools, youth and women, leadership training, social action, care for children of broken families, homes for the aged, medical care and housing projects for the needy families – all these are among the priority concerns and activities of the Catholicosate of Cili­cia. In the area of publications, the printing house produces theological journals and hundreds of volumes on a regular basis. Ecumenical collaboration, theologi­cal dialogues and inter-religious relations occupy an important place in the life and witness of the Catholicosate.

The jurisdiction of the Catholicosate of Cilicia covers Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, the Gulf region, Iran, Greece and the Americas.