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I. WORLD DENOMINATIONS:
There is one major line of demarcation within the Christian church: Either a Christian is Catholic
or Protestant or within the Protestant division of Christianity, there are primarily five major
divisions or families of Denominations:
There are seven major families of denominations which comprise the Biblical Historical Christian
faith: Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Four Protestant Families.
A. Oriental Orthodox - Not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox denominations - the Oriental
Orthodox churches broke off in the earliest of schisms in Church history. Some were Nestorians,
others were "monophysites" (a complex understanding of Christology unfairly declared heretical).
This family still has a representation of denominations dating back to the third century - Coptic
Christians in Egypt (heavily persecuted by Muslims), Church of India (established by the Apostle
Thomas), Armenian Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (possibly dating as far back as
the Biblical encounter between the Apostle Philip and the influential Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.
B. Roman Catholic - This group emerged distinctive at the point of the Great Schism in 1054, but
had been forming for hundreds of years via the dogma of "Papal Primacy" originally introduced by
Leo, then the head of the Church at Rome, who fought to establish Rome as the "primary see" and
its Bishop as the "primal Papacy" (which of course at the time, was none other than himself!) He
would emerge from this contested ecumenical council as "Pope Leo", the first to be referred to by
that title with the meaning of "Primal Papal Office". This office would be further solidified in the
west by the combination of church and state with the Pope appointing Kings and emperors and
Kings and emperors influencing who would be "Pope". The office of "Pope" would begin to be
authoritatively enforced under Pope Gregory the Great (c.AD 600) and the iron-fisted reign of the
popes would start to wane with the introduction of the Waldensians (earliest reformers) and the
office would become a laughing stock in the Christian world with the "Great Papal Schism" of the
14th century where the Roman Catholic church had THREE Popes at once - none of which wanting
to give up their authority!
C. Eastern Orthodox - Eastern Byzantine empire - began forming alongside the "Roman Church"
with the division of the Roman Empire into east and west. The Eastern church - primarily Greek and
North African, spoke a different language, enjoyed a different culture, and eventually held to a
different governance ecclesiology over time. The emphasis of the primacy of see of Rome and its
Bishop as possessing chief papal authority (Pope) the Eastern Orthodox Church had already begun to
operate independently of Rome. The final spark occurred with the addition of the filioque (from the
Son) to the Nicene Creed which led to sharp criticism of the Roman Church with Patriarch Michael
Cerularius accusing Pope Leo IX of overstepping his authority. The Pope was incensed and sent
Cardinal Humbert to deliver a Papal Bull excommunicating Cerularius. Cerularius in turn,
excommunicated Cardinal Humbert, AND Pope Leo IX who sent him. Both East and West churches
emerged separate and distinct and have not rejoined since. This has come to be known as the "Great
Schism" of 1054 AD. However it should be called the Great Schism of the 3rd - 11th centuries!
D. Protestant (Four Family 'sub' groups) - A term used to describe those Christians who sought to
"reform" the Roman Catholic Church. Contrary to popular misnomer, the word did not arise as a
result of "protesting" the Pope or the Roman Catholic Church. Rather, the etymology of "Protestant"
is tied to a group of German princes, civic centers, and authorities all of whom voiced their dissent
from the Diet of Speyer which was decidedly against Luther reforms. It has since come to be known
as a term for "anti papist" groups and although it primarily referred to German reformers (Lutherans)
and the term "Reformed Churches" referred to Swiss and French reformers, the term protestant has
today come to represent all denominations besides the Roman Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, and
Eastern Orthodox denominations.
1. Pre-Reformers - These are the groups of believers which broke from Roman Catholic
oppression prior to Luther's German Reforms
a. Waldensians - Founded by Peter Waldo, perhaps the earliest of all true reformers. Waldo decried
the lavish lifestyle of monks and priests amidst the squalor of the common people. He petitioned
for the Scriptures to be translated from Latin (educated tongue) to French - the language of the
common people. He also believed in preaching in the common language as well. The Roman
Catholic Church for some strange reason believed that all masses should only be "said" in Latin
language which most common people could not understand. Waldo also believed in personal
evangelism. His efforts would earn him infamous hatred and notoriety that would dog his
followers, the Waldensians, for centuries BEYOND the great reformation! The Waldensians are
perhaps the most persecuted Christian denomination in Church history, mostly due to their
challenge of the Roman Catholic Pope's authority.
b. Moravians or Unity of the Brethren - began by secret small study groups formed by John Hus,
the Czech pre-reformer - originally called "Hussites", they closely mirrored the reform teachings
of John Wycliffe who died prior to Hus' martyrdom at the hands of the Roman Catholic faith.
Half of the "Hussites" or "Unity of the Brethren" fled the persecution of Czechoslovakia to
join the Moravians - both groups are still in existence today.
2. Lutheran - started by Martin Luther and although some Lutheran pastors have left to join or
start other movements, Lutherans have tended to produce other varieties of Lutherans but there
have been no other significant denominations that broke from the Lutheran tradition and
subsequently trace their roots to Luther. This can be considered a credit to Lutheran unity.
3. Anglican - Began as a state issue and not a doctrinal issue, King Henry VIII "seceded" from
Roman Papal authority, declaring himself as "Head of Church and State". The Church of England
would endure hardship at the hands of the Roman Catholic Mary Stuart or "Bloody Mary" but
eventually, reformers like Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and compromiser
Elizabeth I would bring about distinction for this Christian family. Most denominations trace
their roots to this branch: Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, etc.
4. Reformed - A large number of denominations consider the Reformed church as their historical
foundation: Presbyterians, Amish, Evangelical Free, and Christian and Missionary Alliance.
The Original Christian Church 30 A.D.
To get a more well-rounded definition of church and religion here we have a quick contrast
between a Christian Biblical versus the secular understanding:
a. Papal Authority
b. Transubstatiation
c. Eternal Security of the Believer
d. Water Baptism – methods, etc
e. Eschatological elements - Rapture, Millenialism
f. Gifts of the Spirit
g. Soteriology - doctrine of salvation - Calvinism (predestination) vs. Arminianism (man's choice) vs.
Molinism (best possible world)
1. Decentralized
2. Loosely organized
3. Participant driven
1. The Christian assembly usually met in private homes for worship and
instruction(Acts 2:46; 16:40; 18:7; Philem. 1:2)
2. In commemoration of the resurrection, the congregation assembled on the "Lord's Day," the first
day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2)
3. New Testament suggests that Christian worship incorporated singing of hymns and psalms (Eph.
5:19), prayer (1 Cor. 11:4-5), vocal thanksgiving (Eph. 5:20; Heb. 13:15), and instruction (1 Cor.
14:26; Col. 3:16).
1. Justin Martyr (c.151 AD) ANF: Vol. I, First Apology of Justin, Chapter 67
a. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place
(Renders the claims by Seventh Day Adventists that "Saturday" is the proper day of worship, a bit
untenable).
b. The memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits
c. When the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these
good things.
e. When our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like
manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying
Amen.
f. There is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and
to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.
g. They who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited
with the president, who succors the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any
other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and
in a word takes care of all who are in need.
h. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on
which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ
our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of
Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared
to His apostles and disciples.
D. Development of Centralization
1. Constantine and the Edict of Milan - Declared ALL religions legal to practice • Contrary to
common misnomer - this did NOT declare Christianity to be the official "state" religion of Rome.
That would not happen until the Emperor Theodosius' decree several years later.
2. 7 ecumenical councils and notable heresies - All gave clarity - none solved problems.
Condemned Apollonarius who claimed that Jesus had “divine” and not “human” spirit. –
removing Christ’s humanity.
Consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with Father, Son “proceeds from the Father”; Not subordinate
upheld the “rulings” of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed
Constantinople - 2nd See behind Rome
Christ is human as well as divine
Mary called – Theotokos (Mother of God) to affirm Jesus Deity • Has been misused to venerate
Mary to level of sub-deity
Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople condemned by Cyril of Alexandria • Nestorius denied Jesus’
divine nature was truly unified with his humanity, Mary gave birth to humanity of Jesus only; no
theotokos! • Nestorian followers joined the Assyrian Church of the East which held the same
views and still exists today – near Baghdad.
Jesus 2 natures in 1 person - “blended” in perfect unity of one person upheld as orthodox –
theanthropos
d. Chalcedon – Emperor Marcion & Leo, Bishop of Rome 451 AD – 600 Bishops
i. Condemned Monophysitism of Eutyches – Christ had one ‘fused’ nature, previously condemned
for teaching Jesus had ‘one’ nature
ii. 28th Canon declared Constantinople as an equal See to Rome.
iii. Reversed a decision which proclaimed Constantinople on an equal
level of authority as Rome, ecclesiastically. – Leo declared his own See and his successors there
as the primary See and being in direct Petrine line of papal primacy. The term “Pope” possibly
first used for Leo.
iv. Further defined Christ as 1 person in 2 natures
v. Codified canon law for discipline and organizational methods
i. Iconoclast Controversy- (icon - image; clast - destroy) Use of Christian "art" or images
statuettes, the cross, etc had been used as teaching tools to a largely illiterate people for 700 years
prior. But such artwork was never venerated or revered.
ii. 4 stages of Organization– Phillip Schaff vol. 2 - organization and discipline of the early church
• Here the Greek Church stopped, and is governed to this day by a hierarchical oligarchy of
patriarchs equal in rank and jurisdiction
a. The distinction of clergy and laity
b. The sacerdotal view of the ministry becomes prominent and fixed
c. Subordinate church offices are multiplied
d. The episcopate arises
e. The beginnings of the Roman primacy appear
f. The exclusive unity of the Catholic Church develops itself in opposition to heretics and
schismatics.
Founded by John-Mark (author of the "Gospel of Mark") in the first century A.D., this church
flourished under the authority of the Eastern Church (later to become the Eastern Orthodox church
in 1054). At the council of Chalcedon, when the Western "Roman" church began to over reach its
authority. This little group of believers was wrongly accused of monophysitism (the Christology that
claims that Jesus has one combined nature of God and man). Nothing could be further from the truth
as their own creed of faith clearly states that they hold to one Divine nature and one Human nature
in perfect unity without mix which is essentially the orthodox position for all of historic biblical
Christianity.
They were persecuted by the Western Church (early Roman Catholicism), abandoned by the Eastern
Church, and eventually persecuted by the Muslims with heavy taxation, beatings, and martyrdom.
Were it not for a letter to Mohammed to "spare the Copts as they are your 'kin;" The Coptic
Christians would have possibly been driven out or worse, wiped out. But they survived and still exist
today and are constantly in the news for all of the atrocities that the Muslim Brotherhood inflict upon
them. They come under heavy persecution and have had survive almost 1500 years of constant
attack.
This church is the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy that an
"altar would be built in the midst of Egypt" and a "pillar placed" - The Coptic Christians are both an
altar to the Lord and have had to be a pillar to His glory for 15 centuries!
C. Cultural Division – c.f. when the Gospel was taken to the “Greeks”
1. Languages – Latin v Greek
2. Customs – Rome = legal mindset; Greece = philosophical mindset
3. Challenges – Muslims capture Mediterranean; Barbarians capture Italy, Europe
D. Council of Chalcedon
1. Constantinople declared equal to Rome – highly opposed – reversed
2. Leo – fought for the primacy of Roman papacy – term “Pope” came into use as
designator of papal primacy.
G. Filioque - Latin for “and the Son” – originally to defend consubstantiality of Jesus w/ Father
1. Tertullian – 216 AD The Spirit proceeds from the Father THROUGH the Son as
“fruit is the third from the root of a tree” Against Praxeas, 4:1
2. Taught by St. Augustine of Hippo in 408: “if the Son has of the Father whatever He
has, then certainly He has of the Father, that the Holy Spirit proceeds also from Him.” - On the
Trinity, XV: 26, 47
3. Spanish Church council of Toledo 587 added filioque to the creed first
4. Charlemagne petitioned Pope Leo III to add filioque and was soundly refused.
5. Added to Nicene Creed by Pope Benedict VIII 1024 AD but did not appear in
official liturgy for several years
B. 4th Great Crusade – 1202-1204 1. Pope Innocent III – wanted to free Jerusalem from Saladin’s
rule
2. Began as a “commercial” venture to repay dept to Venetians by killing Muslims
3. Innocent III forbade violence by the Crusaders against their Christian brothers
4. Desecrated Hagia Sophia – something even the Muslims would not do.
IV. Orthodox Expansion – 863 Cyril and Methodius evangelize the Slavs
A. Moravian - Cyrillic alphabet invented to create written Slavic language (still used today)
B. Bulgarian – 864 – Khan Boris adopts Orthodox faith and the Bulgarian nation follows
C. Russian – 988 – Prince Volodymyr (Vladimir) of Kievan Rus accepts Orthodox faith –
• 1794 Sent missionaries to Alaska, established first Orthodox Church in N America
* 125 million Russian Orthodox today
D. Armenian Orthodox – Armenia adopted Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD
1. Claims apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus as its founders (not St. Gregory)
2. St Gregory The Illuminator evangelized Armenia in 301 AD – 1st patriarch
3. Persecutions in Armenia 110, 230, & 287 are reported by Tertullian & Eusebius
E. Greek Orthodox – name “Greek” coined circa 10th century under nationalism vs Islam
• continues to be “primary” see of Orthodox faith – 18 million today
F. Serbian Orthodox – 870 AD – possibly by missionaries sent by Cyril and Methodius
• 11.5 million Serbian Orthodox today
Writings of Ignatius and Iraneus (Against Heresies) would begin to extol the Apostle Peter as the
first Bishop of Rome and the preeminence of the Roman See over all other regions. The term
“Pope” which was derived from the Greek word “Papa” or “Pappas” was not used until the late
2nd and early 3rd centuries to denote the premier Bishop or “Father” over all Bishops. The idea of
an emerging, strong, and centrally governed church was taken even further by Augustine, a Bishop
of Hippo. Augustine believed a strong Church government was necessary for survival and
ultimately defeating heresy.
Unfortunately, this introduced abuse by the hierarchy of the governing church against those that
would question the unbiblical doctrines introduced by various church leaders. i.e. immaculate
conception and assumption of Mary, prayer to the saints as intermediaries, etc. John Hus, and
others would be labeled “heretics” and would be martyred for their boldness. To further assert
authority over the masses the doctrine of Papal Infallibility would be added to this list of errors.
Papal infallibility was introduced primarily (and surprisingly) by theologians like Theodore Abu-
Qurrah, Thomas Aquinas, and John Peter Olivi, and not by the Popes themselves, as many assert
today. During the Vatican I council in 1870, the dogma of the infallibility of the pope was officially
codified and is still preached and practiced today.
(John Hus 1410-15) The Unity of the Brethren actually pre-dates the
Lutheran movement in that it can trace its roots back to John Hus’
teachings prior to his execution in 1415 (Hus began a small secret
gathering of believers prior to this time). Hus was one of the early
15th century dissenters of Roman Catholic authority and as such, was
burned at the stake for his objections to the authority of the Pope.
Despite Hus’ martyrdom, the small group continued to practice apart
from Catholicism and enjoyed some growth long after Hus’ death. The
group officially formed as the Unity of the Brethren in 1457. The
Unity of the Brethren churches in the Czech lands actually acted as a
safe haven for the Anabaptists. Under intense persecution from the
Czech monarchy themselves, many of the UOB movement fled the country and eventually joined
the “Moravian” movement. The Unity of the Brethren and Moravian Churches have congregations
throughout the world today and both trace their roots to John Hus
The churches of the Anglican Communion have their historical beginning when King Henry VIII (r.
1509-1547) wished to obtain a divorce from Anne Boleyn that the pope would not grant. Seizing
upon the spirit of emancipation sparked by the boldness of Hus and Luther, the King of England
would make an historic proclamation. Through the Act of Supremacy of 1534, the king made
himself the "supreme head" of the Church of England in place of the Pope.
When Henry’s daughter, Mary Tudor, ascended the throne, she brought the English country back
into the Roman Catholic fold. By this time there were many in England that opposed the idea of
going back to papal authority and when they raised their voice in protest, many of them lost their
lives. This internal martyrdom earned Queen Mary the title of “Bloody Mary”.
In 1558, Mary grew ill and eventually died. Henry’s other daughter (under Anne Boleyn) Elizabeth
succeeded her and restored the Church of England as the official church for England, never to
return to Catholicism.
The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a Medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246
meaning the “English Church”. The liturgy of the Anglican Church closely resembles that of
Catholicism in that it is considered ‘high’ church or a church of orthodoxy.
Smyth then moved back to England and joined the Waterlander Mennonites
and was thereafter identified with the Radical Reformation movement. His
colleague Helwys was disillusioned with Smyth’s choice not to break with the past and Helwys
moved back to England and formed the first Baptist gathering on English soil in London in 1612. The
earliest Baptists can trace their roots to the teachings of John Wycliffe and were referred to as
General Baptists. They were staunchly Arminian in theology - making it a core belief that Christ died
for ALL and not just the Elect. However, approximately 30 years after Helwys return to England, a
branch of his Baptist congregations emerged with Calvinistic theology (Christ died only for the elect)
under the leadership of Richard Blunt, who went to Holland to confer with a group that stressed
baptism by total immersion. He returned to England and baptized himself and 53 others in like
manner. It is from this branch of Baptists that many of the American Baptists owe their Calvinistic
beginning.
Perhaps the most famous of Baptist preachers is John Bunyan (1628-1688) who was arrested on a
number of occasions in England for “preaching without a license”. Bunyan is responsible for writing
the second best-selling book in history called “Pilgrims Progress” - an allegory about the journey of
discipleship for the everyday Christian. Bunyan believed in water Baptism as a consenting Christian
but had a sharp disagreement with many in the Baptist movement in England over this same issue.
He refused to “make an idol” of Baptism and fully accepted any who were
pedobaptists (believed and practiced the baptism of infants) i.e. Presbyterians,
and other Calvinists of the day. This was sharply contested by two Baptist
leaders named Kiffin and Paul who contended that the Lord’s Supper should be
refused to any who practice the baptism of infants. Bunyan was not formally
educated, but like the disciples, he knew the Bible front to back better than any
of his time. Bunyan died in London in 1688 of a severe cold but Pilgrim’s
Progress remains a widely read primer on Christian discipleship to this day
The Episcopal Church (TEC), also called the Episcopal Church in the
United States of America (ECUSA), is the United States-based member
church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is divided into nine
provinces and has dioceses in the U.S., Taiwan, Micronesia, the
Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as the Convocation of
Episcopal Churches in Europe and the Navajoland Area Mission. The
Anglican Church had many congregations in the American colonies by
the 18th century, however, as tensions grew between the colonists and
mother England, Church of England pressure was exerted on the
American Anglican leaders to declare loyalty to England or be cut off. The
American Anglican pastorates chose the latter and formed the American
version of the Church of England known as Episcopalianism. Today, Anglicanism in America is
simply referred to as “Episcopalian”. If a member of the Anglican Church in England were to visit an
Episcopal church in American today, they would find the belief system and liturgy to be virtually the
same in most respects. Perhaps the accents would be a bit different.
Presbyterian Church
Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ came into being in 1957 with the union of two Protestant
denominations: the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches.
Each of these was, in turn, the result of a union of two earlier traditions. The Congregational
Churches were organized when the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation (1620) and the Puritans of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629) acknowledged their essential unity in the Cambridge Platform of
1648.
The Reformed Church in the United States traced its beginnings to congregations of German settlers
in Pennsylvania founded from 1725 on. Later, its ranks were swelled by Reformed immigrants from
Switzerland, Hungary and other countries.
The Christian Churches sprang up in the late 1700s and early 1800s in reaction to the theological
and organizational rigidity of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist churches of the time.
The Evangelical Synod of North America traced its beginnings to an association of German
Evangelical pastors in Missouri. This association, founded in 1841, reflected the 1817 union of
Lutheran and Reformed churches in Germany.
The UCC is considered by many to be the most liberal of all Christian denominations today. The
most famous of UCC current events is the Reverand Jeremiah Wright of the Trinity United Church of
Christ in Southside Chicago. He repeatedly preached tirades against the evils of all white people,
and the evils of the United States in particular. Wright considered the attacks of 9/11 to be some sort
of righteous punishment on an evil nation, “The chickens have come home to roost” is a direct
quote from a sermon given only 5 days after the horrific loss of life. His fanatical racist preaching of
this UCC minister would have gone largely unnoticed were he not the pastor for 20 years to a man
named Barrack Hussein Obama who would eventually be elected the 44th President of the United
States. Barrack Obama distanced himself from the preacher and left the Chicago church only after
the racist doctrine of his church was exposed by the mainstream media.
Holiness Churches
The Holiness movement embraced the “camp meeting” style preaching of Charles G. Finney in
1867 (a major influence on Phoebe Palmer), this was a Methodist “revival” to return to the Wesleyan
sanctification process of “holiness” or “love”. It was comprised mostly of groups of believers that
rallied around holy living, scorning the pleasures of the world that might render a believer as
“unholy”: smoking, drinking, theater, etc. The Holiness churches soon became an entity unto
themselves, moving beyond the “Methodist Movement” by which they had previously been defined.
They were (and still are) Arminianist in theology, rejecting the predestination position of Calvinists
altogether and were great proponents of abolition, anti-slavery, and equal rights for women issues.
The Holiness Movement further spread overseas as Robert and Hannah Whitall Smith (Hannah
being the greater minister of the two) took Phoebe Palmer's teachings and written works to the UK
(and later DL Moody and Phoebe Palmer herself would visit as well) the UK version of this
movement is known as the "Keswick Holiness Movement" and is still a force for Christianity today
through a yearly Keswick convention.
The Holiness Movement was the forerunner for the last great movement of the reformation: the
Pentecostal Movement. Many great denominations came from Holiness churches: Salvation Army,
Church of the Nazarene, Free Methodist Church, Church of God, Christian and Missionary Alliance,
and Foursquare International. Contrary to popular myth Holiness Churches are still in operation
today and tend to be more traditional evangelical in doctrine and liturgy and are not necessarily
“Pentecostal” in practice. c.f. Pentecostal-Holiness churches.
Salvation Army
It was founded primarily by a Methodist minister named Phineas F. Bresee, who pastored a
“Nazarene” church in 1895 and Pentecostal Missions leader Hirum F. Reynolds. The theology of this
Nazarene offshoot from The Holiness Movement greatly resembled, and still resembles, Wesleyan
Methodist theology in that it is Arminian in regards to man’s free will and salvation and that
Sanctification is a separate event from justification. The Church of the Nazarene position on
sanctification is a bit peculiar compared to many Christian denominations in that sanctification is
believed it to be, although separate, a one-time event and not necessarily a process.
The Pentecostal influence still remains with the liturgy of this denomination in the form of anointing
with oil, laying on of hands for healing, and other practices of the gifts, However, the gift of tongues
is not necessarily practiced in the vast majority of Nazarene churches. In fact, they are most often
said to resemble a Methodist liturgy more than anything else.
One of the most famous members of the Church of the Nazarene is a radio minister named Dr
Charles Dobson. He conducts a conservative Christian radio program called “Focus on The Family”,
and is regarded as a sound leader of the church on the whole regarding matters of the family and
possesses inter-denominational influence and respect within the Christian Community.
Church of God
Although the central focus of COGIC was sanctification by the one-time outpouring of the Holy
Spirit, Mason and COGIC were not Pentecostal or charismatic in practice whatsoever. This would
happen 10 years later when at a meeting in Los Angeles led by WJ Seymour in 1907; CH Mason
would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues on a regular basis.
Mason’s new-found Pentecostalism did not bode well with his fellow COGIC leaders and there was
an attempt to shut him out of the movement altogether. Mason called a meeting of all his leaders
who believed in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the re-organized Pentecostal Denomination
called Church Of God In Christ was born.
Assemblies of God
Robert Semple died shortly after his marriage to Aimee, while on a short term mission to China.
Aimee Semple McPherson returned to the U.S., remarried, and continued to travel and preach in
tent revivals. She divorced her second husband, Harold McPherson, and in 1918, she settled in Los
Angeles, again went on the revival tent preaching circuit for 5 years and returned to Los Angeles to
build Angelus Temple. She then founded a radio station and established herself as the first woman to
regularly preach the Gospel via mass communication. She also established L.I.F.E. Bible College to
disciple Christians for a life of Ministry. LIFE Bible College is still the primary college of the
Foursquare Denomination to this day.
Many Pentecostal denominations had already adopted and preached this Foursquare derivative of
Simpson’s “Fourfold” gospel, including the Assemblies of God, by the time that the Foursquare
Movement had been made official in 1927. In the early days, this denomination was wrongly
accused of being a “cult” due, partly, to its flamboyant founder, but mostly because of the
charismatic theology and practice. It is, however, quite orthodox and Biblically centred with the
majority of its congregations being charismatic in practice.
(Swedish/Danish Evangelical Free earliest preacher of note: Fred Edquist in 1882, American EFCA
founded by merger in 1950) Began with a 1950 merger between the Evangelical Free Church of
America (Swedish) and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. The Swedish
group had its formal beginnings in Boone, Iowa, at a conference held in October of 1884. Although,
there is historical evidence that a Swedish preacher named Fred Edquist began preaching in
McKeesport, PA 2 years earlier and named his church the first Swedish Evangelical Free Church.
Also in 1884, two Norwegian-Danish groups began to worship and fellowship together in Boston,
Massachusetts and Tacoma, Washington. Ultimately, the Evangelical Free Church can trace its roots
back to the Church of Sweden which is the state-recognized Reformed Church of Sweden. In the
18th and 19th centuries, strict religious regulation inhibited the free practice of religion by many and
many of those that did not adhere to the Church of Sweden liturgy, immigrated to America and
began to set up churches “free” of government control, as in the case of Fred Edquist.
As a result of the EVFCA’s direct lineage to the Reformed Church, they are decidedly “Calvinist” in
their theology and adhere to Sola Scriptura, Salvation by Faith alone through Grace in Christ Alone.
They are a balanced blend of Calvinism and Arminianism theology (if such a thing could be
possible) whereby they believe in a dual role of God’s sovereign choice of an individual for
salvation, coupled with that individual’s free will acceptance of God’s offer. They fancy themselves
directly in between fundamentalism (Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc) and Pentecostalism
(Assembly of God, Church of God, Foursquare etc). They adhere to sola scriptura and the inerrancy
of the Bible while adhering to the fundamentals of the Christian faith: Trinity, Deity of Jesus,
Salvation by Grace, etc just as fundamental evangelicals do. The difference is that Calvary Chapel
believes in the perpetuity of the spiritual gifts (i.e. tongues, prophecy, word of knowledge etc) as a
theological position, but they do not believe in practicing the gifts in their church services. It is this
position that caused a friendly “split” by John Wimber and others who broke off from Calvary
Chapel to form the Vineyard Pentecostal denomination (formerly a ‘movement’).
This “movement” does not consider itself a denomination, however, its late-20th century philosophy
and theology termed “seeker sensitive” has permeated many Evangelical, Pentecostal, and mainline
Christian denominations today. It was founded in 1975 by a man named Bill Hybels who was a
youth pastor at South Park Church, a non-denominational evangelical church in Park Ridge, IL.
According to the South Park Church website, it began in the 1940s as a non-denominational church.
However, historical archives of the Chicago Tribune report that there was a Congregational South
Park Church in existence as early as 1890. It is safe to say that Bill Hybel’s church began in the early
20th century as a non-denominational offshoot from a Congregationalist and Friends background
and still maintains an evangelical liturgy to this day.
In 1975, Hybels and a friend joined together to form a church that would reach out to the
“irreligious” by making their church as “irreligious” as they could. Crosses were removed, talk of the
atoning blood of Christ, the fallen sinful nature of man and his subsequent need for repentance were
also removed and were replaced with pop culture reference and entertainment and state-of-the-art
media presentation. They also shortened sermons to 20-30 minutes and praise and worship was
reduced to performing bands for 10-15 minutes, all to accommodate that “irreligious” soul with an
attention span problem. Biblical terms like “altar” and “sanctuary” are replaced with entertainment
cultural terms like “stage” and “auditorium”. The liturgy resembles more of a entertainment variety
show than a Christian gathering of corporate worship. The common term used for this approach in
reaching the irreligious or “seeker” is called a seeker sensitive approach. However, this approach
has taken on certain negative connotations in recent years and the term for this approach has been
changed internally to “culturally relevant church”
Vineyard Churches
The denomination has since experienced mixed responses from the rest of Christianity mainly as a
result of its affiliation with controversial movements and figures such the Kansas City Prophets and
the embarrassing "Laughter in The Spirit" fad of the early '90s. Both of which claimed to be the
"great revivals" but in truth, fizzled out with little to no impact whatsoever on their communities,
thus negating any possible comparison to true Christian revivals like the first or second "Great
Awakenings", or the Azusa Street revival in Los
Angeles in the early 20th century. Because of
Vineyard's association with these events, many came
to mistrust what was formerly a very trustworthy
movement. This caused a number of Vineyard
churches to openly declare their disassociation with
the "Laughter" craze and the Toronto Airport Vineyard
in particular. Shortly after this, in 1997, John Wimber
passed away and left behind a legacy of successful
Christian churches and a denomination that for the
most part, is consistently and properly balanced between Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism. He
also left behind a collection of Spirit-inspired worship music that has blessed the worship lives of
many Christians: Catholic and Protestant alike.
Today the Vineyard denomination has over 1500 congregations worldwide and over 550 in the US
alone.
Para-Church Organizations
Started by Loren Cunningham in 1960 as a Christian mission’s organization for youth. Cunningham
had a vision in 1956 while in the Bahamas, where he saw “waves crashing on the shores of the
continents, completely covering them up...” The waves in the vision became young people
preaching to the lost outside bars, on the streets, etc.
Cunningham then shared his vision with his denomination (Assemblies of God) and they kindly
offered to “pray about Loren’s vision”. They returned to him a short time later to claim that Loren’s
vision “was not from God”. Cunningham disagreed with their findings and pursued the vision,
knowing that it was from God. He began to establish small inter-denominational bases that
mobilized young Christians for short term missions. The YWAM movement flourished and by the
year 2000, there were 11,000 staff missionaries in/from over 130 countries.
Whereas YWAM is inter-denominational, it is widely regarded from within and from outside the
movement as Pentecostal. This can be attributed to its Assembly of God roots. There are no
“YWAM” churches as the volunteer staff at the various bases, seek out appropriate home churches in
their communities of which to be a part.
As a post script: the Assemblies of God, seeing the success of the YWAM movement, attempted their
own version of a “youth driven missions and service movement” called “Masters Commission”. With
this, its safe to say the Assemblies of God have “reconsidered” their response to Cunningham’s
vision from God although they have never publicly admitted it.
Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC)
Bill Bright was a driving force behind CCC and in 1956; he penned the Four Spiritual Laws which
provided an easy condensed codification of the Biblical view of Christian salvation.
There are hundreds of thousands of tracts and brochures that are distributed throughout the world
that reference the “Four Laws”.
Bright also commissioned the JESUS film in 1979 which documented the life of Jesus according to
the Bible which was a departure from the movies about Jesus life that were told from a liberal
perspective. The JESUS documentary has, according to billbright.ccci.org, been viewed by over 5
billion people in 234 different countries. According to this same source, Campus Crusade for Christ,
as of July, 2003, serves in 191 countries with a staff of 26,000 full time employees and 225000
volunteers.
World Vision
The original organisation, World Vision Inc., was founded by Pierce in 1950 to provide
humanitarian aid. It initially operated in the United States, and soon expanded to other countries; in
1966, it operated under the name of "World Vision International". World Vision International was
founded in 1977 as an organization, by Walter Stanley Mooney ham the president of World Vision,
as the result of a restructuring process that had begun in the early 1970s. World Vision International
was founded as an organisation took over most international functions which were previously
fulfilled by World Vision Inc.; it was headquartered in Monrovia, California, in the same building as
World Vision Inc., which was reorganized as World Vision United States for operations in that
country. Mooney ham became also president of World Vision International until 1982 when he
resigned after criticism within the International Board, where the accusations ranged from a
dictatorial leadership style to an ethnocentric American communication style.
***It is worth noting that missing are the groups: Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints
and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostal, United Pentecostal Church, The Unitarian
Church, and a few others. These belief systems veer from the essential, historic Christian belief in the
Trinity and are mostly (if not entirely) based on the private interpretations of a charismatic leader or
leaders, whereby the gods revealed by these “prophets” and “teachers” are wholly and completely
different from the God of Christianity (despite having the same or similar names for their gods). It is
for this reason that Christianity on the whole does not consider these groups e.g. LDS church or the
Jehovah’s Witnesses to be part of the Biblical and historic orthodoxy of the Christian church.
...................................................................................................................................................
Christians are found all across India and in all walks of life, with major populations in parts of
South India, the Konkan Coast, and North - East. Indian Christians have contributed significantly to
and are well represented in various spheres of national life. They include former and current chief
ministers, governors and chief election commissioners. Indian Christians have the lowest sex ratio
figures among the various religious communities in India. Christians are considered to be one of
the most progressive communities in India.
Most Christians in India are Catholics of the Latin Church. The state of Kerala is home to the Saint
Thomas Christian community, an ancient body of Christians (Syriac Christianity) who are now
divided into several different churches and traditions. There are two Eastern Catholic Saint Thomas
Christian churches: the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.
There are also several Oriental Orthodox and independent churches in the Saint Thomas Christian
community, including the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Malankara Jacobite Syrian
Church and the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church. Since the 19th century Protestant churches
have also been present; major denominations include the Church of South India (CSI), the Church
of North India (CNI), the Presbyterian Church of India, Baptists, Lutherans, Traditional Anglicans
and other evangelical groups. Roman Catholicism was first introduced to India by Portuguese,
Italian and Irish Jesuits, whereas Protestantism was later spread to India by the efforts of British and
American missionaries. The Christian Church runs thousands of educational institutions and
hospitals contributing significantly to the development of the nation.
List of Denominations:
Assemblies of God
The Pentecostal Mission
Indian Pentecostal Church of God
Born again (Christianity)
Pentecostal
Nondenominational Christianity
Seventh-day Adventist
Pentecostal Maranatha Gospel Church
In the midst of all these churches, what is the situation for the
church? Even though the pressures are increasing, the church is growing more rapidly than ever
before, despite what the census statistics indicate. And not only are churches multiplying, but so are
indigenous Indian mission agencies, sometimes with only three or four workers, but often with
dozens or even hundreds. Over 20,000 indigenous missionaries are serving in India, about half of
them in cross - cultural work.
a. History
Tradition traces the beginning of Christianity in India to the arrival of the apostle Thomas in 52 AD.
But there is little doubt that Syrian Christians had become established in Kerala by the fourth
century. Roman Catholic work began in Goa in the sixteenth century, and Protestant missions
began in the eighteenth century. Indian Christians recently celebrated the bicentennial of William
Carey’s arrival in 1793. Yet despite this long tradition, the percentage of Christians recorded in the
2001 census was still less than 3%. Of these Christians, 39% were Protestants, 27.6% were
Independent, 29.2% were Catholics, and 3.8% were Orthodox.
Indian leaders commonly refer to two primary streams in the Protestant church: the mainline
churches (including the Church of North India, the Church of South India, the United Evangelical
Lutheran Churches, and the Methodist Church of India) and the evangelical/charismatic churches.
We could define “evangelicals” as those who hold to the full authority of the Scriptures, who believe
in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and who emphasize the need to share the
gospel with those who have not yet heard or believed. We could define “charismatics” as those
who believe in the full operation of the New Testament ministries and gifts in the church today,
though there are varying degrees of emphasis on speaking in tongues, or on a separate experience of
baptism of the Holy Spirit.
These categories are of limited usefulness, however, because many of the mainline churches have
significant numbers of those who are evangelical in theology, while in some regions traditionally
“evangelical” churches like the Baptists have been strongly influenced by non-evangelical theology.
Lines between charismatic and non-charismatic are increasingly indistinct, especially in newer fields.
There is also growing fellowship and cooperation between charismatic Catholics and evangelical
Protestants in places like Mumbai and West Bengal. In fact, Bible-believing Catholics and
Protestants often find much more in common with one another than either find with the non-
evangelical wings of their own groups.
Many of the mainline churches have been sadly weakened by limited vision, political struggles, the
drain of expensive institutions inherited from the missionaries, endless lawsuits involving church
property, and theological pluralism. Although there is evidence of evangelical awakening in many
parts of the mainline churches, the great bulk of evangelism, mission’s initiatives, and church-
planting efforts are coming from the evangelical and especially the charismatic streams. Both OM
India and SAIACS (South Asian Institute for Advanced Christian Studies) say that 60% of their recruits
or students come from charismatic churches.
The Christians in India are distributed very unevenly by region and by caste. Seventy percent live in
the South, and 25% in the Northeast. Only 5% of India’s Christians live in the entire North of India,
and half of them (2.5%) are from the non-Aryan Northeast. Furthermore, more than half of the
Christians have Scheduled Caste background, and another quarter are from tribal origin. The Syrian
Christians of Kerala, the Goans of Goa and the Anglo-Indians together comprise 12%. Only about
25% of the Christian come from the Backward Castes, Other Backward Castes, and Forward Castes,
even though these groups make up 60% of the Indian population.
Whatever the official government statistics may say, it is evident that definite growth has been
occurring in the last decade. In some regions, the church has been exploding. For example, in
1992, in all of Madhya Pradesh (a state in central India with population of over 66 million) there
were only 500 churches. By 1998 there were over 2,000. And just two years later, the number of
churches was more than 3,000! In Punjab, the home of the Sikhs in northwest India, one pastor saw
his group more than double from 19 churches in 1997 to 40 churches in 1998. The church in
Punjab as a whole nearly tripled from 1991 through 1998.
Even though the censuses of 2001 shows only 2.3% Christians, most Indian Christian leaders think
the percentage of Christians is actually closer to four percent, or perhaps even more, if you include
all the secret believers. But all that there are 45 million Christians in India, in addition to 10 agree
that in many regions of the country, and in a number of people groups, the churches are growing at
an unprecedented rate.
And not only are churches multiplying, but so are indigenous Indian mission agencies, sometimes
with only three or four workers, but often with dozens or even hundreds. In 1998 the India Missions
Association was estimating that there were about 300 indigenous mission agencies in India. But
since then new groups have continued to spring up. The 2001 edition of Operation World reports
440 agencies. Many of these churches and missions have no ties with any Western denominations
or agencies.
Much of the growth of the church has been coming through cell groups (networked together as part
of larger worshiping congregations) and house churches (in which the cell performs all the functions
of a church). The cell and house church models have drawn increasing attention, not only because
of their rapid multiplication, but also because of their suitability for apprentice-style leadership
development, their ease of cross-cultural adaptation, and their ability to survive and even thrive
during times of persecution.
The combinations of local agitation as well as government-level harassment and media attacks
fomented by Hindu fundamentalists have prompted Indian Christians to rethink their strategies of
evangelism. In many places public meetings and street preaching have become nearly impossible,
though in some areas well-publicized evangelism and healing services can still be conducted
without interruption. However, in general there is a growing emphasis on friendship evangelism,
home meetings, and practical service (e.g. health, literacy, AIDS prevention, environmental
initiatives) that plainly benefit the entire community (non-Christians as well as Christians) and that
win a hearing for the Christians. The two most common criticisms leveled against the Christians by
Hindu fundamentalists are that (1) they are outsiders, not true patriots, mere agents of the West, kept
alive by foreign money; and (2) all their “good works” are simply dishonest ploys to “convert” (i.e. to
rip away from their community and their culture) the ignorant.
In many areas, the growing persecution of the church has fueled the zeal of the young believers. As
one prominent Baptist leader in Orissa expressed it:
Persecution is an emerging grace. Because we have been terrorized, wisdom comes to us. The big
fish may take us, but they cannot digest us. Million crypto-Christians or secret believers. Not only
have believers multiplied, but so have denominations.
There are 1,327 denominations in India. They will throw us [like Jonah] out on the beach where
God may best use us. The churches are growing like anything. There is no stopping it.
The last decade has brought a noticeable increase in the desire of Christian leaders, especially
younger leaders, to network with one another and to partner together, e.g. to focus on a particular
people group, region, or city. The recent pressures on the church from Hindu fundamentalists have
accelerated these movements toward collaboration. The time is ripe to encourage broad-based,
cooperative leadership development initiatives. Another encouraging trend is the increasing
awareness and involvement of the overseas Indian community in mission work, church-planting and
leadership development in India. For several decades the Indian community in North America and
the U.K. seemed to be concerned primarily with making a better life for themselves. But now there
is a noticeably accelerated and coordinated movement among overseas Indians to contribute to the
multiplication and strengthening of the church in India.
The India Leadership Study itself has sparked a very exciting new cooperative development: the
formation of the India Leadership Development Commission [describe in more detail]. Last January
in Delhi I presented a summary of the India Leadership Study to a group of about 40 top-level
national leaders. The response to the study was very positive and enthusiastic. The leaders decided
to translate and publish the India Leadership Study, with their responses, in 10 different Indian
languages, and to organize regional conference to discuss the implications of the findings. They also
established an ongoing India Leadership Development Commission to coordinate research and
action regarding the need for leadership development in India. They are working in a new
partnership with Pat Macmillan and Team Resources to develop contextually appropriate resources
for organizational development as well.
India is home to the oldest Lutheran body outside Europe and North
America. One-third of all Asian Lutherans live in India. Thanks to the
commitment, labor, and investment of Europeans and North Americans,
Lutheran churches have put down deep roots all over India and thrive
today as a vibrant Christian communion. This survey is an attempt to
paint a big picture of Lutheranism in India today, building on the story of
Lutheran missions to India in the winter 2009 print edition of Lutheran
Forum.
The developments in worldwide ecumenism and the First World War that orphaned the missionary
work of the Germans mission gave the impetus for the union. The next year, the Swedish mission
director Brundin came to the TELC’s area along with Bishop Danell of Shara in Sweden. Their arrival
brought a change in attitude toward episcopacy among Indian Lutherans. Those who considered
episcopacy to be non-essential factor and a non-Lutheran (Anglican) tradition made a strong decision
to adopt this church polity in their own church. Consequently in March 1921, the constitution of the
TELC was revised to include episcopal structure. This was unanimously adopted by the synod. On
March 7, 1921, the Swedish missionary E. Heuman was consecrated the first bishop of Tranquebar.
Thus, one of the legacies of Church of the Sweden mission was the episcopal form of polity.
However, it took until 1956 for an Indian to be elected as bishop. Dr. R. B. Manickam, consecrated
in 1956 was the first national Lutheran bishop in Asia. Bishop Manickam was a well-known
ecumenist and had served as secretary of the National Christian Council of India and then as the first
secretary of East Asia Christian Council of the then-International Missionary Council. He was the
bishop till his retirement in 1967.
After the formation of the TELC in 1919, it took a great deal of initiative to unite the other Lutherans
in India. They donated the property to start an all-India Lutheran seminary in 1928 worth 60,000
Rupees then. They also closed the Tranquebar seminary to facilitate the opening of the new
seminary. More than any other single person, TELC bishop Sandegren worked untiringly to bring this
project to fruition. Today, the Gurkul Lutheran Theological Seminary and Research Institute is a
premier theological school, training men and women for the Lutheran churches as well other
Christian communions. It also serves as a rallying point for Lutherans in India.
In the formation of the TELC, Tamil Christians played significant role right from the days of the
arrival of German missionaries in 1706. Despite their meager salary, they accepted it with gratitude
to the western missions for introducing them to Christ. Today the TELC has 1, 05,773 members in
about 110 pastorates and its headquarters are in Trichy.
One of the outstanding characteristics of ALC is the zeal it had for larger ecumenism in India.
Though ALC actively participated in union talks with other Lutheran churches in India, they showed
more enthusiasm to join the Church of South India. Their commitment to wider ecumenism was
such that they even “hesitated to join the Lutheran union, fearing it would prevent a future wider
union with the CSI.”
Among the several missionaries DMS had, two names stand out: Lars Peter Larsen (1862–1940) and
Anne Marie Petersen (1909–1951). Lars was one of the early missionaries and became an
outstanding professor of Old Testament and the History of Religions at the United Theological
College, Bangalore. He also served as principal of the UTC for several years. He was one among
those who were interested in wider ecumenism and did a lot to promote it. Anne Marie Petersen
came in 1909 as a missionary in the so-called Loventhal Mission. She is well known for her positive
approach to Indian culture and customs. Anne Marie Petersen took strong engagement in girls’
education, putting great effort in starting a girl’s school based on the model of Mahatma Gandhi’s
ashram. The most remarkable feature connected with Anne Marie Petersen’s work was her long-
standing friendship with Mahatma Gandhi. She was greatly influenced by Gandhi’s educational
ideas, and she was from an early time a wholehearted supporter of his campaign for an independent
India, even to the extent that she was accused of giving priority to nationalism at the expense of
Christianity.
The ALC has around 30,000 members today in 40 parishes with nearly 50 ordained pastors and
many evangelists. It embraced episcopacy in 1981 and Bishop Durai Raj Peter was its first bishop.
The AELC is the second largest Lutheran church in India and the third
largest in Asia, with more than 5,000 congregations and about one million
members. It is a Telugu-speaking church located primarily in the state of
Andhra Pradesh. The AELC came into being in 1927 though its origins go
back to arrival of John Frederick Heyer (1793–1873) of the Pennsylvania
Ministerium in 1841 at Guntur. Heyer, fondly remembered as “Fr. Heyer,”
has the distinction of being the first American Lutheran missionary to India.
Soon another station was opened at Rajahmundry. It is not surprising that,
following the model of Lutheran churches in North America, a synodical
form of government was adapted on January 20, 1853, when the first
Lutheran synod in India was organized by Fr. Heyer, who was elected president. In 1854 when the
synod met for the second time, he recommended that steps be taken to contact other Lutheran
churches in India, with a view to forming a general synod in India.
The developments among the Lutherans in the USA cast their shadow on India. In 1867 when the
General Synod split and General Counsel of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of North America was
formed, the Lutheran churches in Andhra Pradesh were divided. The General Synod took the
southern portion with headquarters at Guntur, and the General Council focused on northern part
with headquarters in Rajahmundry. Nevertheless, the churches still worked in closer cooperation
with each other. From 1879, the former Augustana Synod also worked in this region, and from
1895, the Lutheran missions working in Andhra Pradesh held joint conferences biennially. Starting
in 1905, a monthly called “The Gospel Writers” was published jointly. In 1908, they organized the
All India Lutheran Conferences at Guntur, which served as a representative body of all Lutheran
missions and churches in India. By 1918 when United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA) was
formed, the missions merged again into the Indian Mission of the ULCA in 1920. The continued
efforts of the former United Lutheran Church in America was instrumental in laying the strong
foundation of Lutheranism in Andhra Pradesh. After the merger, the Schleswig-Holstein Evangelical
Lutheran Missionary Society, also known as Breklum, headquartered in the Rajahmundry since
1845, also joined with it to form the AELC on April 19, 1927.
The remarkable feature of AELC today is its commitment to evangelism led by laity, especially
women known as “Bible women.” The membership has more than doubled in the last twenty years.
The AELC also once had eight hospitals, products of the work of pioneer missionary Dr. Anna S.
Kugler of Philadelphia. In recent years, many of the hospitals have been turned over to the
government or private agencies, but the AELC continues to operate two. The AELC has several
educational institutions, including a theological college. More than eighty percent of members are
from a rural dalit background.
The South Andhra Lutheran Church (SALC)
Educational ministry was always of foremost importance to this church. One of its schools in
Tirupati, a Hindu pilgrim center and the home for the headquarters of SALC, was visited by a former
student during the celebration on its seventy-fifth year in 1955. It was none another than the
president of India himself, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975), a noted scholar and philosopher.
It was a true vindication for the educational undertaking of the church. The SALC has been a partner
in the Telugu Indigenous Curriculum Project, working with other Telugu-speaking churches as well
as the AELC. “This educational effort includes the use of festivals, songs, dramas, and traditional
Indian forms of communication.”
The GSELC, formed in 1972, is one of the fastest growing Lutheran churches in India. Unlike the
others that were established by foreign missions, the GSELC was established by Rev. Dr. Paul Raj, an
Indian national. There are presently 41,786 members in forty-one pastorates situated mainly in the
forest areas of East and West Godhavari, the Warangal districts of Andhra Pradesh, and the southern
parts of the Baster district of Madhya Pradesh. The Church’s uniqueness lies in its translation of the
Bible into the Koya language, which hitherto was not even written down. The invention of a Koya
alphabet is seen as an important phase in the history of the tribe and is expected to provide a new
value system both in the economic and social sphere to the entire tribal community.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madhya Pradesh (ELCMP)
After a period of very slow growth, Lutheranism thrived among the Orans and Mundas tribes due to
a large-scale conversion to Lutheranism. Particularly after the Sepoy Mutiny (1857), the people
began to embrace Christianity in increasing numbers, so that by 1900 a community of 100,000 had
arisen. Christianity brought a “sense of liberation from many factors operative in those days,
including the exploitation and oppression they endured under the landlords and kings.” The fast
growth did not happen without difficulties. A conflict that broke out among the missionaries in the
1869 divided the mission in two. Some of them joined the Anglican Church, thus interrupting the
work. Further disturbance to the work came when the Belgian Roman Catholic Mission came to
Ranchi. A number of Lutheran adivasi (aboriginal) converts embraced Roman Catholicism because
of the extensive material benefits extended to them. Despite the losses to Lutheranism, the Gossner
church thrived.
During the crisis created by World War I, when all German missionaries were deported and no
other Lutheran missions came forward to take their place, the church was restructured and given to
local people, leading to the birth of first fully self-governing and property-owning church on July 10,
1919, the Gossner Evangelical Church. A central committee was set up to administer its affairs.
Pastors and other workers carried on in spite of financial privation. Despite Anglican offers to
assume financial responsibility, Indian Gossner leaders expressed their staunch desire to remain
confessionally Lutheran Christians learned to give what was available to them—rice. In many
Christian homes, a handful of rice is set aside each time a meal is cooked. The rice collected during
the week is brought to the altar. This sacrificial giving sustained the churches during those crucial
years. 32 German missionaries were able to return in 1925, but their service is to an autonomous
church. In 1928 the church framed its constitution and Rev. Hanukk Datto Lakra became its first
president.
The composition of different tribal and language people groups has caused strife and tension since
1935. At times the church was pushed almost to the point of division, especially in the 1950s. These
tensions and conflict, fortunately, affected mostly only the top-level leadership and a few
congregations. Life in most of the parishes went on quietly. This is both the strength and weakness of
the GELC.
The GELC has five dioceses headed by a bishop. Ranchi, Jharkand (formerly Bihar) is the
headquarters and a dean heads its congregation. The main concentration of this church is
Chotanagpur, Assam, the area surrounding Ranchi. At present it has around 500,000 congregational
members spread over 1687 pastorates in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh,
Chattisgarh, Orissa, Assam, and Haryana, and the major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, etc. It has a
presence in the northeastern states as well. The women and youth in the church play a vital role in
conducting relief and awareness programs, especially during the Bhopal gas tragedy and the cyclone
in Orissa. The GELC continues to be a lay-driven church. Most of the parish work and evangelism is
carried out by catechists and women workers.
The JELC, located mainly in the southeastern part of the state of Orissa, the
former Jeypore kingdom, in the district of Koraput, came into being due to
the missionary activity in these tribal areas that began with the pioneering
works of pastors Earnest Pohl and Herman Bothman since in 1882. It was
mainly due to the initiative taken by Rev. Christian Jensen, the pioneering
missionary of Breklum, Germany (the Schleswig-Holstein Evangelical
Lutheran Missionary Society, now known as Nordelbisches
Missionzentrum), from which many more missionaries were sent. The
mass movement from an outcaste group called Dambas in the beginning
of twentieth century led to the fast growth.
The JELC was organized into a church when the first synod met in 1928. The languages used are
Oriya, Kuvi, Gadaba, Bonda, Bhotra, Dedei, and Koya. The church suffered a reversal during the
two World Wars when missionaries from Germany were forced to leave. On both occasions
temporary help was extended by the United Lutheran Church in North America and after 1955 by
the LWF Commission on World Mission. 1954 was the year of the culmination of missionary
assistance and the beginning of Indian leadership. In 1966 episcopacy was adopted. At present the
JELC consists of 143,000 members spread over 96 parishes in 926 villages. Apart from the
establishment of a number of schools and training institutes for the tribal children, the JELC’s
sustaining work in the emancipation of the status of the aboriginals is commendable. Initiatives such
as Research and Development, Mapping of Resource, Identification of Training Need, Identification
of Model Parishes, Infrastructure Development, Constitution Amendment, Environmental Concerns,
and Dialogue with People of Other Faiths are presently undertaken by JELC.
The services of the Lutheran mission brought to the Santals several opportunities for the
advancement of their socioeconomic conditions. The government made about 25 square miles of
land for a leper colony. The mission leadership was able to convert the land for farming. The tea
estate owned by the mission is a unique economic project which furnishes employment and
income.
In the middle of the twentieth century the NELC witnessed and benefitted from the outstanding
service of Olav and Britt Waagbo Hodne, a Norwegian couple. The Norwegian Santal Mission sent
them to work in the newly independent India in 1948. The then-Ebenezer Evangelical Lutheran
Church commissioned them to be missionaries in Cooch Bihar, West Bengal, in today’s Bangladesh.
The population in this region swelled, though not very fertile, because of the refugees running away
from present-day Bangladesh. Hodne worked among these refugees first through the Bengal Service
and then with the LWF Department of World Service. After Bangladesh’s independence in 1971,
Hodne became director of the LWF Rangpur Dinajpur Rehabilitation Service in Bangladesh, assisting
the refugees to return to their former homes. The refugee services were later expanded to several
districts in Bangladesh as well as in India under the new name Lutheran World Service-India. Hodne
became its director and served in the states of Bihar and Orissa. Britt Waagbo Hodne, Olav’s wife,
founded a school for blind children in Cooch Bihar in 1965 and was its principal for a number of
years. Besides providing the NELC with advanced methods of work among blind children, putting to
work her degrees in both special education and Christian education, she wrote an instruction book
for confirmation, published in Santali and Bengali.
The NELC benefitted from a number of lesser luminaries hailing from abroad as well as locally. The
most prominent local leader was Rev. Munshi M. Tudu. He led the NELC for nearly three decades
(1958–1987). His wife Elbina was a delegate to the Vancouver Assembly of WCC (1983) and
elected to the WCC Central Committee. Before it received its current name in 1958, the NELC was
known by two other names: the Indian Home Mission to the Santals and later Ebenezer Lutheran
Church.
No other Lutheran church in India has such a diverse membership as the NELC. The Santals, living
west of the Ganges River in Bihar, northeast Assam, and the plains of northwest Bengal, form the
majority. No wonder that this mission was originally called “the India Home Mission to the Santals.”
The Boros living in Assam are the second linguistic group. They are of Mongolian descent. Bengalis
were the third major group. There also has converts from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds.
At the moment, the NELC has 85,000 members spread over 453 pastorates. Besides running a
number of colleges, schools, hospitals and dispensaries, it focuses on development programs such as
Agricultural Development, Irrigational Projects, and the Construction of Community Infrastructure
and Emergency Relief.
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