The Presbyterian Church in Angola (In

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

the Igreja Presbiteriana de Angola or IPA) is a federation of theologically orthodox

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

churches, that was founded in the mid-1980s, adopting the

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the " subordinate standard" ...

as the official Standards.

Origin

In the

Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola The Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola is a Reformed denomination in the country of Angola established by the missionaries of the Swiss Reformed church. History The Evangelical Reformed Church in Angola (Igreja Evangelica Reformada de Angola ...

(IERA) has suffered numerous conflicts. In the IERA problems were about the way of exercising the leadership in the church. Pastor Neves Massaqui created the church and has close relations with the

Presbyterian Church of Brazil The Presbyterian Church of Brazil (Portuguese: ''Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil'', or ''IPB'') is an Evangelical Protestant Christian denomination in Brazil. Oldest of the Reformed family of Protestantism in Brazil. It is the largest Presbyter ...

, this fostered the secession as well. The official beginning of the church is on June 9, 1984. There is an agreement of cooperation between the Presbyterian Church of Brazil and the Presbyterian Church in Angola in the fields of evangelism and social issues. The officially agreement dates back to 1987.http://www.ipbafonsopenasjp.com.br/files/acordo_com_a_angola.pdf The IBP continues watching, supporting the IPA and provides education for pastors and sending teachers to Angola. In the 1980s Rev. Antonio Neves Massaqui came to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and established this partnership. But also several

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

n Presbyterian pastors and ministers are training in Brazilian Seminaries. The Presbyterian Church in

Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...

has involved several years in the mission trips and evangelism in Luanda, Angola.

Theology

The Presbyterian Church in Angola is a conservative

and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

denomination. The main activities of the church were in

Luanda Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport ...

and Uige, the home region of the founder. The denomination adopted the

as its official confession along with the

Apostles Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". The creed most likely originated in 5th-century ...

. Organisation of the denomination follows the Presbyterian church government, local congregations, presbyteries, synods, and the highest level is the General Assembly. IPA has the same constitution as the Brazilian Presbyterian Church (IPB).

Interchurch organisations

The denomination is a member of the

World Reformed Fellowship The World Reformed Fellowship (WRF) is an ecumenical Christian organization which promotes unity between confessional Calvinist churches around the world. History The World Fellowship of Reformed Churches was formed in 1994 by the Presbyterian ...

as well as the

Association of Evangelical Churches of Angola Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

Statistics

The Presbyterian Church in Angola had 12,000 members and 30 congregations and 50 house fellowships in 2000, and an estimated 23,000 members in 2009. Presbyterians who were in Congo and returned to the IPA were around 12,500. There are no women ordination. The denomination is present in 9 provinces from the 18 Provinces in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. In 2000 it had 51 pastors, that means one pastor per 450 members. Ministers are men only. Church government is

-synodal, with presbyteries,

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

s and the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

. Official languages are Portuguese and

Kikongo Kongo or Kikongo is one of the Bantu languages spoken by the Kongo people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Angola. It is a tonal language. It was spoken by many of those who were taken from th ...

. Due to the union these numbers of members and churches grew rapidly. In January 2014 Rev Rondinho Antonio Bento said that reinforced house to house evangelisation will continue to help youth to life a socially useful life.

Recent issues

In early 2011 the Independent Presbyterian Church in Angola and the

Christian Presbyterian Church in Angola Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...

teamed up with the Presbyterian Church in Angola (IPA). The integration of the denomination into one is a result of a long period of dialogue. Both

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

denomination took this decision because they understand that the Presbyterian Church in Angola is a large community not only in Angola, but internationally. Regard to its evolution there was a need of reunification, to integrate everything into one single denomination. The Independent Presbyterian Church in Angola and the Presbyterian Christian Church in Angola integrated with all of their congregations, pastors, elders and deacons into the Presbyterian Church in Angola. This effort was supported by the PC in Angola. The President of the Generas Synod of IPA said that : " The IPA are open to welcome all who are open to and want to a union, to serve better the Lord. The Presbyterian community become stronger in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

.he pastor Rondinho Antonio Bento, president of the IPA General Synod, he said, in the worship of reception that sealed the integration of these two communities, "Now we are great in number and solid in our structures." He said that the IPA, the name that drives will work with two other Presbyterian churches that until very recently acted in isolation. And invited them to follow suit, to create a Presbyterian community increasingly united. Also according to the pastor Rondinho Antonio Bento, the IPA's doors are open to welcome in its midst all those who understand the need for unity, where efforts lead all members to better serve the Lord in the church."

Seminary

The

Presbyterian Church in Angola The Presbyterian Church in Angola (In Portuguese the Igreja Presbiteriana de Angola or IPA) is a federation of theologically orthodox Reformed churches, that was founded in the mid-1980s, adopting the Westminster Confession of Faith as the offic ...

with the partnership with the Transcultural Presbyterian Mission Agency of the

built a Seminary building in the end of 2012 in Luanda,

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

. This building sits in a 660 m high area. Previously in 2012 there were 4 Angolan Presbyterian seminarians, who studied in Brazilian theological seminaries, 2 in Northern Presbyterian Seminary in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

, and the others are in the Presbyterian Theological seminary in Belo Horizonte. The Presbyterian Theological

Institution Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...

was opened by Pastor Neves Massaqui.www.apmt.org.br/index.php/central-de-noticias/1058-a-apmt-investe-na-formacao-de-lideres-da-ip-de-angola
/ref>

External links

* Official websit
Presbyterian Church of Angola

References

{{World Reformed Fellowship Presbyterian denominations in Africa Protestantism in Angola Members of the World Reformed Fellowship