The Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu (french: Église presbytérienne de Vanuatu), or the Presbitirin Jyos Blong Vanuatu in

Bislama Bislama (; ; also known by its earlier French name, ) is an English-based creole language and one of the official languages of Vanuatu. It is the first language of many of the "Urban ni-Vanuatu" (citizens who live in Port Vila and Luganville) ...

, is the largest

Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, worsh ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

History

It was created by missionaries of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational miss ...

in the mid-1800s. In 1838 Rev John William arrived on the Island of Futuna. In Eromango Rev. William was martyred and eaten. In 1841 Apela and Samuele were placed to Futuna. Both of them were martyred. They prepared the way for

Presbyterians 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 ...

from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The Presbyterian Mission Synod contributed to the mission in the

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...

. Two prominent missionaries were

John Gibson Paton John Gibson Paton (24 May 1824 – 28 January 1907), born in Scotland, was a Protestant missionary to the New Hebrides Islands of the South Pacific. He brought to the natives of the New Hebrides education and Christianity. He developed small in ...

from

and John Geddie from

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. Even today the Scottish Presbyterian tradition is visible in the life of the Vanuatuan church. The church developed rapidly from the south to the north. It employed indigenous pastors and teachers. The church become autonomous in 1948 as the Presbyterian Church in the New Hebrides. Vanuatu became free from

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and French colonization in 1980. Most of the members of the new government were Presbyterians, because the Presbyterian church is the only denomination that established a theological seminary and concentrated on educating the Ni-Vanuatu people.

Statistics

The denomination has approximately 78,000 members and 400 congregations, as well as 450 house fellowships in 6 presbyteries as of January 1, 2006. It is the largest denomination in the country, representing more than 30% of the population of

The PCV (Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu) is headed by a moderator with offices in Port Vila. The PCV is particularly strong in the provinces of Tafea, Shefa, and Malampa. The Province of Sanma is mainly Presbyterian with a strong Roman Catholic minority in the Francophone areas of the province. There are some Presbyterian people, but no organised Presbyterian churches in Penama and Torba, both of which are traditionally Anglican. Vanuatu is the only country in the South Pacific with a significant Presbyterian heritage and membership. The church runs schools. PCV ministers are trained in the Presbyterian's official theological institute, the

Talua Ministry Training Centre Talua Theological Training Institute, formerly known as Talua Ministry Training Centre, is a Bible College in Vanuatu, run by the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu. It is located near Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo. Talua was established ...

on South Santo. It offers diploma of theology, diploma of mission and Bachelor of Ministries Programs. Graduates from the college become church leaders in various denominations and evangelists to isolated islands. Flags of Vanuatu and the PCV

Doctrine

The Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu affirms 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 ...

and

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" ...

Interchurch relations

The Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu is a member of the

World Communion of Reformed Churches The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Calvinist churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Chris ...

. The Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu has partner relations with the

Presbyterian Church of Australia The Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. (The larger Uniting Church in Australia incorporated about two-thirds of the PCA in 1977.) History Beginnings When captain James Cook lande ...

. The Australian church supports the Talua Ministry Training Centre, which provides the ministry training of the Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Presbyterian denominations in Oceania Churches in Vanuatu Presbyterianism in Vanuatu Members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches Christian organizations established in 1948