Protestantism ( id, Protestanisme) is one of the six approved

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

s in Indonesia, the others being

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, and

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

. It constitutes the bulk of

Christianity in Indonesia Christianity is Indonesia's second-largest religion, after Islam. Indonesia also has the second-largest Christian population in Southeast Asia after the Philippines, the largest Protestant population in Southeast Asia, and the fourth-larg ...

, which is the second largest religion in the country after Islam. According to

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

statistic, in 2000 5.7% of the population of Indonesia were

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

. A nationwide census of 2018 noted that 7.6% (20,250,000) of the population considering themselves Protestant, largest in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

is largely a result of Dutch

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 ...

and

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

missionary efforts during the country's colonial period. The

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

regulated the missionary work so it could serve its own interests and restricted it to the eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago. Although these two branches are the most common, a multitude of other denominations can be found elsewhere in Indonesia. The Batak Protestant Christian Church, founded in 1861 by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Lutheran missionary

Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen (6 February 1834 – 23 May 1918) was a German Lutheran Protestantism missionary to Sumatra who also translated the New Testament into the native Batak language and Batak script writing. Stephen Neill, a historian of ...

, is the largest one.

History

Protestantism arrived in Indonesia during the Dutch East Indies colonization. By the mid-1700s a significant

presence was found in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, with a Lutheran church built by the Lutheran Governor General

Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff Gustaaf Willem, Baron van Imhoff (8 August 1705 – 1 November 1750) was a Dutch colonial administrator for the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He served as Governor of Ceylon from 1736 to 1740 and as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies fr ...

in 1749. In 1817, the Dutch founded the Protestantsche Kerk in Nederlandsch-Indie ("Indische Kerk") as a union of

Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

Arminian Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ''Re ...

and

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

denominations. In 1835, the Dutch king decreed that one church council would fuse and oversee the Protestant denominations in the Dutch colony.

Demographics

On the island of

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

, 17% of the citizens are Protestants, particularly in

Tana Toraja Tana Toraja ( 'Toraja Land' in Toraja language) is a landlocked regency ('' kabupaten'') of South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, and home to the Toraja ethnic group. It covers an area of and had a population of 221,081 at the 2010 census and 28 ...

and

North Sulawesi North Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the Minahasa Peninsula of Sulawesi, south of the Philippines and southeast of Sabah, Malaysia. It borders the Philippine province of Davao Occidental and Soccsks ...

. Up to 65% of the Torajan population are Protestant. In some parts of the country, entire villages belong to a distinct denomination, such as

Adventist Adventism is a branch of Protestant Christianity that believes in the imminent Second Coming (or the "Second Advent") of Jesus Christ. It originated in the 1830s in the United States during the Second Great Awakening when Baptist preacher Wil ...

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 ...

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

. Two provinces have Protestant majorities: North Sulawesi (64%) and Papua (60%).

Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa The Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa (Gereja Masehi Injii di Minahasa) is a Protestant, Calvinist and Reformed church in Indonesia. It was founded in North Sulawesi on 30 September 1934. Christianity was introduced to Minahasa by Johann Fr ...

is the largest

church in North Sulawesi. Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa is a Mennonite-related denomination.

Huria Kristen Batak Protestant The Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (''HKBP''), which translates in English as ''Batak Christian Protestant Church'', is a Lutheran church that is oriented towards Protestant among the Batak people, generally the Toba Batak in Indonesia. With a ...

is a Lutheran denomination founded by

. It is the largest Protestant denomination in Indonesia and has over 4 million congregants. The relatively large number of "denominations" per capita in Indonesia may be due to the significant number of different

ethnic groups in Indonesia There are 1,340 recognised ethnic groups in Indonesia. The vast majority of those belong to the Austronesian peoples. Based on ethnic classification, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia is the Javanese who make up about 40% of the total popu ...

. Many Indonesian Protestants tend to congregate based more on ethnicity than liturgical differences.

Reformed denominations

The

faith brought by

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

missionaries in the 17th century. Many of these churches are members 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 ...

: * Christian Evangelical Church in Sangihe-Talaud (GMIST) *

(GMIM) * Christian Church in East Timor *

Christian Church in Luwuk Banggai The Christian Church in Luwuk Banggai is a Reformed church, Reformed denomination in Indonesia, a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Christianity came to Luwuk Banggai in 1912, brought by Dutch people, Dutch missionaries, and estab ...

Christian Church in Central Sulawesi The Central Sulawesi Christian Church ( id, Gereja Kristen Sulawesi Tengah) is the largest Christian church in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs to the Reformed family of churches. The church was established in the early 1893 through the mis ...

* Christian Church of Southern Sumatra * Christian Church of Sumba *

Church of Toraja Mamasa The Toraja Mamasa Church was established on 7 June 1947, and based in West Sulawesi. It is a Protestant church, and a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. It was a fruit of the Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, a conserv ...

* East Java Christian Church *

Evangelical Christian Church in Halmahera The Evangelical Christian Church in Halmahera (GMIH) represents the half of the population in the island of Halmahera. The denomination was a mission established by the Netherlands Reformed Church, and become autonomous in 1949. It has 300,000 membe ...

* Evangelical Christian Church in Papua * Evangelical Church in Bolaang Mongondow *

Evangelical Church in Kalimantan The Rheinische Missiongesellschaft zu Bremen (RMG) started missions in Kalimantan, now known as Borneo, in 1838 among Dayak Ngaju and Maanyan tribes. The work was almost destroyed because of a riot against the Dutch Empire, Dutch rule. The developme ...

* Indonesian Christian Church * Indonesian Protestant Church in Buol Toli-Toli *

Indonesian Protestant Church in Donggala The Indonesian Protestant Church in Donggala is a Protestant church in the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It has more than 40,000 members and is part of the Protestant Church in Indonesia The Protestant Church in Indonesia is a Reformed church; it ...

Indonesian Protestant Church in Gorontalo The Indonesian Protestant Church in Gorontalo is an independent church within the Protestant Church in Indonesia serving Gorontalo, North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi. It has 98 congregations and 10,000 members. The church is a member of the World ...

* Javanese Christian Church (Sinode Gereja-gereja Kristen Jawa, GKJ) * Karo Batak Protestant Church * Pasundan Christian Church * Protestant Christian Church in Bali *

Protestant Church in Indonesia The Protestant Church in Indonesia is a Reformed church; it is a member of World Communion of Reformed Churches. Origin The Protestant Church in Indonesia was formed in Ambon, Maluku in 1605 under the name of the Protestant Church in the Netherla ...

Protestant Church of Maluku The Protestant Church of Maluku is a Reformed church in Indonesia. It is known locally as: Gereja Protestan Maluku or simply GPM. It was formed on September 6, 1935 when it was separated from the Protestant Church in Indonesia. The Protestant C ...

* Protestant Church in Southeast Sulawesi * Protestant Church in West Indonesia *

Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor , native_name_lang = id , founded_date=Oct 31, 1947 , founded_place = Syalom Airnona Church , headquarters=CECT Assembly Office Building, S. K. Lerik Street, Kupang City 85228 , main_classification = Protestantism , theology= Calvinism Tradition ...

Toraja Church Toraja Church is a Protestant Christian denomination in Tana Toraja, Indonesia, of which the majority of the Torajan people are members. This church is a member of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia since 1950. On 1912-1913 the Gerevormerde M ...

Members of the International Conference of Reformed Churches

* Gereja-Gereja Reformasi Calvinis *

Gereja-Gereja Reformasi di Indonesia The Gereja-Gereja Reformasi di Indonesia or the Indonesian Reformed Churches is a confessional Reformed church in the country of Indonesia established by orthodox Calvinist Dutch missionaries. History Missionaries came to Sumba in the late 1800s ...

Members of World Reformed Fellowship

* Reformed Evangelical Church in Indonesia

Lutheran denominations

Indonesian churches recognized by the

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; german: Lutherischer Weltbund) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish ...

as Lutheran or affiliated with Lutheran are: * Banua Niha Keriso Protestan (BNKP) – The Protestant Church in Nias Island * Gereja Angowuloa Masehi Indonesia Nias (AMIN) – Christian Communion of Indonesia in Nias * Gereja Kristen Luther Indonesia (GKLI) – Indonesian Christian Lutheran Church * Gereja Kristen Protestan Angkola (GKPA) – Christian Protestant Angkola Church * Gereja Kristen Protestan di Mentawai (GKPM) – Protestant Christian Church in Mentawai * Gereja Kristen Protestan Indonesia (GKPI) – Christian Protestant Church in Indonesia * Gereja Kristen Protestan Pakpak Dairi (GKPPD) – Pakpak Dairi Protestant Christian Church * Gereja Kristen Protestan Simalungun (GKPS) – Simalungun Protestant Christian Church * Gereja Punguan Kristen Batak (GPKB) – Batak Christian Community Church * Gereja Protestan Persekutuan (GPP) – The United Protestant Church * Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP) – Protestant Christian Batak Church
Huria Kristen Indonesia (HKI)
– The Indonesian Christian Church (a.k.a. Christian Church in Mentawai) * Orahua Niha Keriso Protestan (ONKP) - Communion of Protestant Christian Church HKI, GMB, GKPS, GKPI, GKLI, GKPA, GPP, and GKPPD all split from HKBP. GKLI maintains a strong relationship with the Norwegian Lutheran Church. GKPM was founded by HKBP missionaries. Although the BNKP and HKBP have historically cooperated, no official relationship exists between those entities. AMIN split from BNKP and retains more of a Lutheran identity. Gereja Lutheran Indonesia (GLI) is affiliated with the

Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) is an international fellowship of 34 Confessional Lutheran church bodies. The CELC was founded in 1993 in Oberwesel, Germany with an initial thirteen church bodies. Plenary sessions are hel ...

. GLI is closely associated with the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. GLI has offices in Jakarta and operates a seminary, Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Lutheran (STTL), in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

. GLI has large congregations on Java and in

West Timor West Timor ( id, Timor Barat) is an area covering the western part of the island of Timor, except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno (an East Timorese exclave). Administratively, West Timor is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The ca ...

, as well as posts in Papua and

Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...

References

External links

{{Churches in Indonesia Protestantism in Indonesia,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

History of the Dutch East India Company de:Christentum in Indonesien#Protestantismus