Assemblies Jehovah Shammah
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The Assemblies Jehovah Shammah are an
Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
Christian network of churches that originated in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, which is still home to the great majority of them. The Evangelical publication Operation World estimates their numbers, as of 2010, at 310,000 adults and children in 910 assemblies, as their churches are generally known. Other sources estimate upwards of two thousand congregations, with a large presence in the
State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
of
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. The movement was founded in 1942 by
evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...
Bakht Singh Bakht may refer to: People * Bakht Singh, Indian evangelist *Bakht Khan, Indian commander in the 19th century * Bakht Zamina, Afghan Pashto singer *Bidar Bakht, 15th/16th century Indian Mughal prince *Bakht-un-Nissa Begum, Mughal princess *Sikander ...
, whose theology and ecclesiology were much influenced by the
Open Brethren The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They originated in Ireland before spreadi ...
. Although historically distinct from the
Indian Brethren The Indian Brethren are a Christian Evangelical premillennial religious movement. Although they have some distinct characteristics, they have a lot in common, in both doctrine and practice, with the international Open Brethren movement, with wh ...
movement, which originated from missionary endeavours, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah have a lot in common with it and are sometimes (but not always) considered a part of the Brethren movement worldwide.


Theology and Ecclesiology

Theologically, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah are a conservative Evangelical movement placing a great emphasis on the preaching and expounding of scripture. They are a lay movement with no ordained clergy, and each congregation is led by elders who take responsibility for the spiritual needs of those in fellowship. Assemblies Jehovah Shammah do not have a formal membership, but regard any Christian who has been baptised as a believer and attends regularly as being part of their fellowship.
Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...
is celebrated weekly as part of a largely informal worship service, with any believer in the congregation who feels "moved by the
Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...
" offering prayers, sharing scriptures, or suggesting hymns. This period of free worship is followed by an hour-long sermon. In these matters, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah greatly resemble the
Open Brethren The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They originated in Ireland before spreadi ...
, but with certain adaptations to
Indian culture Indian culture is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India. The term al ...
, such as seating the congregation on mats on the floor. Unlike much of the wider Brethren movement, however, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah have never restricted women from participating audibly in worship; until the last two decades, the great majority of Brethren assemblies around the world had a policy of reserving the "vocal" roles in worship to men only. Much (though not all) of the
Indian Brethren The Indian Brethren are a Christian Evangelical premillennial religious movement. Although they have some distinct characteristics, they have a lot in common, in both doctrine and practice, with the international Open Brethren movement, with wh ...
movement remains very conservative and resistant to the changes that have occurred in some parts of the Brethren world in the last generation. This is one of the lines of demarcation between the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah and the older Indian Brethren movement. Although the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah developed independently of the Indian Brethren movement, the many similarities between the two movements mean that the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah is often considered part of the Brethren movement worldwide. It is categorized as such by the
World Christian Encyclopedia ''World Christian Encyclopedia'' is a reference work, with its third edition published by Edinburgh University Press in November 2019. The ''WCE'' is known for providing membership statistics for major world religions and Christian denominations ...
. Indian Brethren theologian and historian Thottukadavil Eapen Koshy also regards them as such, as did the late Scottish Brethren missionary, Daniel Smith. In
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, unlike India, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah operate under the "Brethren" label and there is no line of demarcation between them and the older, missionary-founded, Brethren movement. Those who regard the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah as "Brethren" generally categorize them as
Open Brethren The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They originated in Ireland before spreadi ...
, in view of their willingness to work and worship together with Christians of other denominations. Their highly centralized leadership, however, is not typical of Open Brethren, for whom complete congregational autonomy is paramount, and may be more similar to the "connectional" model known among the
Exclusive Brethren The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848. The Exclusive Brethren are now divided int ...
. Although Bakht Singh taught congregational autonomy, in practice he maintained tight centralized control over the movement until his death in 2000. If counted as part of the wider Open Brethren movement, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah comprise some forty percent of all Brethren in India, and fifteen to twenty percent of all Brethren worldwide.


The Charismatic Movement

Although
Bakht Singh Bakht may refer to: People * Bakht Singh, Indian evangelist *Bakht Khan, Indian commander in the 19th century * Bakht Zamina, Afghan Pashto singer *Bidar Bakht, 15th/16th century Indian Mughal prince *Bakht-un-Nissa Begum, Mughal princess *Sikander ...
believed in praying for
divine healing Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...
and some people attributed supernatural healings to his prayers, he was a
cessationist Cessationism versus continuationism involves a Christian theological dispute as to whether spiritual gifts remain available to the church, or whether their operation ceased with the Apostolic Age of the church (or soon thereafter). The cessation ...
and opposed to the
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
and
Charismatic Charisma () is a personal quality of presence or charm that compels its subjects. Scholars in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary; in these fields, the term "ch ...
movements. He believed that the so-called sign gifts, such as
miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
s,
divine healing Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...
, and
speaking in tongues Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is a practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of sp ...
were given to the early church for the specific purpose of authenticating the
apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
, and "ceased" with the death of the last apostle. If people were healed in response to his own prayers, he believed that was a sovereign act of God, not attributable to any "gift" of his. Some Assemblies Jehovah Shammah have, however, embraced the Charismatic movement since his time.


Assemblies Jehovah Shammah Worldwide

The Assemblies Jehovah Shammah form a significant part of the Brethren movement in
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, where Bakht Singh began preaching while it was still a part of
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. The movement has spread outside of the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
through Indian emigration. Some congregations may now be found in
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 ...
.


See also

*
Bakht Singh Bakht may refer to: People * Bakht Singh, Indian evangelist *Bakht Khan, Indian commander in the 19th century * Bakht Zamina, Afghan Pashto singer *Bidar Bakht, 15th/16th century Indian Mughal prince *Bakht-un-Nissa Begum, Mughal princess *Sikander ...
*
Exclusive Brethren The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848. The Exclusive Brethren are now divided int ...
*
Indian Brethren The Indian Brethren are a Christian Evangelical premillennial religious movement. Although they have some distinct characteristics, they have a lot in common, in both doctrine and practice, with the international Open Brethren movement, with wh ...
*
Open Brethren The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren, are a group of Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement within the Plymouth Brethren tradition. They originated in Ireland before spreadi ...
*
Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and non-conformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where they originated from Anglicanism. The group emphasizes ...


References

{{reflist Evangelicalism in India Plymouth Brethren Evangelical denominations in Asia