The Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA french: Eglise protestante d'Algérie) is a federation of

Protestant 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 ...

churches from the Reformed and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

traditions established in 1972 in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. It is officially recognised by the government of Algeria as the Association of the Protestant Church of Algeria (french: Association de l'Eglise protestante d'Algérie).World Council of Churches
Regional Members: Protestant Church of Algeria
/ref> While exact numbers are not precise, estimates of members range from 100,000 to 150,000 in about 40 to 50

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

es nationwide, primarily in the northern coastal region of the country.Reformed Online
Eglise protestante d Algerie
/ref>

History

Protestantism has been present in Algeria since the early days of

French rule in Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

. The first synod of the Reformed churches was held in 1843 and the French Methodists began mission work in

Béjaïa Béjaïa (; ; ar, بجاية‎, Latn, ar, Bijāya, ; kab, Bgayet, Vgayet), formerly Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean port city and commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province, Kabylia. Béjaïa is ...

around 1883. By 1914, American Methodist missionaries were also well established in Algeria. After the traumatic independence of Algeria, many local Christians fled the country and by 1970, mission run schools and properties have been nationalised. UMC_in_North_Africa
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_Federation

In_1972,_the_Reformed_Church_of_France.html" ;"title="nited Methodist Church in Central and South Europe
UMC in North Africa
/ref>

Federation

In 1972, the Reformed Church of France">French Reformed communities and the Methodist communities in Algeria federated into a single body known as the Protestant Church of Algeria. The EPA was officially recognised by the Algerian authorities in 1974 as representing the Protestant community in the country.International Christian Concern
Algerian Protestant Churches Approved for Government Registration
/ref>

De-registration and church closures

In 1990, a new law, Ordinance 90-31, was passed in Algeria requiring religious organizations to update their status. The EPA attempted to do so but failed and was subsequently de-registered by the Algerian government, making it an illegal organization. In 2006, Ordinance 06-03 was passed in Algeria to regulate religious places of worship to register with the government in order to operate. This resulted in churches being closed and regular ministry to Christians being curtailed, particularly in Kabylie. The EPA and other Christian communities in Algeria continued to receive harassment by Algerian government throughout the period with churches being closed and Christians arrested and charged for conversion, proselytization, and blasphemy The closures came in waves, including a wave that lasted from November, 2017 to October, 2019 and resulted in eighteen churches being forcibly closed.

Re-legalisation

On 18 July 2011, the EPA was granted re-registration by the Algerian government. This has opened the door for formal dialogue between the EPA and the Algerian government on the issues faced by Algerian Christians in the country, including initial discussions on reform and the possible abolition of Ordinance 06-03.

Affiliations

The EPA is affiliated with the following bodies and participates in ecumenical work: *

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most ju ...

World Evangelical Alliance The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an interdenominational organization of evangelical Christian churches, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, founded in 1846 in London, England, United Kingdom to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA i ...

* Middle East Council of Churches * Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches *

All Africa Conference of Churches All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC, or CETA) is an ecumenical fellowship that represents more than 200 million African Christians in 204 national churches and regional Christian councils in 43 African Countries. AACC's head office is in ...

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 ...

World Methodist Council The World Methodist Council (WMC), founded in 1881, is a consultative body and association of churches in the Methodist tradition. It comprises 80 member denominations in 138 countries which together represent an estimated 80 million people; this ...

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Eglise protestante d AlgerieWorld Alliance of Reformed ChurchesMiddle East Council of Churches
Protestantism in Algeria Members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches Members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches Members of the World Council of Churches Protestant denominations established in the 20th century Reformed denominations in Africa Christian organizations established in 1972 1972 establishments in Algeria