Protestantism in Indonesia

According to CIA statistics, in 2000 5.7% of the population of Indonesia were Protestant. A nationwide census of 2018 noted that 7.6% (20,250,000) of the population considered themselves Protestant, the largest such community in Southeast Asia.

Protestantism in Indonesia is largely a result of Reformed and Lutheran missionary efforts during the country's colonial period. The Dutch East India Company 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 largest is the Batak Protestant Christian Church, founded by German Lutheran missionary Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen in 1861.

History

Protestantism arrived in Indonesia during the Dutch East Indies colonization. By the mid-1700s a significant Lutheran presence was found in Jakarta, with a Lutheran church built by the Lutheran Governor General Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff in 1749. In 1817, the Dutch founded the Protestantsche Kerk in Nederlandsch-Indie (colloquially, Indische Kerk) as a union of Reformed, Lutheran, Baptists, Arminian and Mennonite denominations. In 1835, William I of the Netherlands decreed one church council would fuse and oversee Protestant denominations in the Dutch colony.

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Demographics

In 2018, Protestants made up 7.43% of the population.

On the island of Sulawesi, 17% of the citizens are Protestant, particularly in Tana Toraja and North Sulawesi. Up to 65% of the Torajan population is Protestant. In some parts of the country, entire villages belong to a distinct denomination, such as Adventist, Lutheran, Presbyterian or Salvation Army. Two provinces have Protestant majorities: North Sulawesi (64%) and Papua (60%). Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa is the largest Protestant church in North Sulawesi. Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa is a Mennonite-related denomination. Huria Kristen Batak Protestant is a Lutheran denomination founded by Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen. 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. Many Indonesian Protestants tend to congregate based more on ethnicity than liturgical differences.

Reformed denominations

The Reformed faith was brought by Dutch missionaries beginning in the 17th century. Many of these churches are members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches:

Christian Evangelical Church in Sangihe-Talaud (GMIST)
Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa (GMIM)
Christian Church in East Timor
Christian Church in Luwuk Banggai
Christian Church in Central Sulawesi
Christian Church of Southern Sumatra
Christian Church of Sumba
Church of Toraja Mamasa
East Java Christian Church
Evangelical Christian Church in Halmahera
Evangelical Christian Church in Papua
Evangelical Church in Bolaang Mongondow
Evangelical Church in Kalimantan
Indonesian Christian Church
Indonesian Protestant Church in Buol Toli-Toli
Indonesian Protestant Church in Donggala
Indonesian Protestant Church in Gorontalo
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
Protestant Church of Maluku
Protestant Church in Southeast Sulawesi
Protestant Church in West Indonesia
Protestant Evangelical Church in Timor
Toraja Church

Members of the International Conference of Reformed Churches

Gereja-Gereja Reformasi Calvinis
Gereja-Gereja Reformasi di Indonesia

Members of World Reformed Fellowship

Reformed Evangelical Church in Indonesia

Lutheran denominations

Indonesian churches recognized by the Lutheran World Federation 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
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. GLI is closely associated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in the United States. GLI has offices in Jakarta and operates a seminary, Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Lutheran (STTL), in Yogyakarta. GLI has large congregations on Java and in West Timor, as well as posts in Papua and Kalimantan.