Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus

Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus
Logo of the EECMY
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationLutheran (with some Pentecostal[1] influence and one Presbyterian-leaning synod)
Evangelical
TheologyPietistic Lutheran[2]
LeaderYonas Yigezu
AssociationsLWF, WCRC, AACC, WCC, FECCLAHA, ECFE, P'ent'ay Ethiopian–Eritrean Evangelicalism
RegionEthiopia
Origin1959
Addis Ababa
Congregations8,500 + 4000 preaching stations[3]
Members10,404,128 (2019)[4]
Ministers3,000
MissionariesMekane Yesus International Missionary Society
Official websitewww.eecmy.org
Amist Kilo church, the original EECMY church in Addis Ababa

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY; also called Mekane Yesus Church) is a Lutheran denomination in Ethiopia. It is the largest member church of the Lutheran World Federation. It is a Lutheran denomination with some Pentecostal[1] influence and one Presbyterian-leaning synod, with a large Pietistic following.[5]

With the encouragement of the Lutheran and Presbyterian missionary societies in Ethiopia and the Lutheran World Federation, the Evangelical congregations in several parts of the country met on April 23 and 25, 1958 to deliberate on the draft constitution and establish the EECMY. From these joint efforts the church was instituted as a national church on January 21, 1959, taking its name from the first congregation in Addis Ababa, Mekane Yesus ("Place of Jesus").[6] EECMY has a motto of "Serving the Whole Person" that was developed in the 1970s. This "holistic ministry" theme has helped it to carry out its ministry in evangelism and development work. One of the leading theologians of the EECMY was Gudina Tumsa (1929–1979), who was general secretary for several years up until his arrest and murder at the hands of the communist government of Ethiopia in 1979.

The church, which was born out of Swedish missionary work amongst others, today through Mekane Yesus International Missionary Society itself has many missionaries in countries all around the world: South Asia, several African countries, the Middle East, and Guyana.[7]

History

The EECMY was founded on work begun by Northern European missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These missionaries concentrated their work in southern Ethiopia, where the Orthodox Christian influence was less profound.

The Reformed section of the denomination was founded by the United Presbyterian Church in 1869. Dr. Thomas Lambie, a missionary of the United Presbyterian Church, begun work in the western part of the country. During the Italian occupation, missionaries were forced to leave, but the Bethel Evangelical Church was founded with native believers. It became an independent church in 1947. After World War II, BEC experienced rapid growth. In 1974 it became part of the EECMY, and now it has more than 1,000 000 members. Former BEC presbyteries and synods retain their names. In the western Synod of Gambela, more than 60% of the population are members of the Bethel Evangelical Church.[8]

In 2000, the EECMY ordained the first women as pastors.[9]

Membership

EECMY claimed almost 2.3 million members in 2007, growing to 8.3 million baptized members according to the 2016 statistics.[10] They operate a seminary in Addis Ababa with 150 students. The church also owns several bible colleges, schools, and health care and social facilities in various locations throughout the country. In Addis Ababa they also run a language and cultural orientation school, called MY-LINC, for people who want to learn Ethiopian languages. Most congregations speak local languages, but the International Lutheran Church (Ethiopia) is English-speaking.

Relations with other churches

The EECMY approved the establishment of a full communion relationship with the North American Lutheran Church at their convocation in August 2011.[11] The EECMY decided to end its partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Church of Sweden, because of their acceptance of same-sex unions and non-celibate homosexual clergy, after a resolution that was approved at the 19th General Assembly in Addis Ababa, on February 11, 2013.[12] The EECMY has also established relationships with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and the Reformed Church in America, both from the United States.[13][14]

The EECMY is a member of the Global Confessional and Missional Lutheran Forum, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Council of Churches, the All Africa Conference of Churches, the Lutheran Communion in Central and Eastern Africa, and the World Communion of Reformed Churches.[15]

The EECMY, because of its development work, is a member of ACT Development, a global alliance of churches and related agencies committed to working together on development. EECMY is a participant in the Wycliffe Global Alliance and it is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa.

As a member of the Evangelical Church Fellowship of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus is in communion or cooperation with the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (a Baptist denomination), the Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers' Church (a Pentecostal denomination), and the Meserete Kristos Church (a Mennonite-affiliated denomination).[16]

See also

  • P'ent'ay
  • List of the largest Protestant bodies

References

  1. ^ a b Fantini, Emanuele (2015-07-01). "Go Pente! The Charismatic Renewal of the Evangelical Movement in Ethiopia". In Ficquet E.; Prunier G. (eds.). Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia: Monarchy, Revolution and the Legacy of Meles Zenawi.
  2. ^ "Tumsa, Gudina".
  3. ^ https://app.box.com/v/JLM-September-2016
  4. ^ "Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus". News and Events. www.lutheranworld.org. 13 September 2013. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  5. ^ M, Eide, Øyvind (1929–1979). "Tumsa, Gudina". Dictionary of African Christian Biography. Retrieved 2022-03-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)". World Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  7. ^ Mekane Yesus International Missionary Society. "Mekane Yesus International Missionary Society". Faith2Share. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  8. ^ Benedetto, Robert; McKim, Donald K. (6 October 2009). Historical Dictionary of the Reformed Churches. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810870239. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2020 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Ethiopia: 25 years of women's ordination | The Lutheran World Federation". lutheranworld.org. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  10. ^ "News and Events". Archived from the original on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  11. ^ "Convocation approves full communion relationship with Ethiopian Lutherans, NALC News, August 2011" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2015-03-16.
  12. ^ "Home". EECMY Ethiopia. Archived from the original on 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
  13. ^ "Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Archives - International Lutheran Council". Archived from the original on 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  14. ^ "Ethiopia, Reformed Church in America Official Website". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-16.
  15. ^ "Member Churches". World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). Archived from the original on April 12, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  16. ^ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs. "Ethiopia". 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
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