The Maohi Protestant Church (Tahitian: Ètārētia Porotetani Māòhi; French: L’Église Protestante Māòhi) is a Reformed church in French Polynesia.
| Maohi Protestant Church | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Theology | Reformed |
| Polity | Congregational |
| Associations | WCRC, WCC, CCC |
| Origin | 1815 French Polynesia |
| Branched from | London Missionary Society |
| Congregations | 100 |
| Members | 130,000 |
| Ministers | 77 |
It is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.[1]
The first missionaries arrived in 1797. After 1815 the majority of the population identified themselves with Christianity, and formed this national Protestant church which spread from Tahiti to the four archipelagos. The official founding date of the church is 1815.
Following developments in 1863 the London Missionary Society handed its control over the church to the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society.
In 1962 the church become autonomous under the name of Eglise évangélique de Polynésie francaise. Except for the Marquesas Islands and Îles Tuamotu-Gambier, the Maóhi Protestant Church is the leading, predominant church in French Polynesia. It has parishes and thousands of members in New Caledonia. The church has 130,000 members and 96 congregations and 81 house fellowships. It has districts and a General assembly.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ "Member Churches". World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ "Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions". Reformiert-online.net. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ "Maohi Protestant Church". Oikoumene.org. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
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