Armenian Evangelical Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Armenian Evangelical Church |
|
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | AEC |
| Classification | Eastern Protestant |
| Orientation | Evangelical |
| Primate | Dr. Rene Levonian Preceded by Rev. Dr. Moses Janbazian (1945-2000) |
| Language | Armenian |
| Headquarters | Istanbul, Turkey; Yerevan, Armenia; Beirut, Lebanon; New Jersey, USA; Paris, France |
| Territory | Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh |
| Possessions | Russia, Iraq, Georgia, France, the United States, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Canada, Australia, Cyprus, Belgium, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and many others. |
| Founder | 37 men and 3 women in Constantinople |
| Independence | July 1, 1846, in Constantinople |
| Separated from | Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople |
| Members | 250,000 |
The Armenian Evangelical Church (Armenian: Հայաստանեայց Աւետարանական Եկեղեցի, romanized: Hayastaneayts' Awyetaranakan Yekeghets'i) is a Christian church. It was started on July 1, 1846. Thirty-seven men and three women founded it in a city then called Constantinople. Today, this city is known as Istanbul, Turkey.
Contents
History of the Armenian Evangelical Church
How the Church Began
In the 1800s, people in Constantinople became very interested in learning and new ideas. This led many to study the Bible more closely. A special school was opened to train new leaders for the Armenian Apostolic Church. Krikor Peshtimaljian, a smart thinker of that time, led this school.
The "Pietistical Union"
As people studied the Bible, a group called the "Pietistical Union" formed. Members met to discuss the Bible. They started asking questions about some church traditions. These traditions seemed different from what they read in the Bible.
Forming a New Community
These new ideas were not popular with everyone. The leader of the Armenian Church in Constantinople, called the Patriarch, disagreed with the reformists. He eventually asked them to leave the church. This meant they had to form their own religious group. This separation led to the creation of the Armenian Evangelical Church in 1846.
Where the Church Is Today
Today, there are about 100 Armenian Evangelical churches around the world. You can find them in many countries. These include Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Canada, France, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and the United States of America.
Armenian Evangelical Unions Around the World
Armenian Evangelical churches have joined together in different unions. These unions help the churches work together.
- Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE, started 1924)
- Armenian Evangelical Union of North America (AEUNA, started 1971)
- Armenian Evangelical Union of France (AEUF, started 1924)
- Union of Evangelical Churches in Armenia (started 1995)
- Armenian Evangelical Union of Eurasia (started 1995)
- Armenian Evangelical Fellowship of Europe
- Union of Armenian Evangelical Unions in Bulgaria (started 1995)
Armenian Brethren Groups
There are also groups called Armenian Brethren. These groups meet in places like Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, the United States, and Australia.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia evangélica armenia para niños
- Religion in Armenia
