Armenian Evangelical Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Armenian Evangelical Church |
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|---|---|
| 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) was started on July 1, 1846. It was founded by thirty-seven men and three women in a city then called Constantinople. Today, this city is known as Istanbul, Turkey.
Contents
History of the Armenian Evangelical Church
In the 1800s, people in Constantinople became very interested in learning and new ideas. Many started to study the Bible more closely. A school was opened to help train religious leaders for the Armenian Apostolic Church. This school was led by Krikor Peshtimaldjian, a very smart person of that time.
How the Church Began
Because of this new interest in the Bible, a group called the "Pietistical Union" was formed. Its members met to study the Bible together. During these meetings, they began to ask questions about some church traditions. They felt these traditions did not match what the Bible taught.
These people, who wanted to make changes, faced strong opposition. The leader of the Armenian Church in Constantinople, Patriarch Matteos Chouhajian, removed them from the church. Because of this, they had to form their own religious group. This new group was called the Protestant Millet. This separation led to the creation of the Armenian Evangelical Church in 1846.
In March 1853, the Armenian Evangelical Church was officially recognized. It became a separate community in the Ottoman Empire's records.
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, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, England, France, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Uruguay, and the United States of America.
Armenian Evangelical Unions Around the World
Armenian Evangelical churches often join together in groups called "unions." These unions help the churches work together and support each other. Here are some of the main unions:
- Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE, formed in 1924)
- Armenian Evangelical Union of North America (AEUNA, formed in 1971)
- Armenian Evangelical Union of France (AEUF, formed in 1924)
- Union of Evangelical Churches in Armenia (formed in 1995)
- Armenian Evangelical Union of Eurasia (formed in 1995)
- Armenian Evangelical Fellowship of Europe
- Union of Armenian Evangelical Unions in Bulgaria (formed in 1995)
Armenian Brethren Groups
There are also groups of Armenian Brethren assemblies. These are smaller church communities. You can find them in Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, the United States, and Australia.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia evangélica armenia para niños
- Religion in Armenia
