| Batak Christian Protestant Church | |
|---|---|
| Huria Kristen Batak Protestan | |
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| Abbreviation | HKBP |
| Classification | Christianity |
| Orientation | Protestant |
| Scripture | Protestant Bible |
| Theology | Lutheran (with influences of Protestant Unionism)[a] |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| First Ephorus | Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen |
| Current Ephorus | Victor Tinambunan |
| Associations | See below |
| Region | Indonesia,United States,Europe,Singapore, andMalaysia |
| Language | Indonesian,Toba Batak |
| Headquarters | Hutatoruan V,Tarutung,North Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Origin | 7 October 1861 |
| Separated from | Rhenish Missionary Society (RMG) |
| Separations | |
| Members | > 6,500,000 (as of 2024) |
| Official website | hkbp.or.id |
TheBatak Christian Protestant Church (Indonesian:Huria Kristen Batak Protestan), abbreviated asHKBP, is anEvangelical Lutheran church among theBatak ethnic group, generally theToba Batak people ofIndonesia. This church uses anEcumenical worship style influenced by theDutch Reformed Church due to the influence ofDutch colonialism in Indonesia, as well as thePietistic legacy left by theRhenish Missionary Society when the church was founded.[2] With a membership more than 6,500,000 (as of 2024),[3][4] the church synod is the largest among the Protestant churches in Indonesia. It is one of the largestProtestant churches in Indonesia andSoutheast Asia, making it the third largest religious organization in Indonesia afterNahdlatul Ulama andMuhammadiyah.[5] Its present leader isEphorus (bishop) Victor Tinambunan.[6]
HKBP also has several churches abroad, such as inEurope,Singapore,Malaysia, and theUnited States of America.
HKBP is headquartered in Pearaja (North Tapanuli Regency,North Sumatra) which is about 1 km from the city center ofTarutung, the capital of the regency. Pearaja is a village located along the road toCentral Tapanuli Regency andSibolga city. The HKBP headquarters complex is located in an area of about 20 hectares (49 acres). In this complex there is also an Ephorus (bishop) as the head of the HKBP office. AlthoughToba Batak is the majority ethnic group, HKBP is also open to otherethnic groups.[7]
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The first Protestant missionaries who tried to reach theBatak highlands of inner Northern Sumatra were English and American Baptist preachers in the 1820s and 1830s, but without any success. AfterFranz Wilhelm Junghuhn andHerman Neubronner van der Tuuk did intensive research on Batak language and culture in the 1840s, a new attempt was made in 1861 by several missionaries sent out by the GermanRhenish Missionary Society (RMG). The first Bataks were baptized during this year. In 1864,Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen of the RMG reached the Batak region and founded a village called "Huta Dame" (village of peace) in the district ofNorth Tapanuli Regency inTarutung,North Sumatra.
The RMG was associated with theuniting churches also called a merged denomination that includes aLutheran element. However, Nommensen and local leaders developed an approach that applied local custom to Christian belief.
In 1868, a local seminary for the education of teachers was opened inSipirok, and in 1877 a seminary for the education of preachers was built in Pansurnapitu. 1881, Nommensen was officially nominated "ephorus" of the Batak congregations by the RMG. In 1885, the first Batak ministers were ordained in Pearaja Tarutung, where the HKBP headquarters is still located.
In 1889, the RMG sent outHester Needham who started the work with girls and women and later established the first Batakdeaconess. In the last quarter of the 19th century, further missionaries of the RMG were sent out to the other Batak tribes (Angkola, Dairi,Simalungun, Karo, andPakpak).
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In 1917, the "Hatopan Christen Batak" (HCB) which later became one of the nuclei for the independent Batak church, was founded in Tapanuli as a social movement.
In 1922, the first General Synod ("Sinode Godang") for all Batak congregations was held. In 1931 the HKBP became the first independent self-governing Christian body in what was then theDutch East Indies.
In 1940, all Germans working for the RMG, including pastors and ministers, were detained by the Dutch government. The Rev. Sirait was chosen by the synod as the first indigenous ephorus of HKBP.
In 1952, while maintaining its indigenous character, the HKBP became a member of theLutheran World Federation (LWF).[8] In 1954, HKBP foundedNommensen University. In 1977,Sekolah Tinggi Theologia (STT or "Theological Seminary") HKBP split from Nommensen University.
Over the years, a number of church bodies have split from HKBP for various cultural and doctrinal reasons. However, HKBP remains the largest Indonesian LWF member by a factor of ten and also remains in communion with daughter church bodies through the LWF. Tarutung and theBatak lands region remain the stronghold for the HKBP in the predominantly Muslim nation of Indonesia, although worshippers are found throughout Indonesia and worldwide.[9]
Well known HKBP congregants includeAmir Sjarifuddin (the only Christian prime minister of Indonesia), Todung Sutan Gunung (TSG) Mulia (the second Indonesian education minister), and General Tahi Bonar (TB) Simatupang.
In January 2010 two churches were burnt down by extremist mobs inSibuhuan.[10]
The HKBP represents a unique ecclesiastical phenomenon often described as Nommensen Pietism. While frequently classified under the Lutheran umbrella due to its membership in the Lutheran World Federation, the HKBP is a distinct denomination whose identity is defined by a synthesis of Rhenish Pietism, the Uniert (Union) tradition, and Batak customary law (Adat).[11] This theological framework serves as a parallel to theMoravian Church, which similarly occupies a space between traditional Lutheranism and a specialized, heart-centric piety.
The roots of the HKBP lie in the Rhenish Missionary Society (RMG), founded in 1828 in Barmen, Germany. The RMG was a product of the German Pietist movement, specifically a branch that sought to move beyond the rigid doctrinal debates of 17th-centuryLutheran Orthodoxy in favor of "living faith" and personal conversion.[12] Unlike the state churches of Germany, the RMG was a "Union" mission, meaning it combined elements of both Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinist) traditions.[13]
Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen arrived in Sumatra in 1862 carrying this Rhenish heritage. His approach, which established the foundation of Nommensen Pietism, was characterized by:
The HKBP is often mistakenly viewed as a mere branch of Lutheranism. However, several factors establish its status as a distinct denomination. While traditional Lutherans adhere strictly to theBook of Concord of 1580, the HKBP formulated its own Confessi HKBP in 1951. This document was created specifically to address the unique cultural and theological challenges of the Batak context, such as the relationship between the Gospel and ancestral traditions. Because of its RMG origins, the HKBP retains a hybrid liturgy and a view of the sacraments that incorporates Reformed influences, making it technically Evangelical Lutheran-leaning rather thanConfessional Lutheran. Much like the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum), the HKBP maintains a sister relationship with Lutheranism but remains independent. For Moravians, it is the "Heart-Relationship with the Savior"; for the HKBP, it is the "Community of the Batak People under Christ."[16] Both groups are members of the LWF, but they do so as autonomous partners who contribute a unique pietistic spirit that standard Lutheranism often lacks.[citation needed]
HKBP is a member of and active participant in theWorld Council of Churches,Christian Conference of Asia,Lutheran World Federation, Asia Lutheran Communion,[17]Communion of Churches in Indonesia, and United Evangelical Mission.[18]
The book of liturgical procedure used by the HKBP is referred to as the "Agenda" or formerly as the "Agende". This term comes from the European Protestant use ofagenda.[19]
| No. | Name | From | Until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Rt Rev.Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen | 1881 | 1918 | First ephorus |
| 2. | The Rev.Valentin Kessel | 1918 | 1920 | Temporary officeholder of Ephorus, due to the First World War preventing Johannes Warneck from arriving. |
| 3. | The Rev.Johannes Warneck | 1920 | 1932 | |
| 4. | The Rev.P. Landgrebe | 1932 | 1936 | |
| 5. | The Rev.E. Verwiebe | 1936 | 1940 | Interned by the Dutch colonial government after the German invasion of the Netherlands. |
| 6. | The Rev.K. Sirait | 1940 | 1942 | The firstBatak that became Ephorus. |
| 7. | The Rev.Justin Sihombing | 1942 | 1962 | |
| 8. | The Rev T. S. Sihombing | 1962 | 1974 | Elected in Special General Synod. |
| 9. | The Rev.G. H. M. Siahaan | 1974 | 1986 | |
| 10. | The Rev.S. A. E. Nababan | 1986 | 1998 | HKBP Crisis happened from 1992 to 1998 that resulted in dualism of HKBP's leadership until 1998. |
| 11. | The Rev. S. M. Siahaan (as Bishop or Ephorus) | 1992 | 1993 | |
| 12. | The Rev.P. W. T. Simanjuntak | 1993 | 1998 | Elected in Special General Synod. |
| 13. | The Rev.J.R. Hutauruk | 1998 | 1998 | Elected as temporary officeholder of Bishop. |
| 1998 | 2004 | Elected in Reconciliation General Synod. | ||
| 14. | The Rev.Bonar Napitupulu | 2004 | 2008 | |
| The Rev.Bonar Napitupulu | 2008 | 2012 | Elected in the 59th HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.[20] | |
| 15. | The Rev.W. T. P. Simarmata | 2012 | 2016 | Elected in the 61st HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.[21] |
| 16. | The Rev.Darwin Lumbantobing | 2016 | 2020 | Elected in the 62nd HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.[22] |
| 17. | The Rev.Robinson Butarbutar | 2020 | 2024 | Elected in the 65th HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.[23] |
| 18. | The Rev.Victor Tinambunan | 2024 | 2028 | Elected in the 67th HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.[24] |
| No. | Name | From | Until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Rev. Karimuda Sitompul | 1950 | 1957 | First Secretary General of HKBP |
| 2. | The Rev. T. S. Sihombing | 1957 | 1962 | |
| 3. | The Rev. G. H. M. Siahaan | 1962 | 1974 | |
| 4. | The Rev. F. H. Sianipar | 1974 | 1978 | |
| 5. | The Rev. P. M. Sihombing | 1978 | 1986 | |
| 6. | The Rev. O. P. T. Simorangkir | 1986 | 1992 | |
| 7. | The Rev. S. M. Siahaan | 1992 | 1998 | |
| 8. | The Rev. W. T. P. Simarmata | 1998 | 2008 | |
| 9. | The Rev.Ramlan Hutahaean | 2008 | 2012 | |
| 10. | The Rev. Mory Sihombing | 2012 | 2016 | |
| 11. | The Rev. David F. Sibuea[25] | 2016 | 2020 | |
| 12. | The Rev. Victor Tinambunan | 2020 | 2024 | |
| 13. | The Rev. Rikson Hutahaean | 2024 | 2028 |
| No. | Name | From | Until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Rev. Bistok M. Siagian | 2004 | 2008 | |
| 2. | The Rev. Jamilin Sirait | 2008 | 2012 | |
| 3. | The Rev. Welman P. Tampubolon | 2012 | 2016 | |
| 4. | The Rev. Martongo Sitinjak | 2016 | 2020 | |
| 5. | The Rev. Deonal Sinaga | 2020 | 2028 |
| No. | Name | From | Until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Rev. Manumpan H. Sihite | 2004 | 2008 | |
| 2. | The Rev. Binsar Nainggolan | 2008 | 2012 | |
| 3. | The Rev. Marolop P. Sinaga | 2012 | 2016 | |
| 4. | The Rev. Anna Ch. Vera Pangaribuan | 2016 | 2020 | |
| 5. | The Rev. Kardi Simanjuntak | 2020 | 2022 | |
| 6. | The Rev. Daniel T. A. Harahap | 2022 | 2024 | |
| 7. | The Rev. Bernard Manik | 2024 | 2028 |
| No. | Name | From | Until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Rev. Nelson F. Siregar | 2004 | 2012 | |
| 2. | The Rev. Bihelman D. F. Sidabutar | 2012 | 2016 | |
| 3. | The Rev. Debora Purada Sinaga | 2016 | 2024 | |
| 4. | The Rev. Eldarton Simbolon | 2024 | 2028 |
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is available under theCC BY 4.0 license.Membership of LWF was not promptly achieved because one of the requirements was that HKBP had to accept the Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran church. The HKBP leaders were aware that they were not purely Lutheran since they had inherited from the RMG the so-called Uniert tradition, that is a union or combination ofCalvinist andLutheran traditions, and they wanted to define their own theological identity. To solve this problem, HKBP formulated its own confession in 1951 that on the one hand adopted the Augsburg Confession and on the other hand reflected its own theological struggle and standpoint. The LWF assembly in 1952 accepted thisConfessie HKBP 1951 as not contrary to the Lutheran doctrine and confession.
A crowd of at least 1000 people burned down two Protestant churches last night in Sibuhuan (district of Padang Lawas, North Sumatra). The blaze was the culmination of tension between the faithful and the local Islamic community, tired of seeing "too many faithful and too many prayers" in a place not registered as a church.
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