| Evangelical Brotherhood in Albania | |
|---|---|
| Vëllazëria Ungjillore e Shqipërisë | |
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| Abbreviation | VUSH |
| Classification | Evangelical Protestantism |
| Theology | Biblicist |
| Governance | Autonomous independent churches and organizations, but voluntarily cooperative |
| Distinct fellowships | Baptist, Brethren, Assemblies of God, non-denominational groups, etc. |
| Associations | Various regional associations |
| Region | Albania, with partnerships in Kosovo and other Albanian regions |
| Founder | Gjerasim Qiriazi[1] |
| Origin | 1890 Manastir (present-day Bitola, Macedonia) (later in Korça, Albania) |
| Congregations | approx. 200 |
| Members | approx. 16000 |
| Other name | Albanian Evangelical Churches |
Evangelical Protestantism is one of five officially recognized faiths inAlbania.[2] It is aChristian faith that viewsJesus Christ as its founder and head, and theBible (especially theNew Testament) as its written authority.
The USInternational Religious Freedom Report of 2022 noted that 38% of the population (just over a million people) have aChristian background.[3] The number ofEvangelical Protestants in Albania has risen from approximately 8000 in 1998,[4] to approximately 14,000 in the early 2020s.[5] However, in the 2011 census, 70% of respondents refused to declare belief in any of the listed faiths.[6]
Unlike other official religions in Albania, Evangelical Protestants are not organized under a hierarchy with an official head, but operate autonomously in separate churches or organizations bearing different denominational or non-denominational names. Most, but not all Evangelical Protestant groups are members of theEvangelical Brotherhood in Albania (Albanian:Vëllazëria Ungjillore e Shqipërisë, VUSH), a cooperative organization which views itself as existing as "an instrument of blessing … with the purpose of promoting unity amongst the churches, representing every local church with dignity, and promotingevangelism."[7]
Protestant denominations includeBaptist,Lutheran andAnglican.[8][9][10]
On August 26, 1816,Robert Pinkerton wrote theBritish and Foreign and Bible Society to encourage them to translate the New Testament intoAlbanian.[11]Cyrus Hamlin reported in 1857 that Albanians were applying to his Protestant seminary.[12] The first documented Albanian Protestant wasKostandin Kristoforidhi, who left his native Eastern Orthodox faith and converted to Protestantism on his own while comparing Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant theological texts. He joined the Protestant Church of Smyrna in 1856 or 1857, and was sent to Istanbul for theological training.[13]
InMonastir,Gjerasim Qiriazi also converted to Protestantism ca. 1876-1877, and united with the multi-ethnic Protestant church there. The first two known Albanian Protestant-Evangelical churches were both established by Gjerasim Qiriazi, first in Monastir in 1884 and later inKorça in 1890 (both cities then part of the Ottoman Empire).[14]
In April 1890, Gjerasim Qiriazi was ordained as the first Albanian evangelist and preacher by theAmerican Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in the board's annual meeting help in Monastir.[15] The second church among Albanians was opened inKorça. Qiriazi was also the head of one of the first national societies within Albania, named “The Evangelical Brotherhood”. As a result, Gjerasim Qiriazi is considered as the father of the Albanian Protestant Church.[16]
During the Communist regime of the late 20th century, Albania was declared as the world’s first atheist country. Over 2,000 religious institutions were closed. Several religious leaders and preachers were arrested, imprisoned and executed.[17] It was against the law to buy a Bible at that time.[18] When the regime ended in 1991, there was less than 20 Evangelical Christians in the country.[19]
In July, 1991 an international consortium of eleven mission agencies calling themselves the Albanian Encouragement Project (AEP) secured government permission to hold an evangelical gathering in Tirana. The AEP grew to 45 agencies and continued their work there for several years.[20]
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In 2023, theconstitution provides for freedom of religion and conscience. It states that there is no official religion, but officially recognisesSunni Muslims,Bektashi Muslims,Albanian Orthodox,Roman Catholics, and VUSH.[21]
In 2022, Albania scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom.[22]