PGI seeks new rule on church building

PGI seeks new rule on church building

By Imanuddin

JAKARTA (JP): The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) is
seeking to change the regulation on where it can establish its
houses of worship in the future, taking the power away from local
community leaders and putting it into the government's hands.

PGI's Secretary-General J.M. Pattiasina said the communion's
leaders will review the issue during its grand assembly in
Jayapura, Irian Jaya, next month.

The communion, grouping 68 Protestant denominations in
Indonesia, is drafting its proposal for a new regulation on the
establishment of houses of worship.

The proposal, which calls for clearer guidelines and greater
government power, is expected to be finalized in Irian Jaya,
before it is presented to the government, Pattiasina told The
Jakarta Post in an interview.

Under the present regulation, the local community has the
power to decide on whether or not they want the presence of a
church or a mosque in their area. This often creates friction
between this society's majority of Moslems and its minority of
Christians.

On the one hand, Moslems view the establishment of a church in
their midst with suspicion because they perceive it as an attempt
to proselytize. The Christians say they need to have churches
near their homes in order to practice their religion.

Pattiasina disclosed that the PGI proposal will call on the
government to make the rulings on whether houses of worship can
be established in a certain area rather than leaving the decision
to the local community leaders.

The PGI Grand Assembly, scheduled for Oct. 21-Oct. 30, is
expected to be attended by about 2,000 church leaders. It will be
opened by Vice President Try Sutrisno, Pattiasina said.

Not all the Protestant denominations are members of the
communion but the larger ones -- including the Toba Batak
Protestant Church, the Gereja Kristen Indonesia and Gereja
Kristen Java -- are. The churches grouped in the communion are
the Indonesian denominations of the Lutheran, Pentecostal,
Reform, Mennonite, Methodist and Calvinist religious groups.

Protestantism is the second largest religion in Indonesia,
accounting for nearly six percent of Indonesia's 190 million
population. Moslems represent the largest with about 87 percent.
Roman Catholicism follows third after Protestantism.

The upcoming assembly will be the 12th held since the
establishment of the communion in 1950.

The PGI last held its grand assembly five years ago in
Surabaya, East Java. The church leaders feel that the time has
now come to meet again to review progress and to respond to new
challenges.

"The General Assembly is expected to forge a greater unity
among the various church members and reinvigorate the teaching of
Christianity," Pattiasina said.

The assembly will also draw up a five-year plan for the PGI,
which will be disseminated to church followers through the PGI's
regional branches and denomination members.

The theme of this year's assembly is "Oh Holy Spirit, renew
our theme and unite us" and the sub-theme is "Together we build a
diverse society in Indonesia, which is united, prosperous, and
equal in the framework of national development as the
implementation of Pancasila."

Pattiasina admitted that one of the shortcomings of the
Protestant churches in Indonesia is their inability to increase
their role in modernizing their services to their followers and
in resolving internal disputes between church members.

He cited as an example the prolonged conflict befalling the
Toba Batak Protestant Church (HKBP), which, with more than two
million followers, is the largest denomination in the PGI.

Pattiasina said the PGI tried mediating the dispute between
the two conflicting camps in the HKBP through a meeting in
Jakarta last month. A second meeting was planned in Tarutung,
North Sumatra, this weekend.

Pattiasina said he hoped the dispute could be resolved before
the general assembly. "We expect that HKBP could send one
delegation."

On the issue of religious harmony in Indonesia, the PGI
secretary-general said there are no more serious frictions
between the people of different faiths. However, he urges more
openness in terms of dialog between the religious leaders.

Pattiasina also stressed the importance of separating religion
from politics in order to prevent people from thinking that the
church is indulging in politics.

A reverend could join one of the existing political parties,
but he must release his position in the church. In other words,
the person must not be an active reverend, he added.

PGI is a continuation of the Indonesian Church Council (DGI)
which was founded on May 25, 1950. The establishment of DGI was
preceded by the formation of a number of councils of churches in
several regions in Indonesia.

In 1948, three prominent figures of the Council of Churches --
Rev. B. Probowinoto of the Yogyakarta Chapter of Council of
Churches, Rev. W.J. Rumambi of the United Christian Churches in
Eastern Indonesia, and Rev. T. Sihombing of the North Sumatra
Chapter of Council of Churches -- held a meeting in Jakarta to
form a conference committee to prepare for the establishment of
the National Council of Churches.

The preparatory conference for the establishment of DGI was
held in 1949 and the council was officially established in a
conference of churches in Jakarta a year later.

The name of DGI was converted into PGI at the 10th General
Assembly in 1984 in Ambon. The change in name of the institution
was expected to increase the role of Christian Churches in a
unified body serving and helping the Christian community.