Protestantism was brought in to Ethiopia through the mission societies, which, though present in Ethiopia for much of the 19th century, did not make intrusion into Ethiopian society. Three main missions fashioned the modern Protestant churches in Ethiopia are:
• the Lutherans
• the Sudan Interior Mission and
• the Mennonite Mission
The Lutheran missions
The Lutheran missions were the initial presence in Ethiopia and grew into the Mekane Yesus (meaning the Place of Jesus) Church, formed in 1959.
Mekane Yesus looks to have more dominance in the south and west of Ethiopia, which are were opened to missionaries as there was little Orthodox Christian influence.
The Sudan Interior Mission
The Sudan Interior Mission started its work in the South of Ethiopia in the 1920s. It advanced slowly, baptizing four converts in 1932 and possibly a hundred by the time they were driven out of Ethiopia by the invading Italians in 1938.
When the Sudan Interior Mission came back five years later, they discovered a flourishing church of a hundred congregations and 20,000 members. That number grew to:
• 100,000 by 1960 and
• 500,000 by 1974.
The Kale Heywat (Word of Life) church, which grew out of the Sudan Interior Mission churches, has kept on flourishing converted many to the fath of Jesus.
The Mennonite mission
The Mennonite mission came to Ethiopia after World War II as a relief agency; however, got permission to evangelize soon after. The two distinct churches grew out of the influence of the Mennonite mission are:
• The Meserete Kristos church (remained an important part of the wordwide Mennonite fellowship)
• Mulu Wengel Church (insisted on maintaining its independence from western ties)
Many members of the Mulu Wengel church joined Meserete Kristos when Mulu Wengel was outlawed by the government in 1972.
Meserete Kristos followed Mulu Wengel’s lead in using the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the Meserete Kristos church has become far more charismatic and Pentecostal than most of its sister Mennonite churches.
Orthodox Christians refer all Protestants as “Pentes” (meaning Pentecostals), which is a testimony to the influence of the Pentecostal movement on Ethiopian protestantism, despite the official disapproval of the Kale Heywat Church and the Mekane Yesus church. Both Meserete Kristos and Mulu Wengel churches practice:
• faith healing
• exorcism of demons, and
• speaking in tongues
In 1982 Meserete Kristos, with 5,000 members, outlawed by the Marxist government came to power in 1974, suffered severe persecution for nine years.
When religious freedom was restored in 1991, Meserete Kristos found out that its believers grew tenfold and numbered 50,000 during the time of persecution.
Note: The nine years suffering of the Christians during the Derg Regime (Marxist government who came to power in 1991) is believed to be known so little and the documents written about the tragic days are rare. So we encourage you to have your say here in this blog if you have had any experience during this time. Share your experience and help your brothers and sisters grew in faith.
May God bless you!
Keywords: Lutherans, Mennonite Mission, Mekane Yesus, Orthodox Christian, Kale Heywat, Meserete Kristos, Mulu Wengel Church,
50 responses so far ↓
1 tesfaye // Jan 6, 2008 at 11:00 pm
thanks for this info. i learned a lot for protestant history in ethiopia though i am a member. i am glad there is more freedom today. Glory to God that passed our country thru the hardship of the 80s. God bless our brave pastors and leaders.
2 mistru // Jan 13, 2008 at 10:46 am
I personaly praise God with the presnt time that our northern people get the chance what protestant is look like through the mas media becuse of the yearnew millineum.
3 Anonymous // Jan 24, 2008 at 7:39 am
Hi Mistiru
I agree with your coment that God is giving us a chance to tell the Good new to the nation and the millineum is one of the great opportunity we have had. People started to talk about the worship program on the occassion and this will help understand what these churches are trying to do.
Do you have any experiance on this?
God bless
Saba
4 Anonymous // Jan 24, 2008 at 7:48 am
Brother Tesfaye
We would like to thank you for your comment in our site.
As you said God helped this nation a lot to spread the Gospel all arround and had given his saint the grace to shoulder that fearful burden for decades.
We are planning to publish all the stories of the time in this site and we need people to send us stories of their own or others. So if you have one, feel free to send us and we will publish it to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ.
God bless you all
5 Kid // Apr 30, 2008 at 5:33 am
A lot of good facts. Thank you. I’d like to highlight a minor correction. Mulu Wongel did not come out of the influence of Mennonite mission. In fact the latter did disavow the practices of the former at the beginning and continued to do so until early 70’s. This happened when some of the persecuted members of the MWC joined Meserete Kristos and later joined the leadership. Mulu Wongel is strictly indigenous church established without any outside support. That was the reason MWC was refused permit by the government unlike all others who were supported or established by outside NGO’s and churches. Whatever and whoever, All glory to God. I just thought, as long as we are talking about church history, we should avoid mistakes.
6 solomon abate // Oct 8, 2008 at 6:59 am
god bless you
7 Halgeyo Jillo // Nov 8, 2008 at 10:00 am
This is a good opportunity to understand the history of protestantism.
8 Halgeyo Jillo // Nov 8, 2008 at 10:00 am
This is a good opportunity to understand the history of protestantism. God Bless You
9 alex // Nov 19, 2008 at 11:55 am
I think this is a good opportunity to understand the history of protestantism in ethiopia but it is not that much interesed like ethiopian orthodox church. May God Bless You.
10 kitessa Delessa // Dec 3, 2008 at 5:31 pm
my God bless all churches having the mission to preach that JESUS IS THE WAY TO HEAVEN!!!!!!
11 kitessa Delessa // Dec 3, 2008 at 5:33 pm
AND THERE IS ONE TRUTH THAT NO ONE CAN SEE FATHER WITHOUT SEEING JESUS.AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 fekadu ketema // Dec 30, 2008 at 10:56 am
I have realy appreciated your effort to give clear lesson about the history of mulu wongel church in Ethiopia . plase continue this effort and develop your web site as agood source to know the truth about OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
13 ALEMAYEHU BUKA // Jan 13, 2009 at 10:03 am
GOD BLESS ETHIOPIA CHURCH
14 WORKU EDJIGU // Mar 24, 2009 at 2:16 pm
For your effort to make this history known by the christian communty let God bless you.
You do have aminor mistake on the time when, where and how missionary activity was started in Ethiopia .From history we know that protestantismwas started in the sixteenth century when decons in the Orthodox church starte questioning the role of st.Marry in the christian salvation and other matters inthe fifteenth century.
15 Daniel Awulachew // Apr 16, 2009 at 2:08 am
These posts are good and geniune but there is information lacking with regard to the sever persecution that the Lutherans in Ethiopia faced during the communist regime. These are truthes to be included. Simlarly, the fact that the Lutherans hurbor the other protestants in some places during the persecution should not be forgotten. The issue of Charismatic movement has to be including sticking to the factual history that Charismatic movement in Ethiopia, first came among the Lutherans and not the Pentecostals as some erronesly connect the beginning of Charismatic movement to the Mulu Wongel.
I also make it calear that these are not going to divide us…let us work on Ecumenism.
16 Tesfu // Apr 28, 2009 at 4:25 pm
With in my life i haven’t ever seen a religion like Orthodox, but it is the narrowest rod to heaven, b/c u must pray within 3hours difference in day, u must fast over 200 days out of 365 days, u must kneel for your God except Sunday, ….and also Jesus Christ said that” to get me you must travel through the narrow rod” can we say the Orthodox Christianity enable us this way??
17 Tesfu // Apr 28, 2009 at 4:28 pm
if you have comment you can email me or call me with the following address
Email:- tesfayeteferi@gmail.com
Tell:- +2510913349444
Let God bless our holy country Ethiopia.Amen
18 Esu // Jun 29, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Please be incourage to go ahead.
God bless you
19 Beimnet // Aug 5, 2009 at 9:26 am
Replay to Tesfu
With in my life i haven’t ever seen a religion like Orthodox, but it is the narrowest rod to heaven, b/c u must pray within 3hours difference in day, u must fast over 200 days out of 365 days, u must kneel for your God except Sunday, ….and also Jesus Christ said that” to get me you must travel through the narrow rod” can we say the Orthodox Christianity enable us this way??
Replay: Tesfu! If you want to know the fact about Jesus Christ, reading is the best solution. Don’t hate other people and followers.
Read your Bible several times. Don’t judge.
To save your sole know more.
20 biodun , frm : nigeria // Aug 14, 2009 at 12:47 pm
having read what xtians went through in ethiopia for the sake of christ, i was really touched . i salute their courage and may God strengthen them.
i want to use this opportunity to tell u that we want to have the names and full stories of two persons who DIED but touched lives of people at that time .
we need this in a national publication. may God bless your efforts .
21 RUTH // Sep 15, 2009 at 7:42 am
GOD WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO WITH OTHER PEOPLE .? GOD WANTS US TO CARE FOR THE WORLD IN A GOOD WAY ,HE WANTS US TO BE A GOOD CARETAKERS…..JESUS CHOOSE HIS PEOPLE ..THATS YOU ,ME ………WILL GOD HELP ETHIOPIAN PEOPLE …..FROM HOPELESS SITUATION ..PEOPLE OF GOD DONT GIVE UP…….GOD BLESS MY COUNTRY. NEW HOPE NOW…… FOR ETHIOPIAN CHURCH AND NEW GENARATION .JESUS MAKES IT CLEAR THAT GOD WANTS TO BLESS US .GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOUR LIFE & MAKIT FULL & COMPLET .HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU A LIFE WHICH WILL LAST FOREVER,.
22 nini // Oct 8, 2009 at 11:34 am
Please come to “enat betekerstian” always she have peace. your religion/protestantisme,….. sorry ……. i can’t say anything but please read the bible……..
“Ethiopian Peaple” why you go to “around Huket” Please, Please come to Ethiopian ortodox church, the only church in Ethiopia that have anything. All another that say themselv church is NGO/Hodam paster/ new. Yenante good bZEBENE/Yetekulaw lemd sigefef/ we saw it asafari new. After this why you shutdown your mouth and your bet/church.
23 binyam // Oct 15, 2009 at 4:28 pm
this is some good thing but not good as baptist,Methodist &Presbyterian, Not Bad for ethio
24 safi // Oct 23, 2009 at 5:22 pm
watch out guys the one and only way to get into heaven is to belive in Jesus b/c Jesus is the reason why u are and who u r not only that but he sacrify his blood to u just b/c he really loves u and wanna make u his son u see God’s love now we r giving our self for this God so pls ” lets open our eyes” try to focus on Jesus praise God’s name am telling u this in Jesus name amen!
25 tesu // Nov 13, 2009 at 7:36 am
nini let God bless you and the holy land Ethiopia. Amen
26 yosef // Dec 9, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Helo! i’m also interested a little bit do you know why b/c it doesn’t cover the most and key history but as an introduction it is very good. now i would like to tell something for NINI as i know God only creates man and women but not religion their is no enat or abat religion the first criteria and God needs is only to know and follow Jesus.next to this all thing is made and correct only by Jesus the only way.therefore demons are only out from peoples only in the name of Jesus (mark 16:16) and yetekulaw lemde segefefe may be the demons out from that person and if he doesn’t accept Jesus with his full hert they may be enter again as bible said ok bye for further explantation you can contact me by my facebook address yosef ashenafi.bye
27 Your sister // Jan 8, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Love You My familes (with christ JESUS a brunch of the real Treee). Jesus is alwayes write & He know what He do today, Tomorrow and forever My (OURs) JESUS IS WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MAIZZZZZZZZZING I AM IN LOVE WITH Jesus. HE(JESUS) is sososososossososso LOOVVVEEEE “134 LORD” YOU are my all. With out YOU i have no life & i will be die.
“my LORD JESUS U KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU ” Touch my Ethiopian peoples in your love pleas, see My country in your mercy lord JESUS.
Thank you lord
You took my sin & my shame
You took my siknes & hill all my pain
Thank you lord
with a great full hear
with a song prais
with ansturched arme
i bless your name
THANK YOU LORD
I JUST wan THANK YOU LORD.
Dan Moen Song
28 ermiyas // Jan 19, 2010 at 4:31 pm
1st of all i would like 2 say, begetachin beamlakachin iyesus kiristos selam indemin alachihu” i have read all the history of prot. in ethi and all the comments, i have some info’s to add 4 u guys, nowadays everybody is trying to observe and eager 2 know about its’ religion……, since a religion is a soul thing …we have 2 be very careful in choosing the ”one”….,we have 2 see each thing by not by being emotional rather by praying and eliminate the biased mentality…. guys inastewil, the word protestantism even means to protest, ( 2 b against with a particular thing), amlakachin iyesus kristos has created the one ( tewahido orthodox), so r u trying 2 b on the otherside n protest, i know u will say we protest the doctrine of catholic church which is a religion lead by ( kelkedon. see the establishment of catholicism)…..if u r interested to have a deep conversation e-mail me ermagodolias@gmail.com
sibhat legziabher, le kidist dingil maryam!!
with love, may God show u the way. ermiyas
29 aman // Jan 20, 2010 at 5:32 pm
jesus is lord.
30 ermiyas // Jan 21, 2010 at 9:40 am
hey hey big mistake up there, God created the religion….read epheson 4-5 ( 1 GOd, 1 religion, 1 epiphany)…., so if we conclude that religion is given BY GOD, which religion do we have to choose…well, the word of God says this TINBITE ERMIYAS 6-16 ” BEMENGED LAY KUMU YEKEDEMECHIWIN MENGED TEMELKETU….LENEFISACHUHIM IREFIT TAGEGNALACHU”……….., protestantisim is a religion created @ Renaissance period. by marthin luther 1573 who was a priest of catholics. orhodox tewhaido….ortho in greek it means real ( ketitegna) and dox means
( religion)……pls pls try 2 find the truth…..
.( besime bizu yimetalu bilualina geta)…
i think what nani is trying 2 say there up in there is directed to those of u who were orthodox @ 1 time……..may GOD show u the way.
sibhat legziabher lweladitu dingil wele mekelu kiber amen!!,
31 daniel mehari // Jan 21, 2010 at 3:22 pm
thank u ermiyas may God bless u. they must even wonder why our country ETHIOPIA mentioned in the holy bible several times……, ” u don’t know what u have till its gone”…may God show u the way.
32 Florence Annan // Jan 21, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Can any one help me. I am the neice of Reginald John Annan a Missionary in Ethiopia in the 1920s and as far as I know till he died in Kenya 1960. I am trying to make contact with any family.
Thank you
33 henitesh // Jan 23, 2010 at 4:02 pm
am very fascinated by the history of protestant.i know nothing bout it before readin this article but now am very glad coz i believe i got something from it.
God bless Ethiopia forever!
34 henitesh // Jan 23, 2010 at 4:28 pm
hey ermias u know there is something u just missed it u only interpreate bible merely without Gods SPIRIT but this can’t be, it is a great mistake.ermias i think to my point of veiw u just only beleive in religion but this is not the truth as bible said [bene yetamene yezelalem hiywot yinorewal].the only religion is jesus it self n faith in him entails u an eternal life.
may god be with u.
35 henitesh // Jan 23, 2010 at 4:45 pm
hey ermias u know there is something u just missed it u only interpret bible merely without Gods SPIRIT but this can’t be, it is a great mistake.ermias i think to my point of veiw u just only believe in religion but this is not the truth as bible said [bene yetamene yezelalem hiywot yinorewal].the only religion is jesus it self n faith in him entails u an eternal life.
may god be with u.
36 asnake // Jan 28, 2010 at 7:54 pm
press the lord what he did in Ethiopia b/c he give all freedom to my generation to worship him.this all freedom came from the sacrfication of our olde’s parent and God.
God bless our homeland
37 ermiyas // Feb 1, 2010 at 2:49 pm
dear henitesh, 1st of all i would like to say how do u do, ( begetachin beamlakachin selam), i certainly like what u said above there, it is indeed true that bibile is going 2 be read by praying n by letting the holyspirit 2 guide us. that is why orthodox tewahido tells us not to interprete the holy bibile on ur own..at the matter of fact protestantism lutheran says that everyone has the right to read bibile n understand on his own. please ask ur “pastors” about this….for example in ( orit ze fiterret) it says that the former name of abrham was abram which means father of a particular group of people but later God changed his name into abrHam, which means father of many ( yebizuhan abat) ,,,have u realized that how that (H), changed the whole story? so if H makes a significant change how about the verses n chapters of bible,,,,,,,…. imagine we don’t know anything, we might even hire a tutor for maths or science subjects,,,,,,we must listen 2 what our elders say..about the great God..see
( mesatafe eyob miraf 5)……geta created the religion in which help us 2 find him…for example we join university inorder to graduate n get a degree ( pls notice that an example always represent the actual truth). a relligion is like that we join, discover, led by GOd to that religion. as the student doesnot get the degree if he is not join campus…,( like campus a relgion has it’s own rules and regulations) …..it is called Doctrine n kanon…see. or google the five oriental churches.) pls contact me on my above adress….., be imbetachin kidist dingil maryam be getachin iyesus inat hulachihunim inwedachewalen. may \god bless u.
38 ermiyas // Feb 1, 2010 at 2:53 pm
what i was trying to say on above could be edited us (an example couldn’t represent the actual truth…( misale kemeimeselilet neger yansal)…lemeskelu kibir yihun.
39 Tesfaye // Feb 14, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Ermias, please try to seek the way,the truth and the life.More and more I invite you to read the BIBLE and try to understand it by offering the HOLLY SPRIT to guide you .I believe the GOD will help you.
you can contact me by gtordk@gmail.com
40 ermiyas // Feb 20, 2010 at 6:50 am
dear tesfaye, lsten 2 ur words….., i believe u are “spirtually old enough” to whom the holy spirit will bound……, how ‘am i going 2 accept the spirit of God by doing the flesh thing day 2 day,,,,,the holy spirit will guide me, help me ….if only if i open my spirtual eyes ope n, if i fast….
( infact this time is a fasting for all chiristians) then pray….., i have to confess all my sins as well inorder the holy spirit come near me)
ain;t u able to see….look at history…..,protestantisim is discovered by 1573, by martin luther,,,,pls google fellas)
but the word of GOD tells us in jermiah 6:16…to seek the first path..to ask our elders….look, logically….if u subtract 2002-1573 we will get 420….so ur religion lutherans believe that only those ppl living after a 1573 will be salivated….my beloved bros n sis’s, look @ epheson 4:5 one religion 1 epiphany 1 GOd, so r u telling us people who live till 1500 r going to hell, coz of they weren’t follow this fake religion?
answer me this………………….
may God show u the way, recall zat it’s a soul thing, with love, imbete maryam yeamlak inat misigana yidresat!!!!!!!!!Amen!
41 henitesh // Feb 22, 2010 at 7:41 am
ermias i think ur completely wrong n always looking in one direction. this mistake is not only urs it is also many of orthodox followers u just quoted from bible that ’seek the first path’ but the first path is not christianity[orthodox] actually rather it jesus. there r religions before christianity florishes in the world like budihism, judaism…so i beg u to turn ur eyes on n see things from many directions.
42 henitesh // Feb 22, 2010 at 7:56 am
ermi let me ask u something is it orthosox or protestants who certainly beleive in holy spirit am sure that many orthodox peoples don’t beleive on the power of holy spirit.lutherians don say as u mentioned all protestants beleive in jesus n they read bible by leting the holy spirit to giud them just i invite u to church one day if u r positive thinker u don have any hatred towards protestants inorder to know detail things bout them. n finally i advise u to go to many other churches who believe in jesus christ as their savier not only to protestants coze u can get one truth there. god be with u forever.
43 ermiyas // Feb 23, 2010 at 8:01 am
hi henitesh, it is been a while ain’t it?,,,,,,,,,how do u do?
i really would like 2 meet u…share ideas face 2 face, paige me 0911754238,,,,but 4 the record, ain’t u know the first religion is chiristianity…., ok, try 2 see it from this angle…., after fulifilling the need of human, GOd created man, by the way, when we say GOD (the father, jesus, holyspirit), it is found at the first page of the holy bibile…so he told adam, to fast from that tree..,……………after adam made the sin….., GOd told him, he will salivate him after 5 and half days, by being born from his son and grandson, it is a promise….., the point is, if u believe in the holy bibile ain’t no religion was there before….considering the fact that GOd gave the ten commandments in tabote tsion,,,,see a religion is nothing but rules and regulations in which humanbeings r guided by it…, notice that i only said zat the first written rule, before that humanbeings r guided by ( hige -libona),,, that is our conscious….,hentish…what is budhesim…why aren’t u followin’ budhesim then?…it is a philosophy..( like taot)… i never heard a religion judiesm….the point is…there could b religions,,,,but GOd has created 1.
in fact ethiopia is the only country who followed hige orit n chiristianity,,,,hawariat sira miraf 8), …and for u advise.pls consider that besime bizu yimetalu…so r u telling me that 2 go 2 every “church”, whom have different doctrines…but have a common savior?….
may GOd forgive all of us,,,,,pls pray harder..like i said it is a soul thing.. bizu nebyat wait,…jesus’s birth since adam….see the combination..
44 ermiyas // Feb 23, 2010 at 8:08 am
by the way chirstianisim is derived after christ,,
ine higin lisher almetahum…..yalewins…?\
ermagodolias@gmail.com
45 mamushet // Mar 3, 2010 at 11:28 pm
God bless ethiopian orthodox church
46 john Mulat // Mar 6, 2010 at 6:49 am
i dont think that jesus is alive.if you say so i am too sorry.
47 henitesh // Mar 6, 2010 at 11:28 am
ermi u don understand what am trying to say just as i said u r looking things only and only in one side. i don believe in religion i only believe in one God(ab, wold, menfeskidus and amlak).nfor my invitation am not sayin that accept their doctrine n keep faith in their religion, i said it coze many orthodox followers insult other religions ex- by sayin protestants “menafiq”. but bible doesn’t support this. isn’t it?we don know which religion leads us to the heaven. so keep ur faith only in jesus who crusified him self for our sins. n one question why did tewahido followers worship angels like michael, gebriel…..etc.ok lets say imebetachin mariam is mother of jesus so give respect for her but i don know the reason why those angels are being worshiped monthely n yearly.
48 henitesh // Mar 6, 2010 at 11:37 am
n ermi u said u don know hinduism n judaism , they r religions before christianity emergs and as u said god created religions n he said choose the first religion so why don u choose hinduism n judaism? but for me i don want to choose those religions coze my religion is only God.
49 henitesh // Mar 6, 2010 at 11:54 am
history of religion
hinduism emerged around 3000b.c
judaism emerged around 2000b.c
buddism emerged around 480b.c
christianity around 32 a.d
islam around 570a.d
offcourse there are many religions before these religions but the most common religions are these and infact they have many followers in the world currently so for those who rely on religion as way of salvation this may be a brief visualization.n no one can salvate coze he is follower of specific religion n the only path to truth is god.
50 wondwossen // Mar 10, 2010 at 2:35 pm
May God bless u 4 interesting work!!!!!!!!!!
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