The Assyrian Evangelical Church is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

church in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

that attained a status of ecclesiastical independence from the Presbyterian mission in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in 1870.

Members

Its members are predominantly ethnic Assyrians, an Eastern Aramaic speaking

Semitic people Semitic people or Semites is a term for an ethnic, cultural or racial group Upper Mesopotamia Upper Mesopotamia constitutes the Upland and lowland, uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, in the northern Middle East. Since the early Muslim conquests of the mid-7th century, the regio ...

(what had been

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

between the 25th century BCE and 7th century CE), and descendants of the ancient Assyrians. (see

, Assyrian continuity and

Assyrian people Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group Indigenous peoples, indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians Assyrian continuity, share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesop ...

). Most Assyrian Evangelicals (as well as members of the Assyrian Pentecostal Church), before conversion to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, had initially been members of the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

; its later 18th century offshoot, the

Chaldean Catholic Church The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites, particular church (''sui iuris'') in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is ...

; or the

Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

. The vast majority of ethnic Assyrians remain adherents of these ancient Eastern Rite churches to this day.

Statement of faith

Here is a list of the core beliefs of the Assyrian Evangelical Church: *''The mission of Assyrian Evangelical Church is the same as what Jesus gave his followers: "''Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

." ( Matthew 28:18-20)'' *''The Assyrian Evangelical Church believes that Godhead eternally exists in three persons:

God the father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first Person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, Jesus Christ the Son, and the third person, God th ...

, God the son, and

God the Holy Spirit Most Christian denominations believe the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, to be the third Godhead in Christianity, divine Prosopon, Person of the Trinity, a Triple deity, triune god manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, ...

.'' *''Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of

virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, and received a human body; Though He retained His absolute deity, at the same time being truly God and truly man.'' *''Belief in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in every believer and enables them to live a holy life and do the work of the Lord through His guidance.'' *''The Bible is the inerrant and infallible word of God, written through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That it was inspired in the sense that holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the words of Scriptures.'' *''Man was created in the

image of God The "image of God" (; ; ) is a concept and theological doctrine in Judaism and Christianity. It is a foundational aspect of Judeo-Christian belief with regard to the fundamental understanding of human nature. It stems from the primary text in Gen ...

; that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature.'' *''Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind as a substitutionary sacrifice and that whoever believes in Him is justified on the ground of His shed blood.

Salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

is by grace through faith only and is the gift of God.'' *''The Church is meant to be the visible

body of Christ In Christian theology, the term Body of Christ () has two main but separate meanings: it may refer to Jesus Christ's words over the bread at the celebration of the Jewish feast of Passover that "This is my body" in (see Last Supper), or it ...

, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

of Jesus Christ.'' *''Belief in the imminent return of Jesus Christ to judge the living and the dead.'' *''Belief in the bodily

resurrection of the dead General resurrection or universal resurrection is the belief in a resurrection of the dead, or resurrection from the dead ( Koine: , ''anastasis onnekron''; literally: "standing up again of the dead") by which most or all people who have died ...

; and of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting punishment. Also, belief in the real existence of

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

.'' *''The body of the church is composed of all those who personally receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.''

Locations

There are several Assyrian Evangelical churches in the diaspora, e.g. in San Jose,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Turlock, and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. There are also a few in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and as well as in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, although Arabic services are more common in these countries.

Language

The liturgical language spoken by the members, church choir, and the pastors is Suret, a language descended from the

Mesopotamian Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary o ...

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

introduced into the Assyrian Empire during the 8th century BC. Prayers and scripture are read and recited from a Syriac Aramaic Bible.

Incidents

In 2010, Iranian Assyrian pastor Wilson Issavi was arrested in Kermanshah and detained for 54 days for allegedly attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity. Whilst in prison, Issavi was allegedly tortured as he had bruises and marks from beatings on his body.

Gallery

Presbyterian Assyrian publishing in Urmia 2.jpg, Local printers in their workshop, from the Presbyterian Assyrian community in Urmia, 1900 Amman evangelical church, 1998.jpg, Iraqi Assyrians in an evangelical alliance church,

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

, 1998. Amman evangelical church, 1999.jpg, Iraqi Assyrians, a few Jordanian Arab converts and Anglo-American missionaries at an Assyrian Evangelical hall, 1999. Assyrian youth, 1998.jpg, Assyrian children participating in a choir at an Evangelical church in Amman, 1998.

References

External links

Assyrian Evangelical Church of TehranAssyrian Evangelical Church of San Jose
{{Eastern Protestants Syriac Christianity 1870 establishments in Asia 1870s establishments in Iran Presbyterian denominations in Asia Presbyterian denominations established in the 19th century Presbyterianism in Iran Protestantism in Jordan