Faith Church, Hungary
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Faith Church (Hit Gyülekezete) is an Evangelical charismatic Pentecostal Christian denomination and a megachurch in Hungary. The headquarters of Budapest has over 150,000 members.
History
Faith Church was founded in 1979 by a group of seven Hungarian believers, led by Pastor Sandor Nemeth, who leads the church until today.[1] The independent Pentecostal-Charismatic church could conduct its worship services only illegally during the years of the Communist regime. Its activities and leaders were monitored by the Communist secret service. By 1989, membership reached 2,000 people. In 1989, the Hungarian State declared Faith Church a recognized denomination based on the 1895 XLIII Act.
In 2008, Faith Church in Budapest had 30,000 faithful in its 5,000-seat building.[2]
In 2016, the Church has 70,000 believers regularly attend worship services across Hungary.[3][4] The weekly Sunday service of the Church is regularly broadcast on live television.
There are about three hundred local church branches of Faith Church functioning all around the country and beyond the borders of Hungary. All neighboring countries, Germany and the U.S. have local Faith Churches as well. The majority of local churches hold worship services on privately owned property. Local churches in Pécs, Debrecen, Nyíregyháza and Salgótarján are also housed in buildings that can accommodate more than a thousand people.
Based on the 1% tax designation to churches, Faith Church is the fourth[5] most supported church in Hungary. However, according to the last census in Hungary [6] Faith Church was not among the four biggest churches. It kept its official church status after the Orbán government's 2011 reduction[7] of the number of churches.
Social programs and publications
The Faith and Morals Cultural Foundation performs social services, provides aid to families, cares for the elderly and also pursues teaching, training, information distribution and cultural services.
Faith Church maintains elementary schools in Budapest, Pécs, Nyíregyháza and Salgótarján and a kindergarten in Kecskemét. The state-accredited theological college, Saint Paul’s Academy, functions in Budapest.
The Church has published a weekly news magazine, Hetek, since 1997.[8]
Beliefs
The denomination has a charismatic confession of faith.[9][10]
On the 16th of November, 2019, the head of the church, Sándor Németh, on a service described yoga as "a physical exercise of demon worship."[11]
See also
- List of the largest evangelical churches
- List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums
- Worship service (evangelicalism)
References
- ^ World venture, IS HUNGARY ON THE BRINK OF CHRISTIAN REVIVAL?, USA, August 18, 2015
- ^ Sébastien Fath, Dieu XXL, la révolution des mégachurches, Édition Autrement, France, 2008, p. 138
- ^ CNAAN LIPHSHIZ, times of israel, Jews and evangelicals remind Hungary’s politicians to never forget, Israel, March 12, 2016
- ^ Vinson Synan, J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Amos Yong, Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements: Past, Present and Future, Charisma Media, USA, 2016, p. 80
- ^ "1%-os felajánlások: Változatlan a sorrend". ATV.
- ^ http://www.nepszamlalas2001.hu/hun/kotetek/05/diagram.html
- ^ Megvan a törvény: egyelőre 14 egyház a listán, Midennapi, 2011 Jul 12.
- ^ Folk, Holly (February 2017). "Field Note. Hit Gyülekezete. A Sectarian State Megachurch in Hungary". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 20 (3): 103. JSTOR 26418680.
- ^ Faith Church, HITVALLÁS, Hitgyulekezete, Hongrie, retrieved February 18, 2020
- ^ Tomas Dixon, Charismatics Under Fire, Charisma mag, USA, September 30, 2000
- ^ "A Hit Gyülekezetének vezetője szerint démonokat hív elő, aki jógázik". 24. 20 November 2019.
