Assemblies Jehovah Shammah
Assemblies Jehovah Shammah | |
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Classification | Congregationalist |
Region | India, Pakistan; some congregations elsewhere |
Origin | 1842 |
Congregations | 910 (in India)[1] |
Members | 310,000 (In India, including children)[1] |
Part of a series on |
Christianity in India |
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The Assemblies Jehovah Shammah are an
Theology and Ecclesiology
Theologically, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah are a conservative Evangelical movement placing a great emphasis on the preaching and expounding of scripture. They are a lay movement with no ordained clergy, and each congregation is led by elders who take responsibility for the spiritual needs of those in fellowship. Assemblies Jehovah Shammah do not have a formal membership, but regard any Christian who has been
Although the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah developed independently of the Indian Brethren movement, the many similarities between the two movements mean that the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah is often considered part of the Brethren movement worldwide. It is categorized as such by the World Christian Encyclopedia.[citation needed] Indian Brethren theologian and historian Thottukadavil Eapen Koshy also regards them as such,[5] as did the late Scottish Brethren missionary, Daniel Smith. [citation needed] In Pakistan, unlike India, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah operate under the "Brethren" label and there is no line of demarcation between them and the older, missionary-founded, Brethren movement.[6]
Those who regard the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah as "Brethren" generally categorize them as Open Brethren, in view of their willingness to work and worship together with Christians of other denominations. Their highly centralized leadership, however, is not typical of Open Brethren, for whom complete congregational autonomy is paramount, and may be more similar to the "connectional" model known among the Exclusive Brethren. Although Bakht Singh taught congregational autonomy,[3] in practice he maintained tight centralized control over the movement until his death in 2000.[7]
If counted as part of the wider Open Brethren movement, the Assemblies Jehovah Shammah comprise some forty percent of all Brethren in India, and fifteen to twenty percent of all Brethren worldwide.
The Charismatic Movement
Although
Assemblies Jehovah Shammah Worldwide
The Assemblies Jehovah Shammah form a significant part of the Brethren movement in
See also
References
- ^ a b c Mandryk, Jason (2010), Operation World, Biblica Publishing, p. 408
- ^ "Assemblies (Jehovah Shammah)". Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ^ a b c d "Bakht Singh : Church Planting Philosophy". 8 December 2007. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ISBN 9788172145255. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ISBN 9788173625305. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ^ "Bakht Singh : Ministry in Pakistan". 11 March 2013. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ^ "India's Billy Graham". 6 April 2009. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ISBN 9780802827340. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ^ a b "Messages by the Late Brother Bakht Singh, India". Facebook. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ISBN 9780801022302. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ^ "Suggested Churches". Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2015-05-22.