The Batak Christian Protestant Church (; Toba Batak: ᯂ᯲ᯥᯒᯪᯀ ᯂ᯲ᯒᯪᯘ᯲ᯗᯩᯉ᯲ Bᯀᯗᯂ᯲ Pᯒᯬᯗᯩᯘ᯲ᯗᯉ᯲), abbreviated as HKBP, is the Lutheran church among the Batak ethnic group, generally the Toba Batak people of Indonesia. This church uses an Ecumenical worship style influenced by the Dutch Reformed Church due to the influence of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia, as well as the Pietistic legacy left by the Rhenish Missionary Society when the church was founded. With a membership of more than 6,500,000 (as of 2024), the church synod is the largest among the Protestant churches in Indonesia. It is one of the largest Protestant churches in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, making it the third largest religious organization in Indonesia after Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. Its present leader is Ephorus (bishop) Victor Tinambunan.

HKBP also has several churches abroad, such as in Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and the United States.

HKBP is headquartered in Pearaja (North Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra) which is about 1 km from the city center of Tarutung, the capital of the regency. Pearaja is a village located along the road to Central Tapanuli Regency and Sibolga city. The HKBP headquarters complex is located in an area of about . In this complex there is also an Ephorus (bishop) as the head of the HKBP office. Although Toba Batak is the majority ethnic group, HKBP is also open to other ethnic groups.

History

The first Protestant missionaries who tried to reach the Batak highlands of inner Northern Sumatra were English and American Baptist preachers in the 1820s and 1830s, but without any success. After Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn and Herman Neubronner van der Tuuk did intensive research on Batak language and culture in the 1840s, a new attempt was made in 1861 by several missionaries sent out by the German Rhenish Missionary Society (RMG). The first Bataks were baptized during this year. In 1864, Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen of the RMG reached the Batak region and founded a village called "Huta Dame" (village of peace) in the district of North Tapanuli Regency in Tarutung, North Sumatra.

The RMG was associated with the uniting churches also called a merged denomination that includes a Lutheran element. However, Nommensen and local leaders developed an approach that applied local custom to Christian belief.

In 1868, a local seminary for the education of teachers was opened in Sipirok, and in 1877 a seminary for the education of preachers was built in Pansurnapitu. 1881, Nommensen was officially nominated "ephorus" of the Batak congregations by the RMG. In 1885, the first Batak ministers were ordained in Pearaja Tarutung, where the HKBP headquarters is still located.

In 1889, the RMG sent out Hester Needham who started the work with girls and women and later established the first Batak deaconess. In the last quarter of the 19th century, further missionaries of the RMG were sent out to the other Batak tribes (Angkola, Dairi, Simalungun, Karo, and Pakpak).

In 1917, the "Hatopan Christen Batak" (HCB) which later became one of the nuclei for the independent Batak church, was founded in Tapanuli as a social movement.

In 1922, the first General Synod ("Sinode Godang") for all Batak congregations was held. In 1931 the HKBP became the first independent self-governing Christian body in what was then the Dutch East Indies.

In 1940, all Germans working for the RMG, including pastors and ministers, were detained by the Dutch government. The Rev. Sirait was chosen by the synod as the first indigenous ephorus of HKBP.

In 1952, while maintaining its indigenous character, the HKBP became a member of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). In 1954, HKBP founded Nommensen University. In 1977, Sekolah Tinggi Theologia (STT or "Theological Seminary") HKBP split from Nommensen University.

Over the years, a number of church bodies have split from HKBP for various cultural and doctrinal reasons. However, HKBP remains the largest Indonesian LWF member by a factor of ten and also remains in communion with daughter church bodies through the LWF. Tarutung and the Batak lands region remain the stronghold for the HKBP in the predominantly Muslim nation of Indonesia, although worshippers are found throughout Indonesia and worldwide.

Well known HKBP congregants include Amir Sjarifuddin (the only Christian prime minister of Indonesia), Todung Sutan Gunung (TSG) Mulia (the second Indonesian education minister), and General Tahi Bonar (TB) Simatupang.

In January 2010 two churches were burnt down by extremist mobs in Sibuhuan.

Nommensen Pietism

The HKBP represents a unique ecclesiastical phenomenon often described as Nommensen Pietism. While frequently classified under the Lutheran umbrella due to its membership in the Lutheran World Federation, the HKBP is a distinct denomination whose identity is defined by a synthesis of Rhenish Pietism, the Uniert (Union) tradition, and Batak customary law (Adat).Aritonang, Jan S., Mission Schools in Batakland (Indonesia): 1861-1940, Brill, 1994, p. 2. This theological framework serves as a parallel to the Moravian Church, which similarly occupies a space between traditional Lutheranism and a specialized, heart-centric piety.

The roots of the HKBP lie in the Rhenish Missionary Society (RMG), founded in 1828 in Barmen, Germany. The RMG was a product of the German Pietist movement, specifically a branch that sought to move beyond the rigid doctrinal debates of 17th-century Lutheran Orthodoxy in favor of "living faith" and personal conversion.Spener, Philipp Jakob, Pia Desideria, 1675. (Primary source of the Pietist movement). Unlike the state churches of Germany, the RMG was a "Union" mission, meaning it combined elements of both Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinist) traditions.The Sharp Contrasts of Sumatra," Brill, 2018, p. 14.

Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen arrived in Sumatra in 1862 carrying this Rhenish heritage. His approach, which established the foundation of Nommensen Pietism, was characterized by: Volkskirche (People's Church): A strategy in which the church was not merely a religious institution but the primary social and legal stabilizer for the Batak people.Nommensen, L.I., Berichte an seine Freunde, 1882. Cultural Transformation: Rather than abolishing Adat, Nommensen "baptized" it, integrating Christian ethics into the existing tribal social structure."The Role of HKBP Church in Preserving Batak Cultural Identity," Jurnal Sosial Teknologi, 2021. Pietistic Discipline: An emphasis on communal singing, prayer meetings, and strict moral supervision, which continues to define the "vibe" of HKBP congregations today.

The HKBP is often mistakenly viewed as a mere branch of Lutheranism. However, several factors establish its status as a distinct denomination. While traditional Lutherans adhere strictly to the Book of Concord of 1580, the HKBP formulated its own Confessi HKBP in 1951. This document was created specifically to address the unique cultural and theological challenges of the Batak context, such as the relationship between the Gospel and ancestral traditions. Because of its RMG origins, the HKBP retains a hybrid liturgy and a view of the sacraments that incorporates Reformed influences, making it technically Evangelical Lutheran-leaning rather than Confessional Lutheran. Much like the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum), the HKBP maintains a sister relationship with Lutheranism but remains independent. For Moravians, it is the "Heart-Relationship with the Savior"; for the HKBP, it is the "Community of the Batak People under Christ.""Spirit of the Moravian Church," Wikipedia, citing Shawe (1977). Both groups are members of the LWF, but they do so as autonomous partners who contribute a unique pietistic spirit that standard Lutheranism often lacks.

Ecumenical relations HKBP is a member of and participant in: Organisation Member since Note & Ref. World Council of Churches 1948 Communion of Churches in Indonesia 1950 Founding member. Lutheran World Federation 1952 Christian Conference of Asia 1957 Founding member. 1996

Agenda The book of liturgical procedure used by the HKBP is referred to as the "Agenda" or formerly as the "Agende". This term comes from the European Protestant use of agenda.

Leaders Ephoruses No.NameFromUntilNotes1.The Rt Rev. Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen18811918First ephorus2.The Rev. Valentin Kessel19181920Temporary officeholder of Ephorus, due to the First World War preventing Johannes Warneck from arriving.3.The Rev. Johannes Warneck192019324.The Rev. P. Landgrebe193219365.The Rev. E. Verwiebe19361940Interned by the Dutch colonial government after the German invasion of the Netherlands.6.The Rev. K. Sirait19401942The first Batak that became Ephorus.7.The Rev. Justin Sihombing194219628. The Rev T. S. Sihombing19621974Elected in Special General Synod.9.The Rev. G. H. M. Siahaan1974198610.The Rev. S. A. E. Nababan19861998HKBP Crisis happened from 1992 to 1998 that resulted in dualism of HKBP's leadership until 1998.11.The Rev. S. M. Siahaan (as Bishop or Ephorus)1992199312.The Rev. P. W. T. Simanjuntak19931998Elected in Special General Synod.13.The Rev. J.R. Hutauruk19981998Elected as temporary officeholder of Bishop.19982004Elected in Reconciliation General Synod.14.The Rev. Bonar Napitupulu20042008The Rev. Bonar Napitupulu20082012Elected in the 59th HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.Hari Ini, Pucuk Pimpinan HKBP Periode 2008–2012 Dilantik di Pearaja, Harian Sinar Indonesia Baru, diakses 7 September 200815.The Rev. W. T. P. Simarmata20122016Elected in the 61st HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.Ini Dia Para Pemimpin HKBP (Ephorus, Sekjen, Kadep) dan Daftar Praeses HKBP yang Baru Periode 2012 – 2016, Pargodungan.org, diakses 14 Oktober 201316.The Rev. Darwin Lumbantobing20162020Elected in the 62nd HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.17.The Rev. Robinson Butarbutar 20202024Elected in the 65th HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.18.The Rev. Victor Tinambunan20242028Elected in the 67th HKBP General Synod in Sipolohon Seminarium.

General secretaries No.NameFromUntilNotes1.The Rev. Karimuda Sitompul19501957First Secretary General of HKBP2.The Rev. T. S. Sihombing 195719623.The Rev. G. H. M. Siahaan196219744.The Rev. F. H. Sianipar197419785.The Rev. P. M. Sihombing197819866.The Rev. O. P. T. Simorangkir198619927.The Rev. S. M. Siahaan199219988.The Rev. W. T. P. Simarmata199820089.The Rev. Ramlan Hutahaean2008201210.The Rev. Mory Sihombing2012201611.The Rev. David F. Sibuea 2016202012.The Rev. Victor Tinambunan2020202413.The Rev. Rikson Hutahaean20242028

Head of Koinonia Department No.NameFromUntilNotes1.The Rev. Bistok M. Siagian 200420082.The Rev. Jamilin Sirait 200820123.The Rev. Welman P. Tampubolon 201220164.The Rev. Martongo Sitinjak 201620205.The Rev. Deonal Sinaga 20202028

Head of Marturia Department No.NameFromUntilNotes1.The Rev. Manumpan H. Sihite 200420082.The Rev. Binsar Nainggolan 200820123.The Rev. Marolop P. Sinaga201220164.The Rev. Anna Ch. Vera Pangaribuan201620205.The Rev. Kardi Simanjuntak202020226.The Rev. Daniel T. A. Harahap202220247.The Rev. Bernard Manik20242028

Head of Diakonia Department No.NameFromUntilNotes1.The Rev. Nelson F. Siregar 200420122.The Rev. Bihelman D. F. Sidabutar 201220163.The Rev. Debora Purada Sinaga 201620244.The Rev. Eldarton Simbolon20242028

Gallery

See also Protestantism in Indonesia Buku Ende The Indonesian Christian Church (Huria Kristen Indonesia HKI)

Notes

References

External links

Sekolah Tinggi Theologia (Theological Seminary) HKBP