Reformed Christian Church in Serbia
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationCalvinist
PolityEpiscopal
LeaderBishop Béla Halász[1]
AssociationsHungarian Reformed Communion
World Communion of Reformed Churches
RegionSerbia
Origin1919
Branched fromReformed Church in Hungary
Congregations50
Members17,000

Before World War I, the Reformed Christian Church in Serbia (Szerbiai Református Keresztén Egyház in Hungarian) was part of the Reformed Church in Hungary. In the period of the Reformation, Rev Sztáray planted 120 Calvinist congregations in the region. In the period of the Ottoman Empire, regions of Hungary were part of the empire and some villages were destroyed. After the Turks were defeated, Hungarian Calvinists emerged from Debrecen and Szentes. In 1898, a whole Catholic village converted to the Calvinist faith because the Catholic church refused to celebrate the mass in the Hungarian language. After World War I, this part of Hungary was connected to Serbia. In 1933, the Reformed Church in Yugoslavia was founded. At that time, among Hungarians, there were German Calvinist congregations; the Germans arrived in this region in the 18th century. After World War II, the Germans were forced to leave the country. There are Czech-speaking and a remnant of German speaking congregations, which had suffered during the Communist regime. A number of congregations separated when Croatia become independent to form the Reformed Christian Church in Croatia.[2]

The church affirms the Apostles Creed, Athanasian Creed, Nicene Creed, Heidelberg Catechism, Second Helvetic Confession, just like the official confessions of the Hungarian Reformed Church. The Reformed Hungarian speaking minority lives in predominantly in the northern part, especially in Vojvodina.[3]

The Reformed Christian Church in Serbia had 17,000 members in almost 50 congregations composed in two presbyteries, served by 19 pastors in 2006.[4] The headquarters of the church is Feketić (Bácsfeketehegy in Hungarian). The bishop is István Csete szemesi.[5]

Member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Szerbiai Református Keresztyén Egyház". Szrke.com. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  2. ↑ "Szerbiai Református Keresztyén Egyház". Szrke.com. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  3. ↑ "Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions". Reformiert-online.net. 2006-02-16. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  4. ↑ "Reformed Christian Church in Serbia & Montenegro — World Council of Churches". Oikoumene.org. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  5. ↑ "A Magyar Református Egység honlapja - Szerbiai Református Keresztyén Egyház". Majus22.org. 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  6. ↑ "Member Churches :: World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC)". Wcrc.ch. Archived from the original on 2014-04-12. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
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