Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile)
Encyclopedia
The Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile), in Arabic
El-Kanisah El-Injiliyah (الكنيسة الإنجيلية), and sometimes referred to as the Coptic Evangelical Church of Egypt, is a Protestant
church that started as a mission of the United Presbyterian Church of North America
among Muslim
and Copt
ic Egyptians
in the late nineteenth century. The Evangelical Church of Egypt became autonomous in 1957 and officially independent in 1958. It has eight presbyteries, 250 congregations and about 750,000 members.
Emile Zaki, is a pastor and also the general secretary of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt, a.k.a. Synod of the Nile. The Synod of the Nile has about 250 congregations worldwide, including a few worshiping groups without their own building. The Synod of the Nile is the Egypt's oldest and largest Protestant denomination. It helps with running hospitals, clinics, social service and employment agencies, retreat centers, day schools, and its own seminary.
These Christians operate in a context far different from North America
. Between 94 and 95 percent of Egyptians are Muslim. Of the 4-5% who are Christian, over 90 percent are Coptic Orthodox. The single percent of non-Orthodox Christians includes Catholics (0.03 percent) and several Protestant groups (0.07 percent). However, a steady trickle of Orthodox Copts are joining the evangelicals because they are seen as (among other things) less laden with heavy ritual, more generous with welfare and more flexible over marriage and divorce.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
El-Kanisah El-Injiliyah (الكنيسة الإنجيلية), and sometimes referred to as the Coptic Evangelical Church of Egypt, is a Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
church that started as a mission of the United Presbyterian Church of North America
United Presbyterian Church of North America
The United Presbyterian Church of North America was an American Presbyterian denomination that existed for exactly one hundred years. It was formed on May 26, 1858 by the union of the Northern branch of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church with the Associate Presbyterian Church at a...
among Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic Egyptians
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
in the late nineteenth century. The Evangelical Church of Egypt became autonomous in 1957 and officially independent in 1958. It has eight presbyteries, 250 congregations and about 750,000 members.
Emile Zaki, is a pastor and also the general secretary of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt, a.k.a. Synod of the Nile. The Synod of the Nile has about 250 congregations worldwide, including a few worshiping groups without their own building. The Synod of the Nile is the Egypt's oldest and largest Protestant denomination. It helps with running hospitals, clinics, social service and employment agencies, retreat centers, day schools, and its own seminary.
These Christians operate in a context far different from North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Between 94 and 95 percent of Egyptians are Muslim. Of the 4-5% who are Christian, over 90 percent are Coptic Orthodox. The single percent of non-Orthodox Christians includes Catholics (0.03 percent) and several Protestant groups (0.07 percent). However, a steady trickle of Orthodox Copts are joining the evangelicals because they are seen as (among other things) less laden with heavy ritual, more generous with welfare and more flexible over marriage and divorce.