Indonesia Christian Church

The Indonesia Christian Church (in short: "GKI", originally: Gereja Kristen Indonesia) is a shape and continuation of Indonesia Christian Church in West Jawa, Central Java and East Java. These churches were originally an individual church respectively. As the outcomes of mission undertaken by local and foreign missionaries, in East Java on February 22, 1934 existed a church which later in its progress named as the Indonesia Christian Church East Java; in West Java on March 24, 1940 existed a church which later in its progress named as the Indonesia Christian Church West Java; and in Central Java on August 8, 1945 existed a church which later in its progress named as the Indonesia Christian Churches Central Java. The three churches since March 27, 1962 in the form of the General Synod ("Sinode Am") has initiated its common efforts focusing to one goal, to form a uniting of the Indonesia Christian Church.

GKI West Java and GKI East Java affiliated to the Dutch "Hervormd" mission, whereas GKI Central Java affiliated to the Dutch "Gereformeerd" mission. Comprises in GKI West Java a number of congregations which formed one presbytery, which is affiliated to local and foreign Chinese Evangelical mission. Differs the forms and processes of other church unity, all the congregation from the three previous GKIs, without exception, merged altogether in GKI’s uniting.

Organization
GKI's organization consists of congregation, presbytery, regional synod and Synod. Each organization respectively leads by congregation council (session), presbytery council, regional synod council and synod council. As the Synod consists of regional synods, regional synod consists of presbyteries, presbytery consists of congregations, so synod council consists of all regional synod councils, regional synod council consists of all prebytery councils and presbytery council consists of all congregational councils. In short synod council consists of all GKI councils which are composed of elders and ministers.

Church government in congregation runs by executive congregation council, in presbytery runs by executive presbytery council, in regional synod runs by executive regional synod council and in synod runs by executive synod council. This kind of organization acknowledged as presbyterial-Synodal system. What was unique as GKI Presbyterial-Synodal, each form of GKI church organization has its own council as servant-leadership, not merely as an executive board.

Assembly
The most authoritative forum to make decision in each form of church organization is assembly. The assembly is respective assembly of council in its own scope. The only fact of hierarchi in GKI is the broader scope has more authoritative. The assembly of congregational council has to submit to assembly of presbytery council, assembly of presbytery council has to submit to assembly of regional synod council and assembly of regional synod council has to submit to assembly of synod council.

Regional Synods
There are three regional synod in GKI: Regional Synod in East Java, Regional Synod in West Java and Regional Synod in Central Java.

Presbyteries
in East Java
1. Presbytery of Banyuwangi
2. Presbytery of Bojonegoro
3. Presbytery of Madiun

in West Java
4. Presbytery of Jakarta Barat
5. Presbytery of Jakarta Timur
6. Presbytery of Jakarta Utara
7. Presbytery of Jakarta Selatan
8. Presbytery of Bandung
9. Presbytery of Priangan
10. Presbytery of Cirebon

in Central Java
11. Presbytery of Jakarta I
12. Presbytery of Jakarta II
13. Presbytery of Semarang Barat
14. Presbytery of Semarang Timur
15. Presbytery of Magelang
16. Presbytery of Jogja
17. Presbytery of Solo
18. Presbytery of Purwokerto

Church Functions
Church functions in GKI are minister and elder. GKI deliberately choosing less number of church functions. Since Elder ( Greek: "presbuteros") is a function which GKI believed as being permanent function since the OT to the NT. Whereas minister (Greek: "episkopos") is an inheritance function from NT church. However there are a few congregation keeping on the deacon function in their fidelity to old Calvinism.

Liturgy
GKI Liturgy is adapting and referring to Lima Document and BEM Document of WCC. The Word of God ministered by adapting Lectionary (RCL). GKI holds two sacraments, baptism and communion.

Decision Making
Decision making in each meeting and assembly is undertaken with conciliation method which is parallel to consensus method.

Ecumenical Commitment
GKI committed to ecumenism by way of become active member of World Council of Churches, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, Reformed Ecumenical Council, and co-founder of Christian Conference of Asia and Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI).

The uniting of GKI has been positioning GKI as the only church unity in the Indonesian ecumenical family, and one of the eight churches in the Asian and one of the eighteen churches in the global ecumenical family which formed united and uniting churches.GKI is undertaking partnership with the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the Uniting Church in Australia.

Theology
GKI is valuing its theological heritage which originally come from Pietism, Calvinism (both "Hervormd" and "Gereformeerd") and Methodism, but prominently typified as mainline protestant. GKI is doing theology contextually as a church living in the midst of Muslim community. GKI was deliberately discontinue its ethnic bond (Chinese descendant) as ethnic church to be multi-ethnic national church in 1958.