Harrist Church
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Surface: | |
| Confession: | African Prophetic Church |
| Leading clergy: | Félix Tchotch Mel, Jean Baptiste Dago |
| Membership: | World Council of Churches |
| Church districts : | |
| Parishes : | 702 |
| Parishioners: | 1,000,000 |
| Share of the total population: |
|
| Official Website: | http://www.egliseharriste.org/?page=cca |
The Harristenkirche (French: Église harriste , Église du Christ - Mission Harris ) is an African church with prophetic teachings, which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century on the Ivory Coast . It goes back to William Wadé Harris Wury . She has been a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC / WCC) since 1998 and is named after its founder, William Wade Harris.
history
William Wade Harris Wury was born in Liberia in 1865 . His family professed the traditional religion . He attended the Methodist Mission School and was baptized in that ward. While in custody in 1912, he is said to have been visited by the Archangel Gabriel , who commissioned him to bring the gospel to his brothers. After his liberation, he left the country and went to the Ivory Coast. There he had great success with his evangelism. However, in 1915 he was expelled.
One of his students, Johh Ahui , renewed the revival movement in 1929 and since 1954 the church has experienced strong growth. Today it belongs to one of the four major denominations recognized by the Ivory Coast state as a denomination. Today there are branches of the Church in Liberia and Ghana . As a result of the migratory movements ( courants migratoires ), followers of this denomination also come to Europe, especially to France .
Name variants
Nkabah or Church of the Twelve Apostles , Harrist Church , Église harriste , Harrismus, Harris Movement churches , Harris Movement.
Teaching
The Bible is the primary foundation in the teaching of William Wade Harris . The moral requirements include the removal of fetishes , observance of the Mosaic Law and the obligation to be baptized . The Old Testament is seen as a mirror of Africa (with tolerance of polygamy , oral tradition, interpretation of dreams and visions and spiritual struggles). It is common belief that the intercession of Harris will make believers as rich as Europeans .
organization
The Église harriste , which also accepts members who live polygamously, has more than 1 million members, who are spread over 702 temples and 1,400 preachers as well as over 10,000 apostles . Each temple is presided over by preachers in collaboration with twelve apostles.
Ecumenical Relations
The Harrists have been members of the WCC since 1998 . The Comité National Harriste de Côte d'Ivoire had sought membership under the leadership of Félix Tchotch Mel. Since 2008 she has been in contact with the Fédération Protestante de France . The aim of chief preacher Jean Baptiste Dago, the representative of the Patriarche Président de l'Église Harriste Mondiale in France, is to join the Federation.
Individual evidence
- ^ Gerhard J. Bellinger: L'Encyclopédie des Religions. ISBN 2-253-13111-3 .
Web links
- Homepage of the Église Harriste
- Harristenkirche on the website of the WCC (de./en.)