United Church in the Solomon Islands

The United Church in the Solomon Islands is a Reformed congregational denominations in Solomon Islands.

History

The first Australian missionaries were sent in 1902, by the Methodist Missionary Society. The Methodists expanded mission in the Western Islands, Munda Point and Bougainville. Later in 1968 the Methodist church united in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, to form the United Church in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The Bouganville are the congregations straddled the political divide. In Western Solomon Island the London Missionary Society gained majority. It was an agreemant between the Methodist and the LMS people. The United Church acquired people of Reformed background too. After independence of Solomon Islands in 1978 a movement in Bougenville seeking secession from Papua New Guinea disrupted communication with within the church. Half of the church in the Solomon Islands and in Papua New Guinea separated from the Church in 1996. The church in the Solomon Islands maintained connection with the World Council of Churches, Pacific Conference of Churches.

Statistics

It has 50,000 members and 300 congregations.^[1][2]

Interchurch relationships

Member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches,^[3] the World Council of Churches and the Council for World Mission.^[1]

References