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The Evangelical Church of Armenia

in Eastern Armenia

History at a Glance

By Pastor Aram Babajanyan*
Introduction Western Armenia, we must mention Eastern ties and ways of thinking and presented new
When we think about the formation, Armenia and emphasize that the ECA in challenges to the larger community. This in-
history and the course of the Evangelical Eastern Armenia was formed, developed, fluenced the spiritual life, public perceptions
Church of Armenia (ECA), we first go back spread and organized almost parallel to and of course the church. Thus, the birth of
to 1846, Constantinople (Turkey), Pera Western Armenia. Evangelical ideas and movement in Eastern
district. We mark this crucial year and the Armenia was directly related to this.
next decisive period of almost two decades. The History of Armenian Evangelical- The Evangelical movement in Eastern
We remember the establishment and the ism in Eastern Armenia Armenia started in the early 19 century.
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flourishing of the ECA in Western Armenia In Constantinople and Eastern Armenia, However, it should be noted that in contrast
before the Armenian Genocide with great the Evangelical movement did not appear all to the Western Armenian reality, where in
pride. In particular, we remember our four of a sudden. It was directly connected with mid-19 century the ECA was officially
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unions with their many churches and edu- the social, cultural, ideological, educational recognized as a separate religious commu-
cated clergy. We remember our remarkable and scientific awakening in the region. Both nity by the State, the Russian government in
spiritual, educational, enlightening and the higher awareness of human rights and Eastern Armenia did not officially allow the
public service. We remember many schools, the freedom of speech, thought and expres- activities of Evangelical preachers and there
colleges, theological seminaries and other sion created a new generation of intellectu- was no officially recognized religious com-
institutions established by the Armenian als. The young, educated and enlightened munity until the early year of 20 century.
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Evangelical Church. We remember our members of the society, who received their Although the government banned the
patriotic mission in almost the whole terri- education in the European universities and activities of Armenian Evangelical preach-
tory of Western Armenia. However, next to in the Russian Empire, generated new quali- ers, underground Evangelicalism gradually
began to grow, develop and give birth to the
first local Armenian Evangelical communi-
ties. Already in the mid-19 century, there
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were Armenian Evangelical communities in
Yerevan, Vagharshapat, Alexandropol, Kars,
Tbilissi, Baku, Batumi and Sukhumi. In the
1820-1890s, the center of Armenian Evan-
gelicalism in the Caucasus was Shamakhi
and Karabakh. The Armenian Evangelical
schools of Shushi, Shamakhi and Tbilissi
(Georgia) were very popular in Transcauca-
sia. The Swiss missionaries, who promoted
the Armenian Evangelical movement in
Shushi, received permission from the tsarist
government in 1823, settled in the city and
began their Evangelical activities. From the
end of the 19 century and especially in the
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beginning of the 1900s, Yerevan became
the center of Evangelicalism in Eastern
Armenia.
In 1914, the Armenian Evangelicals of
Yerevan province submitted a petition to
Evangelical Church of Armenia in Vanadzor. Evangelical Church of Armenia in Yerevan. Vorontsov-Dashkov, Governor of Caucasus,

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