6-EECMY-Info (1)

Resource document 4
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)

The mission of the EECMY is to actively participate in God's Mission. She has been called by the Triune God to
proclaim Christ to His people in diverse social and cultural contexts. The EECMY believes and professes that the
Holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments are the Holy Word of God and the only guiding source and
infallible method/doctrine of all the Church's principles and practices.
The EECMY believes that all power in the Church belongs primarily and exclusively to the head of the Church, Our
Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, all powers and duties exercised by the Church are committed to her for the furtherance of
the Gospel through the Word and the Sacraments. She, therefore, lives and acts to fulfill the Great Commission. Her
fundamental objectives and functions have been declared in the Church's Constitution and Bylaws.
In order to nurture her members and reach out to unreached areas both within Ethiopia and elsewhere, the Doctrinal
Basis shall be her guiding principle.
The Church has a deep concern, not only for the spiritual needs of a person, but also for his/her physical needs. Her
motto of service is "Serving the Whole Person," better known as, Holistic Ministry.
EECMY Ministries
 Evangelistic Outreach Ministry Special Units
 Diakonia Ministry  Development and Social Services
 Women's Ministry Coordinating Office Commission
 Family Ministry  International Mission Society
 Children & Youth Department  Peace Office
 University Student Ministry  Yemisirach Dimts Communication Services
 Christian Education and Theology Ministry  Mekane Yesus Seminary
 Bible Translation & Language Development  School for the Deaf
Ministry  Pension and Insurance Board Office
 Christian-Muslim Relations Program
Ecumenical Relationships
The EECMY supports the idea that all Christian communities are working for the same goal and believes that she has
to contribute something as well as to gain from worldwide Christian communities. Therefore, EECMY became a
member of the Lutheran World Federation in 1963 (although the Addis Ababa Mekane Yesus Congregation was a
member from 1957), a member of the All Africa Conference of Churches in 1974 and of the World Council of
Churches in 1979. She joined the World Alliance of Reformed Churches as of 2000 and there has been very good
relationship with these Church organizations all along.
The EECMY has a good working relationship with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Catholic Church
and other Evangelical Churches in Ethiopia. She is also a founding member of the Christian Relief and Development
Association (CRDA), the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia (ECFE) and the Joint Relief Partnership
(JRP), all operating in Ethiopia. She is also making contact with the leadership of the Islamic Supreme Council of
Ethiopia to create a healthy relationship.
Partners
 Swedish Evangelical Mission  Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission
 Church of Sweden  Finnish Lutheran Mission
 Norwegian Lutheran Mission  Evangelical Lutheran Mission (Germany)
 Norwegian Missionary Society  Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
 Lutheran Free Church of Norway  Presbyterian Church of the United States of
 Danish Evangelical Mission America
The EECMY also cooperates with the LWF-DWS Field Office and Bread for the World.
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Resource document 4
Membership Statistics for 2009

In 2009 there were:
 6,644 established congregations
 2,818 preaching places
 21 synods
 5,279,822 members (an increase of 1,246,409 members in the 6 years from 2003 to 2009)
Brief History of EECMY

At the turn of the 19th Century, Ethiopian Christians began proclaiming the Gospel with the help of Lutheran and
Presbyterian missionaries in Ethiopia. From these joint efforts the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus
(EECMY) was instituted as a national Church on January 21, 1959.
In the 1970s the EECMY developed the theme, "Serving the Whole Person," later on often quoted and referred to as
Holistic Ministry. This has been throughout the years a guiding principle for all Church work, be it evangelism or
development. The concern is not only for the spiritual need of a person, but also for the physical and human needs.
At the end of 2009, the EECMY had 6,644 established congregations and 2,818 preaching places in 21 Synods, one
Work Area and one Parish (Galana Abaya). There are 2,061 pastors, 2,728 evangelists and some 300,000 voluntary
persons actively involved in the mission work of the Church. The EECMY has 5,279,822 baptized and 2,465,637
communicant members. This growth has made the EECMY the largest Lutheran Church in Africa.
For more information on the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus visit their website at:
www.eecmy.org
Or contact their office:
EECMY Central Office, P.O. Box 2087, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Phone: 251-11-5533293
eecmyco@eecmy.org
Building the Relationship
Throughout these past nine months there has been a constant flow of information between the leaders of the EECMY
and the NALC, strengthening our understanding and deepening our relationship. We responded to the EECMY’s
invitation to attend the Mission Conference and the International Theological and Missions Conference for Pastors in
Addis Ababa with a delegation of 15 pastors, staff, theologians and laity. There we were able to engage in face to
face meetings with leaders at all levels including seminary faculty, discussing the authority of scripture, faithful and
historic interpretation of the scriptures, theology, mission, evangelism, our common confessional heritage, the nature
of healthy church relationships, as well as EECMY’s strained relationship with the ELCA that may soon end.
Several of the members of our delegation were featured presenters and preachers who were well received by leaders
and pastors of EECMY. We were also able to experience and understand their mission-focused ecclesiology and
structures.
In addition to our conversations in Ethiopia we have had the benefit of one of our own staff who grew up in the
church in Ethiopia and received part of his training from their seminary, Rev. Dr. Gemechis Buba. We also have
been able to continue our dialog with other Oromo pastors and lay leaders throughout the United States as we
develop relationships with those congregations.
Following our Convocation, Rev. Berhanu Ofga’a, General Secretary of the EECMY, met with Bishop Bradosky to
discuss a strategy to implement the next steps in our relationship, should this agreement be ratified. The EECMY
will be voting to approve a similar resolution as they meet later this year. They are looking forward to a mutual
celebration of this full communion agreement.

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Resource document 4

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)

Membership Statistics for 2009

Brief History of EECMY

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