Faith Church, Hungary

Faith Church (Hungarian: Hit Gyülekezete) is an Evangelical charismatic Pentecostal Christian denomination and a megachurch in Hungary. Its headquarters in Budapest has over 150,000 members.

History

Faith Church was founded in 1979 by a group of seven Hungarians, led by Pastor Sandor Nemeth [hu], who currently leads the church.^[1] The independent Pentecostal-Charismatic church could conduct its worship services only illegally during the years of the Communist regime. Its activities and leaders were monitored by the Communist secret service. By 1989, membership reached 2,000 people. In 1989, the Hungarian State declared Faith Church a recognized denomination based on the 1895 XLIII Act.

In 2008, Faith Church in Budapest had 30,000 faithful in its 5,000-seat building.^[2]

In 2016, the Church has 70,000 people regularly attend worship services across Hungary.^[3]^[4] The weekly Sunday service of the Church is regularly broadcast on live television.

There are about three hundred local church branches of Faith Church functioning all around the country and beyond the borders of Hungary. All neighboring countries, Germany and the U.S. have local Faith Churches as well. The majority of local churches hold worship services on privately owned property. Local churches in Pécs, Debrecen, Nyíregyháza and Salgótarján are also housed in buildings that can accommodate more than a thousand people.

Based on the 1% tax designation to churches, Faith Church is the fourth most supported church in Hungary.^[5] However, according to the last census in Hungary, Faith Church was not among the four biggest churches.^[6] It kept its official church status after the Orbán government's 2011 reduction of the number of churches.^[7] Prime Minister Victor Orban's son Gáspár Orbán converted in 2014 to the Faith Church is currently a minister who had heard from God and witnessed miraculous healings.^[8]

Social programs and publications

The Faith and Morals Cultural Foundation performs social services, provides aid to families, cares for the elderly and also pursues teaching, training, information distribution and cultural services.

Faith Church maintains elementary schools in Budapest, Pécs, Nyíregyháza and Salgótarján and a kindergarten in Kecskemét. The state-accredited theological college, Saint Paul’s Academy, functions in Budapest.

The Church has published a weekly news magazine, Hetek, since 1997.^[9]

Beliefs

The denomination has a charismatic confession of faith.^[10]^[11]

In a service on 16 November 2019, Németh described yoga as "a physical exercise of demon worship."^[12]

References

^ World venture, IS HUNGARY ON THE BRINK OF CHRISTIAN REVIVAL?, USA, August 18, 2015
^ Sébastien Fath, Dieu XXL, la révolution des mégachurches, Édition Autrement, France, 2008, p. 138
^ CNAAN LIPHSHIZ, times of israel, Jews and evangelicals remind Hungary’s politicians to never forget, Israel, March 12, 2016
^ Vinson Synan, J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Amos Yong, Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements: Past, Present and Future, Charisma Media, USA, 2016, p. 80
^ "1%-os felajánlások: Változatlan a sorrend". ATV.
^ Vallás, felekexet – Köponti Statisztikai Hivatal [Religion, denomination - Central Statistical Office] (in Hungarian), archived from the original on 26 Dec 2019{{citation}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Megvan a törvény: egyelőre 14 egyház a listán, Midennapi, 2011 Jul 12.
^ Adam, Christopher (6 November 2017). "A Portrait of Viktor Orbán's Son as a Healer and Pentecostal Preacher". Hungarian Free Press. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
^ Folk, Holly (February 2017). "Field Note. Hit Gyülekezete. A Sectarian State Megachurch in Hungary". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 20 (3): 103. JSTOR 26418680.
^ Faith Church, HITVALLÁS, Hitgyulekezete, Hongrie, retrieved February 18, 2020
^ Tomas Dixon, Charismatics Under Fire Archived 2020-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, Charisma mag, USA, September 30, 2000
^ "A Hit Gyülekezetének vezetője szerint démonokat hív elő, aki jógázik". 24. 20 November 2019.

External links

Biography
Faith Church
CBN: Pastor Moves on Atheistic Hungary
Charisma Magazine: Breakthrough in Budapest Archived 2011-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
Faith Church TV Presentation

[1] World venture, IS HUNGARY ON THE BRINK OF CHRISTIAN REVIVAL?, USA, August 18, 2015

[2] Sébastien Fath, Dieu XXL, la révolution des mégachurches, Édition Autrement, France, 2008, p. 138

[3] CNAAN LIPHSHIZ, times of israel, Jews and evangelicals remind Hungary’s politicians to never forget, Israel, March 12, 2016

[4] Vinson Synan, J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Amos Yong, Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements: Past, Present and Future, Charisma Media, USA, 2016, p. 80

[5] "1%-os felajánlások: Változatlan a sorrend". ATV.

[6] Vallás, felekexet – Köponti Statisztikai Hivatal [Religion, denomination - Central Statistical Office] (in Hungarian), archived from the original on 26 Dec 2019{{citation}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[7] Megvan a törvény: egyelőre 14 egyház a listán, Midennapi, 2011 Jul 12.

[8] Adam, Christopher (6 November 2017). "A Portrait of Viktor Orbán's Son as a Healer and Pentecostal Preacher". Hungarian Free Press. Retrieved 20 June 2022.

[9] Folk, Holly (February 2017). "Field Note. Hit Gyülekezete. A Sectarian State Megachurch in Hungary". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. 20 (3): 103. JSTOR 26418680.

[10] Faith Church, HITVALLÁS, Hitgyulekezete, Hongrie, retrieved February 18, 2020

[11] Tomas Dixon, Charismatics Under Fire Archived 2020-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, Charisma mag, USA, September 30, 2000

[12] "A Hit Gyülekezetének vezetője szerint démonokat hív elő, aki jógázik". 24. 20 November 2019.

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