Short History

Sinode GKIP

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The GKIP Synod was founded by the GKIP Church (Fuk Im Thong), which was officially established on February

It began with the initiative and vision of an evangelist from China named Fang Han Min, who felt called to establish a new congregation of the Lord in the city of Palembang, which was named Fuk Jim Thong Church (old spelling). yang diberi nama Gereja Fuk Jim Thong (*ejaan lama).

In its early days, the church was granted permission to use a place of worship by the Pentecostal Church in Indonesia (GpdI), located on Jl. Segaran. It wasn’t until 1961 that land was finally bought on Jl. Semeru 548 – Palembang, which remains the location of the GKIP church to this day.

The church, initially known as Fuk Im Thong, later became known as the Evangelical Christian Church of Fuk Im Thong Palembang, which was originally a legal entity under the name Evangelical Christian Church Foundation (Fuk Im Thong) Palembang.   

However, due to changes in government regulations requiring churches to no longer operate as foundations but instead be registered with the Department of Religious Affairs

a legal amendment was made through Notarial Deed No. 24 dated August 8, 1988, which stated a change in the church’s name from Evangelical Christian Church Foundation (Fuk Im Thong) to Evangelical Christian Church of Palembang.  

In the same year, the church received Decree No. 182 of 1988 from the Director General of Christian Community Guidance under the Department of Religious Affairs, recognizing the registration of the Evangelical Christian Church of Palembang. 

Thus, the Synod of the Evangelical Christian Church of Palembang (GKIP) was established, initially consisting of just one local church.

In 2018, five churches entered into a ministry partnership with the Fuk Im Thong Church to jointly oversee the Synod of GKIP, in order to meet their shared need for synodal covering.

These five churches are located in five cities across Indonesia: Medan (North Sumatera), Palembang (South Sumatera), Jakarta, Ambon (Maluku), and Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara).