Related articles and links |  1 of 3

Delegates and observers at the southern Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN) general conference held February 7-9 described the outcome as miraculous and an answer to prayer.

"They defied the attempts at manipulation of the Bureau of Religious Affairs (BRA) and of a small number of pastors deemed either pro-government or naive who had cooperated with the authorities," an observer said.

The BRA was granted permission by the prime minister on January 19 to authorize the first general conference of the southern ECVN since 1976. The conference was postponed twice in December because of BRA interference deemed unacceptable by the church.

Nevertheless, Vietnam's Protestants were allowed more freedom than expected during the conference.

Government manipulation?
The BRA's plan to "gain control" over the southern ECVN was spelled out in a secret document called "Document 184A" which was leaked in June 2000 by an official believed to be a Christian. Crucial to the BRA's plan was the co-opting of "good" Christian leaders—meaning pro-government, pliable leaders—and the requirement to draft a new "patriotic" church constitution.

The BRA's crude attempt to manipulate these areas quickly became known and was widely publicized.

The conference convened at the Saigon Church in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) on the evening of February 7. The three-day conference was attended by 482 church pastors and delegates and 278 guests, including high-ranking officials of the BRA and the Fatherland Front, according to a Reuters news agency report.

A BRA official told Reuters that it would grant the church official recognition after the church approved a constitution "conforming to Vietnam's constitution and laws."

Nhan Dan (Peoples Daily) reported that the "church would elect an executive board and adopt a charter 'respecting national tradition and social life in conformity with Vietnam's constitution and laws.'"

Vietnam's Protestants considered these public statements objectionable.

On the first ballot for president, Rev. Pham Xuan Thieu was elected by a two-thirds majority vote. Rev. Thieu, who received some of his education in Canada before 1975, has long had his movements restricted by authorities. He has recently been ill and did not aspire to leadership, but as the most trusted and respected leader, he was drafted into service.

Goals for 2004
The conference set some ambitious goals to be accomplished by 2004 and agreed on a nine-point plan. The ECVN will implement the regional and city representation provided for in the new constitution. It will also restore normal activity of many churches that have suffered during the last 26 years. This will include trying to provide new church buildings and chapels for congregations who live too far from existing church buildings.

The conference also agreed to find ways of supporting retired pastors and their widows and announced its intention to research ways to develop and promote church growth.

Two vice-presidents were also elected. The first was the aging Rev. Duong Thanh, pastor of the historic first evangelical church in Vietnam in Danang. The second vice-president elected was the Rev. Tanh Van Hi, pastor of the Ben Tre congregation in the Mekong Delta. He and his congregation suffered intense persecution in the first decade after the communist takeover.

The government's intention to create a "patriotic" church out of the process appears to have been thoroughly frustrated but, a number of the goals announced by the ECVN will only be achieved with the reversal of government policy in place during the last 26 years. The first tests will come when the ECVN seeks permission to open a seminary and Bible training classes for lay people, when it ordains ministers and upgrades in-service training, when it asks permission to print Christian literature and when it tries rotate pastors from one church to another as needed.

next page... |  1 of 3

share this page

February (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45