For the past several months, The Voice of the Martyrs has been monitoring the on-going opposition to small churches in Indonesia and the closure of several buildings. The lack of a building permit is often used as an impetus by those wanting to stop Christians from meeting. In the past, churches wanting to build a facility often met with deaf ears when they applied for a building permit. Delays were long and ultimately very few permits were issued. Most churches were forced to worship in virtual secrecy. According to a January 10 report from AsiaNews, new policies from Indonesia's Interior Ministry have been established to ease the rules and streamline the process. Those wishing to build a church facility must apply to local authorities for a building permit. After consulting with local residents, all permits should be issued within six months of applying.
In 2005, thirty-five churches were closed in West Java by militant Muslims because they lacked the appropriate building permits, even though they had operating licenses from the Religious Affairs Office. A recent report from VOMC sources in Indonesia name seven previously unreported churches that had been closed in December 2005.
Praise God for this progress in government policy for the churches of Indonesia. Pray for increasing religious freedom for believers. Pray that churches that have been closed will be allowed to reopen. Pray that the hearts of government leaders in Indonesia will not only be softened to religious freedom, but to Christ Himself.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in Indonesia, click here. Video reports on Indonesia may be viewed on https://www.vomcanada.com/.
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