Brussels Protestant Church

Brussels Protestant Church (Église Protestante de Bruxelles) is a Brussels-based Protestant Christian congregation formally constituted in 1804 and whose roots go back to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

The origins of Protestant Christianity in Brussels go back to before 1523 when Henri Voes and Jean Van Esschen were martyred at Brussels for their new-found Protestant faith. In 1535 English Bible translator, William Tyndale, was captured at Antwerp and burnt at the stake in Vilvorde (near Brussels). The Belgian Protestant churches were subjected to intense persecution during the Counter-Reformation and as a result Protestants met in private.

From 1656 churches were again constituted and in 1781 obtained a measure of freedom under Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.[1]

From 1783 to 1789 a Protestant group met in rue Ducale led by a Genevan pastor, Isaac Salomon Anspach.[1]

When in 1802 the French Republic granted freedom of religion, the Lutheran and Reformed Christians of the city petitioned the authorities to be able to conduct services freely. The two confessions were granted use of a single building, the court chapel on Place du Musée, designated 'Protestant church' and were to be served by a single minister. Napoleon subsequently confirmed the congregation's right to assemble in 1804.[2]

Jean-Pierre Charlier (1775–1822) served as the first pastor 1804-1822, holding services in French and German on alternate weeks.[2] After a one-year vacancy Genevan preacher of Le Réveil, Merle D'Aubigne, was called as pastor and served 1823-1830.[2] One of the members of d'Aubigne's congregation strongly influenced by his pastor was Groen van Prinsterer, who become a leading light in the Dutch Het Réveil.

Following the Battle of Waterloo (1815) Brussels had become the southern capital of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands under the House of Nassau-Orange. In 1816 the congregation had taken the name Église chrétienne protestante française-allemande de Bruxelles (the Franco-German Protestant Christian Church of Brussels). Its services were attended by Crown Prince William of the House of Orange-Nassau, who represented the monarchy in Brussels.[3] In 1824 English-language Anglican services were also being held in the church on Place du Musée, led by Thomas Price.

In 1816 Crown Prince William decreed that the Temple des Augustins be made available as a second place of Protestant worship in the city and the 'Dutch Church' (Nederlandse Gemeente) met there until 1830.[2]

When pastor D'Aubigné left in the wake of the Belgian revolution and independence of 1830, Jonathan de Visme (minister at Dour, Mons and Paturages), served as interim moderator and eventually Chrétien-Henri Vent was appointed as successor, serving until his death 1844.[4] His preaching was said to be "rationalistic"[5] and "cool and academic" at a time when many longed for "evangelical, saving, pious" preaching.[2] During his ministry in 1834 a group left the church to form what would become the Temple de l'Observatoire.[6]

In 1830 the Belgian state officially recognised the church as L'Église Protestante de Bruxelles (Brussels Protestant Church) a name it bears to the present day. Its services were attended by Leopold I of Belgium, also a Protestant.

In 1844 Ernest-Henri Vent, son of Chrétien-Henri, was appointed minister of the French-speaking congregation (serving until 1867), while Friedrich Wilhelm Becker was entrusted with ministry to the German-speakers (serving until 1869). During this time the Franco-German church engaged in lots of social work, founding a Diakonie, an orphanage and offering advice to the general public.

List of subsequent pastors serving the congregation (up until 2002):

1867-1892 Emile Rochedieu

1869-1889 Karl Herbst

1889-1892 A. Beyerhaus

1892-1932 Paul Rochedieu

1905-1918 E. Koenigs

1929-1932 Matthieu Schyns

1932-1937 Ch. Ed. Reymond

1932-1968 Matthieu Schyns

1937-1938 M. Pfender

1938-1940 Georges Gander

1941-1945 Henri Serex

1946-1953 Ch.-A. Marguerat

1964-2004 Léon-Alexis Rocteur

1970-1979 Fritz Hoyois

1983-1988 Jacques Hostetter

1992-2002 Jean-Loup Seban

The last German-speaking pastor was E. Koenigs; the post was discontinued in 1919, following World War I.[7]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.eglisedumusee.be/eglise/histoire.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://www.theologienet.nl/documenten/Braekman%20Brussel%20Protestantisme.rtf
  3. ↑ http://www.eglisemusee.be
  4. ↑ http://www.eglisedumusee.be/eglise/pasteurs.html
  5. ↑ Hoyois, E (1962). Historique de L’Église de la rue Belliard
  6. ↑ http://epubecaussinnes.skynetblogs.be/category/994304/1/Hiustoire+du+Protestantisme
  7. ↑ Email correspondence from Léon Rocteur, May 2010