Lebanon

Christian history in Lebanon goes back to the days when Christ visited south Lebanon during his public ministry. Until the early 1970s Christians comprised the majority of the Lebanese population but at present they constitute less than 45 percent.

Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East in which religious freedom is constitutionally protected.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) involvement in Lebanon began in the early 1800s, through missionaries from the Reformed tradition who worked there in education and health care. In 1956 the national church, known as the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon , assumed total charge of the ministries of the Presbyterian churches. (See further information on the Syria page.)

At present PC(USA) involvement in Lebanon is through mission personnel working with traditional partners in the country: the National Synod, the Near East School of Theology, the Middle East Council of Churches, and the Jinishian Foundation.

Resources

Presbyterian Mission and Witness in the Middle East
Churches can still celebrate a "Week of Witness with Christians of the Middle East."

Related stories

September 22, 2009 Middle East Study Team Summary of Trip to the Middle East
September 10, 2009 Delegation visits PC(USA) to establish Syria-Lebanon Mission Network
August 10, 2009 A heart for soldiers / Girlhood in war-torn Lebanon shaped Army chaplain’s call to ministry
July 11–15, 2009 [PW Churchwide Gathering] Sisters Who Pray and Support One Another
October 6, 2008  GAMC leaders visit Middle East partners, hear of unease and despair
May 12, 2008 Update on Lebanon: Letter from NEST president Mary Mikhael
April 17, 2008 [WCC] Migration: Welcoming the stranger is not optional, says WCC
April 15, 2008 [WCC] Lebanon: Muslims and Christians tackle migration together
March 18, 2008 Presbyterian legacy in Lebanon focus of April event at New York’s 5th Avenue Church
March 12, 2008  PDA Situation Reports

The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 346

December 9

Overview of the Middle East

The Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon: A Brief History

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