The following article gives an overview of the churches in Nepal.
When considering Nepal, one does not automatically think about the presence of churches. However, you may be surprised to know that the numbers of churches in Nepal are continuing to grow in line with an increase of people practicing the Christian religion.
Although Nepal is a Hindu country, there are now almost 200 churches and over 400,000 Christian worshipers in Nepal.
This is a surprising development for a landlocked country which has afforded very little openings to religions other than Hinduism.
A challenge is now on to find leaders church leaders to properly and effectively manage the churches in Nepal and to oversee the Christian needs of the respective populations.
An additional challenge of the church movement in Nepal however relates to surviving and achieving due recognition within broader Nepal. Churches in Nepal are still not allowed to register with the authorities in Nepal and as such, many congregations feels forced to worship in individuals’ houses.
Historically, church goers in Nepal have always had to stand their ground in respect to the authorities and more recently, Maoist rebel groups. Proselytizing is illegal in Nepal and in the latter part of the 1980’s, hundreds of church goers were arrested and accused of trying to convert Hindus to Christianity. Other issues which have had to be managed include the threats made by Maoist insurgents – including threats against the church and also pastors.
A recent move from the Parliament to suggest that Nepal becomes a secular country as opposed to a formal Hindu country however, would afford protection to minority worshipping groups such as Christians and Buddhists (although many Buddhists claim that they make up almost 50% of the population in Nepal as opposed to the 20% suggested by the government). It would also result in the recognition of churches and other non Hindu sites of worship. Churchgoers in Nepal are typically supportive of such a move. However, such a move is unlikely to gain much ground with a majority population who typically believe that Nepal is defined by their religion.
A couple of examples of churches in Nepal are as follows:
Kamal Pokhari Church of Christ
101/60 Kamal Marg
KamalPokhari
Kathmandu 44601, Nepal 44601 Nepal
Narayangarh Church of Christ
Narayangarh
Bhratpur-2
Narayangarh, Nepal Nepal
