Toraja Church (GT)
The GT is similar to a popular church on a small scale. About 75% of the people living in the Toraja mountainous region in South Sulawesi are Christians. The origins of the church date back to the year 1913 when 20 Torajans were baptised by a teacher of the Dutch church for government officials. Today the church, which has a presbyterial synodal constitution, boasts 260,000 members in more than 570 parishes. As a result of internal migration and resettlement, the GT also has congregations in various other Indonesian regions. Due to its wide-spread congregations, the Toraja Church is particularly sensitive to the current unrest and changes in Indonesia and it is focusing its efforts and commitment in the PGI on preserving democracy and freedom of worship. In addition, the President of the Toraja Church is one of the five Christian representatives in the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly, the highest political institution in the state. Within its own region, the GT's main activities are facing up to the challenges of growing tourism and providing vocational training using state-of-the-art methods to increase the level of efficiency.
