The people of Niue, the world’s largest coral island, were first evangelized by Samoan missionaries stationed there by the London Missionary Society during the 1840s and 1850s. The church they molded was organized along Congreg lines under William George Lawes (1861- 1868) and his brother Frank E. Lawes (1868-1910), both of the LMS. W. G. Lawes trained, and afterward supervised, Pacific Islander missionaries from Niue, who were stationed under him when he went to serve the LMS in Papua. A further succession of LMS missionaries between 1910 and 1973 moved the church toward independence, in close association with the Congregational Union in New Zealand. As the administering political power, New Zealand established strong political and economic ties with Niue. Approximately 15,000 Niueans live in Aotearoa New Zealand. The island’s political independence goes together with a special relationship with New Zealand, where Niueans have citizenship rights. The Ekalesia (Church) of Niue is independent (since 1966) but related to Presb and Congreg churches in New Zealand (and in Fiji), serving among laity and ministers living in those countries. There are several Niuean congr in New Zealand. The Ekalesia Niue is a member of the Pacific Conference of Churches, WARC, and the Council for World Mission (CWM).
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