The GKJW has been a missionary church from the beginning. Like its sister churches in Central Java, it grew from a spontaneous movement among the Javanese in the middle of the 19th century. In the 1830s groups of Muslims near Surabaya were brought into contact with the Gospel by the activities of European lay people, an Indo-Russian farmer and a German watchmaker; the first baptism occurred December 12, 1843. In the 1850s the Dutch mission (NZG) took over and started what it considered to be a necessary long process of bringing the congr to maturity. Under the influence of H. Kraemer, this process was concluded by the convening of the first Synod in 1931, when the church had 23,000 baptized members, but, as elsewhere in Indonesia, the mission remained as a �guide toward adulthood� until 1942. So great was its influence that the GKJW considers itself a daughter church of the NHK. The coming of the Japanese brought the end of missionary domination. During and after World War II the church went through hard times. After 1950 a slow but steady growth began, which peaked after the elimination of Communism in 1965-1967.From the beginning, the GKJW has been a rural church; many congr were founded by clearing forests and establishing Christian villages on the reclaimed land. The other churches in East Java are based in the cities. Together they constitute 2.0 million (including RCath) of the 34 million population of East Java, the overwhelming majority (97.5%) being Muslim. In 1995 and 1996 riots occurred several times, resulting in severe damage to Christian lives and property. The GKJW has a number of clinics, an orphanage, and a small number of schools for all levels. In 1987 the church commenced its first Six-year Comprehensive Church Development Plan, which consists of programs for the development of theological activities, community life, Christian service, Christian witness, and stewardship. The GKJW publishes a monthly magazine, Duta. The church considers December 11, 1931, as its birth date.
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