Protestantism: ranks and lineage

IColours

Colour used for this page of the library: Christian Flag white #0B3D91. Every colour code is approximate, since most paths name their colours without publishing codes.

Principal colour the colour of the path

Place of worship real sanctuaries

Ritual colours by occasion and season

Mourning and avoided colours

IIRanks

Protestantism has no global central authority. Each denomination governs itself. In Vietnam the largest body is the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, which grew out of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) mission begun in 1911. It is now two independent organisations: the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) and the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South, recognised in 2001). Each follows its own charter, and a General Assembly elects the Executive Board and the President.

1. 1
   President President

   An executive office elected by the General Assembly, not a separate ordained rank. A member of the Executive Board who leads and manages the work of the Church.

2. 2
   Pastor 牧師 · Pastor, Reverend

   Ordained clergy. The Executive Board of the General Confederation (South) or the General Assembly (North) has the power to ordain, appoint, suspend and remove. The retirement age for pastors in the South is 65.

3. 3
   Acting Pastor Licensed pastor

   A recognised theology graduate appointed to serve as a pastor while awaiting ordination.

4. 4
   Preacher, Woman Preacher 傳道 · Evangelist, Preacher

   A graduate of a recognised Bible and Theology Institute or School who is appointed. In the North a preacher must serve at least 2 years before being considered for ordination as pastor. The retirement age for women preachers in the South is 60.

5. 5
   Elder, Deacon 長老, 執事 · Elder, Deacon

   Office holders of the local church, elected by secret ballot of the church council. They are not clergy. In the South a deacon must be a full member over 20 who has been baptised for at least 2 years.

Followers: Believers, Christians, children of God, Protestants. Friends (enquirers), baptised believers, full members

IIIForms of address

IVVestments by rank

Flat drawings made from the descriptions in the sources, with no people shown. Colours are approximate.

VLine of succession

Protestantism has no common head and no apostolic succession in the sacramental sense. Its transmission runs in many parallel streams (Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, Anabaptist, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal and others). Each governs itself, and leaders are elected by assemblies for fixed terms. In Vietnam the main stream is the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, founded through the C&MA. It now consists of two organisations, North and South, each with its own President.

The Reformation and the major Protestant traditions

1. c. 4 BC to c. 30 or 33Jesus Christ Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

   Worshipped by all Protestant churches as Lord and sole head of the Church, with no human successor.

2. 1483 to 1546, 95 Theses in 1517Martin Luther

   Launched the Reformation with his 95 Theses at Wittenberg, founder of the Lutheran churches.

3. 1484 to 1531, Zürich reformation from 1519Huldrych Zwingli

   Led the Reformation in Zürich, opening the Reformed tradition.

4. c. 1498 to 1526, first believer's baptism in 1525Conrad Grebel and the Anabaptists Conrad Grebel

   The Swiss Brethren performed believers' baptism in Zürich in 1525, starting the Anabaptist movement.

5. 1509 to 1564, in Geneva from 1541Jean Calvin

   Author of the Institutes (1536), shaped Reformed theology and presbyterian church order in Geneva.

6. 1496 to 1561, joined the Anabaptists in 1536Menno Simons

   Anabaptist leader in the Low Countries, the Mennonites are named after him.

7. 1489 to 1556, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533Thomas Cranmer

   Compiled the Book of Common Prayer (1549), shaping Anglicanism after the 1534 break with Rome.

8. c. 1514 to 1572, Scottish reformation in 1560John Knox

   Brought Calvinist reform to Scotland, founder of Scottish Presbyterianism.

9. c. 1570 to 1612, first Baptist church in 1609John Smyth

   Founded the first Baptist congregation in Amsterdam in 1609.

10. 1703 to 1791, movement from 1738John Wesley

    Founder of the Methodist movement, which became the Methodist churches.

11. 1843 to 1919, founded the society in 1887Albert Benjamin Simpson

    Founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the mission that brought Protestantism to Vietnam.

12. 1870 to 1922, Azusa revival in 1906William J. Seymour William Joseph Seymour

    Led the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, the start of global Pentecostalism.

13. Founded in 1948 in AmsterdamWorld Council of Churches

    Main fellowship of Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches, a fellowship and not a governing head.

14. President of the Lutheran World Federation from 2023Bishop Henrik Stubkjær Henrik Stubkjær

    President of the Lutheran World Federation, a representative figure of the Lutheran family, without authority over member churches.

15. General Secretary of the WCC from 2023Rev. Jerry Pillay Jerry Pillay

    General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, a South African Presbyterian minister.

Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South): Presidents of the General Assembly

1. 1873 to 1945, arrived in Đà Nẵng on 25 May 1911Missionary Robert Alexander Jaffray Robert Alexander Jaffray

   Canadian C&MA missionary who arrived in Da Nang with Paul M. Hosler and G. Lloyd in 1911, the start of Protestantism in Vietnam.

2. #1 · Born 1877, ordained 3 September 1922, President 1927Rev. Hoàng Trọng Thừa Hoàng Trọng Thừa

   First Vietnamese pastor and first president when the Evangelical Church of Indochina was founded in 1927.

3. #4 · President 1933 to 1942Rev. Lê Đình Tươi Lê Đình Tươi

   Long-serving president in the colonial era, the church gained legal status in 1942.

4. #5 · President 1942 to 1960Rev. Lê Văn Thái Lê Văn Thái

   Led the church through war, adopting the name Evangelical Church of Vietnam, led the southern General Assembly after 1954.

5. #6 · President 1960 to 1976Rev. Đoàn Văn Miêng Đoàn Văn Miêng

   President of the General Assembly during the Republic of Vietnam period and just after 1975.

6. #7 · Elected President in 1976Rev. Ông Văn Huyên Ông Văn Huyên

   President elected in 1976, the last assembly before a 25 year gap.

7. #8 · President 2001 to 2005Rev. Phạm Xuân Thiều Phạm Xuân Thiều

   President elected at the 43rd assembly in 2001, when the southern church received state recognition.

8. #9 · President 2005 to 2013 and 2017 to 2026Rev. Thái Phước Trường Thái Phước Trường

   Longest serving president of the modern era, First Vice President from 2026.

9. #10 · President 2013 to 2017Rev. Phan Vĩnh Cự Phan Vĩnh Cự

   President for the term of the 46th assembly.

10. #11 · President from July 2026Rev. Nguyễn Hữu Bình Nguyễn Hữu Bình

    President of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South) for 2026 to 2030, elected at the 49th assembly, formerly General Secretary.

Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North): Presidents

1. #1 · President from after 1954 until his death in 1964Rev. Dương Tự Ấp Dương Tự Ấp

   First president of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North), recognised by the DRV in 1958.

2. #2 · President 1964 to 1968Rev. Hoàng Kim Phúc Hoàng Kim Phúc

   President during the war years.

3. #3 · President from 1968Rev. Bùi Hoành Thử Bùi Hoành Thử

   Succeeded Hoang Kim Phuc and led the church for many years, end of term unclear.

4. Elected President in 2004Rev. Phùng Quang Huyến Phùng Quang Huyến

   Elected president at the 32nd assembly in 2004.

5. President at least 2013 to 2022Rev. Nguyễn Hữu Mạc Nguyễn Hữu Mạc

   President through the 34th (2013) to 36th (2022) assemblies.

6. President 2022 to 2026Rev. Bùi Văn Sán Bùi Văn Sán

   President for 2022 to 2026, opened the 37th assembly in April 2026.

7. President from 2026Rev. Nguyễn Hữu Mạc Nguyễn Hữu Mạc

   President of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (North) for 2026 to 2030, elected at the 37th assembly.

A venerated figure: the library shows no portrait, only the name inside a round seal.

VIOrdination and transmission

There is no apostolic succession in the sacramental sense. A calling is confirmed through theological training, a period of service and examination by the Council of Pastors, followed by ordination with the laying on of hands and prayer. Believers enter the faith through baptism.

1. Baptism, full membershipRequirement: Accepting the Lord and learning basic doctrineRite: Baptism performed by a pastor. No detailed source found on its form (immersion or pouring) in the Evangelical Church of Vietnam.
2. Preacher, Acting PastorRequirement: Graduating from a Bible and Theology Institute or SchoolRite: The Executive Board reviews, recognises and appoints.
3. PastorRequirement: North: at least 2 years as a preacher, an experience of new birth and sanctification, a clear understanding of the doctrine of salvation, signs of a calling by the Holy Spirit, and pastoral experience. South: according to the Executive Board's own regulations. No source found for the exact number of years.Rite: Examination by the Council of Pastors. Ordination service: the body of pastors lays on hands and prays, presents a Bible and a pastor's certificate.

VIIWhere the sources disagree

• The old colour of 15 September (#3F3A6E, based on Advent violet) lacks a basis for Vietnam. The Evangelical Church of Vietnam has no liturgical colour calendar in its charter. In denominations that use one, Advent is usually blue or violet.
• No source found confirming that the Evangelical Church of Vietnam uses the Christian Flag. The logo on httlvn.org could not be viewed to take its colours.
• No source found on pastors' gowns in Vietnam. The black Geneva gown belongs to the international Reformed tradition. It is not certain to be official practice in Vietnam.
• Calling a Preacher "Thầy" and a woman preacher "Cô" follows the brief. No confirming document found.
• One Protestant writer (timhieuthanhkinh.com) objects to the title Pastor, holding that only Jesus is worthy of it. This is a personal opinion, not a rule of the Church.
• The charters cited here come from copies on sites.google.com and tinlanhmienbac.org. The original PDF from the Đồng Nai Religious Affairs Committee could not be downloaded. Article numbers and retirement ages should be checked against the latest charter.
• The Chinese characters 牧師, 傳道, 長老, 執事 are common Sino-Vietnamese roots, not taken from documents of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam.
• The 1911 milestone (C&MA arrival in Vietnam) and the 2001 recognition of the South come from general knowledge and an Embassy page title. The full text of the source could not be read.
• Protestantism has no single head. The last milestones of the international stream are two representative figures of fellowship bodies (LWF and WCC), not heads.
• Anglicanism is sometimes classed separately from Protestantism. Thomas Cranmer is listed here because Anglicanism is a major stream of the Reformation.
• South: the first three General Assemblies (1924 to 1926) were chaired by C&MA missionaries. From 1976 to 2001 there was no General Assembly. The httlvn.org table lists only Rev. Ông Văn Huyên. It has not been verified who actually led in this period.
• South 2026: according to httlvn.org, the 49th General Assembly (13 to 17 July 2026) elected Rev. Nguyễn Hữu Bình as President. There is only one official source so far, so further checking is advised.
• North: there is no complete standard list yet. The gap from Rev. Bùi Hoành Thử (1968) to 2004 is unclear. It is unclear in which year Rev. Nguyễn Hữu Mạc became President (he certainly held the post in 2013).
• No free images found on Commons for missionary Jaffray, the Vietnamese Presidents or Rev. Jerry Pillay.

VIIISources

?Quick Questions

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