Cook Islands Christian Church

The Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) is the largest religious denomination in the Cook Islands. It belongs to the Reformed family of churches.^[1] The CICC is a Christian Congregationalist church and has approximately 18,000 members,^[2] including around half of the residents of the Cook Islands.^[3] The church also has congregations in New Zealand and Australia.^[2]

CICC church in Avarua, Rarotonga

Cook Islands Christian Church
Abbreviation	CICC
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Reformed
Polity	Congregational
Moderator	Rev. Tuaine Ngametua
Associations	World Council of Churches, Pacific Conference of Churches
Region	Cook Islands; Australia, New Zealand
Headquarters	Rarotonga
Founder	London Missionary Society
Origin	1852 (as Cook Islands LMS Church) 1968 (became autonomous)
Branched from	London Missionary Society
Congregations	61
Members	180,000
Official website	www.cicc.net.ck

History

Ebenezera Church

The CICC has its origins in the work of the London Missionary Society (LMS), which began work in the Cook Islands in 1821. In 1852, the LMS founded the Cook Islands LMS Church.^[2] The church became autonomous in 1968 with the passage of the Cook Islands Christian Church Incorporation Act by the Parliament of the Cook Islands.^[4] This Act officially changed the church's name to the Cook Islands Christian Church.^[2] The first president of the CICC after the Act was passed was Bill Marsters, who in the late 1970s was forced to resign his position when he became involved in a scandal involving church funds that went missing.^[5]

Modern day

Titikaveka Church

In 1978, the CICC established its first congregation in Auckland in order to accommodate church members who had emigrated to New Zealand. Today, there are 24 congregations in the Cook Islands, and 22 churches in New Zealand and 15 in Australia. The church employs 74 pastors, who are trained at Takamoa Theological College on Rarotonga. The CICC is a member of the World Council of Churches.^[5]

With the passage of the Cook Islands Christian Church Amendment Act by the Parliament of the Cook Islands in 2003, the CICC is permitted to alter its constitution without any action from Parliament.^[4]

The church has sister church relations with the Uniting Church in Australia, Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Congregational Union of New Zealand and the Maói Protestant Church.^[5]

Presidents

#	President	Term
1	Rev. Bill Marsters	1968–1970s
	Rev. Turaki (Turaliare) Teauariki	Early 1980s	[6][7]
	Rev. Tekere Pereeti	c. 1991	[8]
	Rev. Tangimetua Tangatatutai	c. 2000–2010	[9][10]
	Rev. Tuaine Ngametua	c. 2013–present	[11]

External links

• Official website

Notes

1. www.reformiert-online.net/weltweit/land.php?id=32&lg=eng
2. Cook Islands Christian Church Archived 2011-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, oikoumene.org, accessed 2008-03-19.
3. Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: Cook Islands, cia.gov, accessed 2008-03-19.
4. "Bill signals change for Cook Islands Christian Church" Archived 2008-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, press release, 3 July 2003, cook-islands.gov.ck, accessed 2008-03-19.
5. "About the CICC". Archived from the original on 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2013-04-07.
6. Atiu: An Island Community. 1984-01-01. ISBN 9789820201637.
7. Fer, Yannick. "Polynesian Protestantism, from the Local Church to Evangelical Networks". Archives de sciences sociales des religions. 157 (1). ISSN 0335-5985.
8. "In search of the Cook Islands | New Zealand Geographic". www.nzgeo.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
9. "Minutes of the Ninth Assembly" (PDF). Uniting Church in Australia.
10. "Pacific Manuscripts Bureau" (PDF).
11. "Home". www.cicc.net.ck. Retrieved 2017-03-22.