Stephen Tong

Chinese Indonesian pastor

Stephen Tong (, born in 22 March 1940) is a Chinese Indonesian Reformed pastor, evangelist, teacher and musician. He heads the Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia, which houses the megachurch Messiah Cathedral, and is the largest Christian Church building in Southeast Asia.

Tong was born in 1940 in Xiamen, China, from Tong Pai Hu, a businessman whose family was highly regarded by the Qing government, and Tan Tjien Nio (Indonesian: Dorcas Tanjowati). He is the sixth of nine children, At that time, Tong's mother fostered their brothers and sister alone. In 1949, he with his mother and siblings migrated to Surabaya, Indonesia, to find a better place of living during the Chinese Communist Revolution. However, he respected that his mother had a devoted spiritual life: "When I was small, the first words I'd hear in the morning were those of my mother while she prayed. She prayed for each of us children by name, and asked God to guide us.". In 1957, his mother asked him to attend a Christian Youth Conference that was conducted by the Southeast Asia Bible Seminary (SEABS) (, now , SAAT) in Malang in 1957. On 9 January, the last day of the conference, when Andrew Gih gave a revival sermon, Tong became a Christian. He began to share the Gospel, and taught children in Christian schools. In 1960, he enrolled in SEABS, and later graduated with a Bachelor of Theology in 1964. He then joined SEABS's faculty, and taught theology and philosophy classes from 1964 to 1988. and travelled weekly between Malang and Surabaya. Around at that time, he had tried leading some Gospel Rallies in various cities in Indonesia. Subsequently, starting in 1969, he received invitations to lead Gospel Rallies across Europe, America, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and many more. It is intended mostly for Chinese and Indonesian speakers. In 1974, he began conducting seminars in Surabaya to provide truthful doctrinal understanding for churches in Indonesia. He preaches at cities across Southeast Asia. In 1982, he received his ordination as pastor. He served at GKT (, "Church of Christ The Lord"), then ministered in GKA (, "Servant Christian Church"). To maintain contact with the cities outside Jakarta, he established STEMI branch offices in each of the areas. He added offices in the United States and the European Union. Since 2000, he travels weekly to around 5 countries (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan) to serve for approximately 6000 audiences. He conducted theological seminars such as the Christian Faith Development Seminar (, SPIK),

In 1986, Tong started the Evangelical Reformed Theological School Surabaya (, STRI) for laymen in Surabaya. In 1987, he started a similar theological school in Jakarta, and in 1990, he started one in Malang. The goal is to encourage Christian congregations from all denominations to study Reformed theology.

Stephen Tong founded the Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia in 1989 to establish a church based on Reformed theology and congregations that are committed to evangelism. He is currently the Head of Synod. Although the church subscribes to the Reformed confessions, it also has its specific confessions of faith. Opening ceremonies took place on 18–20 September 2008, including a classical music concert and a dedication service. The building has of space, and two auditoriums that seat up to 8,000 people. In 1996, he founded the Reformed Institute for Christianity and 21st Century in Washington DC. Its purpose is "to equip Christians for global evangelization in the 21st Century by training them in the areas of reformed theology, apologetics, evangelism, and the critical study of Eastern and Western cultures". It was renamed to the Reformed Institute of North America (RINA) in 2007, with locations throughout the United States and Canada. In 1996, he also established the Reformed Institute Jakarta The school is headed by GRII pastor Benyamin Intan, Its Reformed Ecclesiastical Faculty of Music was established in 2002; its goal is "to return all the glory to God through music at its best." In 2008, the institute, now named International Reformed Evangelical Seminary (, STTRII) moved to the Reformed Millennial Center (RMCI) in Jakarta. It has signed MoU with Westminster Theological Seminary (2011), Theologische Universiteit Kampen (2014), and Theologische Universiteit Apeldoorn (2017). In 2000, Tong attended the inaugural meeting of the World Reformed Fellowship, whose purpose is to formalize the Reformed Confession of Faith in the 21st Century. In 2006, they created the statement of faith and appointed members for their Commission of Theology. Tong joined Reformed theologians Gerald Bray, A. T. B. McGowan, Peter Jones, and Samuel Logan as members. GRII pastor Benyamin Intan also serves on the Board of Directors for the World Reformed Fellowship. In 2006, Tong and Intan co founded the think tank group, Reformed Center for Religion and Society (, RCRS); its purpose is to promote the cultural mandate. In 2008, Tong founded Sekolah Kristen Calvin (Calvin Christian School). Tong also founded Calvin Institute of Technology in 2018.

According to his profile on STEMI, he "emphasizes on the importance of the Bible as the sole word of God and actively encourages evangelism", and believes that churches should follow the cultural mandate. His preaching style is influenced by Calvinist preachers George Whitfield and Charles Spurgeon.

Tong has composed music in Indonesian, Mandarin, and English. He occasionally conducts choirs and orchestras, and gives church talks about the appreciation of sacred music. He founded the Jakarta Oratorio Society in 1986, a choir that specializes in worship music. During the development of the Messiah Cathedral, he contributed to the design of the Reformed Millennium Center of Indonesia (RMCI) and helped design some of other church buildings in Indonesia. In 2009, he opened the Aula Simfonia Jakarta concert hall in the RMCI; it holds 1,200 seats. He served as the music director for the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra, along with artistic consultant Jahja Ling and Billy Kristanto. In 2011, he opened the Galeria Sophilia in the RMCI to display some of his and church members antiques for education.

Tong married Sulfie Lalujawati. They live in Jakarta, Indonesia. They have one son and three daughters. Their son David Tong was an MRII evangelist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and has been serving at GRII Karawaci, Tangerang since 6 January 2019. Their daughter Eunice works as the music director for Aula Simfonia Jakarta. Their youngest daughter Rebecca is a conductor and music director for Aula Simfonia Jakarta. In addition to enjoying classical music from the Baroque period, Tong enjoys collecting watches and antiques.

Tong has written songs for his worship services and STEMI gospel rallies. The songs are listed with the year and location when they were first performed: Kidung Persekutuan Reformed Injili (songbook) (Jakarta: Sinode GRII, 2001), source can be downloaded at http://www. bibleforandroid. com/KPRI

Song Title Year First Performed Bila Kaupernah Cinta Yesus (If You Once Loved Jesus) 1961 Semarang, Indonesia Sebagai Keledai (Like a Donkey) 1965 Malang, Indonesia Api Zaman (Fire of the Ages)The song Api Zaman was co written with C. Yu. 1969 Malang, Indonesia Tuhan Ampuni Dosaku (Forgive My Sin, Lord) 1975 Surabaya, Indonesia Kidung Agung (My Hymn) 1975 Manila, Philippines Aku Sedang Berjalan (I am Walking) 1977 Serawak, Malaysia Kemana Saja (Wherever I Go) 1977 Serawak, Malaysia Utus Aku Dalam Misimu (Send Me into Your Mission) 1981 Singapore Hanya Bagimu (Only For Thee) 1982 Taipei, Taiwan Korban Hidup (Living Offering) 1985 Malang, Indonesia Bangkit Bagi Kristus (Stand up for Christ) 1986 Jakarta, Indonesia Belum Pernah Ku Rendah Hati (Never Have I Been Humble) 1995 Forthhope, Canada Sukacita Tuhan Penuhiku (Lord's Joy Fulfills Me) 1998 Hong Kong Siapakah Juruselamat Dunia (Who is the Savior of the World?) 2003 Jakarta, Indonesia Kupegang Tangan Mu (I hold Your Hand) 2013 Jakarta, Indonesia B'ritakan Injil Selamanya (Proclaim the Gospel Forever) 2013at Konvensi Injil National 2013 (KIN) event. Jakarta, Indonesia Ikut Tuhanku (Follow My Lord) 2014at Konvensi Injil National 2014 (KIN) event. Jakarta, Indonesia Kucinta Firman Tuhan (I Love the Word of God) 2020at Bible Camp Nasional 2020 (BCN) event. Jakarta, Indonesia Benar! Berani! Setia! 2020at National Reformed Evangelical Teen Convention 2020 (NRETC) event. Jakarta, IndonesiaAku Cinta Gereja Tuhan2021at Bible Camp Nasional 2021 (BCN) event. Jakarta, IndonesiaTuhan Panggil, 'Ku Dengar2021at Bible Camp Nasional 2021 (BCN) event. Jakarta, IndonesiaBesar Anugerah Nya2021at Bible Camp Nasional 2021 (BCN) event. Jakarta, IndonesiaKita Bersekutu Dalam Tuhan2021at National Reformed Evangelical Convention Youth & Workers 2021 (NREC) event. Jakarta, Indonesia'Ku Suka Kabar Injil (I'd Like to Preach the Gospel)2022at Bible Camp Nasional 2022 (BCN) event. Jakarta, IndonesiaAku Jadi Remaja2022at National Reformed Evangelical Teen Convention 2022 (NRETC) event. Jakarta, IndonesiaKu Rindu Hidup Suci2023at Bible Camp Nasional 2023 (BCN) event. Jakarta, Indonesia