1 Church History in Maluku: 1 Possibilities toward Social History Dimensions Steve Gaspersz Introduction The examination of methods of historical research critically and continuously among church historians, especially in Ambon, recently have become important and urgent. As you might be aware that approximately for five years churches in Maluku faced a serious socio-religious conflict since January 19, 1999. Relations between the two main religions (Islam and Christianity) in the area were destructed by political incitement which resulted on such “civil war”. Many people died and its main public infrastructures, like government offices, churches, mosques, etc., were damaged or destroyed. The GPM 2 (Protestant Church in Maluku) has lost a number of its klasis or church districts (12 from 25) and jemaat or congregations (more than 100 from 725). Today most internally displaced people went back to their homeland, but still many are denied to go back and had to decide to live in relocation areas. Comprehensive historical studies in Maluku – driven by some geographic changes – deal with the replacing of congregations that used to live in certain areas nearby Muslim villages. During the conflict, their lands were taken over illegally and they were expelled by force. While today some of these congregations cannot reclaim their lands since they lost many documents and land certificates. They lost their history and are uprooted from their original lands. Institutionally GPM is wrestling to search and regain the history of lost congregations as a strategy to bring their legal rights back as citizens of Indonesia. 3 The document of GPM’s strategic plan 1995-2005 decided and recommended to do congregational studies (by research) in all of GPM’s congregation. Such historical research aims to provide accurate data of each congregation in order to observe the development of the church that is necessary in facing social changes in Maluku. These points show that archives study of church history is an important part not only to learn what happened in the past time but also to reconstruct socio-cultural realities today, especially within a society under drastic social changes as the social conflict in the Moluccas islands. Also, it is a triggering element for the GPM to rethink the significance of having a “department of history” within its structure, which will formally conduct historical research and will be collecting historical documents (archives) in systematic ways about its congregations in Maluku. 4 Church history, therefore, is not simply focusing on the development and life of Christians (or congregations) in the past, but holds a vital role for directing social changes today and in planning strategic Christian mission contextually in the reality of a multi-religious and multicultural society, in this case in Maluku. 1 This article is presented in Seminar on Historical Archive at Het Utrecht Archief, Utrecht, April 2010. 2 The Gereja Protestan Maluku GPM, Protestant Church of the Moluccas, was a result of the Indische Kerk or Protestant Church in the Dutch East Indies and was instituted in 1935. 3 See RIP GPM 1995-2005 (Rencana Induk Pelayanan – Services Strategic Masterplan). It was decided by the Synod Board to conduct historical research in Maluku. 4 In a working consultation of Faculty of Theology UKIM (Universitas Kristen Indonesia Maluku – Indonesian Christian University Maluku) in 2009 this has been discussed and decided upon.