page_title: Christianity in Nepal
section_title: Contemporary Protestantism
hierarchical_section_title: Christianity in Nepal / Contemporary Protestantism
caption_attribution_description: English: A church service in Sanga, in the eastern Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, in 2013.
context_page_description: Christianity is, according to the 2011 census, the fifth most practiced religion in Nepal, with 375,699 adherents, or 1.4% of the population. However, it is widely claimed that non-Hindus are systematically under-reported in Nepal's censuses, and informed observers have estimated that there are at least 1 million Nepali Christians. According to some Christian groups, there may be as many as 3 million Christians in Nepal, constituting up to 10% of the country's population. A report by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary identified the Nepali church the fastest growing in the world. The vast majority of Nepali Christians are evangelical Protestants; there is also a small Catholic population of roughly 10,000.
  The first Christian mission to Nepal was established in 1715 by Catholic Capuchin friars, who worked in the Kathmandu Valley. The Capuchins were expelled following Nepal's unification in 1768-9, and Christian groups were officially banned from the country for the next two centuries. After the revolution of 1951, foreign missionaries were permitted to enter Nepal to perform social service work, but proselytization and conversion were still legally prohibited.
context_section_description: After the introduction of multi-party democracy to Nepal in 1990, a new constitution was promulgated which retained the ban on proselytism but removed the ban on conversion. This, along with a general relaxation of government restrictions on religious activity, rapid changes in social attitudes towards caste and gender, and dislocations associated with capitalist globalization and civil war, created conditions conducive to a rapid growth of Nepali Protestantism after 1990. Kehrberg estimates the growth of the Nepali church during the 1990s as follows:
  The 2000s saw an acceleration of the growth of the 1990s; there were likely more than 1 million baptized Christians present in Nepal by the early 2010s (see Demographics). A 2013 report by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary found that Nepal's church was the fastest growing in the world, with an annual growth rate of 10.9% since 1970.
  The contemporary Nepali church is largely charismatic or Pentecostal in orientation, in that most Nepali churches practice healing and exorcism, and have emotive styles of worship. Research, by both Christian and non-Christian scholars, has consistently shown that prayer-based healing is the main reason for conversion among a majority of converts, with some observers estimating that healing of a person or a family member accounts for as many as 75% of conversions. Frequently, conversion occurs among those who become ill, then find what they perceive to be inadequate support from family or traditional healers, leading them to turn to churches for social support and healing. Theologically, healing is understood in terms of the defeat of evil spirits, often associated with witchcraft, by the power of Christ; this pacification of spirits allows some converts to remove themselves from cycles of social aggression associated with witchcraft accusations.
  Relatively egalitarian attitudes within churches towards caste, gender, and age are also significant factors in conversion to Christianity. In many areas the majority of converts come from Dalit, Janajati, or other excluded social groups. Churches preach caste equality, offer opportunities for leadership to excluded castes, and allow intermarriage between castes, though such marriages are at times resisted by older Christians. Many churches have a majority of women in their congregations. This is connected with the promotion of an ideal of 'companionate marriage' within some churches, involving a strong rejection of domestic violence (and an associated prohibition on alcohol which is often linked with such violence), and an increasing involvement of women in marital decision-making. Churches also provide opportunities for female leadership within women's fellowships, and in some cases as pastors. A significant proportion of many church congregations is under the age of 30, with some young Christians, as well as more educated converts, claiming that they find Christianity more ‘modern’ or ‘rational’ than other religions. Youth fellowships provide social and psychological support, as well as opportunities for leadership, to young Christians.
  Until 1990 most Nepali churches were non-denominational and independent; since then numerous denominational groups have entered Nepal, leading to concern among Nepali Christian leaders about sectarianism and church-splitting. There have been claims that denominational groups have offered financial incentives to church leaders – often in the form of funds for church buildings, or educational scholarships – to encourage them to change denominations. Additionally, some denominational missionary groups (not associated with UMN or INF) have adopted methods of relief or development work arousing widespread social concern, particularly in the wake of the 2015 earthquake. Nonetheless, while some Christian leaders (particularly those in larger churches in urban settings) do gain financially from missionary groups, as may a small minority of other Christian converts, research has shown that the majority of Nepali Christians receive no material or financial gain either before 
caption: A church service in Sanga, in the eastern Kathmandu Valley, in 2013.
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