Bulgarian Protestantism was born as a result of the work of missionaries and ministers of the British Foreign Bible Society and the American Board of Commissionets for Foreign Missions. It became its own entity in time, and turned into a movement with an almost 160 year history and an irreversible factor within the spiritual, cultural and social life of Bulgaria.The time of the emergence of Bulgarian evangelicals on the historical scene coincided with the period in the 19th century when Bulgarians lived as subjects of the Ottoman sultan within the bounds of the Ottoman Empire. In actual fact, there was no national Bulgarian Church in existence, although for ten centuries the Bulgarian people had traditionally considered themselves Eastern Orthodox. These factors are extremely important when it comes to evaluating the place of Protestants within Bulgarian society.

The first signs of interest on behalf of the English Bible Society and the American missionaries toward Bulgarians during the Ottoman Empire were noted around the beginning of the 19th century, but those were not as clear. During the 1830’s a long-standing partnership was initiated between Bulgarians and the American missionaries, which at first was primarily directed toward a new modern translation of the Bible. Discernible outcomes from the Bulgarians’ attraction to Protestantism, the appearance of Bulgarian Protestants and formation of Protestant Communities date from the 1850’s, when American missionaries were appointed to work among Bulgarians within the Ottoman Empire.

The Protestant message and Protestant Church slowly but confidently gained ground among the Bulgarian population. Toward that faith were drawn bright and active Bulgarians, at first in the south of Bulgaria, and consequently in the northern and south-western Bulgarian lands. The development of that process could be observed in several directions. First of all was the formation of small but steadily growing Protestant communities, which became agents and partners with foreign missionaries in the effort to evangelize and distribute knowledge.

That activity gradually expanded the range of its influence among Bulgarians and engaged the attention of prominent figures of the Bulgarian national revival, who, regardless of their affiliation with Eastern Orthodoxy became some of the most active and effective supporters of Protestants as part of the educational efforts of Bulgarians in the 19th century and the distribution of the Word of God. The fruit of these efforts was the first translation of the Bible into modern Bulgarian as a joint work of Bulgarian educators and church figures (P. Slaveykov, K. Photinov, N. Rilski) and American missionaries (E. Riggs). That translation was funded and encouraged by the American missionaries and was completed with the help of their Bulgarian associates. It not only helped to spread the Scriptures beyond their narrow use within churches and monasteries but due to the large numbers produced in printing houses, which were also established and financed by Protestants, the Bible could enter every Bulgarian household. The greatest contribution of that translation however was the impetus it provided for the Bulgarian language culture in the 19th century, furthering its modernization.

Distribution of the Word of God by Protestants went in several directions – through direct sermons, and the distribution of knowledge through various brochures, (which were designed not only to present the Christian teaching according to the way it was interpreted by the Protestants, but in addition to provide useful worldly advice to women, children and men, which would be applicable to their everyday lives and economy.) As a result of that, Protestant literature, which was distributed by traveling booksellers, who were also Bulgarian Protestants, became hugely popular among the Eastern Orthodox population.

The most influential and serious Protestant publication was the magazine “Zornitsa”, which had been founded in 1864 by the initiative of Elias Riggs and Dr. Long. Among the main contributing authors were Bulgarian educational and church figures. The popularity of that magazine was due to the variety of its content. Although it never broke its relations to Bulgarian Protestant circles and continued publishing articles with religious (Protestant) subject matter, it nevertheless offered a wide spectrum of knowledge and information about the most recent scientific discoveries, about events around the world and within the Ottoman Empire, pages from the past history of Bulgarians, literary works, etc. The magazine reflected on the problems of the national and church struggle in the 1860’s for the formation of an independent Bulgarian Church and the Bulgarian Exarchate. In essence “Zornitsa” was the most popular all-Bulgarian magazine, which had a strong impact on the spirit of the age.  Establishment of the Bulgarian Bible Society A fruit of the work of the American missionaries on the one hand and the pursuit of Bulgarian Protestants of education on the other was the establishment of Protestant schools in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, and Samokov, as well as educational groups for women, talks on Bible Study, etc. Especially popular among the Bulgarians was the so-called Robert College in Constantinople, founded by Cyrus Hamlin as a small Protestant school (1840) in the Bebek quarters and later enlarged through the support of the philanthropist Christopher Robert (1863), who became patron of the college. Although the college had been intended to serve all subjects of the Empire, Bulgarians dominated the ranks of its students until the end of its existence.

Some of the most distinguished political figures in the country after Bulgaria’s liberation were among the graduates of Robert College: Konstantin Stoilov, Prime Minister (1894-1899), Konstantin Muraviev, Prime Minister (2-9 September 1944), Todor Ivanchov, Prime Minister (1899-1901), Ivan Evstatiev Geshev,  Minister of Finance (1894) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1911-1914), Mihail Madjarov, Minister in various cabinets, and numerous other professors and industrialists. During the 1870’s the first large Protestant communities were formed in Bansko and Merichleri, where the first Bulgarian Protestant church building was also built. Yavorov, the esteemed Bulgarian poet in his book “Haidouk longings” has left us a description of that Protestant community: “Evangelical propaganda has played a significant cultural role within that region. Bansko has a population of 4-5 thousand residents, a large part of which are Protestants. They are by all means citizens – granted their large-scale intelligence, household life and outward bearing. There are no illiterates among them, including old people and even women. Their inquisitiveness has long surpassed an interest only in the Bible; they are reading everything and one would find at least several books in every one of their homes…”

During that period Protestant communities were spreading predominantly in towns, among the more elevated in terms of education and culture population. They were less often found in villages – a trend, which remains up to the present time.The high national self-consciousness of Bulgarian Protestants caused them to participate not only in the course of the educational and cultural upheaval of Bulgarians during the period of national revival, but many of them were active participants in the national liberation movement. On 21 November 1876, in a report to the State Secretary, Hamilton Fish, the American ambassador to the Ottoman Empire wrote that among the individuals, who had helped at that time to reveal to the general public the sufferings of the Bulgarians, the most important were Rev. Dr. George Washburn, Principal of Robert College, and Rev. Dr. Albert Long, teacher of Natural History. Likewise a number of liberal ideas by the missionaries clearly had an impact on the discussions of the Church Assembly at the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate. In 1876 the American missionary James Clark was the first outside observer, who had visited the villages, which had provided the scene for the April Uprising. He made a list of the damages and victims and organized a campaign for supporting those in need.

With the liberation of the Bulgarians in 1878 and the formation of the new Bulgarian state, a new phase in the history of Bulgarian Protestants (Congregationalists and Methodists) set in. New points were reached in their role of development of the society and religious life of Bulgarians. When the liberation came it found a relatively small Protestant community in the country, but one that was sufficiently consolidated and prepared through its experience for the new challenges lying ahead.

The solid ground on which the Bulgarian Protestants were standing allowed them to increase the number of their church members and expand the representation of the Protestant Evangelical Churches. The Baptists already had their own churches and later on the Pentecostal Church established a presence among believers in the country. Around 1926 there were approximately 68 Protestant churches. Sunday Schools were established in some of the larger ones among them. The Lovech High School for Girls and the American College in Sofia appeared as successors to the Protestant schools that were in existence during the time of the Bulgarian national revival.

The tradition of publishing periodical literature was actively continued. Practically all of the larger Evangelical Protestant churches had a magazine of their own. “Zornitsa” continued to be published although not with its previous success and popularity. Some of the other popular periodicals were “Hristijanski Svyat” (Christian World), “Evangelist” (Evangelical), “Petdesetni vesti” (Pentecostal News) and “Blagovestitel” (Evangelist). Although most of the publications were narrowly directed toward evangelical readers, their moral contents were generally relevant and as a result they engaged the wider public interest. A good example of that was the magazine “Vuzdurzhatel” (Abstainer), which appealed to the spirit of the newly emerging 1930’s strong temperance movement all over Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Protestants played an active and sometimes leading role in that movement. There was also evidence for development in the organized life of Protestants. An Alliance of Evangelical Churches was established, in which the efforts of the Congregational, Methodist, Baptist and Pentecostal Churches were joined for activities and the obtaining of rights. In 1928 the Union of Evangelical Pentecostal Churches was founded, and there were regular General Assemblies. Through those efforts Bulgarian Protestants managed to establish their own representative bodies before the central and local authorities, with whom they occasionally established contact concerning various issues. The unity among the Bulgarian Evangelical Churches was remarkable and continues until today.

One of the significant contributions of Bulgarian Protestants toward the moral growth of the Bulgarian society was their work among various minorities. In this respect there has been success in the evangelization of Bulgarian gypsies. Due to the efforts of Bulgarian Protestants from the Union of Bulgarian Evangelical Baptist Churches and with the initial assistance of the English and American Bible Societies were published the first New Testament volumes in the Roma language.  

Bulgarian Protestants During the Period of Totalitarianism (1944-1989) 

The next phase in the history of the Bulgarian Protestant Evangelical movement is connected to the period of the communist regime in Bulgaria. The beginning of that phase was cruel and tragic. The trials against Bulgarian Protestant pastors (1949) ended up with death sentences and various prison terms. That was the beginning of a period of prolonged mental cruelty and pressure on believers. All kinds of Church Sunday Schools were banned. Prohibited were any publishing activities and the distribution of periodicals and Bibles. The State Security agency and the Ministry of Interior Affairs carefully watched the lives and activities of pastors and believers. Nevertheless, some churches secretly and with great risk managed to publish illegal publications as well as bring into the country religious literature with much risk to its members. Much effort was put into not letting evangelical believers slip into being conformers to the policies of the communist government. The work with young people within the churches continued in the form of small groups. Relationships with foreign Evangelical denominations were also maintained and news of the condition of religious rights in Bulgaria were being shared. Notwithstanding the extremely difficult situation that evangelical churches were put in they continued to increase and by the end of 1989 had multiplied several times above their number in 1944.

Post-Totalitarian Period

After the fall of the communist regime a new phase began in the lives of the Bulgarian Protestants. One of the most important outcomes was the increase in the numbers of believers in the Protestant churches – churches that had already come to be recognized as traditional within Bulgarian society. There was also the resurgence of some churches whose activities had diminished during the period of persecution. Sunday schools were restored and most of the aforementioned periodicals as well. There was much publishing work going on, not only of periodicals, but also studies of Bulgarian Protestantism undertaken both by Protestant leaders and by professional academic researchers.

The well-developed foundations of Bulgarian education dating back to the period of the Bulgarian national revival in the 18th and 19th centuries allowed Bulgarian Evangelicals to make significant progress after the political changes of the 1990s. This established tradition of education became the foundation of the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute (BETI), which was founded by resolution from the Council of Ministers in April 1999. The establishment of BETI was the result of a cooperative effort between the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church in Bulgaria, the National Alliance of United Churches of God, the Union of Evangelical Pentecostal Churches, the Bulgarian Church of God, the Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches and the Union of Evangelical Congregational Churches in Bulgaria. BETI was established with the objective of providing bachelors and masters level programs in theology for the training of ministers for the Protestant denominations. These programs are designed to integrate the latest achievements in theology, philosophy, history, pedagogy, sociology and psychology. The subjects offered have an interdisciplinary character and serve to combine contemporary teaching methods and techniques while at the same time maintaining an open atmosphere which respects various religions. They aid in developing the identity of the students on the basis of Christian values through the study of the Bible, its history and interpretation, and through an introduction to the history of the church and various movements, as well as to Christian culture in general. There is increasing cooperation with other Bulgarian universities as Bulgarian teachers within BETI are invited to offer lectures at other institutions of higher learning.

The Protestant community in Bulgaria, during the period after the fall of communism and the ensuing hard economic and social crisis, created ways to support the socially struggling members of society, especially in the larger cites and in the capital Sofia, through so-called social kitchens. These were available to anyone regardless of their religious affiliation. In the period 1991-1996 the Protestant churches organized campaigns for bringing in lifesaving medical supplies and equipment for various hospital units and clinics within the country. In addition.

Protestants have shown much care for the socially marginalized during the transition period, especially the Bulgarian gypsies. Various initiatives led to the establishment of literacy programs and preparation of textbooks. This contribution to the integration of Roma groups within civil society has been noted by different governmental institutions. It is only one part of the efforts of Bulgarian Protestants to maintain ethnic and civil peace within the country.

As part of the process of adaptation to the new environment the Evangelical Protestant churches of Bulgaria have played an active role in many public initiatives:

·        Participation of a Protestant representative in the opening of the “Great Parliament” in Veliko Turnovo (10 July 1990).

·        Participation in parliament commissions in relation to discussing religious bills and provision of written position papers.

·        Participation in national celebrations and festivities.

·        Being granted the right to public address on national TV during Christian holidays.

·        Beginning of an initiative for the supremacy of law.

·       Establishment of professional civil associations by lawyers and legal organizations, medical professionals, journalists, military personnel, etc. These organizations are dedicated to the study and protection of human and religious rights, as well as training in the spirit of democratic civil society.

·        Establishment of organizations for social aid and for working with orphans and those with various disabilities.

·        Publication of a non-denominational Evangelical newspaper (“Evangelski Vestnik”) in addition to many other Christian periodicals.

·        Support for the Bulgarian government’s policy toward joining the democratic European Community and NATO. (Participation in the religious representatives’ delegation was formed by the Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, Protestant and Muslim communities under the initiative of NATO in Brussels and including a meeting with NATO representatives and a dedication  ceremony for the Bulgarian office in Brussels.)

·        Opinions and positions expressed concerning public and moral issues.

·        Active horizontal work among Christian women, young adults and teenagers through seminars, conferences and camps.

·        Continuation of the long-standing tradition of publishing, not only of Bibles, but also of numerous pieces of literature with beneficial moral content.