THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROTESTANT CHURCH OF MALUKU YOUTH ORGANIZATION, SION WATMASA BRANCH, 1967–2001

Abstract

This local historical study reconstructs the establishment and development of the Protestant Church of Maluku Youth Organization (AMGPM), Sion Watmasa Branch, from 1967 to 2001, focusing on membership, institutional structure, activities, and organizational challenges. The study employs historical methods comprising heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The underlying manuscript reports the use of written documents, observations, and interviews, although it does not specify an archive inventory or interviewee details. The findings indicate that the branch was established on 15 July 1967 with 23 members. Membership reached 206 in 1997–1998, while organizational divisions for unity, organization, and finance and economics were introduced in 1981–1982. Activities expanded from religious gatherings to organizational learning, social services, and collective fundraising. Internal disagreements in 1985–1988 and the Maluku unrest in 1999–2000 coincided with disruptions in activities. The continuation of core services and organizational meetings through 2001 suggests institutional resilience, although the available evidence is insufficient for causal claims about educational or economic outcomes.