Stephen Tong

Stephen Tong (, born on 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.

Early life 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 and 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 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.

From 2000 until 2019, 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.

Reformed Evangelical Church of Indonesia

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 The Consistory Board, and has handed over the Head of Synod position to his peer, Rev. Antonius Un. Although the church subscribes to the Reformed confessions, it also has its own 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 the 21st Century in Washington DC. Its purpose was "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". The institute was renamed to the Reformed Institute of North America (RINA) in 2007, with locations throughout the United States and Canada. However, RINA appears to have ceased operations around the end of 2017. The original website is no longer accessible, a link to an updated version lacks any updates after 2017, and information about its current status is unknown.

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.

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.

Music and arts 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.

Personal life Tong married Sulfie Lalujawati in 1971. They live in Jakarta, Indonesia. They have one son and three daughters. Their son, David Tong, is a pastor in GRII. He served in the United States and then pastored GRII Karawaci, Tangerang from 2019 to 2023. Currently, David serves as the Rector of Calvin Institute of Technology. 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.

Honors and awards In 1985, Tong was awarded an honorary Doctor of Leadership in Christian Evangelism (DLCE) degree from the La Madrid International Academy of Leadership in Manila, Philippines

In 2007, STEMI published the book God's Fiery Challenge for Our Time: Festschrift in Honor of Stephen Tong, the Founder and the Master Planner of Reformed Evangelical Movement: 50 Year Preaching the Word of God to regard him as "the True Evangelist of this Age" .

In May 2008, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree from the Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

In 2011, Westminster Theological Seminary created an endowment for the Stephen Tong Chair of Reformed Theology. The professorship was given to Jeffry K. Jue, an associate professor in church history.

In 2025, Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary awarded him The Kuyper Prize, an annual award named after Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper, which is given to a scholar or community leader whose outstanding contribution to their chosen sphere reflects the ideas and values characteristic of the Neo-Calvinist vision of religious engagement in matters of social, political, and cultural significance in one or more of the ‘spheres’ of society.