Protestantism in Albania

Evangelical Protestantism in Albania
Abbreviation	VUSH
Classification	Evangelical Protestantism
Theology	Biblicist
Governance	Autonomous independent churches and organizations, but voluntarily cooperative
Distinct fellowships	Baptist, Brethren, Assemblies of God, non-denominational groups, etc.
Associations	Various regional associations
Region	Albania, with partnerships in Kosovo and other Albanian regions
Founder	Gjerasim Qiriazi[1]
Origin	1890 Manastir (present-day Bitola, Macedonia) (later in Korça, Albania)
Congregations	approx. 200
Members	approx. 16000
Other name(s)	Albanian Evangelical Churches

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Evangelical Protestantism is one of five officially recognized faiths in Albania.^[2] It is a Christian faith that views Jesus Christ as its founder and head, and the Bible (especially the New Testament) as its written authority.

The US International Religious Freedom Report of 2022 noted that 38% of the population (just over a million people) have a Christian background.^[3] There are 95 Christian groups in the country, 174 of which are evangelical. The number of Evangelical Protestants in Albania has risen from approximately 8000 in 1998,^[4] to approximately 14,000 in the early 2020s.^[5] However, in the 2011 census, 70% of respondents refused to declare belief in any of the listed faiths.^[6]

Unlike other official religions in Albania, Evangelical Protestants are not organized under a hierarchy with an official head, but operate autonomously in separate churches or organizations bearing different denominational or non-denominational names. Most, but not all Evangelical/Protestant groups are members of the Albania's Evangelical Brotherhood (VUSH), a cooperative organization which views itself as existing as "an instrument of blessing … with the purpose of promoting unity amongst the churches, representing every local church with dignity, and promoting evangelism."^[7]

Protestant denominations include Baptist, Lutheran and Anglican.^[8][9][10]