Members of the Beth-El Tabernacle Church of Christ Alpha Omega Congregation (GBT KAO) in Semarang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia, have claimed that various parties obstructed their efforts to build a church building.

On July 15, they reported the leader of Leyangan Village in East Ungaran District and the Semarang Regency Government to the National Human Rights Commission over the issue.

Efforts to build the church began in 2018, when the church construction committee conducted outreach and sought residents’ approval. As the church was located within the 014 Neighborhood Association (RW 014), the committee requested signatures and photocopies of ID cards from residents of RW 014 in Leyangan Village as a sign of support.

By November 2020, the committee had obtained signatures and photocopies of ID cards from 60 residents near the church construction site, as well as 90 signatures and photocopies of ID cards from residents who used the place of worship.

The pastor and leader of the GBT KAO Leyangan construction committee, Paulus Subarto, stated that the church’s construction committee had met the administrative requirements stipulated in Joint Regulations of the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Minister of Home Affairs Number 9 and Number 8 of 2006.

He stated that the committee collected signatures from more than 300 congregants with Leyangan Village ID cards and about 130 signatures of support from residents.

“We have met the requirements,” Subarto said at a press conference for the Central Java Freedom of Religion and Belief Advocacy Network (KBB) at the Semarang Legal Aid Institute (LBH) office on July 15. “The support from residents is more than sufficient, and the congregation has also met the requirements.”

Start and Stop

Subarto said that church construction began in 2020 with the foundation and pillars. However, in January 2021, the village government requested that the construction process be halted because the permit had not yet been issued.

He stated that the church had submitted a recommendation request to the FKUB (Religious Affairs Forum) and the Semarang Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs in May 2023, but no decision has been made.

Subarto explained that based on Joint Ministerial Regulations Number 9 and Number 8 of 2006, regional leaders have a maximum of 90 days to issue a decision on an application to establish a house of worship after the requirements have been met.

Due to uncertainty, the advocacy team ultimately brought the matter to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). They had also reported alleged maladministration in the permit process to the Central Java Ombudsman in March 2025.

In this report, the advocacy team requested that Komnas HAM investigate the alleged violation of the right to religious freedom, protect the congregation, and urge the Semarang Regency Government to provide legal certainty regarding the construction of the GBT KAO Leyangan Church.

For the advocacy team, this issue is not simply a matter of building permits but also concerns the assurance of citizens’ rights to worship according to their beliefs.

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