ABSTRACT
The earliest Protestant presence in the East Indies was marked by the arrival of merchants affiliated with the Dutch East India Company, that primarily ventured to the East Indies, Formosa, and Ceylon. Established in 1602, this trading company’s main focus was on commerce rather than matters of faith and mission. Nevertheless, a significant majority of these merchants were Protestants, and maintaining their churches in distant trading outposts held importance. The presence of a minister or a care-taker of the sick on ships sailing to and from these remote regions provided crucial support during perilous voyages on which illnesses and fatalities among the crew were common.
