Christians and churches in Indonesia often face persecution through the denial of building permits. The Indonesian Constitution technically guarantees legal protections for minority religions such as Christianity, but local governments frequently make it difficult for churches to obtain building permits and church closures are common. 

Indonesia is a majority-Muslim country, and communities where Christians want to build churches are often not receptive to Christianity. Residents can lobby local governments to revoke the building permit or to refuse to grant it.  

The church in East Jakarta is facing many of these barriers. The congregation purchased the church building in 2008 and immediately set about getting a permit to operate. Congregants lobbied the local government unsuccessfully for years, only obtaining an official permit to operate as a church in 2018. 

Source: persecution.org