[2] Its adherents comprise about 86% of the 11,500 inhabitants of the archipelago,[3] and theologically it is part of the Reformed tradition.
[4] Christianity first came to Tuvalu in 1861 when Elekana, a deacon of a Congregational church in Manihiki, Cook Islands became caught in a storm and drifted for eight weeks before landing at Nukulaelae.
He was trained at Malua Theological College, a London Missionary Society school in Samoa, before beginning his work in establishing the Church of Tuvalu.
[5][7] In 1969, the EKT acquired its independence from the LMS, since which time it has sent some missionaries to serve Tuvaluan migrants in Fiji, New Zealand, Hawaii, Australia, and the Marshall Islands.
[8] The second largest religious group in Tuvalu is the Brethren Church whose followers make up 3% of the population.