The number of Protestant Armenians, including men, women and children, now separated from their former churches, was about one thousand. Nearly three thousand more were known to entertain Protestant sentiments, though still retaining a loose connection with their former churches. Those who were more or less awakened to a knowledge of their errors, and secretly desired the progress of the reformation, must have amounted to several thousands more; but of these no accurate estimate could be made.
The six churches formed previous to May, 1848, were as yet small, the whole number of members being only one hundred and sixty-six. Ninety-nine were at Constantinople, twenty-six at Nicomedia, twelve at Adabazar, sixteen at Trebizond, five at Erzroom, and eight at Aintab. But neither the number of church members, nor the size of the congregations, nor the number of those who came to the missionaries for religious conversation, told the whole story. There was a deep movement going on in the Armenian community itself, which might be expected to produce great changes in the whole body. In some of the churches there were contentions, occasioned chiefly by their inexperience in self-government, and their ignorance of the proper modes of acting under their new circumstances. In Trebizond, it became necessary to separate two of the church members by a formal vote of excision. But this event, though exceedingly trying to the infant community, as well as to the missionaries at the station, was overruled for good. By the divine blessing on such experiences, the self-governing power usually gains strength.
Baron Simon was ordained pastor of the bereaved church in Constantinople, in place of his brother. Baron Haritûn Manasian was ordained pastor of the churches in Nicomedia and Adabazar, and was to spend one fourth of his time in the latter place. Both were from the seminary at Bebek.
During the year ending May, 1848, the seminary containing forty-seven scholars, and the school for girls containing twenty-three, were both favored with what may be called a revival, which added several from each of them to the church; and there was a similar awakening in both institutions in the following year. The work of the Holy Spirit was distinctly traceable also at Aintab, Aleppo, Killis, Arabkir, and other places in the interior. The houses of worship in Pera, and in the city proper, were crowded on the Sabbath, and nearly every week new persons were present.