The Lutheran Church of Central Africa or LCCA is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

denomination of the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

tradition based in the African countries of

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

and

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

. Currently (2004), it consists of over 40,000

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

members in 200 congregations spread throughout both countries. The LCCA maintains the Lutheran Seminary for the training of ministers, in

Lusaka Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...

, the capital of

, and the Lutheran Bible Institute, a pre-seminary pastoral training school based in

Lilongwe Lilongwe (, , ) is the capital and most populated city of the African country of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020 that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in th ...

Structure

Government

Technically, the two members of the LCCA, the ''Lutheran Church of Central Africa - Malawi Conference'' (LCCA-MC) and the ''Lutheran Church of Central Africa - Zambia Conference'' (LCCA-ZC) are both members of the overarching

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

known as the Lutheran Church of Central Africa. In practice, due to political borders, both conferences operate independently of one another, their only true link being in the sharing of pastoral training facilities in

and

. The LCCA-MC and LCCA-ZC are led by a president and a chairman, respectively, both elected for four year terms in bienual conventions within their own conferences. Synodical conventions are intended to be held regularly, but often are not, due to political borders.

Educational institutions

The LCCA runs two facilities for the training of clergy. The first is the ''Lutheran Bible Institute'', located in

. It is intended as a three-year pre-seminary school and serves students from both of the LCCA's conferences. The second facility is the ''Lutheran Seminary'' located in

. The ''Lutheran Seminary'' is a three-year seminary for the training of clergy for the LCCA and trains students from both of the LCCA's conferences. Following training at the ''Lutheran Seminary'' students typically serve a one-year vicarship after which they are ordained as clergy.

Other institutions

The LCCA maintains ''The Lutheran Press'' on the campus of the Lutheran Seminary, in

and at the ''Lutheran Bible Institute'' in Lilongwe. The Lutheran Press publishes and prints various religious materials for use by the LCCA. Among Lutheran Press publications are various local language hymnals, educational materials and an occasional newsletter.

History

The Lutheran Church of Central Africa was established by

missionaries from the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee ...

. First exploratory mission work began in the 1949 (with the first resident missionaries arriving in 1953) in the British colony of

Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in southern Africa, south central Africa, now the independent country of Zambia. It was formed in 1911 by Amalgamation (politics), amalgamating the two earlier protectorates of Barotziland-North-West ...

(later to become the country of

). In 1955, an official denomination, named the ''Rhodesian Lutheran Church Conference'' was organized. In 1962, the ''Rhodesian Lutheran Church Conference'' was reorganized and became ''The Lutheran Church of Central Africa''. Exploratory mission work in the neighboring country of Malawi after 1962 led to the foundation of the Malawi Conference of the LCCA. The LCCA is currently involved in mission work in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, with the eventual goal of setting up a sister church there.

Beliefs

The LCCA teaches that the Bible is the only authoritative source for doctrine. It subscribes to the Lutheran Confessions (the

Book of Concord ''The Book of Concord'' (1580) or ''Concordia'' (often referred to as the ''Lutheran Confessions'') is the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, consisting of ten credal documents recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since t ...

, 1580) as accurate presentations of what Scripture teaches. It teaches that

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

is the center of Scripture and the only way to eternal salvation, and that the Holy Spirit uses the gospel alone in Word and Sacraments (

Baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

and

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

) to bring people to faith in Jesus as Savior and keep them in that faith, strengthening them in their daily life of sanctification. Doctrinally, both conferences of the LCCA are in union.

Ecumenical relations

Fellowship relations between the LCCA and other church groups are established only upon investigation and confirmation that both church groups hold complete unity in scriptural doctrine and practice. The LCCA is closely associated with the

. It is also a member of the

Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) is an international fellowship of 34 Confessional Lutheran church bodies. The CELC was founded in 1993 in Oberwesel, Germany with an initial thirteen church bodies. Plenary sessions are hel ...

(CELC),Who we are - Membership
/ref> a worldwide organization of confessional

church bodies.

References

External links

LCCA-MC information page from the CELC websiteLCCA-ZC information page from the CELC websiteHistorical Timeline of the Zambia Conference of the LCCA (from the WELS website)Historical Timeline of the Malawi Conference of the LCCA (from the WELS website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lutheran Church Of Central Africa Lutheranism in Africa Evangelicalism in Africa Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference members Protestantism in Malawi Protestantism in Zambia