Presbyterian Church in Uganda is a conservative Reformed

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

ic denomination in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

with almost 100 churches in 5 presbyteries in the late 2000s.

Origin

The

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Church in Uganda was founded in the 1970s by the Ugandan pastor Keefa Sempangi, who had pastored that time a large Pentecostal church in Kampala, the Redeemed Church, he was a member of the Parliament in that time. In 1973 Kefa Sempangi had to emigrate, because of the persecution of Idi Amin, he ended in the Netherlands, where he had been introduced the Reformed faith. Keefa had to emigrate from Uganda because persecution and fled to the Netherlands where he was introduced the Reformed faith and later he was invited to study in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, become a student of the

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He returned home in 1979 with help of American missionaries began to start the

church. The first church was organised in that year in

Kampala, Uganda Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, this was the First Presbyterian Church in Kampala, Uganda. The church organised Westminster Theological Seminary in Uganda to train and equip national pastors. A split occurred in the church in 1989 when the

Reformed Presbyterian Church in Uganda The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Uganda is an indigenous confessional Reformed and Presbyterian denomination in Uganda. It was separated from the Presbyterian Church in Uganda. In 1989 controversy arose over a case of church discipline. Attemp ...

was formed. The PCU founding congregations across

, the number of churches and members are growing rapidly. The church is a member of the

World Reformed Fellowship The World Reformed Fellowship (WRF) is an ecumenical Christian organization which promotes unity between confessional Calvinist churches around the world. History The World Fellowship of Reformed Churches was formed in 1994 by the Presbyterian ...

. there are mission projects in Central Uganda, and all over the country. The

Orthodox Presbyterian Church The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) is a confessional Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States, with additional congregations in Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyter ...

(USA) begun work in Mbale, Uganda since 1995, and later the mission moved to

Karamoja Karamoja sub-region, commonly known as Karamoja, is a region in Uganda. It covers an area of 27,528km and comprises Kotido District, Kaabong District, Karenga District, Nabilatuk District Abim District, Moroto District, Napak District, Amuda ...

. The Orthodox Presbyterian Churches in Mbele holds provisional membership in the PCU, but they are full incorporated as Mbale Presbytery.

Structure

The church has

government. In the local level there is the congregation with teaching elders, ruling elders and deacons, the presbytery is the middle governing body, currently there are Semuliki Presbytery,

Kapchorwa Kapchorwa is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, commercial, and administrative center of Kapchorwa District. Initially the present day Kapchorwa was known as the Sebei Region. Location The town of Kapchorwa is loca ...

presbytery,

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The distance from Gulu to Kampala, Uganda's capital and larg ...

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, Central,

Mbale Mbale is a city in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region. Location Mbale is approximately , by road, northeast of Kampala, Uganda's capita ...

presbyteries and

Rwenzori The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches , and the range ...

and Eastern presbyteries are in dialogue to integrate into the Presbyterian Church in Uganda. The

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

is the highest level of

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

. The church maintains its headquarters in

Theology

The Presbyterian Church in Uganda is theologically Reformed church, that subscribes the historic creeds: * Apostles Creed *

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" ...

Westminster Shorter Catechism The Westminster Shorter Catechism is a catechism written in 1646 and 1647 by the Westminster Assembly, a synod of English and Scottish theologians and laymen intended to bring the Church of England into greater conformity with the Church of Sco ...

Westminster Larger Catechism The Westminster Larger Catechism, along with the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is a central catechism of Calvinists in the English tradition throughout the world. History In 1643 when the Long Parliament of England called the Westminster As ...

Reformed theology is *Universal *Evangelical *God is Sovereign God is initiates the Covenant of Grace

Five Points of Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...

Total depravity Total depravity (also called radical corruption or pervasive depravity) is a Protestant theological doctrine derived from the concept of original sin. It teaches that, as a consequence of man's fall, every person born into the world is enslav ...

* Unconditional election * Particular atonement *

Irresistible grace Irresistible grace (also called effectual grace, effectual calling, or efficacious grace) is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, which teaches that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those w ...

* Preserverance of the saints

Solas of the Reformation

Sola Scriptura , meaning by scripture alone, is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of aut ...

Sola Fide ''Justificatio sola fide'' (or simply ''sola fide''), meaning justification by faith alone, is a soteriological doctrine in Christian theology commonly held to distinguish the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, among others, fr ...

* Soli Deo Gloria *

Sola Gratia ''Sola gratia'', meaning by grace alone, is one of the five ''solae'' and consists in the belief that salvation comes by divine grace or "unmerited favor" only, not as something earned or deserved by the sinner. It is a Christian theologica ...

Solus Christus ''Solus Christus'' or ''In Christo solo'' (Latin in + ablative, sōlō Christō, meaning "in Christ alone") is one of the five solae that summarize the Protestant Reformers' basic belief that salvation is by faith ''in Christ alone''. Doctrine ...

Education and seminary

Westminster Theological seminary and College begun in 1996 in the worship center of First Presbyterian Church in Kampala. First students were Ugandan. Classes begun in Zana in 1998. Student number grew rapidly. Students from Sudan begun to come in 1999. New facilities were built A seminary was founded in 2007. The Seminary is the official theological institution of the Presbyterian Church in Uganda. It is located now in Kampala, Uganda.

Relationship with other Reformed churches

The Presbyterian Church in Uganda has fraternal relations with the

Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)) are an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed ...

through the Reformed Mission Utrecht. and the

Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...

through the

Mission to the World Mission to the World (MTW) is the mission-sending agency for the Presbyterian Church in America. This evangelical Christian organization believes in advancing the Great Commission by promoting Reformed and covenantal church planting movements u ...

References

External links

*Official websit
Presbyterian Church in UgandaWestminster Theological Seminary websiteThe First Presbyterian Church in Kampala, UgandaZana Community Presbyterian Church
{{Christianity in Uganda Presbyterian denominations in Africa Presbyterianism in Uganda Members of the World Reformed Fellowship