The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon (EELC) (french: L’Eglise Evangélique Luthérienne au Cameroun) is a

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 ...

denomination in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. The EELC was registered as a religious body in Cameroon in 1965 and currently has approximately 253,000 members in 1,300 congregations nationwide. The current

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the EELC is the Rev Dr Ruben Ngozo.

History

The EELC traces its beginnings from the work of independent American mission known as the Sudan Mission led by Adolphus Gunderson and the

Norwegian Missionary Society The Norwegian Missionary Society or the Norwegian Mission Society ( no, Det Norske Misjonsselskap, NMS) is the first and oldest missionary organization in Norway. It was started by a group of approximately 180 Stavanger residents in August 1842, ...

(NMS) led by Jens Nikolaisen in the 1920s. The Sudan Mission established itself among the

Gbaya people The Gbaya, also Gbeya or Baya, are a people of western region of Central African Republic, east-central Cameroon, the north of the Republic of Congo, and the northwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the first half of the 20th century, the ...

while the NMS worked among the Mbum people in the

Adamawa Region The Adamawa Region (french: Région de l'Adamaoua) is a constituent region of the Republic of Cameroon. It borders the Centre and East regions to the south, the Northwest and West regions to the southwest, Nigeria to the west, the Central Afr ...

in 1923 and 1925 respectively. In 1925, both the Sudan Mission and the NMS cooperated in their mission and a hospital was established in

Ngaoundéré Ngaoundéré, or N'Gaoundéré (Fula: N'gamdere 𞤲'𞤺𞤢𞤥𞤣𞤫𞥅𞤪𞤫𞥅) is the capital of the Adamawa Region of Cameroon. It had a population of 152,700 at the 2005 census. According to the film ''Les Mairuuwas – Maitre de l'e ...

while a seminary was established in

Meiganga Meiganga (Fula: Meiganga 𞤥𞤫𞤭𞤺𞤢𞤲𞤺𞤢) is a town in the Adamawa Province of Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a co ...

. With a framework of collaboration firmly established, discussions were initiated in 1950 for the establishment of a national church in Cameroon. In 1960, an agreement was reached and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon and the Central African Republic french: Eglise Evangélique Luthérienne du Cameroun et de la République Centrafricaine) was established. In 1965, the Church was registered as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon and in 1973, the

Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

formally separated as an independent national church.

Structure

The EELC comprises congregations, districts, parishes and 10 episcopal regions. The overall coordination of the EELC is conducted by the Executive Board (french: Le bureau exécutif) convened by the Bishop. The Executive Board comprises the Bishop, the Assistant Bishop, the Secretary General, the Financial Controller, and the Coordinators of the three National Departments; Evangelisation and Mission, Christian Education, Communications, and Diaconal Services. The highest decision making body is the General Synod of the EELC, composed of delegates from the various congregations. The General Synod elects a Synodal Council which is led by a lay President.

Presidents of the EELC

* 1960-1963 : Rev Andersen * 1963-1977 : Rev Paul Darman * 1967-1977 : Rev Joseph Medoukan * 1977-1985 : Rev Paul Darman * 1985-1997 : Rev Songsare Amtse Pierre * 1997-2000 : Rev Philemon Barya * 2000–September 2009 : Rev Dr Thomas Nyiwe

Bishops of the EELC

* 2009 - 2013 : Rev Dr Thomas Nyiwe * 2013 - :Rev Dr Ruben Ngozo

Medical work

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon has been active through much of the twentieth century and has been responsible for collaborating with other institutions to pursue development in Cameroon. One such program in which the church is involved is the

Protestant Hospital of Ngaoundéré The Protestant Hospital of Ngaoundéré is a Protestant hospital in N'Gaoundere, Cameroon. Founded by Norwegian missionaries of the Norwegian Missionary Society in 1925, and partly funded by a wealthy American donator in Cameroon and the Evangel ...

that was set up in the 1950s. The Health Department of the EELC, (french: Oeuvre de Santé de l’Eglise Evangélique Luthérienne au Cameroun) or OSEELC, is a large and vibrant ministry operating three large hospitals and fifteen health centres. The three hospitals operated by the EELC are: *

* Protestant Hospital of Garoua-Boulaï * Protestant Hospital of Ngaoubela

Bible school and seminaries

The ELCC trains pastors, catechists and evangelists in Meiganga's Lutheran Theology Institute. Bible school are found in Tchollire,

Garoua-Boulaï Garoua-Boulaï (or Garoua-Boulay) is a town and commune in Cameroon. The town is on the border with the Central African Republic. Across the border, the nearest CAR settlement accessible by road is Baboua. Refugees In 2014, the town was severe ...

Meng Meng may refer to: * Meng (surname) (孟), a Chinese surname * Master of Engineering (MEng or M.Eng.), an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering * , "M with hook", letter used in the International Phonetic Alphabet * ...

and

Poli __NOTOC__ Poli can refer to: Food * ''Puran Poli'', a poli made up of wheat flour and puran (sweet cooked gram paste) * A Marathi name for ''chapati'', a bread made up of wheat flour Organisations * FC Timişoara Romanian first league football c ...

Affiliations

The EELC participates actively in

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

work through its affiliation with: *

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; german: Lutherischer Weltbund) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish ...

Lutheran Communion in Western Africa 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 ...

Council of Protestant Churches in Cameroon - CEPCA A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

Federation of Evangelical Churches and Missions in Cameroon A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governi ...

Joint Christian Ministry in West Africa A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...

References

External links

Official site
{{Lutheran World Federation Churches Churches in Cameroon Lutheranism in Africa Lutheran World Federation members