The Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA, st, Kereke ea Evangeli Lesotho e Boroa ho Afrika) is one of the oldest Protestant churches in Africa, established in 1833 by the

Paris Evangelical Missionary Society The Paris Evangelical Missionary Society (in French, ''Société des missions évangéliques de Paris''), also known as the ''SMEP'' or ''Mission de Paris'', was a Protestant missionary association created in 1822. As with other Christian societie ...

. They received the support of the local king, and under its protection the church developed. The first mission station was in Morija. In 1868 Lesotho became a British protectorate. In 1898 a Synod was opened, while in 1964 the church gained independence. The Lesotho Evangelical Church has 340,500 members, 112 parishes and hundred house fellowships. The church affirms the Apostles Creed and Heidelberg Catechism. The church is

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 ...

in church government, with sessions,

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

and Presbyteries and 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 ...

. Official languages are

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Sesotho Sotho () or Sesotho () or Southern Sotho is a Southern Bantu language of the Sotho–Tswana ("S.30") group, spoken primarily by the Basotho in Lesotho, where it is the national and official language; South Africa (particularly the Free ...

. It is a member of the

World Communion of Reformed Churches The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Calvinist churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations in 108 countries, together claiming an estimated 80 million people, thus being the fourth-largest Chris ...

and the

All Africa Conference of Churches All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC, or CETA) is an ecumenical fellowship that represents more than 200 million African Christians in 204 national churches and regional Christian councils in 43 African Countries. AACC's head office is in ...

References

External links

* Reformed denominations in Africa Churches in Lesotho Members of the World Communion of Reformed Churches Religious organizations established in 1833 1833 establishments in Africa All Africa Conference of Churches {{Christian-denomination-stub