The LWF communion in Africa includes 31 member churches in 23 countries, with a combined membership of 19.2 million at the end of 2010. Six churches have a membership over 500,000 and ten churches have fewer than 25,000 members.
One of the major tasks of churches in Africa is deepening communion and collaboration among churches across artificial colonial borders.
Communion in Africa
The cultural understanding of life as community and family strengthens the Lutheran communion in Africa, which finds expression in several ways.
Notable is the formation of the All Africa Lutheran Conference in 1955, and more recently the three sub-regional expressions:
- Lutheran Communion in Central and Eastern Africa (LUCCEA)
- Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA)
- Lutheran Communion in Western Africa (LUCWA)
These sub-regional set-ups bring the member churches closer together and serve as forums for mutual understanding, trust, and inter-dependence. Member churches are willing to listen to and learn from one another to sharpen each other’s understanding of life, faith, mission and ministry. The regional and sub-regional expressions also enhance ecumenical understanding with other Christian denominations, for example through participation in the All Africa Conference of Churches.
In 2002, the representatives of Lutheran churches in Africa committed themselves to the establishment of a Lutheran Council in Africa. Through such a council, the Lutheran communion hopes to contribute to the ecumenical movement in Africa, enhance Christian unity, mediate in conflict situations, facilitate communication and address common concerns.
The future of the Lutheran communion in Africa is very promising.
LWF Regions | LUCCEA | LUCSA | LUCWA | Member Church Directory
