Diocese of Lake Malawi

Last updated
Diocese of Lake Malawi
Location
Country Malawi
Ecclesiastical province Central Africa
Statistics
Parishes57
Schools100
Information
Rite Anglican
Established1971
CathedralAll Saints Cathedral, Nkhotakota
Secular priests 64
Current leadership
Bishop Daniel Kalonga
DeanPetros Mzokomera
Map
Diocese of Lake Malawi locator map.png
Location of the diocese within Malawi
Website
anglicandioceseoflakemalawi.org

The Diocese of Lake Malawi is a diocese of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa. One of the church's four dioceses in Malawi, it was formed in 1971 when the Diocese of Malawi split into the Diocese of Southern Malawi and the Diocese of Lake Malawi. Today it covers the central part of the country, including the capital Lilongwe, and its see city is Nkhotakota.

Contents

History

Anglicanism in Malawi dates back to the 19th century and the missionary activity of David Livingstone and the Universities' Mission to Central Africa. It took organizational form in 1892, when the first bishop of Nyasaland was appointed with his see on Likoma Island, where St Peter's Cathedral was completed in 1911. Over the course of the 20th century, the diocese's territory narrowed to the boundaries of present-day Malawi. In 1971, the diocese was divided between the Diocese of Lake Malawi (based at Likoma) and the Diocese of Southern Malawi. [1] [2]

Josiah Mtekateka, who had become the first indigenous Malawian Anglican bishop when he was made suffragan bishop of Malawi in 1965, became the first diocesan bishop of Lake Malawi. Mtekateka was succeeded by Peter Nyanja in 1978, and under Mtekateka and Nyanja's indigenous Malawian leadership the diocese became more representative. Synods began to conduct business in Chewa, lay participation and women's participation in governance rose, and worship began to include locally composed hymns set to Malawian tunes. [3]

In 1995, the Diocese of Northern Malawi was created out of the Diocese of Lake Malawi. St Peter's Cathedral on Likoma became the cathedral of the northern diocese, while All Saints Church in Nkhotakota was designated the new cathedral for the continuing diocese. [4] : 89 

In 2005, the diocese became a flashpoint in conflicts over homosexuality in the Anglican Communion. The diocese elected Nicholas Henderson, a British priest, as its bishop, but other bishops within the Church of the Province of Central Africa objected due to Henderson's leadership in Modern Church, a liberal Christian theological society, and his support for LGBT rights. [5] The province appointed Bishop of Lusaka Jameson Mwenda to fill the role; however, Henderson's supporters in the diocese challenged the appointment of Mwenda in court. In 2006, the Lilongwe High Court ruled that Mwenda was the rightful spiritual authority of the diocese. [6]

In 2014, under Bishop Francis Kaulanda, the diocese founded Lake Malawi Anglican University in Malawi. [7]

Bishops

No.NameDatesNotes
1 Josiah Mtekateka 1971–1978Previously suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Malawi
2 Peter Nyanja 1978–2005
3 Jameson Mwenda 2005–2009Translated from Lusaka
4 Francis Kaulanda 2010–2024
5 Daniel Kalonga Since 2025

Companion diocese and partnerships

Flag of England.svg The Diocese of Birmingham in the Church of England [8]

References

  1. ↑ Brough, Beryl (1999). "THE ROLE OF THE U.M.C.A. IN 19TH CENTURY MALAWI". The Society of Malawi Journal. 52 (1): 13–24. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  2. ↑ Tengatenga, James, ed. (2010). The UMCA in Malawi: A History of the Anglican Church, 1861-2010. Kachere. ISBN   9789990887655 . Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  3. ↑ Weller, John C.; Linden, Jane (1984). Mainstream Christianity to 1980 in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Gweru, Zimbabwe: Mambo Press. p. 140. ISBN   0869223232 . Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  4. ↑ Tucker, Richard (2022). Together in Mission: The Anglican Church in Malawi and the Church of England Birmingham, 1966-2016. Mzuzu, Malawi: Mzuni Press. ISBN   9789996060694.
  5. ↑ "Malawi rejects 'pro-gay' bishop". BBC News. 2 December 2005. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  6. ↑ Chimwaga, Juliet. "High Court reinstates Bishop Mwenda". The Nation. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "A spiritual legacy treasured". Nyasa Times. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  8. ↑ "Diocese: Lake Malawi". Anglican Communion. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
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