Presbyterian Church of East Africa

Last updated

Presbyterian Church of East Africa
Presbyterian Church of East Africa logo.jpg
Classification Protestant
Theology Reformed
Governance Presbyterian
LeaderRt. Rev. Thegu Mutahi [1]
Associations World Communion of Reformed Churches, World Council of Churches, National Council of Churches
Region East Africa
FounderThomas Watson
Origin1891
Kenya
Branched from Church of Scotland
Congregations1,000 and 310 parishes and hundreds of house fellowships[ citation needed ]
Members4,000,000[ citation needed ]
Primary schools dozens
Secondary schools dozens

Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) is a Presbyterian denomination headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. In Kenya, 10% of the population is Presbyterian.[ clarification needed ] [2] It was started by missionaries from Scotland, most notable of whom was Dr John Arthur. It has its headquarters in Nairobi South C.

Contents

History

Beginning

The story of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) begins with a business company, when in 1889 Sir William Mackinnon and Mr. Alexander Low Bruce, made private plans for a Scottish Mission among the Kamba and Maasai and later to the Kikuyu people. In 1891, at the invitation of the late Sir William Mackinnon, Mr. A.L. Bruce and other directors of the Imperial British East Africa Company, a band of Missionaries left London for British East Africa. These were Mr. Thomas Watson, Evangelist Mr. John Greig, Mr. John Linton, Mr. C.M.A Rahman and were met at Mombasa by Dr. Moffat. The party was later in the year joined by Dr. James Stewart of Lovedale, South Africa, who became the leader of the Mission. These missionaries arrived in Kibwezi in October of the same year and established a mission under the name of the "East African Scottish Mission". In 1892, the first temporary Church at Kibwezi was opened by Dr. James Stewart, and also the first School with two pupils.

In 1893 mission work was strengthened by the arrival of Mr. John Paterson who introduced basic agriculture and the first coffee seeds. [3]

Owing to the infestation of Kibwezi by Malaria and the subsequent loss of life of Missionaries, Mr. Thomas Watson visited Dagoretti in 1894 to explore possibilities of transferring the mission station. In 1898 the missionaries moved from Kibwezi to Dagoretti where they constituted themselves as the "Church of Scotland Mission" (CMS). In 1900 Watson died of pneumonia at Kikuyu. Other notable CSM missionaries of this period include Revd Dr John Arthur, who worked with the Alliance of Protestant Missions. [4]

Formation

When the mission was handed over to the Church of Scotland, it found believers among the Kikuyu people through the work of its stations at Kikuyu and Tumutumu (1908) and among the Meru people in Chuka, and Mwimbi, and among the people of Imenti through its work at Chogoria (1915).

In 1920, by the authority of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland of 1918, a form of Church government was set up and inaugurated by Very Reverend J.N. Ogilvie, Elders ordained, Parish Sessions formed for the Congregations of Kikuyu, Tumutumu and St. Andrew's, Nairobi and the Presbytery of British East Africa instituted, to exercise jurisdiction over these Congregations. In the same year (1920) ordination of the first native elders took place in Kikuyu. It was not until 1926 when the ordination of the First African Pastors took place namely, the Rev. Musa Gitau, the Rev. Benjamin Githieya and the Rev. Joshua Matenjwa, at Kikuyu. [5]

The church expanded to Chogoria in 1922 when Dr. Clive Irvine set up the first mission station, then hospital and schools there. [6]

Mergers

In 1936 the separation of the overseas Presbytery of Kenya to cater to the colonial and continental work was done by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. In 1946 the gospel missionary society (GMS), an American-oriented Church based at Kambui in Kiambu, joined the overseas Presbytery of Kenya. In 1952 authority was given to the overseas Presbytery of Kenya by the general assembly of the Church of Scotland to begin a conversation with the synod of Presbyterian Church of East Africa with a view to seeking a basis for uniting the Presbyterian work in East Africa in one Church. In 1956 the Synod of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and the overseas Presbytery of Kenya declared the Congregations over which they had several jurisdictions united as one Church whose constitution was then adopted. [7]

Statistics

The Presbyterian Church in Eastern Africa has approximately 4,000,000 members, [8] over 1,000 congregations and 313 parishes and hundreds of house fellowships. [8] [9] The denomination has currently 61 presbyteries, divided into 5 regions, these are the Eastern Region, Central region, Nairobi region, Mt. Kenya Region and Rift Valley Region. [10]

In Tanzania there are approximately two Presbyterian churches in Eastern Africa Presbyteries. The denomination began to work in Tanzania in 1950. [11]

Theology

Structure

At the local level, there is a congregation. The congregation is governed by the session. The middle governing body is the presbytery. The highest court is the General Assembly. The church does not have Synods. [13]

Christian Ministry partners

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterianism</span> Branch of Protestant Christianity in which the church is governed by presbyters (elders)

Presbyterianism is a Reformed (Calvinist) Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders. Though there are other Reformed churches that are structurally similar, the word Presbyterian is applied to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Presbyterian Church</span> Presbyterian denomination

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2019, it had 65,087 members and 673 congregations, of which 51 were located outside of the United States. The word Cumberland comes from the Cumberland River valley where the church was founded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia</span>

The Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia (PCEA) is a small Presbyterian denomination which was formed in Sydney on 10 October 1846 by three ministers and a ruling elder. As of December 2012 it consists of 13 pastoral charges with a total of 17 regular preaching points, 12 serving ministers, 1 minister without charge, 6 retired ministers and a community of about 800.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Church in Canada</span> Protestant Christian denomination in Canada

The Presbyterian Church in Canada is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Canada 2021 Census 301,400 Canadians identify themselves as Presbyterian, that is, 0.8 percent of the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Arthur (missionary)</span>

John William Arthur was a medical missionary and Church of Scotland minister who served in British East Africa (Kenya) from 1907 to 1937. He was known simply as Doctor Arthur to generations of Africans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kikuyu, Kenya</span> Town Council in Kiambu County, Kenya

Kikuyu is a town in Kiambu County, Kenya, which grew from a settlement of colonial missionaries. The town is located about 20 km (12 mi) northwest of central Nairobi. It is about 20 minutes from Nairobi via a number of routes, including a dual carriage road,the Southern Bypass and has a railway station on the Mombasa – Malaba Railway Line. The town is named after the Kikuyu/Gĩkũyũ people, the major ethnicity that settled in the area. As of 2019, the total population was 323,881.

Kibwezi is a town in Makueni County, Kenya.

The Presbyterian Church of India (PCI) is a mainline Protestant church based in India, with over one and a half million adherents, mostly in Northeast India. It is one of the largest Christian denominations in that region.

The Reverend Robert Anderson Philp was a Church of Scotland missionary in Kenya and acted as interpreter during the trial of Jomo Kenyatta in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America</span> Presbyterian church with locations in the United States, Canada, and Japan

The Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) is a Presbyterian church with congregations and missions throughout the United States, Japan, and Chile. Its beliefs—held in common with other members of the Reformed Presbyterian Global Alliance—place it in the conservative wing of the Reformed family of Protestant churches. Below the Bible—which is held as divinely inspired and without error—the church is committed to several "subordinate standards," together considered with its constitution: the Westminster Confession of Faith and Larger and Shorter Catechisms, along with its Testimony, Directory for Church Government, the Book of Discipline, and Directory for Worship.

Dagoretti is an area in the western part of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. It straddles the Nairobi and Kiambu County boundary with the Dagoretti Road Reserve marking the psychological border point heading Northerly and North-Easterly. Administratively it is one of eight divisions of Nairobi. The Dagoretti division is divided into six Locations. The former electoral Dagoretti Constituency had the same boundaries as the now defunct Dagoretti division.

The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria is a church in Nigeria and subscribes to the Westminster Confession of Faith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Presbyterian Church in Mexico</span> Protestant denomination in Mexico

The National Presbyterian Church in Mexico is the second-largest Protestant church, and the largest Reformed denomination in Mexico. It is present throughout the country, and is particularly strong in the states of Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan, Nuevo León, Aguascalientes and Mexico City.

The Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church (AEPC) is a growing conservative Presbyterian and Reformed Church which adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith started in Kenya, later spread to the surrounding countries like Burundi, Tanzania, Congo and as far as Zimbabwe. The headquarters of the church is located in Nairobi, Kenya. The current Moderator is Rev. Dr Joseph Mutei installed on Sunday 26th June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Church in Singapore</span>

The Presbyterian Church in Singapore is a Presbyterian Reformed church. The current moderator is the Rt Rev Dr Christopher Chia.

The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Malawi was initiated by mission work of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and was founded in 1985. There are more than 200 congregations and 7.000 to 10.000 members mainly in rural areas of central and southern Malawi. Since 2006 the Hersteld Hervormde Kerk of the Netherlands Restored Reformed Church supports this denomination.

The Reformed Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was officially established in 1971 when the First Presbytery was formed as a result of the union of various conservative Presbyterian and Continental Reformed congregations planted by various missionary groups. Its origin could be traced back to the 1950s when the very first missionaries of those Presbyterian and Continental Reformed missionaries arrived in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marion Stevenson</span>

Marion Scott Stevenson was a Scottish missionary with the Church of Scotland Mission in British East Africa (Kenya) from 1907 until 1929.

Timothy Njoya is a theologian, human rights activist and a retired Presbyterian Church of East Africa Minister. Njoya holds Master's and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees from Princeton University. He was ordained as a minister on 20 March 1967 and has served in different parishes including Chuka, Tumutumu, Mathari, St. Andrews, Dagoretti and Kinoo before his retirement in 2011. In 2017 he published his memoirs titled We the People: Thinking Heavenly, Acting Kenyanly.

Archibald Clive Irvine was a Scottish medical missionary to Kenya. He was an early proponent to stopping female circumcision. He worked primarily in Chogoria, Kenya, where he introduced coffee cultivation. He was the founder of the PCEA Chogoria Hospital and is the namesake of the Clive Irvine College of Health Sciences on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Clive also started the Chogoria Girls and Boys schools.

References

  1. ↑ "Moderator_profile". Pceaheadoffice.org. 5 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 December 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "Kenya." The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 17 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Mr McClellan and Mr Paterson, Kikuyu, Kenya, ca.1901, 1901, retrieved 4 October 2024
  4. ↑ "Europeans In East Africa - View entry". www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Rev Musa Gitau, Kikuyu, Kenya, August 1926, August 1926, retrieved 4 October 2024
  6. ↑ "When We Began There Were Witchmen". publishing.cdlib.org. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "History of the PCEA church in Kenya". pceanairobieastpresbytery.org. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Presbyterian Church of East Africa – World Council of Churches". Oikoumene.org. 28 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "pcimissionoverseas.org". Pcimissionoverseas.org.
  10. ↑ "Presbyteries". Pceaheadoffice.org.
  11. ↑ Benedetto, Robert; McKim, Donald K. (6 October 2009). Historical Dictionary of the Reformed Churches. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   9780810870239.
  12. ↑ Johannes a Lasco Bibliothek. "Adressdatenbank reformierter Kirchen und Einrichtungen". Reformiert-online.net.
  13. ↑ "Structure". Pceaheadoffice.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.