The Lutheran Church of Central Africa or LCCA is a Christian denomination of the Lutheran tradition based in the African countries of Zambia and Malawi. Currently (2004), it consists of over 40,000 members in 200 congregations spread throughout both countries. This article is about the religious people known as Christians. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ...

The LCCA maintains the Lutheran Seminary for the training of ministers, in Lusaka, the capitol of Zambia, and the Lutheran Bible Institute, a pre-seminary pastoral training school based in Lilongwe, Malawi. Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia. ... Lilongwe, estimated population 395,500 (1994), is the capital of Malawi. ...

Structure

Government

Technically, the two members of the LCCA, the Lutheran Church of Central Africa - Malawi Conference (LCCA-MC) and the Lutheran Church of Central Africa - Zambia Conference (LCCA-ZC) are both members of the overarching synod known as the Lutheran Church of Central Africa. In practice, due to political borders, both conferences operate independant of one another, their only true link being in the sharing of pastoral training facilities in Lusaka and Lilongwe. A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine or administration. ... Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia. ... Lilongwe, estimated population 395,500 (1994), is the capital of Malawi. ...

The LCCA-MC and LCCA-ZC are both led by chairmen elected for four year terms in bienual conventions within their own conferences. Synodical conventions are intended to be held regularly, but often are not, due to political borders.

Educational Institutions

The LCCA runs two facilies for the training of clery. The first is the Lutheran Bible Institute, located in Lilongwe, Malawi. It is intended as a 3 year pre-seminary school and serves students from both of the LCCA's conferences. Lilongwe, estimated population 395,500 (1994), is the capital of Malawi. ...

The second facility is the Lutheran Seminary located in Lusaka, Zambia. The Lutheran Seminary is a 3 year seminary for the training of clergy for the LCCA and trains students from both of the LCCA's conferences. Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia. ...

Other Institutions

The LCCA maintains The Lutheran Press on the campus of the Lutheran Seminary, in Lusaka, Zambia. The Lutheran Press publishes and prints various religious materials for use by the LCCA. Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia. ...

Among Lutheran Press publications are various local language hymnals, educational materials and a monthy newspaper.

History

The Lutheran Church of Central Africa was established by Lutheran missionaries from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod [1] (http://www.wels.net). First exploratory mission work began in the 1949 in the British colony of Northern Rhodesia (later to become the country of Zambia). In 1955, an official denomination, named the Rhodesian Lutheran Church Conference was organized. In 1962, the Rhodesian Lutheran Church Conference was reorganized and became The Lutheran Church of Central Africa. The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) is a United States religious denomination belonging to the Lutheran tradition within Christianity. ... Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in Africa, originally created in 1911 from the combination of the North West Rhodesia and North East Rhodesia areas of Rhodesia by the British South Africa Company. ...

Exploratory mission work in the neighboring country of Malawi after 1962 led to the foundation of the Malawi Conference of the LCCA.

Beliefs

The LCCA teaches that the Bible is the only authoritative source for doctrine. It subscribes to the Lutheran Confessions (the Book of Concord, 1580) as accurate presentations of what Scripture teaches. It teaches that Jesus is the center of Scripture and the only way to eternal salvation, and that the Holy Spirit uses the gospel alone in Word and Sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion) to bring people to faith in Jesus as Savior and keep them in that faith, strengthening them in their daily life of sanctification. The Book of Concord was published in 1580 and is a compilation of Lutheran beliefs. ... Events March 1 - Michel de Montaigne signs the preface to his most significant work, Essays. ... The neutrality and accuracy of this article are disputed. ... Baptism is a water purification ritual practiced in certain religions such as Christianity, Mandaeanism, Sikhism, and some historic sects of Judaism. ... The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. ...

Doctrinally, both conferences of the LCCA are in union.

Ecumenical Relations

Fellowship relations between the LCCA and other church groups are established only upon investigation and confirmation that both church groups hold complete unity in scriptural doctrine and practice.

The LCCA is closely associated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod [2] (http://www.wels.net). It is also a member of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) [3] (http://www.celc.info/cgi-bin/home.cgi), a worldwide organization of confessional Lutheran church bodies. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) is a United States religious denomination belonging to the Lutheran tradition within Christianity. ... The Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference (CELC) is the successor to the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America except that it is international in scope rather than restricted to North America. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ...

References

• LCCA-MC information page from the CELC website (http://www.celc.info/cgi-bin/home.cgi?malawi01)
• LCCA-ZC information page from the CELC website (http://www.celc.info/cgi-bin/home.cgi?zambia01)
• Historical Timeline of the Zambian Conference of the LCCA (from the WELS website) (http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2617&collectionID=697&contentID=1091&shortcutID=1904)
• Historical Timeline of the Malawi Conference of the LCCA (from the WELS website) (http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2617&collectionID=689&contentID=1115&shortcutID=1814)