Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia | |
|---|---|
Symbol of Lutheranism
|
|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Lutheran |
| Leader | Rev. Dr. Shekutaamba Vaino Vaino Nambala |
| Associations | LWF |
| Region | Namibia |
| Headquarters | Oniipa |
| Origin | 1954 Engela |
| Branched from | Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo-Kavango Church |
| Congregations | 123 |
| Members | 703,893 |
| Ministers | 143 |
| Secondary schools | 2 |
| Official website | http://www.elcin.org.na/ |
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) is a Lutheran denomination based in Namibia. It has a total membership of over 703,893,[1] mainly in Northern Namibia. Formerly known as the Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo-Kavango Church, it played a significant role in opposition to Apartheid in Namibia and was part of the Namibian independence struggle.[2]
Other Lutheran churches in Namibia are the southern based Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia and the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK).
The current presiding bishop is Dr. Shekutaamba V. V. Nambala.
Contents
History
The church developed out of the work of the Finnish Missionary Society that began in 1870 among the Ovambo and Kavango people in the northern area of what became German South-West Africa. In 1954, an independent church known as the Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo-Kavango Church (ELOC) was established with Birger Eriksson as its first president.[3]
The first Namibian bishop of ELOC, Leonard Auala, played a notable role in the struggle for Namibia's independence. 1971 an open letter was jointly written with Moderator Paulus Gowaseb of the Rhenish Mission's United Evangelical Lutheran Church in South-West Africa (later known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia) to the Prime Minister of South Africa, B.J. Vorster declared their church's opposition to the continued rule of South Africa and the acceptance of the recommendation by the International Court of Justice for the withdrawal of South Africa's mandate and a transition period towards independence.[4]
In 1984, ELOC's name was officially changed to its current name, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia.[2]
Auala's successor, Kleopas Dumeni, also played an important role in highlighting the plight of Namibians under South African rule.[5] Bishop Dumeni suffered personal losses in the struggle including the death of his 18-year-old daughter in a bomb blast in 1988.[6]
In 2007, ELCIN together with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia and the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK) formed the United Church Council: Namibia Evangelical Lutheran Churches, with the ultimate aim of becoming one national Lutheran church.[2]
Structure
In 1992, the church was divided into two dioceses, the Eastern Diocese and the Western Diocese, each led by its own bishop. One of the bishops is elected as the Presiding Bishop of the whole ELCIN.
Presidents, Bishops and Presiding Bishops
| From | Until | Name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 1958 | Birger Eriksson | Moderator of ELOC[7] | |
| 1958 | 1960 | Alpo Hukka | Moderator of ELOC[7] | |
| 1960 | 1963 | Leonard Auala | Moderator of ELOC[7] | |
| 1963 | 1978 | Bishop of ELOC | ||
| 1978 | 1984 | Kleopas Dumeni | Bishop of ELOC | |
| 1984 | 1996 | Bishop of ELCIN | ||
| 1996 | 2000 | Presiding Bishop of ELCIN | ||
| 2000 | 2004 | Apollos Kaulinge | Presiding Bishop of ELCIN, Consecrated Bishop of the Western Diocese in 1996 | |
| 2004 | 2012 | Tomas Shivute | Presiding Bishop of ELCIN, Consecrated Bishop of the Western Diocese in 2000 | |
| 2012 | present | Shekutaamba Vaino Vaino Nambala | Presiding Bishop of ELCIN, Consecrated Bishop of the Western Diocese in 2012 | Bishop Josaphat Shanghala, Bishop of the ELCIN Western Diocese, Consecrated in 2012
Bishop Veikko Munyika, Bishop of the ELCIN Western Diocese, Consecrated Bishop of the ELCIN Western Diocese in 2014 |
Affiliations
ELCIN participates actively in ecumenical work through its affiliation with:
- Lutheran World Federation
- United Church Council: Namibia Evangelical Lutheran Churches
- Council of Churches in Namibia
- World Council of Churches
See also
References
- ↑ Lutheran World Federation: LWF Statistics 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia World Council of Churches, January 2006
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