Overview

Since its founding in 1924, the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) has grown to span five synods across Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa. Dr Rhodian Munyenyembe traces the history of these synods back to their shared roots in the Reformation and individual roots in three separate Presbyterian missions. Dr Munyenyembe skillfully explores both historic and contemporary challenges to the unity of the CCAP, and raises the question of whether the CCAP truly functions as a single denomination or could better be understood as a loose federation of five distinct churches. His in-depth explanation provides a critical look that goes beyond a surface understanding of what it means to unite churches from different cultural traditions, and brings honest answers to disputes and conflicts among the CCAP synods. Through this analysis and exploration, Dr Munyenyembe also sheds light on the political and socio-economic aspects of life in relation to the influence of religious denominations. In this objective yet astute account, Munyenyembe gives voice to the CCAP's complex history, present reality, and future potential.

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9781783686445

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Reviews

Rhodian Munyenyembe brings to the many controversies related to the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) a rigorous scholarly research. Being strong on sources and weak on controversy, the book makes a unique contribution to all the manifold discourses on church unity. The book is a major contribution to the development of an indigenous church historiography for Malawi. Dr Klaus Fiedler Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Mzuzu University, Malawi Emeritas Professor of Missiology, Evangelical Theological Faculty, Leuven, Belgium Rhodian Munyenyembe assesses the historical relationship of the founding Synods of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) in Malawi. Tracing their roots back to their mother churches in Scotland, the Netherlands and South Africa, Dr Munyenyembe argues that they are historically rooted in the theology of the 16th-century reformers and in the revivals of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a shared history that offers them potential basis for unity. He observes that during the missionary period the Synods enjoyed an intricate interconnectedness and cooperation. However, the desire to maintain some characteristics of their mother churches and the interest of those churches to maintain influence on their daughter Synods, coupled with the local cultural, social and economic undercurrents, continue to stifle the development of an organic relationship among the Synods within the CCAP family. The result, Dr Munyenyembe argues, is that the CCAP remains a loosely connected set of autonomous Synods or denominations, rather than a single denomination, and that this accounts for their troubled relationship today. Dr Munyenyembe's book offers a well-informed and balanced treatment of this complex relationship, and will remain, for a long time, indispensable for understanding current disputes in the CCAP to those interested in the history of the church in Malawi. Jonathan Nkhoma Associate Professor, Mzuzu University, Malawi

Author Information

RHODIAN MUNYENYEMBE holds a PhD in Theology (Ecclesiology) from the University of the Free State, South Africa. He currently serves as lecturer and Head of Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Mzuzu University, Malawi. He enjoys reading church history, and researching and writing about religion and socio-cultural issues. He is also the author of Christianity and Socio-Cultural Issues: The Charismatic Movement and Contextualization in Malawi.

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