Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC) was formerly the Kenya Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, but became an independent church in 1992. The Kenya Synod of the ELCT was begun in 1956 in order to care for the large number of ELCT members who had migrated to the cities of Nairobi and Mombasa. Later, the work expanded into two rural areas, one of which includes a significant outreach to nomadic Maasai people in the area between Nairobi and the Tanzanian border. Small congregations were established in a Muslim area along the Tana River. The KELC currently has 15,000 members in nine multipoint parishes and five mission areas.

Leadership development is a high priority for the KELC. New pastors are being trained at Lutheran Theological College, Makumira (Tanzania), and evangelists are trained at Mwika Bible School (also Tanzania). Seminars for elders, Sunday School teachers, women, and youth are scheduled regularly.

The KELC also emphasizes good church management. The church sends general secretaries and treasurers to courses on church administration and financial management which are held in Nairobi. These courses are taught by CORAT, which has been assisting African churches in these arenas for years and has invaluable experience to share.

In the past, most of the mission work in Kenya was conducted by British societies, and the Lutheran churches in Kenya are relatively small. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya was established in 1958 following mission work by an independent Swedish mission. The ELCK, with 45,000 members, and the KELC continue to look for ways to cooperate and perhaps eventually merge into one church.

The political and economic situation in Kenya has been very difficult in recent years, with protests, violence, increasing crime and increasing gaps between the rich and poor. Churches struggle to know how to live out the Gospel message in the context of uncertainty and poverty.

Parish women's groups are actively involved in income generating and development. In Mombasa, a small restaurant provides jobs and additional income for women. In Kongowea, a well-drilling project (funded by the Women of the ELCA) has brought good water to hundreds of women in the neighborhood. KELC women in Ukambani, assisted by Swedish women, designed and built the Ukambani Women's Center, a house-sized retreat center for KELC women. In all cases, the KELC women first gave their own money to start the project fund.

Street children in Nairobi are an enormous challenge. The Women of the KELC sponsor Pangani Lutheran Children's Center, a program for forty young street women aged 10-13. This faith-based program includes literacy, singing, games, counseling, health -- the sharing of God's love in word and deed. The goal is to re-unite the children with their families or with guardians, and to find schools which meet the needs of the participants.