Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola (Portuguese: "Igreja Evangélica Luterana de Angola", abbreviation: IELA) is a church of the Lutheran creed in the southwest African Republic of Angola .
history
Lutheran missionary work in Angola began in the south of the country. The Rheinische Missionsgesellschaft sent missionaries there between 1871 and 1915 . During this period missionary activity was established in what was then the Kingdom of Kwanyama. The first public baptism took place in Omupanda in 1895 with thirteen baptized children, another baptism took place in Ondjiva in 1897 . In the period between 1871 and 1915, the membership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Angola rose to 1200 members.
In 1915, Lutheran Christians had to leave Angola for northern Namibia due to the political situation. From there they returned to southern Angola in 1933 to do missionary work on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia .
In 1954 the first pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Ovambo Kavango Church was active in Angola, followed by the second in 1962.
The Oshitota / Namayaka Lutheran Mission was founded in 1955 by Pastor Simson Ndatipo. The Shangalada Mission was founded in 1965 by Rev. Noah Ndeutapa. Another Lutheran group spread from the north from Cabinda via Luanda to Huambo . In 1994 the groups united to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola.
Members
The church had a membership of about 40,000 in 2010; it has seen strong growth in recent years.
organization
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola has been a member of the Lutheran World Federation since 1997 and is also a member of the Lutheran Community in Southern Africa (LUCSA). The General Secretary is Rev. Tomás Ndawananapo. The church is headquartered in the southern Angolan city of Lubango .
The Church is mainly represented in the Kunene Province with 56 parishes. Other parishes are located in the provinces of Cabinda (3), Luanda (3), Huambo (3), Huíla (2) and Namibe (1).
The church allows women to be ordained . Of the 56 pastors , five are women. The church also has 25 evangelists (including three women), 20 deacons (including 17 women) and five local missionaries (including three women).
Fields of activity
After the end of the civil war in 2002, the activities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Angola consisted of missionary work on the one hand and development work on the other.
At the Synod in November 2007 it was decided to intensify the missionary activity of the IELA, which until now has mainly focused on the rural area, in the cities.
The IELA receives foreign support mainly from the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission, whose staff in Angola work as teachers, health services, development workers and Bible translators.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c "DADOS DA IGREJA EVANGÉLICA LUTERANA DE ANGOLA (Portuguese)". (No longer available online.) In: LUCSA (Lutheran Church in South Africa). Archived from the original on June 19, 2010 ; Retrieved October 4, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 2010 World Lutheran Membership Details; Lutheran World Information 1/2011 ( Memento from September 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Member Churches - Angola. (No longer available online.) In: Lutheran World Federation. Archived from the original on October 3, 2009 ; Retrieved October 4, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ "Angola (English)". (No longer available online.) In: The Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission. Archived from the original on September 3, 2009 ; Retrieved October 4, 2009 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
