The Lutheran Church in Southern Africa and its perspectives on theological education from 1900-2016

Abstract

Lutheranism in Southern Africa was part of the missionary enterprise. The missionary enterprise was interwoven with colonialism. It was in this context that the beginnings of the Lutheran theological education took form. A number of phases serve as defining moments. The first phase was the establishment of schools for the training of the evangelists and teachers. Education was very much integral to mission. Lutheran mission societies during that period had established evangelist schools and training teachers. The second face was to convert evangelist schools into seminaries to improve the standard of theological education. The third phase was in 1910 when the Co-operating Lutheran Missions (CLM) was established and prioritised to develop theological education beyond “evangelist seminaries” in Southern Africa. This resulted with the establishment of the Oscarsberg Lutheran Theological Seminary at eShiyane, Rorke's Drift (near Dundee) in KwaZulu Natal. What is distinctive about this period of theological college is that the CLM had aim to advocate for the unity of the ecumenical Lutheran missions. Yet, the Hermannsburg Mission Society never agreed to a joint theological education transformation as it remains with the conceptualisation of evangelist seminaries. The fourth phase happened five decades later, that is, in 1962. EShiyane Lutheran Theological College is moved to Umphumulo Lutheran Theological College. What makes this phase unique is that this theological college had strengthened unity and played an important role in the process towards unity between Lutheran churches and missions. This academic leadership college supported the vision of co-operation and the church unity in training African pastors at the central theological education college. The fifth phase was in 2003 when Umphumulo Lutheran Theological College merged with Pietermaritzburg Lutheran House of Studies into the Lutheran Theological Institute (LTI), in Pietermaritzburg. In this unique phase is that the Lutheran Church in Southern Africa is open to an ecumenical education of other church traditions geared towards contextualisation and aims at the degree level training, which led the road to Lutheran Theological Institute in 2003. This phase from 2003 onwards it still unfolding to the current time. Lastly, two key aspects running throughout these phases that to this day are not resolved are: First, the contention between full-time pastors versus self-supporting pastors. The self-supporting pastors are pastors who receive income outside the church. Second, it is the “poverty” state of the black pastors in the Lutheran Church. I wish you a happy and blessed journey through a discussion and learning of this academic research study.