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Montage of images showing the wide range of work carried out by Mission Overseas

Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA)

The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) is a growing church, it’s membership not easily quantifiable, though probably well over a million members and many more affiliates.

At present, the denomination has 450 pastors, 45 presbyteries, and over 1,000 congregations in 310 parishes in Kenya. It also has a small number of congregations in both Uganda and Tanzania.

While the Kikuyu people predominate, PCEA is seeking to more fully embrace the wider community and its membership today includes those from the Meru, Maasai, Samburu and some of the other smaller tribes in Kenya.

 

Historical Timeline

  • 1891 Missionaries from the East Africa Scottish Mission (The Free Church of Scotland) established the first mission in Kibwezi.
  • 1895 Mission assets transferred to the Church of Scotland Mission (CSM)
  • 1898 Mission Station moved to Dagoretti
  • 1899 Mission Station established at Thogoto
  • 1900 CSM take over management of mission work
  • 1907 First convert baptised
  • 1908 Mission Station established at Tumutumu
  • 1915 Mission Station established at Chogoria   
  • 1920 First Kikuyu elders ordained and Kirk Sessions formed
  • 1926 First Kikuyu pastor ordained
  • 1926 First Kikuyu Service Book and translation of Kikuyu New Testament published
  • 1936 Overseas Presbytery of Kenya established for expatriate congregations
  • 1943 Synod of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa formed
  • 1946 United with the Gospel Missionary Society (GMS)
  • 1956 First General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA)
  • 1961 First African Moderator of the PCEA elected
  • 1963 Kenya became an independent state
  • 1964 First African Secretary General elected
  • 1965 First women elders ordained
  • 1982 First women pastor ordained
  • 1991 Centennial celebrations

See “Hewn From The Quarry” by Rev Isaiah Wahome Muita [ISBN 9966–9613–2–1]

 

Vision and Mission

PCEA’s 19th General Assembly met in April 2009 with well over 1,000 delegates gathering at St Andrew’s Church in Nairobi. A new Moderator, Rt Rev David Gathanju and a new Secretary General, Rev Festus Gitonga were installed. The theme of the Assembly was taken from Hosea 4:6a, “My people perish for lack of knowledge”.

The newly appointed Moderator cast a vision for the future of PCEA that highlighted the importance of gaining knowledge of God, of having well educated people; well trained ministers; and of a Church united in fellowship, renewing its engagement with society, and not least providing a prophetic voice in society. The importance of being peace-makers was also highlighted in the aftermath of the violence that followed the General Election in early 2008.

PCEA seeks to face the future with confidence; desiring to be more embracing of the whole community; aspiring to develop training for pastors and laity; to prepare young people for the future; to reach the unreached people groups in East Africa, and to be self-supporting in its ongoing initiatives.

 

Areas of Ministry

Three boards provide a key influence on, and input to, PCEA's ministry and witness:

  • Social Responsibility – Seeks to build the capacity of church members, as they engage in local development projects; and also to co-ordinate rapid response in times of national crisis.

  • Nendeni – “Go Ye” – Sends ministers and evangelists into unreached areas of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, to preach the gospel and plant churches.

  • Health – Coordinates the outreach of three well established hospitals in Kikuyu, Tumutumu and Chogoria.

In addition, the following Committees help to manage, give shape to, and direct PCEA's ministry and witness, both within the denomination and in society outside the Church:

  • Christian Education
  • Sunday School
  • Training and Personnel Development
  • Social Responsibility
  • Youth
  • Woman’s Guild
  • Finance
  • Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade
  • Communication
  • Appointments
  • Presbyterian Foundation
  • Men’s Fellowship


Church networks and partnerships

PCEA has been a member body of the World Council of Churches (WCC) since 1957. It also has membership of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC); the National Council of Churches of Kenya(NCCK), the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), and the Alliance of Reformed Churches in Africa (ARCA).

PCEA engages in Church-to-Church partnerships with denominations around the world including the Church of Scotland; the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA); the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI); the United Church of Canada (UCC); the Reformed Church of America (RCA) and the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK). A multi-lateral partnership agreement, first signed in 1992, was revised in 1998. There is a steady flow of visitors back and forward, not least at the time when General Assemblies are taking place.

 

Our links with PCEA

We have been in relationship with PCEA since the mid-1960’s. From those early years up to the present time, we have been privileged to share in the mission of PCEA through members of our Church who have gone from Ireland to serve in Kenya.

First to go were Dick and Moreen Gordon, who went in 1966. Since then, more than 20 'long-term' mission workers, as well as numerous short-term volunteers and teams, have served with PCEA in Kenya. We are currently supporting four families in Kenya; all are serving with PCEA, in different parts of the country.


Leadership Development

PCEA regularly sends ministers to study in the UK and Ireland, supported by scholarships from PCI. Annual grants are provided for the work of theological education and student scholarships at the Presbyterian University, Kikuyu and St Paul’s United Theological College; and for lay-training and Theological Education by Extension.


Outreach Ministries

PCI mission personnel are today involved in mission with PCEA through Sunday School teacher training; church-planting; development projects; and peace-making - seeking to approach every form of outreach in a holistic way. Down through the years, we have also shared in the ministry of PCEA's hospitals. Today, our mission personnel are principally engaged in service amongst unreached people groups in various parts of rural Kenya.


Mission Involvement

Many individuals, congregations and organisations from PCI have sought to engage in grassroots involvement through short-term participation in the ongoing outreach work of PCEA. We continue to ask God to show us what we should be doing together, either at grassroots or leadership level.


PCEA's impact in the UK and Ireland

As in all our partnerships, we see genuine reciprocity in mission engagement, and currently we are encouraged by the impact of our brothers and sisters from Kenya on our lives in the UK and Ireland as they minister among us.

We have been blessed and challenged on a number of occasions to have Kenya ministers and their families engage in ministry in our congregations for periods of up to two years.

Since 2006, Rev Edwin Kibathi and his family have ministered to the East Africa diaspora and, under PCEA UK Outreach, have planted a new congregation in East London, as well as reaching out to Kenyans living in some of the other major cities in Great Britain.

 

This page was last updated: 29/08/09
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