Cameroon

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon

Who is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon and what are its ministries?

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon (ELCC), a member of the Lutheran World Federation, is a fast-growing church with 215,000 members in 1,350 congregations. The ELCC is served by 168 pastors, 375 evangelists, and 288 catechists among 27 ethnic groups. Led by a national bishop and ten regional bishops, one for each of the 10 Episcopal regions, the ELCC has its headquarters in Ngaoundere. Besides the LWF, the ELCC is a member of the Eglise evangéliques luthérienne au Cameroun (Church and Evangelical Lutherans of Cameroon), the Lutheran Communion in Western Africa (LUCWA), and the Joint Christian Ministry in West Africa (JCMWA).

The ELCC’s program ministries include seminary education, Bible schools, primary and secondary education, health care, rural development, women’s and youth ministries, Bible translation and literacy, and a communication studio.

How do the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America accompany one another in ministry?

Through the churchwide ELCA Global Mission unit, the ELCA relates to and is in bilateral relationship with over 80 companion churches and institutions. The ELCA Global Mission unit stewards a church-to-church relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon. This relationship is deepened and extended by the ELCC’s relationship, through the ELCA Companion Synods program, with the ELCA South Dakota Synod.

Churchwide funding through the ELCA Global Mission unit supports key priorities identified by the ELCC, including strengthening the ELCC’s financial accountability, its leadership and technology capacities, and its capacity to develop and sustain effective programs and ministries, especially in health care and theological education. Four ELCA mission personnel serve in Cameroon in heathcare and capacity building for administration and financial operations of the church. The ELCA South Dakota Synod has focused on raising funds for roofs for new church buildings in six communities.

Cameroon: the context in which the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon serves

The Republic of Cameroon unites two former United Nations trust territories, French Cameroun and British Cameroons. English and French are both official languages, and 250 ethnic groups speaking about 270 languages and dialects make it a remarkably diverse country. Christianity, Islam and African traditional practices are the forms of religion practiced by the population.

Since independence, Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, with one of the highest literacy rates in Africa. However, it faces many serious problems, and is ranked 144th in the Human Development Index of 173 countries.