Mission History

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malawi

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malawi (ELCM) was started by a Lutheran layman, Gilbert Msuku, upon his return to Malawi after seventeen years of residence in Tanzania, where he had been active in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT).

Encouragement came from staff of the Lutheran World Federation and member churches in neighboring Tanzania and Zimbabwe. In 1983, first the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe (ELCZ) and then the ELCT sent pastoral teams to survey the situation in light of already existing Christian churches. Their reports indicated the need for pastors, leadership training, and the construction of permanent church buildings.

The prime responsibility for nurturing the embryonic church body was given to the ELCT, with supportive cooperation from the ELCZ and the Lutheran World Federation. The first temporary church building was constructed in 1983 at Mbidi in the southern part of Malawi. In 1988 the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Malawi was received into membership by the Lutheran World Federation. In 1987 a Lutheran World Service office was established in Malawi at the request of the ELCM. The office has since been localized, and is now ELCM’s development arm, ELCM Development Service. In 1989 the ELCM became a member of the Christian Council of Malawi. The ELCM also has a link with the Federation of Lutheran Churches in Southern Africa.