Mission History

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone

Lutherans are relative newcomers among Christians in Sierra Leone. Persons returning from study in Europe and North America in the early 1980s provided the initial impulse toward founding a Lutheran church. They had been in contact with Lutheranism while away from the country and wished to establish a Lutheran presence in Sierra Leone.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone (ELCSL) registered with the government in 1988 and received a Registration Certificate in 1989 after serving the required probationary period. The ELCSL joined the Lutheran World Federation in 1990.

The ELCSL developed largely because of active lay leadership. To assist in the development of congregations and the baptism of many new members, the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria sent a pastor to Sierra Leone. The first ELCSL pastors were ordained in 1996.