Ethnicity in the church and church structures: an assessment of the CCAP Livingstonia and Nkhoma Synods in Malawi

Abstract

The study seeks to understand how the New Testament Church functioned since it was constituted by Jews and Gentiles on the basis of common belief in Christ in the multi-cultural situation. This study reflects on the case as to why the contemporary Church of the Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Church in Malawi is presently still suffering division on the basis of ethnicity, while it was not a problem in the New Testament Church. The study works with two realities: firstly the CCAP Church in Malawi is divided by ethnicity and secondly the New Testament Church was a pluralistic community. The problem faced in the New Testament Church was how to manage cultural tension: on the one hand between Jewish believers and those of the diaspora; and on the other hand ethnic hostilities between the Jewish and Gentile believers regarding the imposition of the Jewish traditional laws and other customs on the Gentile believers. In the contemporary church, Christian believers are in dilemma as they struggle to understand archaic church polity in their own socio-political context. In the Reformed church polity perspective, Christ is the Head of the church and He governs the church. The objective of the church order is to serve the establishment of God's order in the church through the ministry of the Word, sacraments and discipline by means of the Holy Spirit in which the kingdom of God is unlocked for His church.