AREA AND SCOPE OF STUDY

This study assesses leadership training for mission in the ACK focusing mainly on the context, relevance and viability. It deals with the theological training of church leaders (clergy and laity) in the ACK, though there is more emphasis on the ordained ministry. The clergy occupy the highest positions in the Church and therefore the process of preparing and equipping them for these positions through theological training is of great concern to this study. The ACK is the largest protestant denomination in Kenya with a population of about 3,711,890 (see chapter 2). It is a national-wide denomination with numerous and diverse structures hence the need for proper leadership. The curricula used to prepare church leaders in the ACK have been examined with the aim of determining the relevance of theological training to the current Kenyan situation. Areas of curricula investigated include courses offered, models of training, modes of delivery, the quality and relevance of training. The need for the training of church leaders in the ACK is also investigated. This is achieved by correlating the total number of the ACK Christians with the total number of the serving clergy. Anglican membership has been taken to mean the baptized and confirmed Christians. However, children who are baptized are considered as full Anglican members in this study. This is because confirmation in the Anglican Church is not done to children under twelve years of age. We cannot therefore use confirmation as a measure to determine Anglican membership in children as they cannot be confirmed until they attain a certain age where they are able to learn things by themselves. Before

confirmation, the candidates are taught the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and other Church doctrines.

The study evaluates training in the five (5) ACK Provincial Theological Colleges with the aim of determining their viability. These are St. Andrew’s College of Theology and Development, Kabare; Bishop Hannington Theological College, Mombasa; St.

Philip’s, Maseno; St. Paul’s, Kapsabet; and Berea in Nakuru. Carlile College, Nairobi which was accepted as an associate member of the ACK Provincial Theological Colleges in 1990s is also included. The study investigates how the training of church leaders is conducted in these colleges with the aim of establishing their (colleges’) adequacy in preparing leaders who can effectively lead the Church and society in the twenty-first century amid numerous challenges which are spiritual, socio-economic, political, cultural, and inter-cultural. Details of these colleges such as availability of resources including finances, human resources, land, physical facilities for example dormitories, lecture halls, chapels, kitchen, offices et cetera have been considered.

The study also assesses how students for pastoral training are selected, and the kind of training they undergo before ordination. The research was conducted among bishops, lay church leaders, lecturers and students in theological colleges, clergy working in the Church and other places, youth leaders, college principals and ordinary lay Christians (both young and old). The contributions of all these groups of people were viewed as valid sources of information for this study. The study also investigates how lecturers in the ACK colleges are recruited, their terms and conditions of service, and the minimum qualifications required for one to lecture in them. Other areas that were investigated include methods of raising funds to cover the recurrent and capital expenditure, and the terms and conditions of service for the non-teaching staff.

1.10 LIMITATIONS

Immense obstacles were encountered by the author in gathering information for this study. First, there was suspicion. Some of the informants were very suspicious and it

was challenging to get information from them. This was particularly common with clergy who were afraid of intimidation from their seniors should they give out information that would paint the church in a negative light. To get any information from them, the author had to explain that this was just a research and that all the responses would be treated with total confidentiality. Even some top lay church leaders suspected the author of having a hidden agenda which sometimes made them over-cautious when relating with him. The author realized that the colonial mentality which barred Africans from discussing issues concerning Bwanas ‘Lords’ in the Church still existed in some areas. In the colonial period, the priests were referred to as Bwanas (Lords) and it was illegal to discuss anything about them. This was intentionally intended to prevent Africans from airing some of the evils conducted by the ‘wazungu’ (European Missionaries) who were the main church leaders. To get information from the suspecting laity and clergy, the author had to explain to them the importance of this study and moreso the importance of discussing Church issues as the Church is theirs and that such progressive discussions would help in improving it.

Secondly, there was limitation in that quite a number of Anglican Christians, clergy and laity included did not seem to understand what is happening in their Church. It was not amusing to find some theological students who did not know who the Archbishop of the ACK is. Some clergy did not know the amount of their monthly stipends and some bishops could not tell the number of ACK Provincial Theological Colleges. In the parishes, some Parish Council leaders could not tell the name of their pastor. Some Christians did not know whether pastors are paid. It was not easy to get any relevant information from such informants. In situations like those, the author sometimes shifted his role from that of a researcher to a teacher so that he could acquaint the people with general information on of the ACK.

The other limitation was due to the shortage of some relevant information from the parishes, dioceses and provincial offices. Keeping records is very poor in some of these places. Some dioceses do not have records of their clergy particularly their

academic qualifications, marital status, age, and years of ordination. Statistics on the number of Christians, baptisms, marriages, communicants and staff were not available in some of the dioceses, parishes and congregations. This made it very difficult to establish the actual number of Christians, Kenya Anglican Youth Organization (KAYO) members, Kenya Anglican Men Association (KAMA) members, the Mothers union members, boys and girls brigade members, Sunday school children, theological students etc in a given parish or diocese. Establishing the number of baptisms, marriages and confirmations conducted in successive years in some dioceses and parishes was not easy as such records were not properly kept. Even in some places where the records were properly kept, the leaders were very reluctant to release them. The author worked together with the office of the Archbishop to ensure that all the forms containing the dioceses’ and parishes’

statistical information and other relevant information were filled and returned to the author who then analyzed them. He also attended the Bishops’ meetings and explained to them the importance of having the statistical information forms properly filled and returned.

There was also a limitation in the area of secondary information. There was not much literature available on the training of church leaders in the ACK. The literature on Christian Education that was assessed by the author revealed a general and too wide a scope to rely on for specific information. This made the author to extensively utilize primary sources of information.

Part-time Doctoral studies have got many challenges. A major one is conducting one’s studies while working. As coordinator of chaplaincy work in the ACK, Chaplain of Kenyatta National Hospital, lecturer at Carlile College, pastor at St. Thomas Church in Nairobi, family man and many other responsibilities bestowed on him by society, the author found it very hard to balance study and work. Due to this, data collection took more time than the researcher had planned. To succeed, the author had a well-planned schedule which ensured that he had enough time to study as well as serve the Church and society. His annual leave and day-offs were spent on the research including three hours for study set aside each day particularly in the morning. There was also a problem of distance. The Provincial Theological Colleges are geographically located to serve various

regions of the ACK. Travelling to these different colleges was not an easy task. Some roads leading to these colleges were in poor condition and due to exorbitant prices of fuel in Kenya, travelling to these colleges, dioceses, parishes and other places was an expensive affair. To minimize costs, , the author learnt to be efficient- he ensured that whenever he visited a certain theological college, he would interview the bishops, clergy, lay Christians and the students under the area or region served by that college.

NOTES

1. Initially the Anglican Church in Kenya was referred to as ‘the Church of the Province of Kenya (CPK)’. This was changed to the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in 1998.

2. This is in line with Henry Venn’s call for the African Church. In the 1850s, Henry Venn, the CMS General Secretary developed for the Anglican Missions the policy of preparing self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating churches under a native ministry and an indigenous episcopate. His ‘three selves’ found a large echo (Baur 1994:108) and today it is common to hear many churches refer to Venn’s policy, the ACK included. Paul Hiebert adds the fourth self of Self-Theologizing.

3. Growth here may be physical, spiritual, social or economic.

4. In the Provincial Synod held between 28^th and 29^th June 2007, at All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi, it was resolved that the ACK be divided into four major regions which were to form Archdioceses by June 2008. These were Mount Kenya, Nakuru, Mombasa and Maseno.

CHAPTER TWO

A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF KENYA

2.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses the general situation of the ACK in relation to the “Four-Selves”

Mission Strategy of Support, Governance, Propagation and Self-Theologizing. The various ways in which these four-selves have had an impact on the ACK will be reflected here and in the entire study. The chapter provides a history of the ACK and also assesses the training needs in it. This is done by establishing the total number in Kenya of Anglican Christians, dioceses, parishes, congregations and other Church institutions which are then correlated with the total number of trained clergy members in the ACK. It also examines the growth of the ACK in successive years since its inception in 1844. The current statistics of total membership, numbers of church leaders particularly the clergy and their qualifications, and ACK institutions such as hospitals, schools, and polytechnics are well-outlined.

2.2 THE ACK AND THE “FOUR-SELVES” MISSION STRATEGY

Kenya has been a multiparty democracy since 1992 when section 2A of the Constitution, which had stated that we would only be a single political party state was amended. It gained independence from British colonialization in 1963. The Republic of Kenya has a population density of about 35,000,000 people and the main ethnolinguisitic groups are Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, Kamba, Kipsigis, Nandi, Tugen, Elgeyo, Marakwet, Gusii, Meru, Mijikenda, Giriama, Digo, Duruma, Somali, Turkana, Embu, Taita, Taveta, Pokot, Teso, Kuria, Mbeere, Tharaka, Samburu, Pokomo, Sabaot, and Boran. The ACK has