The History and Development of Worship in the Lutheran Church of Central Africa Compared to an Ethnodoxological Template

Abstract

Prior to this paper, a documented history of worship in the Lutheran Church of Central Africa did not exist. It is a wonderful history richly detailed with God’s continued blessings. Its worship is continuing to develop within the cultures that it lives. Zambia and Malawi are one of many places in which the WELS carries out its world missions, and the Lutheran Church of Central Africa is one of many worldwide church bodies with which the WELS is in fellowship. Some of these church bodies are only beginning to develop their own form of worship and need professional ethnomusicologists to help them do this within the specific culture. To provide the materials to adequately do this in WELS world missions certainly goes outside the capability of any paper. This paper does serve to provide a case study in worship development in the Lutheran Church of Central Africa. This case study uses materials from the field of ethnodoxology. This paper also serves as an introduction to the resources within the field of ethnodoxology, showing these resources to be helpful in building culture specific worship in any culture around the world.