Abstract
The mission of ecclesia is to empower and equip its leaders for Christian ministry. This has been possible through theological education, particularly for the ordained ministry. Though laity form a substantial number in the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) ecclesiastical context, they are theologically ill equipped for Christian ministry despite their integral roles in pastoral and administrative functions in their respective local congregations. The article was informed by both empirical and non-empirical data drawn from the ACK diocese of Thika in 2020. The data was derived from eleven questionnaires where two former diocesan TEE coordinators and nine Archdeaconry TEE facilitators in the diocese of Thika were engaged. Archival documents from the diocese and review of literature also enriched the study. The study findings show that the success of the 21 st century ecclesia solely depend on how thoroughly the lay leaders are empowered and equipped theologically through Theological Education by Extension (TEE).
Highlights
The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) is one of the missions-based Churches in Kenya
The diocesan Theological Education by Extension (TEE) lay leaders cite their lack of support as visibly evident when the council and its administration give no attention to their existence in the local Churches and Parishes, especially when there is, “no emphasis [of TEE and its impact] in the Church” (Respondent #01)
The article avers that quality time for effectively equipping these lay leaders for Christian ministry needs to be improved if the vision and mission of TEE pioneers is to be realised
Summary
The Church has recorded significant growth numerically, where its adherents are to the tune of over 5.86 million (Anglican Church of Kenya, 2019: ii) Though these figures are appealing to missiologists, there is a glaring problem; Dickson Nkonge cites that the gap between clergy who are ordained in relation to the lay Christians is so wide that one wonders how the Church is empowering and equipping its people for Christian ministry (2011:154). The house of laity is perceived as inferior, despite its integral role in the advancement of Christian faith in the ACK This perception has prevailed in the way the ACK equips its three houses, where the first two houses receive sound theological formation and the house of laity receives minimal, if any, theological training. The section below explains how TEE emerged in the ecclesiastical settings
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