Resilience and Equality in the Household of God: Peggy Mulambya Kabonde’s Search for Justice

Abstract

The World Council of Churches (WCC) commemorated its 70th anniversary in 2018. Over the years, the WCC has engaged with issues that affect women in the Church and society. It has challenged patriarchy in Church structures; calling for justice, partnership in mission and the ordination of women. The WCC initiated a decade of Churches in solidarity with women (1988 to 1998) to promote the visibility of women in the Church. Using storytelling as a heuristic tool and in the spirit of the WCC’s decade of Churches in solidarity with women, the present paper documents the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Peggy Mulambya Kabonde of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ). Firstly, a brief narrative of her life and work is presented. Secondly, her work and experience in the Church is analyzed in order to engage with the issues affecting women in ordained ministry in Africa and other parts of the world. The paper concludes by proposing a model of ecclesiology that embraces inclusivity and the equality of men and women in the Church.