The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Synod of Zambia traces its origins back to the Livingstonia Mission of the Free Church of Scotland.

The Livingstonia Mission was formed in 1874 in memory of Dr. David Livingstone and, between 1881 and 1912, the Livingstonia Mission carried out extensive evangelistic work in Malawi and Zambia.

The evangelism done by the Livingstonia Presbytery of the Free Church of Scotland, Blantyre Presbytery of the Established Church of Scotland, and the Nkhoma Presbytery of the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa resulted in the formation of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) in 1924. The offices of the CCAP General Assembly are located in Lilongwe, Malawi and, currently, the CCAP has five synods: Livingstonia (northern Malawi), Blantyre (southern Malawi), Nkhoma (central Malawi), Harare (Zimbabwe), and the CCAP Synod of Zambia in Lusaka. When the CCAP Synod of Zambia was constituted in 1984, the church had only four ordained ministers, 16 congregations, and only 2 presbyteries (Chasefu and Midlands/Copperbelt) with fewer than 10,000 congregation members. As of 2024, the Synod now has 83 congregations, 18 presbyteries, and 89 ordained ministers with over 110,000 congregation members. In 2007, the church also opened a theological college in Chasefu in eastern Zambia in order to provide CCAP congregations with the pastoral support they need. The growth of the CCAP Synod of Zambia is supported by groups of houses (or sections), preaching stations (or prayer houses), congregations, presbyteries, and the Synod. The Synod also organizes evangelistic out-reach campaigns with the help of Christian fellowship groups: Christian Men’s Guild, Christian Women’s Guild and Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF). The Synod of Zambia is a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches and a member of Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Theological Education by Extension in Zambia (TEEZ) and the Bible Society in Zambia (BSZ). The church also has close relations with the Uniting Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa (UPCSA), the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) and the Reformed Church of Zambia (RCZ), and partnerships with the Presbyterian Church (USA) also known PC (USA), Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA), Presbyterian Church of Ireland (PCI), and Romans 1:11 Trust.