Equipping Lay Leaders for Christian Ministry in the Anglican Church of Kenya through Theological Education by Extension

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 11 questionnaires where two former diocesan Theological Education by Extension (TEE) co-ordinators 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’s findings show that the success of the 21st century ecclesia solely depends on how thoroughly the lay leaders are empowered and equipped theologically through TEE.