Basic Facts and Overview

The Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda (LCMU) is a young and energetic church body that has grown mightily through the power of the Holy Spirit since it was planted in 1994 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) working in partnership with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. The LCMU does not yet have their own website but we’re pleased to offer this page of basic information until they do.

• The LCMU has over 110 congregations/preaching stations—some meet in buildings and some meet under mango trees but all belong to the Body of Jesus Christ!
• There are two congregations in Kampala, one meeting a community called Bunga and the other Kansanga next to Kampala International.
• The LCMU is a national Church Body with congregations in all 4 regions of the country: Northern, Eastern, Central and Western. Significant clusters of congregations can be seen in the list below. The LCMU operates in 28 of the 110 districts in Uganda. The LCMU works in 13 of the approximately 42 language groups in Uganda.
• The highest local authority of LCMU is the Delegates Conference. It comprises of representatives from LCMU member congregations. The conference meets once every Four years to deliberate on major policies and issues of the church, to consider constitutional amendments and to elect officers to serve on the Board of Directors. Current Board of Directors include:
o Rev. Charles Bameka,, President
o Rev. Benson Barahuka, Vice President
o Mr. Fred Magezi, General Secretary
o Mr. David Kulaba, Treasurer
o Rev. Maganda Peter, Youth Representative

o Rev. James Odoo, Northern Representative
o Mr. Robert Tumuhairwe, South Western Representative
o Mr/Mrs, Central Representative
o Mr. Emmanuel Lumaga, Eastern Representative
o Rev. Benjamin Lokyepe, North Eastern Representative
o Mr. Raymond Kaija, Western Representative
o Mrs. Jane Byakutaaga, Women’s Representative
o MS Margaret Mande, Representative Far East

• There are 17  LCMU seminary-trained-and-certified ordained pastors
• The LCMU has had a three seminary trained-and-certified men sent by the ELCG over the years, including: Evangelist Solomon (and Georgina) Ayagri, Evangelist John Donkoh, and Rev. Isaac Gyampadu.
• The LCMU has many lay-leaders who lead worship and preach week-in and week-out. Many lay-leaders are commissioned as evangelists and serve as congregational pastors.
• Many lay-leaders are trained on a monthly basis at one of 7 Mission Training Centers (MTCs) located in: Ibanda, Masindi, Lira, Busia, Iganga/Jinja, Amudat and Kampala. Lay-leaders who prove themselves at the MTC level may be nominated to receive advanced training through Theological Education by Extension (TEE) which meets twice per month in Kampala and has a 2-year curriculum. Successful completion of TEE qualifies a man to apply for seminary but many will continue to serve with distinction in their local context.
• The LCMU has 7 men studying at the seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) in Matongo and 9 students at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwane, Pretoria, South Africa. Needless to say, we are eager for them to complete their studies and join the work.
• The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, St. Louis USA, LCMS, has an informal partnership with the LCMU through the LCMS World Mission department.
• Currently LCMU is not served by any fulltime missionary from LCMS  or ELCG.
• The LCMU is by far and away the largest Lutheran Church body in Uganda. It also has the longest track-record. (Others sometimes claim they were the first Lutherans in Uganda—also planted in 1994. Their claim only has merit if they admit they broke away from (or were sent away from) the ELCU. LCMU is the only Lutheran Body that has enjoyed a continuous and unbroken relationship with the LCMS and the ELCG all the way back to 1994.
• Many Christians from Australia and USA have had meaningful relationships with the LCMU over the years—usually thru congregationally-based, short-term Mission teams. This includes, in no particular order:
o  With God’s Little Ones, St. Charles, MO
o Hope Lutheran Church, Lubbock, TX
o Messiah Lutheran, St. Charles, MO
o Immanuel Lutheran, Brookfield, WI
o Trinity Lutheran (Freistadt), Mequon, WI
o Trinity Lutheran, Roselle, IL
o Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Para Vista, Australia
o Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Urbandale, Iowa
o Vestavia Hills Lutheran Church, Alabama
o  First Lutheran Church, Glencoe, MN
o Resurrection Lutheran Church, Cary, NC
o Hearts and Hope, St. Louis, MO

• There may be up to 5 Lutheran church bodies in Uganda but the LCMU is one of a few Lutheran church bodies in Uganda considered to be legitimate by the Lutheran Communion for Central and Eastern Africa (LUCCEA), a regional accrediting agency based in Nairobi at the All African Churhces Building.

LUTHERAN MEDIA MINISTRY UGANDA

The Lutheran Media Ministry – Uganda (LMMU) was established in I995 with the introduction of “This is the Life” weekly Lutheran Hour Ministry episodes on Uganda Television.
LMMU is an affiliate of Lutheran Hour Ministries and enjoys a close, fraternal relationship with the LCMU. The LMMU Director, Rev. Charles Bameka, is also the Vice President of the LCMU.

Though administered and governed independent of the Lutheran Church Mission, the Lutheran Media Ministry works in partnership with the Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda, thus contents of all its programs produced reflect the mission concerns and the confessional beliefs held by the Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda. LMMU fulfils its mission by;
a. Producing contextual Christian programs for outreach.
b. Coordinating the on going ministry of the Churches in Uganda particularly the Lutheran Church.
c. Developing effective programs for follow-up ministry on the referrals sent to the congregations in coordination with the local congregations and preaching stations.

Lutheran Media Ministry is a very good and effective tool for evangelism and must be encouraged and supported by the Lutheran family hear and overseas.
The ministry among it many benefits;
(i) assists the church in rural and urban ministry in their evangelistic efforts.
(ii) helps establish a proper communication system between member churches, preaching stations and the public at large.
(iii) help in producing religious materials for radio and television programs.
(iv) helps promote the young Lutheran Church in Uganda.
(v) helps in training for evangelism and follow-up through the ‘Equipping the Saints Program’.

CONCLUSION There has been struggles, pain and hardships in the birth of the Churches, but success has been possible because the Holy Spirit has worked through the gifts and talents of many men and women who have dedicated their time and resources for the service of God and Others. The challenge promise of Christ is as relevant today as it was in the New Testament tiems. He says, “I will build my church and not even death will ever be able to overcome it” Matt . 16:18b.

Our only goal in to proclaim Christ Jesus and bring many unbeliever to his church while strengthening the faithful with Word and Sacraments. Amen

Last updated May 2014