Reimagining the Role of the Pastor as a Teaching Elder in the Twenty-First-Century Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Nkhoma Synod Context: A Situational Audit of Lilongwe City Congregations

Abstract

In the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Nkhoma Synod, a pastor has various responsibilities. Crucial to the pastoral calling is the ministry of teaching. They therefore define the pastor as a teaching elder. One important way a pastor fulfills the teaching responsibility is through preaching, but this study found that, because of various factors, most of the preaching is done by laypeople. In this research, I argue that there is a need to reimagine how pastors can fulfill their teaching responsibilities in the twenty-first-century context.

Keywords

• ccap nkhoma synod
• teaching elder
• reformed tradition
• lay empowerment