HISTORY of the Church of Uganda
History of the Church of Uganda
The Church of Uganda dates to the arrival in June 1877 of the first European missionaries of the Church Missionary Society (CMS), Shergold Smith and C T Wilson. These men, soon joined by others, were based at the court of the Kabaka (ruler) of Buganda near what is now Kampala. Kabaka Muteesa was a past master at playing factions against each other and employed this tactic with the Anglican and Catholic missionaries as well as the Moslems in the country. When he died in 1884 he was succeeded by his 18 year old son Mwanga, who felt the need to assert his authority. This led in 1885 to the death of three young Anglican Ugandan Christians, the first martyrs. Later the same year Mwanga ordered the assassination of Bishop James Hannington, a CMS missionary, on his way to Uganda. A leading Catholic Ugandan, Balikuddembe, was killed for protesting at this action. This was the precursor to the larger-scale martyrdoms of 1886 of both Anglican and Catholic Christians.
This led to a period of complex political instability which only settled down with the arrival of the Imperial British East Africa Company and Captain Lugard with his Maxim gun. Lugard’s actions in 1892 ensured that the Anglican/Protestant faction rather than the Catholic or Moslem became the dominant force in Uganda in the period leading up to the declaration in 1894 of Uganda as a British Protectorate. Thereafter British rule was the dominant political reality extending from Buganda until independence in 1962.
Bishop Alfred Tucker arrived in Uganda in 1890. In 1897 he became the first Bishop of Uganda carved out of the vast and ill-defined Diocese of Eastern Equatorial Africa. It was in this last decade of the nineteenth century that the shape of the Church of Uganda was formed. In 1893 the first Ugandans were ordained deacon; Tucker was committed to developing an indigenous ministry. Buganda became a centre for evangelisation in the Great Lakes region. The most celebrated of these was Apolo Kivebulaya who later became a Canon of Namirembe Cathedral. Apolo is remembered as the apostle to the pygmies for his work in taking the Christian gospel into eastern Congo. His winsome faith in Christ impressed and won disciples. The impulse to evangelise had both honourable and less worthy aspects. There was a commendable desire to tell of Christ, but this was tied in with spreading political influence. There was also a spur of competition with the Catholics for converts, which may have been good for growth but not necessarily for the integrity of the Christian Gospel. Alongside the work of evangelisation there was the ongoing task of translating the Bible firstly into Luganda and then into other languages of the country, a task which continues to this day.
Evangelisation in Uganda was from the beginning allied with education. The first Christians were known as Readers. They were evangelised through being taught to read using the New Testament. In the 1890’s the missions developed the first schools at an elementary level. Likewise the CMS took a lead in medicine with the founding of Mengo Hospital in 1897. Sir Albert Cook and his formidable wife Kathleen were towering figures in the development of medical mission in Uganda.
The first decade of the twentieth century saw great numerical growth of the church in Uganda in the context of tighter political control of British authorities. Within the church there was controversy over Bishop Tucker’s proposals for a constitution which would give considerable power to what was known as the Native Anglican Church. Missionary opposition to more radical proposals meant the establishment of a church hierarchy dominated by expatriate missionaries. This decade saw the first establishment of the Mothers Union, which has been central to the Church of Uganda ever since.
After 1910 the Church of Uganda extended further into the north-west and into the south-west of the country. Africa Inland Mission was invited to participate in the north and agreed to do so under the umbrella of the Anglican Church. This was a unique arrangement for AIM, and was the first instance of the generous hospitality of the Church of Uganda to mission partners from non-Anglican agencies.
This was a relatively quiet period for steady growth and establishment of missionary stations, schools and clinics of a Protectorate church under missionary control. But in the 1920’s came the first evidence of discontent with this missionary power and dissatisfaction with an imported spirituality. The dominance of CMS led to a particular low-church tradition in Uganda.
A rather dry spirituality was certainly challenged in the 1930’s with the arrival of the Revival tradition from Rwanda. A key figure was Simeoni Nsibambi working with Dr Joe Church. The Revival movement of the Balokole made a powerful impact firstly in western Uganda and then in Buganda and later to the whole of Uganda. At first it was a controversial movement in its criticism of church leaders. In 1941 twenty-six Balokole were expelled from Bishop Tucker Theological College. They were led by William Nagenda, a leading and gifted evangelist. By God’s grace through various church leaders schism was avoided and the spirituality of the Balokole became a major feature of the Church of Uganda. The language of being saved and walking in the light is understood by all, although not owned by all, in the Church of Uganda.
In the 1940’s there came to Bishop Tucker College in Mukono a new Warden, John V Taylor who was committed to integrating the positive insights of the Revival tradition within the Church of Uganda. He also led the way in establishing an Ordinands’ village at the college, recognising the need to acknowledge families. Taylor was also significant for his studies of Ugandan church growth, integrity and spirituality rather than seeing Uganda as a mission field for Europeans.
The 1950’s saw the emergence of the generation of Ugandan church leaders who would replace the missionary hierarchy. Festo Kivengere travelled to Europe as an evangelist for the first time. As an international figure he was a joint founder of African Evangelistic Enterprise before becoming Bishop of Kigezi in 1972. Erica Sabiti and Janani Luwum were other church leaders with obvious potential.
In 1961 the growth of the Church of Uganda was recognised in the Anglican Communion with the establishment of the Province of Uganda, Rwanda-Burundi with Leslie Brown as the first Archbishop, based at Namirembe in Kampala. Brown was succeeded in 1966 by the first Ugandan Archbishop, Erica Sabiti. Since the days of fighting between Catholics and Protestants in 1892 relations between the two largest churches have been strained. But a positive step was taken in 1963 with the establishment of the Uganda Joint Christian Council. This has included the tiny but fascinating Orthodox Church in Uganda. But relations with newer more Pentecostal churches have not seen any effective mechanism in Uganda and tensions remain a fact of church life.
The coup d’etat of Amin in 1971 was greeted with initial euphoria by Anglican and other church leaders. But this was short-lived as the nature of the new regime became evident. The Balokole revival movement was in a pietist tradition without a clear understanding of church-state relations. In 1974 Janani Luwum from northern Uganda became Archbishop and he led the Anglican Church to be more outspoken in opposition to the policies of Amin. In 1977 Luwum was brutally killed on Amin’s orders. Other church leaders suffered with some prominent men fleeing the country.
The overthrow of Amin did not lead to immediate peace in the country, but through the 1980’s and 90’s the Church of Uganda has been a key instrument for recovery and rehabilitation in the country. The challenge has been to rebuild both church and country. The north of Uganda has suffered under the Lord’s Resistance Army. Winifred Ochola, wife of the first Bishop of Kitgum was killed by a landmine, but this did not deflect her husband from his commitment to searching for peace and reconciliation in the north.
A second challenge has come from the prevalence of AIDS in the country. To its international credit Uganda has been open about this problem and has started to reverse trends uniquely in Africa. The Church of Uganda has played a distinctive and significant role in this. The Revd Canon Gideon Byamugisha was the first Anglican priest in Uganda to speak openly of his positive HIV status and has become a national organiser and international spokesman.
Since the turn of the millennium, Uganda Christian University has been established in succession to Bishop Tucker Theological College. Its vision is to continue to educate Christian men and women who will shape the country for this century. In the meantime the Church of Uganda takes its place as one of the largest Provinces in the Anglican Communion, prepared to speak with a clear and confident voice.
The Church of Uganda dates to the arrival in June 1877 of the first European missionaries of the Church Missionary Society (CMS), Shergold Smith and C T Wilson. These men, soon joined by others, were based at the court of the Kabaka (ruler) of Buganda near what is now Kampala. Kabaka Muteesa was a past master at playing factions against each other and employed this tactic with the Anglican and Catholic missionaries as well as the Moslems in the country. When he died in 1884 he was succeeded by his 18 year old son Mwanga, who felt the need to assert his authority. This led in 1885 to the death of three young Anglican Ugandan Christians, the first martyrs. Later the same year Mwanga ordered the assassination of Bishop James Hannington, a CMS missionary, on his way to Uganda. A leading Catholic Ugandan, Balikuddembe, was killed for protesting at this action. This was the precursor to the larger-scale martyrdoms of 1886 of both Anglican and Catholic Christians.
This led to a period of complex political instability which only settled down with the arrival of the Imperial British East Africa Company and Captain Lugard with his Maxim gun. Lugard’s actions in 1892 ensured that the Anglican/Protestant faction rather than the Catholic or Moslem became the dominant force in Uganda in the period leading up to the declaration in 1894 of Uganda as a British Protectorate. Thereafter British rule was the dominant political reality extending from Buganda until independence in 1962.
Bishop Alfred Tucker arrived in Uganda in 1890. In 1897 he became the first Bishop of Uganda carved out of the vast and ill-defined Diocese of Eastern Equatorial Africa. It was in this last decade of the nineteenth century that the shape of the Church of Uganda was formed. In 1893 the first Ugandans were ordained deacon; Tucker was committed to developing an indigenous ministry. Buganda became a centre for evangelisation in the Great Lakes region. The most celebrated of these was Apolo Kivebulaya who later became a Canon of Namirembe Cathedral. Apolo is remembered as the apostle to the pygmies for his work in taking the Christian gospel into eastern Congo. His winsome faith in Christ impressed and won disciples. The impulse to evangelise had both honourable and less worthy aspects. There was a commendable desire to tell of Christ, but this was tied in with spreading political influence. There was also a spur of competition with the Catholics for converts, which may have been good for growth but not necessarily for the integrity of the Christian Gospel. Alongside the work of evangelisation there was the ongoing task of translating the Bible firstly into Luganda and then into other languages of the country, a task which continues to this day.
Evangelisation in Uganda was from the beginning allied with education. The first Christians were known as Readers. They were evangelised through being taught to read using the New Testament. In the 1890’s the missions developed the first schools at an elementary level. Likewise the CMS took a lead in medicine with the founding of Mengo Hospital in 1897. Sir Albert Cook and his formidable wife Kathleen were towering figures in the development of medical mission in Uganda.
The first decade of the twentieth century saw great numerical growth of the church in Uganda in the context of tighter political control of British authorities. Within the church there was controversy over Bishop Tucker’s proposals for a constitution which would give considerable power to what was known as the Native Anglican Church. Missionary opposition to more radical proposals meant the establishment of a church hierarchy dominated by expatriate missionaries. This decade saw the first establishment of the Mothers Union, which has been central to the Church of Uganda ever since.
After 1910 the Church of Uganda extended further into the north-west and into the south-west of the country. Africa Inland Mission was invited to participate in the north and agreed to do so under the umbrella of the Anglican Church. This was a unique arrangement for AIM, and was the first instance of the generous hospitality of the Church of Uganda to mission partners from non-Anglican agencies.
This was a relatively quiet period for steady growth and establishment of missionary stations, schools and clinics of a Protectorate church under missionary control. But in the 1920’s came the first evidence of discontent with this missionary power and dissatisfaction with an imported spirituality. The dominance of CMS led to a particular low-church tradition in Uganda.
A rather dry spirituality was certainly challenged in the 1930’s with the arrival of the Revival tradition from Rwanda. A key figure was Simeoni Nsibambi working with Dr Joe Church. The Revival movement of the Balokole made a powerful impact firstly in western Uganda and then in Buganda and later to the whole of Uganda. At first it was a controversial movement in its criticism of church leaders. In 1941 twenty-six Balokole were expelled from Bishop Tucker Theological College. They were led by William Nagenda, a leading and gifted evangelist. By God’s grace through various church leaders schism was avoided and the spirituality of the Balokole became a major feature of the Church of Uganda. The language of being saved and walking in the light is understood by all, although not owned by all, in the Church of Uganda.
In the 1940’s there came to Bishop Tucker College in Mukono a new Warden, John V Taylor who was committed to integrating the positive insights of the Revival tradition within the Church of Uganda. He also led the way in establishing an Ordinands’ village at the college, recognising the need to acknowledge families. Taylor was also significant for his studies of Ugandan church growth, integrity and spirituality rather than seeing Uganda as a mission field for Europeans.
The 1950’s saw the emergence of the generation of Ugandan church leaders who would replace the missionary hierarchy. Festo Kivengere travelled to Europe as an evangelist for the first time. As an international figure he was a joint founder of African Evangelistic Enterprise before becoming Bishop of Kigezi in 1972. Erica Sabiti and Janani Luwum were other church leaders with obvious potential.
In 1961 the growth of the Church of Uganda was recognised in the Anglican Communion with the establishment of the Province of Uganda, Rwanda-Burundi with Leslie Brown as the first Archbishop, based at Namirembe in Kampala. Brown was succeeded in 1966 by the first Ugandan Archbishop, Erica Sabiti. Since the days of fighting between Catholics and Protestants in 1892 relations between the two largest churches have been strained. But a positive step was taken in 1963 with the establishment of the Uganda Joint Christian Council. This has included the tiny but fascinating Orthodox Church in Uganda. But relations with newer more Pentecostal churches have not seen any effective mechanism in Uganda and tensions remain a fact of church life.
The coup d’etat of Amin in 1971 was greeted with initial euphoria by Anglican and other church leaders. But this was short-lived as the nature of the new regime became evident. The Balokole revival movement was in a pietist tradition without a clear understanding of church-state relations. In 1974 Janani Luwum from northern Uganda became Archbishop and he led the Anglican Church to be more outspoken in opposition to the policies of Amin. In 1977 Luwum was brutally killed on Amin’s orders. Other church leaders suffered with some prominent men fleeing the country.
The overthrow of Amin did not lead to immediate peace in the country, but through the 1980’s and 90’s the Church of Uganda has been a key instrument for recovery and rehabilitation in the country. The challenge has been to rebuild both church and country. The north of Uganda has suffered under the Lord’s Resistance Army. Winifred Ochola, wife of the first Bishop of Kitgum was killed by a landmine, but this did not deflect her husband from his commitment to searching for peace and reconciliation in the north.
A second challenge has come from the prevalence of AIDS in the country. To its international credit Uganda has been open about this problem and has started to reverse trends uniquely in Africa. The Church of Uganda has played a distinctive and significant role in this. The Revd Canon Gideon Byamugisha was the first Anglican priest in Uganda to speak openly of his positive HIV status and has become a national organiser and international spokesman.
Since the turn of the millennium, Uganda Christian University has been established in succession to Bishop Tucker Theological College. Its vision is to continue to educate Christian men and women who will shape the country for this century. In the meantime the Church of Uganda takes its place as one of the largest Provinces in the Anglican Communion, prepared to speak with a clear and confident voice.
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