Celebrating 50 Years of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa Golden Jubilee: Music, Liturgy, and Buildings

James Kenokeno Mashabela

doi:10.25159/2412-4265/20410

Authors

James Kenokeno Mashabela University of South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8402-4960

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2412-4265/20410

Keywords:

church building theology, ELCSA unity and merger, healing ministry, Lutheran Spirituality, Lutheran World Federation (LWF), women

Abstract

This article grew out of the interest of the ELCSA celebrating its 50th Golden Jubilee anniversary with the theme: “United in Confession and Witnessing,” held from 18 to 21 December 2025. Liturgy, music, and buildings are part of the collective rich history and heritage of ELCSA. Liturgy and music are the backbone of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, herein referred to as ELCSA. This study discusses a historical overview of the origins of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, a brief history of the arrival and contribution of Lutheran mission societies in South Africa since 1737, the formation of synods since 1911 and regional churches in the 1950s and 1960s towards the establishment of ELCSA in the 1970s within liturgy, music, and buildings studies. The study discovered that liturgy, music, and buildings were developed from the Western Evangelical Lutheran Church traditions. The article contributes towards the recommendations for Africanisation and decolonisation of liturgy to appeal to an African context. The historical review and conceptual analysis or theological interpretation methodology is used to analyse the collected data.

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