African Initiatives in Christianity

In the continent where Christianity is experiencing its most rapid growth, a great deal of this expansion is taking place in churches founded by Africans for Africans. These churches are often referred to as 'independent' or 'indigenous' churches, to distinguish them from the 'historic' or 'mission-founded' churches planted during the colonial period by evangelists from Europe and North America. Diverse as they are, the attractiveness of these African Initiatives in Christianity (AICs) stems from the serious attempt they make to express and live out their faith in genuinely African cultural forms and styles. In this new book, two African theologians and church leaders -- one from an historic church, one from an AIC -- offer an insightful introduction into this phenomenon. While their main focus is on what the growth of African Initiatives in Christianity implies for the future of the ecumenical movement in Africa and around the world, they also examine some key teachings of the AICs and trace their roots in African church history since the first century.