AMECEA is an acronym for "Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa." It is a service organization for the National Episcopal Conferences of the nine countries of Eastern Africa, namely Eritrea (1993), Ethiopia (1979), Kenya (1961), Malawi (1961), South Sudan (2011), Sudan (1973), Tanzania (1961), Uganda (1961) and Zambia (1961). The Republic of South Sudan became independent on 9 July, 2011, but the two Sudans remain part of one Episcopal Conference. Somalia (1995) and Djibouti (2002) are Affiliate Members.

NOTE: Small Christian Communities (SCCs) developed as a result of putting the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) into practice. Latin America, Africa and Asia (especially the Philippines) all pioneered the development of a SCC Model of Church or a BCC Model of Church. After considerable research and debate, many specialists feel that quite independently of one another these three areas of the Catholic Church in the Global South simultaneously experienced the extraordinary growth of SCCs. Thus the African experience did not come from Latin America but developed on its own as follows:

1961: The Zaire Episcopal Conference (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo or DRC) approved a pastoral plan to promote "Living Ecclesial Communities." NOTE: This is only five years after the more famous Basic (or Base) Christian Communities/Basic Ecclesial Communities started in Barra do Pirai Diocese, Brazil.

1966: Although 1973 and 1976 are considered the official starting points for SCCs in the AMECEA countries, the very beginning of SCCs can be traced back to Nyarombo Parish in Musoma Diocese, Tanzania in 1966 with research on the social structures and community values of the Luo Ethnic Group. The first term used was chama (meaning "small group") or “small communities of Christians” (forerunner of SCCs). See Marie-France Perrin Jassy, Forming Christian Communities (Kampala: Gaba Pastoral Paper No. 12, 1970) and Basic Community in the African Churches (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1973).

1969: Seminar Study Year (SSY) in Tanzania. During the SSY the concept and praxis of SCCs that were then called "local Church communities" were first articulated as a priority in both rural and later urban parishes. See articles in Service published by the now called TAPRI (Tanzanian Pastoral and Research Institute).

1971: Small Christian Communities were started in St. Charles Lwanga Parish in Lusaka Archdiocese, Zambia.

1972: Bishop Patrick Kalilombe held a Diocesan Synod in Lilongwe, Malawi and was the first bishop in Eastern Africa to start a diocesan pastoral plan of Small Christian Communities on the grassroots level.

1973 (Nairobi, Kenya): AMECEA Study Conference on “Planning for the Church in Eastern Africa in the 1980s:” Key statement: “We have to insist on building church life and work on Basic Christian Communities in both rural and urban areas. Church life must be based on the communities in which everyday life and work take place: those basic and manageable social groups whose members can experience real inter-personal relationships and feel a sense of communal belonging, both in living and working.”

The importance of putting into practice the challenge of Bishop Patrick Kalilombe. He said during this AMECEA Meeting that every bishop, priest, seminarian, brother, and sister should participate in a particular SCC – not as a leader but as a regular/ordinary member. This can work easily if the priest, etc. becomes a member of the SCC in his or her specific neighborhood/geographical area (that is, where he or she is actually living).

1974: Bishop Christopher Mwoleka of Rulenge Diocese, Tanzania and the Tanzania National Council of the Laity developed a step-by-step plan for starting SCCs throughout Tanzania. Mwoleka stated that in his diocese "the entire pastoral work will be carried out by means of Small Christian Communities."

1976 (Nairobi, Kenya): AMECEA Study Conference on “Building Small Christian Communities.” Key statement: "Systematic formation of Small Christian Communities should be the key pastoral priority in the years to come in Eastern Africa.”

During this meeting the word "small" was specifically chosen to avoid certain undertones of the word "basic." Bishop Raphael Ndingi Mwana'a Nzeki of Nakuru Diocese, Kenya stated that to call our grassroots communities "small" instead of "basic" is another indication that the movement in Africa was growing on its own, quite independent of what was happening along the same lines in other places such as Latin America. See Raphael Ndingi, "Basic Communities: the African Experience" in A New Missionary Era (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1982), p. 100.

1979 (Zomba, Malawi): AMECEA Study Conference on “The Implementation of the AMECEA Bishops’ Pastoral Priority of Building Small Christian Communities: An Evaluation.” One pastoral resolution stated: “SCCs are an effective way of developing the mission dimension of the church at the most local level, and of making people feel that they are really part of the church's evangelizing work.”

1983: African theologian Laurenti Magesa boldly stated: "Ecclesiologically they (SCCs) are the best thing that has happened since the New Testament."

1992 (Lusaka, Zambia): The AMECEA Plenary Study Conference on “Evangelization with its Central Issues: Inculturation, Small Christian Communities and Priestly, Religious and Christian Formation" reiterated its pastoral commitment by stating: "So we repeat that SCCs are not optional in our churches; they are central to the life of faith and the ministry of evangelization."

1994: First African Synod in Rome in April, 1994. Theme: "The Church in Africa and Her Evangelizing Mission Towards the Year 2000 with five main topics: "Proclamation of the Good News of Salvation", "Inculturation," "Dialogue", "Justice and Peace" and the "Means of Social Communications." Of the 211 interventions during the first two weeks of the First African Synod, there were 29 interventions on SCCs (the fourth highest number after the topics of justice, inculturation and laity). Ecclesiology of the Church-as-Family. In the Final Message Section 28 on "The Church-as-Family and Small Christian Communities" states: “The Church, the Family of God, implies the creation of small communities at the human level, living or basic ecclesial communities…These individual Churches-as-Families have the task of working to transform society.”

1995: Publication and promulgation by John Paul II of the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa/The Church in Africa/Kanisa Katika Afrika. Synod in Yaounde, Cameroon, Johannesburg, South Africa and Nairobi, Kenya between 14 -20 September, 1995.

Numbers 23 and 89 treat SCCs.

Number 23 under “The Family of God in the Synodal Process:” "If this Synod is prepared well, it will be able to involve all levels of the Christian Community: individuals, small communities, parishes, Dioceses, and local, national and international bodies."

Number 89 under “Living (or Vital) Christian Communities:” "Right from the beginning, the Synod Fathers recognized that the Church as Family cannot reach her full potential as Church unless she is divided into communities small enough to foster close human relationships. The Assembly described the characteristics of such communities as follows: primarily they should be places engaged in evangelizing themselves, so that subsequently they can bring the Good News to others; they should moreover be communities which pray and listen to God's Word, encourage the members themselves to take on responsibility, learn to live an ecclesial life, and reflect on different human problems in the light of the Gospel. Above all, these communities are to be committed to living Christ's love for everybody, a love which transcends the limits of natural solidarity of clans, tribes or other interest groups."

Also Number 63 under “The Church as God's Family:” "It is earnestly to be hoped that theologians in Africa will work out the theology of the Church as Family with all the riches contained in this concept, showing its complementarity with other images of the Church."

SCCs become an important part of the National Plans for the Implementation of the African Synod in the AMECEA countries. The African Synod Comes Home -- A Simplified Text (Pauline Publications Africa, 1995) and other post-synodal documents stress the importance in SCCs in the follow-up and implementation of the recommendations of the First African Synod. Developing SCCs as a concrete expression of, and realization of, the Church-as-Family Model of Church.  

1998: Key turning point in Tanzania: “The implementation of the new Constitution of the National Lay Council in 1998 required that the election of lay leaders in parishes throughout Tanzania start at the level of SCCs and move upwards. This insured that the parish council leaders would be chosen from those who were already leaders in their SCCs – thus true representation from below. Such decisions gave full confidence to the faithful and opened new possibilities for the laity in the local church.” (See Chapter 14 in Small Christian Communities Today: Capturing the New Moment. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2005 and Nairobi, Kenya: Paulines Publications Africa, 2006.).

2002 (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania): AMECEA Study Conference on “Deeper Evangelization in the Third Millennium.” Section 7 of the Pastoral Resolutions was on “Building the Church as a Family of God by Continuing to Foster and/or Revitalize the Small Christian Communities.” No. 43 states: “We recommend that a program on the theological and pastoral value of Small Christian Communities be included in the normal curriculum of the Major Seminaries and houses of formation of both men and women.”

2002: Synod of MwanzaArchdiocese, Tanzania. Booklet: Sinodi ya Kwanza Jimbo Kuu la Mwanza: Sera, Maaazimo na Matamko. Tabora, Tanzania: Tanganyika Mission Press (TMP), Contains 105 references to Jumuiya Ndogo Ndogo za Kikristo (JNNK), the Swahili expression for SCCs.

2005: (Mukono, Uganda): AMECEA Study Conference on “Responding to the Challenges of HIV/AIDS within the AMECEA Region” had one pastoral resolution that emphasised: "Active involvement of SCCs in reaching out to people with HIV/AIDS. SCC members as caregivers, counselors, etc." NOTE: SCC members also reach out to refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), people traumatized by civil war, violence and tribalism/ethnicity, street children, sick people, bereaved people and other needy people.

2006-2007: To promote the AMECEA Pastoral Priority of SCCs and to focus on ongoing spiritual and pastoral formation a "Year of Small Christian Communities (SCCs)" was celebrated in Dar es Salaam Archdiocese, Tanzania. Later this was extended to a "National Year of Small Christian Communities (SCCs)" for the whole of Tanzania.

2007-2012: Annual campaigns of the Kenya Lenten Campaign. The "See, Judge and Act" Process draws on the experience of SCCs on justice and peace-related themes/issues. Many discussion questions relate to SCCs. The proposed action steps directly involve SCCs.

2008: (Lusaka, Zambia): AMECEA Study Conference on "Reconciliation Through Justice and Peace." See references to the role and mission of Small Christian Communities. Action Plan A4: “Revisiting the Small Christian Communities Pastoral Option as a means of responding to the ministry of reconciliation through justice and peace. Theology of the Church Family of God must be further explored in view of enhancing reconciliation and peace building.”

2009: Second African Synod in Rome from 4-25 October, 2009: Theme: "The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace." See the Lineamenta (2006) and Instrumentum Laboris (March, 2009). SCCs are called "living ecclesial communities." The Church as Family of God Model is a new ecclesial option that focuses on building families and building SCCs that are involved in reconciliation, justice and peace in the Catholic Church and in the wider society." Tracking the shifts in this specific theme with the additional emphasis on “Reconciliation." SCCs are mentioned in 12 times in the Instrumentum Laboris and twice in the footnotes. This is significantly more than in the Lineamenta in which "living ecclesial communities"are mentioned three times in the document and twice in the questionnaire. This increase in the importance given to SCCs is clearly due to the many responses from the Episcopal Conferences in Africa and to other answers to the 32 questions of the original questionnaire.

2009: From the 29 September, 2009 “Statement from Bishops of AMECEA Who Are Delegates to the Synod of Bishops’ Second Special Assembly for Africa (in Rome in October, 2009)”: Under: B. OUR SERIOUS PASTORAL CONCERNS AND CHALLENGES. 3. “Centrality of Small Christian Community (SCC)”: We have experienced that a properly trained and led SCC adds great value to the promotion of reconciliation. This is because deeper biblical reflection and more regular use of the pastoral circle empower our Christians to engage effectively in the social life around them. Here formation in Catholic Social Teaching (CST) at all levels must be a priority.”

2009: Second African Synod in Rome from 4-25 October, 2009. Theme: "The Church in Africa in Service to Reconciliation, Justice and Peace." From No 22 of the “Message to the People of God”: “Here we would like to reiterate the recommendation of Ecclesia in Africa about the importance of Small Christian Communities (cf. EIA, 93). Beyond prayer, you must also arm yourself with sufficient knowledge of the Christian faith to be able to “give a proof of the hope that you bear” (1 Peter 3:15) in the market places of ideas…We strongly recommend the basic sources of Catholic faith: the Holy Bible, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and most relevant to the theme of the Synod, The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

From the “Final List of [57] Propositions” Propositio 35 on “Small Christian Communities (SCCs)” states:

The Synod renews its support for the promotion of Small Christian Communities (SCCs) that firmly build up the Church-Family of God in Africa. The SCCs are based on Gospel-sharing, where Christians gather to celebrate the presence of the Lord in their lives and in their midst, through the celebration of the Eucharist, the reading of the Word of God and witnessing to their faith in loving service to each other and their communities. Under the guidance of their pastors and catechists, they seek to deepen their faith and mature in Christian witness, as they live concrete experiences of fatherhood, motherhood, relationships, open fellowship, where each takes care of the other. This Family of God extends beyond the bonds of blood, ethnicity, tribe, culture and race. In this way SCCs open paths to reconciliation with extended families that have the tendency to impose on Christian nuclear families their syncretistic ways and customs.

2009: The first African publication on the Second African Synod was: Courage! Get on Your feet, Continent of Africa. "Homily of his Holiness Benedict XVI at the concluding Mass" and "Message of the Bishops of Africa to the People of God".

2010: Towards Healing and Transformation (Kenya Lenten Campaign, 2010).

2010: The Word of the Lord. Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Benedict XVI. Paulines Publications Africa, 2010

 No. 73 on “Letting the Bible Inspire Pastoral Activity:”
“Examining the ordinary activities of Christian communities in parishes, associations and movements.”
 “It is good that pastoral activity also favour the growth of small communities, ‘formed by families or based in parishes or linked to the different ecclesial movements and new communities’, which can help to promote formation, prayer and knowledge of the Bible in accordance with the Church’s faith.”

 No. 85 on “The Word of God, Marriage and the Family:”
 “The Synod also recommended the formation of small communities of families, where common prayer and meditation on passages of Scripture can be cultivated.”

2011: Meeting on 21-25 February, 2011 in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) DRC to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of "Living Ecclesial Communities" in DRC.

2011: The Dawn of New Hope: Implementing the New Constitution (Kenya Lenten Campaign, 2011).

2011: Gulu Archdiocese, Uganda’s Second Archdiocesan Synod from 8-20 May, 2011 under “Lay Apostolate (Adults, Youth and Children)” states: “The Parish Priests and Catechists shall immediately ensure that Small Christian Communities are created and strengthened to model the life of Christians.”

2011: The 17th AMECEA Plenary Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya took place from 27 June to 6 July, 2011. The AMECEA Study Session has four resolutions about SCCs in the context of

Resolution No. 1: “Developing a Comprehensive Ten Year Pastoral Plan comprised of recommendations on the various issues and concerns. The plan must include a theological framework of addressing key issues and challenges of ‘New Evangelization in Solidarity in the AMECEA countries:’”

Resolution No. 3: “Enhance Initial and Ongoing Quality Formation of Pastoral
Agents at All Levels.” This resolution came from discussion on pastoral concerns or problems that prevent deeper evangelization. This wide-ranging resolution applies to the following pastoral agents who are involved in SCCs:

1. Lay people who are leaders of SCCs (called by many names such as animator or coordinator).
2. Catechists. NOTE: In the original plan of SCCs catechists were not the leaders of SCCs, but rather the animators.
3. Religious men and women.
4. Priests.
5. Seminarians.
6. Youth.

Resolution No. 5: “Evaluating and Revitalizing the AMECEA Pastoral Option of
Establishing Small Christian Communities.”

Resolution No. 17: “Enhancing participation in liturgy, holy sacraments and the Word of God and fight against devil worship and witchcraft diligently and systematically by living and witnessing the Catholic Faith. Building capacities of the faithful to respond to these challenges by utilizing Scripture and values from the Social Teachings of the Church.” NOTE: What is new here is to mobilize SCCs in the fight against witchcraft. SCCs in Zambia have been involved in this campaign for many years.

Resolution No. 19. “Revisiting self-reliance and self-sustainability strategies by exploring and sharing opportunities within the region. Developing Catholic value-based investment policies involving lay professionals and Christians right from Small Christian Community levels in ownership and management at appropriate levels.”

There were many references to the AMECEA pastoral priority of SCCs in the talks and discussions. A report was presented on: “Building the Church as Family of God:  Evaluation of the Growth and Impact of Small Christian Communities in the AMECEA Region as AMECEA Celebrates Its Golden Jubilee.” There are 110,000 SCCs in the nine countries in Eastern Africa.

2011: Lumko East Africa Pastoral Ministry Workshop (Waumini Pastoral Ministry Programme for Eastern Africa) at Tabor Hill Spiritual Centre, Nyahururu, Kenya.  5 September to  1 October, 2011.  This was the 18th International Workshop for the AMECEA Region.

2011: Pope Benedict XVI promulgated the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africa’s
Commitment (Africae Munus)in Ouidah, Benin in West Africa on 19 November, 2011. Sections related to SCCs are:

Number 111 under “Priests:” “Build up the Christian communities by your example… Devote yourselves intensely to putting into practice the diocesan pastoral plan for reconciliation, justice and peace, especially through the celebration of the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, catechesis, the formation of lay people and on-going dialogue with those holding positions of responsibility in society.”

Number 131 under Lay People:” It can be helpful for you to form associations in order to continue shaping your Christian conscience and supporting one another in the struggle for justice and peace. The Small Christian Communities(SCCs) and the ‘new communities’ are fundamental structures for fanning the flame of your Baptism.”

Number 133 under “The Church as the Presence of Christ:” “The Church is ‘in Christ, a sacrament – a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race.’ As the community of Christ’s disciples, we are able to make visible and share the love of God. Love ‘is the light – and in the end, the only light – that can always illuminate a world grown dim and grant us the courage needed to keep living and working.’ This is clearly seen in the universal Church, in dioceses and parishes, in the SCCs, in movements and associations, and even in the Christian family itself, which is ‘called to be a ‘domestic church’, a place of faith, of prayer and of loving concern for the true and enduring good of each of its members,” a community which lives the sign of peace. Together with the parish, the SCCs and the movements and associations can be helpful places for accepting and living the gift of reconciliation offered by Christ our peace. Each member of the community must become a ‘guardian and host’ to the other: this is the meaning of the sign of peace in the celebration of the Eucharist.”

Number 151 under “The Sacred Scriptures:” “Each member of Christ’s faithful should grow accustomed to reading the Bible daily! An attentive reading of the recent Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini can provide some useful pastoral indications. Care should be taken to initiate the faithful into the ancient and fruitful tradition of Lectio Divina. The Word of God can lead to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and bring about conversions which produce reconciliation, since it is able to sift “the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Synod Fathers encouraged Christian parish communities, SCCs, families and associations and ecclesial movements to set aside times for sharing the Word of God. In this way, they will increasingly become places where God’s word, which builds up the community of Christ’s disciples, is read, meditated on and celebrated. This word constantly enlivens fraternal communion (cf. 1 Peter 1:22-25).”

Number 169 under “Missionaries in the Footsteps of Christ:” In the context of the new evangelization “all Christians are admonished to be reconciled to God. In this way you will become agents of reconciliation within the ecclesial and social communities in which you live and work.”

Benedict XVI,Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Africa’s Commitment (Africae Munus),
Nairobi:Paulines Publications Africa, 2011.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20111119_africae-munus_en.html
http://www.zenit.org/article-33862?l=english

2012: Towards a Transformed Kenya: Let Light Shine Out of Darkness (Kenya Lenten Campaign, 2012).

Updated: 18 January, 2012

Father Joseph Healey, M.M is a Maryknoll missionary priest who teaches a course on "Small Christian Communities as a New Model of Church in Africa Today" at Hekima College (Jesuit School of Theology) and at Tangaza College (CUEA) in Nairobi, Kenya. He is the co-editor of Small Christian Communities Today: Capturing the New Moment. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2005 and Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2006.

Rev. Joseph Healey, M.M
Maryknoll Society
P.O. Box 43058
00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Telkom Orange Wireless: 057-2522977
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