THE RELATIONSHIP OF AFRICAN INLAND MISSION AND ITS NATIONAL CHURCH IN KENYA BETWEEN 1895 AND 1971

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship that has existed between the Africa Inland Mission (A.I.M.) and its national Church in Kenya from the years .1895 to 1971. A further purpose was to assess the tensions which may have been produced in this developing relationship. The investigator followed the basic principles of the historical method in his examination of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources included missionary letters and diaries. Mission and Church records, documents, and publications, and minutes of Mission and Church Councils. Inaddition a limited number of personal interviews were conducted with missionaries and leaders of the Africa Inland Church. The data derived from these sources were presented in the form of an historical narrative, the material being arranged chronologically within each chapter. Four major factors were selected and investigated with a view to evaluating their significance in the relationship of the A.I.M.to its African Church. The influence of British colonialism was examined, recognizing that for seven decades it was in this historical context that the Mission carried on its work. The relationship between the Mission and the colonial Government ranged from an alliance to confrontation and included both subservience and representation. Each stance had its unique effect on Church/Mission \relationships