Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church elected Catherine Ngina Musau as its first female presiding bishop, selecting her at a general assembly in Malindi on Nov. 28 and setting her installation for June, according to the Associated Press. The Lutheran pastor, who is 55 and a mother of two adult children, will become the denomination’s top bishop-elect after a rise through church leadership that began with her early involvement in ministry as a youth.
Musau told Religion News Service that the election came at the right time, saying it was “by the grace of God because it came at the time God needed me to serve his church in this capacity.” She also described her broader view of women’s advancement in senior church roles, saying “Women priests who ascend to be leaders in the church and to the office of the bishops face significant challenges, but their presence in these offices is a sign of progress,” while adding that “The journey towards full equality remains ongoing.”
The church Musau will lead is described as Bible-based and Protestant, with missions across eastern and southern Kenya and a strong following among the Masai community near the Tanzania border. The Associated Press report said the denomination also is known for relief work, including responses to flood, hunger and poverty, and for programs involving orphans and interventions around HIV and AIDS.
As part of her planned leadership approach, Musau said her priorities will include mission, evangelism and discipleship, spiritual formation and what she called leadership integrity for ordained and lay leaders. She also pointed to diakonia, describing it as compassion, holistic care and service, and said she would focus on financial stewardship aimed at transparency and accountability to support self-sustainability.
The report said Musau previously became the church’s first female pastor when she was ordained in 2003, and that she later headed the Kilifi Deanery for the past two years. It also described how her path toward priesthood began in Machakos County in eastern Kenya, where she was born in 1971, as the fourth child in a Christian family of 10.
Musau said her upbringing shaped her early service, describing being “privileged to start serving” as a Sunday school teacher after confirmation and then joining theological school. She also said that at Mulala Mixed Secondary School, a Catholic mission school, she accepted Jesus as her savior in her second year, and that “My principal was the priest in charge of the mission and several teachers, being nuns, modeled and mentored me to join the ministry of serving God.”
In addition to the personal account of her formation, the Associated Press report gave background on how the Lutheran church in Kenya developed over decades, tracing its origins to German and Swedish Lutheran missionaries arriving in Africa before the First World War, first in Tanganyika, now part of Tanzania. It said that up to its inauguration in 1992, the church operated as a synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, and that members working in Kenya requested Lutheran services in Nairobi and Mombasa in 1965.
The report said the denomination was registered as an independent entity in 1989, paving the way for its inauguration, and described its structure as divided into four districts and operating in 25 of the 47 Kenyan counties, with 50 parishes. It also said the church has partnerships with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and with Lutheran churches in Germany.
On gender and scripture, Musau said expanding women’s leadership in the church requires addressing how Scripture is sometimes interpreted to justify subordination of women. She said, “There is a need to reflect on the Biblical narratives, which highlight the role of women in leadership and spiritual calling,” naming examples including Deacon Phoebe and Deborah, and adding other women leaders from the Bible. At the same time, she said younger women need mentorship to gain confidence to challenge cultural norms that block their rise in leadership.
Musau also said men leaders should use their public platforms to affirm women leaders and share experiences with women leadership. The election comes as the church confronts concerns it says could erode public trust, including power abuse, financial mismanagement, disunity among congregants and politics, according to the Associated Press report.