African Roots, British Humour

Kampala Evangelical School of Theology is one of the few theological institutions established and run by Ugandans. It’s currently a smaller school, with about 50 students, 7 full-time faculty, and 15 part-time faculty. Amazingly, due to what I imagine to be Herculean effort on the part of the lecturers, they offer 7 different diplomas. The physical location is in one of the suburbs of Kampala; it is a small campus, but the buildings are nicer than many I’ve visited and the library is surprisingly strong.

Based on my travels, KEST is uniquely strong in two areas. First, it is utterly non-denominational and utterly evangelical. This brings in faculty and students from a variety of traditions, and it unites them on the ground of Scripture. I like their resulting vision:

• To see the Church reflect biblical vitality, understanding and joy, living out the gospel in the realities of contemporary Africa.


• To see a Society that is increasingly renewed and transformed to reflect biblical values (personally and spiritually, socially and politically, materially and economically) as the result of the gospel’s impact through the activity of Christians and the Church.

The other unique feature of KEST is their teaching method. Teaching in East Africa largely follows the old British method of a lot of lecture and a lot of memorization with little critical thinking on the part of the students. KEST, however, consciously bucks the norm, recognizing the need to form students, not merely inform them. They have a keen awareness of the need to train Ugandan pastors and ministers for holistic ministry, and so they pursue a dedication to excellence in “academic matters, spiritual formation, and skills development.”

In fairness to the other colleges I’ve visited, I must say that most share this commitment. KEST, however, seems to have a greater willingness to use a variety of teaching methods and student evaluation, with an eye to the gradual formation process rather than an emphasis on end of term exams. This is due in large part to their academic dean, Mark Meynell.

Mark is a Brit with the humour and wit that easily enamors us Americans, and one who has a warmth about him that defies the stereotype of British reserve. Through him I have gained a new angle on the current condition of both theological education and the church in Uganda. Although an Anglican himself, he has a broad view of the church in Uganda, and our conversations have brought clarity to some of my fuzzier impressions. He has also given me a clearer picture into some of the challenges of living in Kampala. I hope to write more on these things later.