The Evangelical Church
of South Sudan

Background

In the late 1980’s, young Sudanese men and women from the South, fleeing the constant fighting and persecutions of the war in Sudan, began to arrive in Kenya. Some of these Sudanese settled in the Dadaf refugee camp, others in the outskirts of the town of Thika, and still others in Nairobi.

Some of these refugees became Christians at the Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) and other protestant Churches. Instead of seeking resettlement overseas or in neighbouring countries, these Christians determined to go back to war-ravaged South Sudan in order to share the Word of God with those who had remained behind.

The first Evangelical Church of South Sudan (ECSS) congregation was formed early in 1998 in Torit County, which is in the Equatoria Region in South Sudan. Initially, this new church congregation in South Sudan took the name "The Baptist Church in South Sudan."

It was at the general assembly meeting in 2001, however, that the membership objected to this name. Instead, they decided that it would be preferable to be called the Evangelical Church of South Sudan (ECSS), which would more correctly reflect their desire to be a non-denominational church both in their nature as well as in their approach.

The above grew out of a desire to avoid what has happened to other churches in South Sudan, as well as in the rest of the world. That is, that the churches had become divided into denominational lines. It was also felt that by dividing along denominational lines, Islam and African traditional religions would likewise continue to gain ground. The membership felt strongly that South Sudan needed a united Church which could face the rapid expansion of Islam from the northern part of the country to the south.