Human and Social Studies Religious and Ethical Foundations of Society

History Of Christianity In Africa Overview Training

SAQA US 116751 | NQF 4 | Credits 6 | Duration 3 Days
From $967 per delegate

Description

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the history of Christianity in Africa, from its early roots to contemporary expressions. It explores the spread, adaptation, and impact of Christianity on African societies, cultures, and politics, equipping learners with a nuanced understanding of this significant religious tradition.

Learning Outcomes

  • Analyze the key periods and events in the history of Christianity in Africa.
  • Evaluate the role of African agents in the spread and indigenization of Christianity.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the interaction between Christianity and African traditional religions.
  • Assess the impact of colonialism and missionary movements on African Christianity.
  • Examine contemporary trends and challenges in African Christianity.

Target Audience

This course is designed for church leaders, theologians, historians, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the historical development of Christianity in Africa. It is also suitable for professionals in development, cultural studies, or interfaith dialogue.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Christianity in Africa

Objectives:
• Understand the early spread of Christianity in Africa from the apostolic era to the 5th century.
• Identify key regions and figures in early African Christianity, including Egypt, Ethiopia, and North Africa.
• Analyse the impact of the Council of Chalcedon and the rise of monasticism on African Christianity.
• Evaluate the role of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as a distinctive African tradition.

Topics:
• Introduction to the course and unit standard 116751
• Christianity in Roman Africa: Carthage, Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine
• The Alexandrian tradition: Clement, Origen, Athanasius, and the Catechetical School
• The Ethiopian Orthodox Church: origins, the Queen of Sheba legend, and the Ark of the Covenant
• Monasticism in Egypt: Anthony the Great, Pachomius, and desert spirituality
• The Donatist and Arian controversies and their African context

Day 2: Colonial Encounters and Missionary Movements

Objectives:
• Examine the role of European missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries across Africa.
• Assess the relationship between colonialism, mission stations, and African agency.
• Compare indigenous responses: resistance, adaptation, and the rise of African Initiated Churches (AICs).
• Analyse the impact of missionary education and translation of the Bible into African languages.

Topics:
• Early modern missions: Portuguese in Kongo, Jesuits in Ethiopia
• 19th-century missionary societies: LMS, CMS, Paris Evangelical Missionary Society
• Case studies: David Livingstone, Robert Moffat, and the Khama story
• African Initiated Churches: Zion Christian Church, Aladura, Kimbanguist
• Bible translation and its role in shaping African identities
• Women in mission: missionary wives, African women evangelists
• Mission and colonialism: complicity, resistance, and postcolonial critiques

Day 3: Contemporary Christianity and Future Directions

Objectives:
• Analyse the growth and diversity of Christianity in Africa today, including Pentecostalism and Charismatic movements.
• Evaluate the role of Christianity in addressing social issues: HIV/AIDS, poverty, corruption, and conflict.
• Discuss the Africanisation of Christianity: inculturation, theology, and worship styles.
• Apply insights from the course to practical ministry contexts in South Africa.

Topics:
• Pentecostalism in Africa: from Azusa Street to megachurches
• The prosperity gospel and its critics
• Christianity and public life: politics, democracy, and human rights
• African theology: inculturation, liberation, and reconstruction
• Gender and sexuality in African Christianity
• Christianity and interfaith relations: Islam, African Traditional Religion
• Practical integration: using historical insights for contemporary ministry
• Course summary and assessment

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Wed 09 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Tue 29 Sep 2026 Thu 01 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Mon 19 Oct 2026 Wed 21 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Wed 09 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Tue 12 Jan 2027 Thu 14 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Mon 15 Feb 2027 Wed 17 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Wed 03 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Tue 09 Mar 2027 Thu 11 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Wed 17 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Wed 09 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Tue 29 Jun 2027 Thu 01 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Mon 19 Jul 2027 Wed 21 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Wed 08 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Tue 28 Sep 2027 Thu 30 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Mon 18 Oct 2027 Wed 20 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Wed 08 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
Tue 28 Dec 2027 Thu 30 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Wed 19 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 492 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Wed 12 Aug 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,230 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Wed 12 Aug 2026 Dubai, UAE Winter 2026 $4,552 Register
Tue 11 Aug 2026 Thu 13 Aug 2026 Pretoria, South Africa Winter 2026 $1,447 Register
Tue 11 Aug 2026 Thu 13 Aug 2026 Mauritius Winter 2026 $3,148 Register
Wed 12 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $4,552 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Wed 16 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Wed 07 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Tue 27 Oct 2026 Thu 29 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Wed 16 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Wed 20 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Tue 23 Feb 2027 Thu 25 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Wed 10 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 17 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 23 Mar 2027 Thu 25 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Wed 16 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 07 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 27 Jul 2027 Thu 29 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Wed 15 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 06 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 26 Oct 2027 Thu 28 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Wed 15 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 05 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 25 Jan 2028 Thu 27 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

View Sessions & Register Get A Quote Download Course Brochure
Have an account?

Sign in to track your applications and manage your cart.

Related Courses

Other Human and Social Studies courses at NQF level 4 learners on this page also viewed.

Browse the full Human and Social Studies category for human and social studies training programmes.
GET A QUOTE / APPLY COURSE CATALOGUE