About Madagascar

The Anglican Church of Madagascar is part of the Province of the Indian Ocean, along with The Seychelles and Mauritius. Madagascar contains six Anglican dioceses spread across an undeveloped island twice as large as Victoria. Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest nations, recently experiencing political unrest with violent protests and coups, along with outbreaks of pneumonic and bubonic plagues. COVID-19 has impacted the country very badly.

In this small country, with a population similar to Australia, the number of small Anglican churches far exceeds the supply of trained clergy. Most weekly congregational services are led by laypeople with no training, guided by under-resourced clergy who themselves lack clear theological understanding. The minority who’ve received some training, have most likely attended a Roman Catholic college (currently the only training facility in the country) – where studies focus on sacraments and liturgy instead of biblical training. 

A strong foundation in the Word helps to safeguard against distorted doctrine, corruption and syncretism. Moore College’s Preliminary Theological Certificate (PTC) can provide this foundation. It offers an ideal resource for strengthening clergy competence and materials for training lay people leading their congregations.