United Church of Zambia

The United Church of Central Africa in Rhodesia, now part of the United Church of Zambia, owes its beginnings to the work of the London Missionary Society, the Church of Scotland Mission, the Union Church of the Copperbelt and the Copperbelt Free Churches. In the Copperbelt, mining began in the early 1920s. Christians from various areas went to work in the mining towns, and interdenominational worship began in both the African and European housing areas. Helped by the fact that they were already cooperating in education and welfare, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Missionary Society, and the London Missionary Society came together in African areas to form the Union Church of the Copperbelt. Shortly after this, the congregations of the European areas came together in the Copperbelt Free Church Council. By 1945, the way had been prepared for the union of the London Missionary Society and the Church of Scotland Mission in Northern Rhodesia. These congregations, along with the Union Church of the Copperbelt, joined to form the Church of Central Africa in Rhodesia. In 1958, the act of union took place. In 1965, the church united with the Methodist Church and the Church of Barotseland to form the United Church of Zambia. It is the largest Protestant church in Zambia today and continues to grow rapidly.

The UCZ maintains good relations with the Methodist Church in Great Britain, the Church of Scotland, the United Church of Canada, Global Ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Board for World Ministries of the United Church of Christ (USA), and Cevaa.