Sent by the freshly foundedMission de Paris,three French missionaries — Thomas Arbousset, Eug?ne Casalis, and Constant Gosselin — arrived in Lesotho in 1833. They received the support of King Moshoeshoe I (1786-1870), who soughtto gather the Basotho population under his reign. Under his protection the mission work began to develop. A first mission station was built in Morija; others followed but, as a result of wars, much of the work had to be discontinued. In response to expansionist threats by South Africa, King Moshoeshoe I established an alliance with Britain. In 1868 Basotholand, as it was then called, became a colony of the British crown. Mission stations could be reopened and, gradually, the church was organized. In 1887 a theological school for the formation of African pastors was opened, and in 1898 the Seboka (Synod) was established, an assembly in which both missionaries and Basotho pastors were represented. With the arrival of other missions (1862 RCath, 1875 Angl) a sense of competition developed and the evangelical mission lost some of its impact, especially in the period between the two World Wars. In the 1950s the church began to gain autonomy, and in April 1964 the independent Evangelical Church of Lesotho was inaugurated. In 1966 the British colony became a sovereign state within the Commonwealth, now called Lesotho. The following years were a period of trial and hardship. In 1970 Prime Minister Leabuda Jonathan suspended the constitution and ruled as dictator. Once the church joined the resistance, it suffered persecution and repression. Edgar Motuba, editor of the church paper, who had published detailed analyses of the sit-uation, was murdered, and the vice-president of the church, Ben Masilo, had to leave the country. The church consistently called for true national reconciliation which could only be achieved through free elections. In 1986, with the help of South Africa, Jonathan was overthrown and replaced by Lekhanya. The regime remained dictatorial, however, and in 1990 King Moshoeshoe II was sent into exile. He was able to return two years later. Democratic elections were held in 1993, which brought an overwhelming victory by the opposition Congress Party. In 1994 Moshoeshoe II was replaced by his son Letsie, who now has the difficult task of guaranteeing the unity of the country. In recent years the church has experienced considerable internal tensions due to different visions of the future of the church among pastors and lay people.
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