 Then in 1994 at the first African Synod, the Bishops Conference in Africa described Small Christian Communities (SCC) as "the theological mainstay of the model of Church as Family of God".They are seen as "the ecclesiastical extension of the African extended family or clan", where the Christian faith is more intensely lived and shared.In Africa's patriarchal culture, the challenge is to attract more men to these communities and still have the voice of women heard in them.