Malaria continues to be a leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. In the face of widespread state failure to instate productive antimalarial policy, the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA), an evangelical Anglican church spanning Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, has emerged as a particularly effective organization in lowering disease burden. Critically, the failure of state antimalarial policy in Central Africa and the uniquely powerful position of the CPCA has not yet been sufficiently considered from a biosocial scope in the literature, incorporating both biological and social factors. A historical analysis of health policy in sub-Saharan Africa reveals colonial medicine campaigns aimed at eradicating diseases using invasive treatments as a potent force behind present-day mistrust in state healthcare. Further, the declining amount of international aid into antimalarial efforts as well as the inefficient allocation of existing funds can be traced back to the neoliberal ideals (e.g. ideals supporting the free market and deregulation) of bureaucratic rationality—the belief in bureaucracy as a rational means of societal organization—championed by the Reagan and Thatcher administrations. These factors contribute to the woefully inadequate provision and distribution of malaria control equip- ment, including insecticide-treated nets and antimalarial drugs. In contrast, the CPCA has been able to combat malaria on an unprecedented level; capable of reaching thousands of congregants in remote border regions, it has been instrumental in mobilizing volunteers, distributing resources, and educating citizens. The CPCA notably functions as a “local moral world,” a group with shared moral experiences and meanings, capable of community-level integration. Its success reaf- firms the necessity of faith-based organizations in combating infectious diseases in low-income countries and improving health outcomes.