Pentecostal churches, sects must play bigger social role Mothers receive postnatal care at St Luke’s Hospital, near Lupane in this file photo. Pentecostal and apostolic churches should accept that they have an inescapable part to play in the social development of this nation as a whole rather than a role to play in the economic upliftment of their respective membership
Mothers receive postnatal care at St Luke’s Hospital, near Lupane in this file photo. Pentecostal and apostolic churches should accept that they have an inescapable part to play in the social development of this nation as a whole rather than a role to play in the economic upliftment of their respective membership

Mothers receive postnatal care at St Luke’s Hospital, near Lupane in this file photo. Pentecostal and apostolic churches should accept that they have an inescapable part to play in the social development of this nation as a whole rather than a role to play in the economic upliftment of their respective membership

Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu
The emergence of a large number of Christian denominations in Zimbabwe in recent years is an interesting social, cultural, political and economic phenomenon to many people, especially students of national development.

As 2016 has just passed the invisible time baton to 2017, some of those denominations took stock of their last 12 months’ achievements and failures. They design plans to maximise their achievements and some measures to minimise failures during the new year.

Church programmes include social welfare schemes such as the well-known international Caritas of the Roman Catholics, to small, locally based undertakings that handle the needs of individual destitutes, and marital disputes plus issues of stress and distress caused by cultural, social, political or economic factors.

At the time of writing this account (December 28, 2016) the Roman Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was chairing national negotiations to find a solution to that country’s political crisis caused by what the opposition says is the sitting president’s refusal to facilitate the holding of elections that would bring in his successor.

Churches take stock also of their membership to see whether or not membership is increasing or decreasing, and by what percentage.

In whichever case, factors that cause the church’s growth (increase) or decline (decrease) must be identified. Those factors that generate growth are treated as strengths, and must be used maximally to help the church to achieve optimum growth.

Factors that cause a decline in the church’s membership are regarded as threats to its very existence, and must be neutralised or eliminated.

In stock taking, the church analyses its financial resources to see whether or not it is operating within its means, and also whether its membership is related to its financial records, that is to say, the higher the membership the more should be the financial resources.

Some denominations, particularly the more or less individual or personalised-led pentecostal and some apostolic sects, spend more time on fund-raising than on the propagation of the Gospel.

Because of that very audible and visible attachment to dollars and cents, their leaders are not in the least embarrassed by showing greater appreciation to a member who has donated $1 000  than to one who has brought in 1 000 obviously poor members from a well known squatter settlement!

That is not in keeping with the core message of the Gospel of Christ, but is closer to the doctrine of Judas Iscariot who would rather have 30 pieces of silver to have Jesus Christ crucified than have Him live to save hundreds of thousands of souls.

On that controversial note, we move on to stock- taking of immovable, movable and portable church property.

It is a healthy sign for a church to acquire property; and by a church we mean a group or community of people under one leadership worshipping one and the same god with recognised and accepted social, cultural values that uphold the inviolability and sanctity of human life.

The church’s property is, thus, the property of that group or community comprising the church. If it belongs to an individual, whoever she or he is and whatever his or her standing in that community, then it is certainly not a church but a business or quasi- business enterprise under the hypocritic cover of the Bible, the leader or leaders being certainly so who claim individual or personal ownership of church property.

An increase in investment in the training of personnel such as pastors results in an expansion of the denomination’s geographical area; this is different from an increase of the membership as it represents the denomination’s territory over which it has social responsibilities in the form of educational and health facilities and services.

It does not relate to the number of church members in the territory, but to the number of people who depend of the facilities and services provided by the church irrespective of whether or not they are church members.

It is undeniable that the new religious phenomenon represented by the charismatic pentecostal and apostolic sects attracts a much larger number of those aged roughly between 15 and 50 years, give or take five years either way.

Unlike the well-established conventional denominations, the charismatic churches highlight the message of economic prosperity and physical health through miracles and prayer.

Their message appeals more to those to whom the current Zimbabwe economic situation has neither a promise nor hope. The message gives them a hope to achieve their economic dreams and hope for higher social status.

Added to the miracles, the obviously well-to-do status of some of the pastors consciously motivates young people to become their followers, giving them hope that they will sooner than later emulate them (the well-to-do pastors).

In his 2016 Christmas message, Pope Francis said the gospel of prosperity “is turning people into hostages of materialism.”

A denomination’s financial condition is based on its historical background as is the case with the Roman Catholic church, as well as on its current membership as is the case with some charismatic pentecostal sects whose founders and/or leaders leave no member’s purse unturned inside-out for the last accessible dollar, to use a figure of speech.

The Roman Catholic church, however, uses its financial resources for the betterment of the community at large as was recently published by The Chronicle that that denomination was building two primary schools in Matabeleland North province.

We shall discuss that development a little in this very article.

If any of the conventional denominations purchase any property, movable, portable or immovable, it belongs to the denomination and not to an individual pastor whatever his or her position in that denomination.

An increase in the number and value of properties owned by a religious denomination reflects a healthy socio-economic condition of that body of people.

The more pastoral personnel a training programme produces in any stipulated time, the most likely it is that that denomination will territorially expand sooner than later.

In this regard, it would appear that the traditional denominations are presently more prepared to venture into rural areas than the charismatic sects whose current preferred targets are urban centres.

Can the main reason for this preference be that it is easier to raise money in urban than in rural areas?

Whatever the reason, we see that another obvious difference is that the Roman Catholic Church and other conventional denominations care for the whole human body instead of only the spiritual and the physical to the exclusion of the intellectual aspect.

The construction of the two primary schools in the Matabeleland North Province, Zimbabwe’s largest civil administrative area, at $800 000, shows how the Catholics regard human beings; they see them as comprising three aspects, the spiritual, the physical and the intellectual.

The church caters for the spirit by means of its prayers, sermons and all other theoretical and practical services and teachings, including some sacraments.

Its medical services and practical lessons at clinics, maternity homes and hospitals take care of the physical bodies of church members.

We have heard it said that sick people can be and are healed through prayers at some pentecostal and apostolic church services.

Granted, but not every ailment or physical human problem can be healed by prayer.

Examples are burns, snake and rabid dog bites, some maternity, HIV and Aids cases as well as a lot of surgical patients that require the practical attention of professional medical personnel. It is not surprising at all that many pentecostal and apostolic pastors get admitted to some mission hospitals on many an occasion.

In Matabeleland North, the Roman Catholics have the Hwange Colliery Hospital which was one of the best non-white medical institutions in this country before independence. St Luke’s Hospital is another medical facility in the same province.

The Catholics run a number of schools among which are Fatima and Regina Mundi missions in that area. In Hwange District, they have St Mary’s School plus many others that feed Fatima, Regina, Marist Brothers College to mention but a few.

Other traditional denominations have their share of schools, of course. But pentecostals and apostolics are very, very conspicuous by their absence in that most important social service sector. Why?

Another denomination that is non-existent in this country’s social service arena are Jehovah’s witnesses. They have “Kingdom Halls” at a number of places but not a single school nor a single clinic.

How intellectually beneficial to the world it could be if they had schools at which their obviously brilliant research skills were used in various subjects, especially in sacred history, sociology, social anthropology, theology, political science and social geography!

Christian organisations’ role in the post-colonial social development of this country should continue, particularly in the health and educational fields, with the various traditional denominations featuring prominently and unhindered in their respective regions.

The pentecostal and the apostolics should accept that they have an inescapable part to play in the social development of this nation as a whole rather than a role to play in the economic upliftment of their respective membership.

Education is a vital factor in national development, and socio-cultural organisations need to invest more in education than in material wealth because one can be dispossessed of material wealth, but not of education.

While taking stock of their programmes and activities covering the past 12 months, various denominations must also bear in mind that for one to be alive, one must be able to access medical services, that is clinics and hospitals such as Howard Mission Hospital, Mnene Mission, Manama Hospital, Phelandaba Mission Hospital and others.

It is very obvious that Zimbabwe needs more of those social facilities, and that charismatic Christian sects need to be conscious of their social responsibilities by building such facilities plus orphanages and old people’s homes.

Old age comes to everyone in spite or in defiance of miracles: and the aged, like babies, must be taken care of by, in particular, the churches.

Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu is a retired, Bulawayo- based journalist. He can be contacted on cell 0734 328 136 or through email. [email protected]

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