Exploring African female Pentecostal leadership in the South African Pentecostal context

Succession is particularly a challenge in African independent Pentecostal churches (AIPCs),
\nbecause unlike traditional churches, they do not have a rotation system, which transfers
\nministers from one congregation to the next after a specified period. AIPCs refer to churches
\nthat are led by Africans, for Africans, in Africa. Pastors in AIPCs are mostly founders or
\nlong-term serving pastors. The only time they will be succeeded is when they retire, die or
\nare removed because of a moral failure or incompetence. Succession by death is most
\nprominent in independent churches, especially in the case of founders. Most founders in
\nAIPCs do not retire even if they fall sick or fall into moral sin; they remain at the helm of the
\nchurch until their last breath. This makes succession difficult especially after the death of
\nthe founder or long-term serving pastor, as a result, succession becomes contentious and
\nends up tarnishing the image of the congregation when not properly managed. The aim of
\nthis article is to highlight the challenges of succession in AIPCs and make recommendations
\nthat can help them find solutions to these challenges. Most African independent churches
\n(AICs) in the South African context fall within a category of churches that Anderson calls
\n‘African initiated Churches (AICs)’ and the ‘Newer Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches
\n(NPCs)’. This article will be focusing on those AICs who are Pentecostal in nature, including
\nNPCs. An interpretive pastoral care methodology of describing, interpreting, normative
\nformation and practical application is proposed for this article.
\nCONTRIBUTION: This article’s contribution is to propose to African independent Pentecostal
\nchurches (AIPCs) a pastoral succession model that will enhance a smooth transition from a
\npredecessor to a successor. The model will also benefit other church groups in their pastoral
\nsuccessions, particularly when using the proposed pastoral care approach for practical ministry.

The name African Independent Churches (AICs) refers to churches that have been independently started in Africa by Africans and not by missionaries from another continent. There has been extensive research on (AICs) from different subjects in the past. There is, however, a research gap on the subject of leadership in the AICs, especially with reference to women leaders. To address this gap, this article discusses leadership in the AICs with special reference to the leadership of Christina Nku in St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM). A historical examination of Christina Nku’s leadership is studied by looking at her roles as a family woman, prophet, church founder, faith healer and educator in St John’s AFM. The aim of this article is twofold. First it is to reflect on gender in the leadership of the AICs. Second it is to apply the framework of leadership in the AICs to Christina Nku’s leadership in St John’s AFM. Consequently, the article is an interface between gender and leadership in an African context. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that Christina Nku was a remarkable woman in the leadership of the AICs.

African Pentecostals in the Diaspora explores the theology of mission in the context of African Pentecostals in the diaspora, using the Apostolic Faith Mission in the United Kingdom as a case study. Author Solomon Kgatle develops a Pentecostal theology of diaspora mission using a pneumatological missional imagination as a theoretical framework. This framework is developed using the theories of pneumatological imagination, missiological spirit and missional imagination. The pneumatological missional approach is proposed for missionpraxis such as praise and worship to accommodate believers beyond African migrants. The book makes a conceptual contribution to the theology of mission through analysis of the African Pentecostal diaspora mission. The book also makes a theoretical contribution by bringing pneumatological missional imagination to existing theories of pneumatological imagination, missiological spirit and missional imagination. The book will be vital reading for both practitioners of mission in African Pentecostal churches and missiologists in Africa and the diaspora. “The pneumatological imagination concept inspired by the Day of Pentecost narrative and growing in prominence among Pentecostal theologians is here developed in a missiological direction. If the Lukan horizons extended from Jerusalem to the ends of the Earth, the trajectory in these pages is from the farthermost regions of the southern hemisphere to the highest extents of the global north. Solomon Kgatle’s latest in a series of wide-ranging books hereby not only enriches the global Pentecostal theological conversation but expands his multidisciplinary repertoire as a missiologist. “ — Amos Yong, Professor of Theology and Mission, Fuller Seminary. “Solomon Kgatle has done the world church a huge favour by placing Pentecostal pneumatological theology in dialogue with the missional church movement and contextual theology. His approach, which includes an important fieldwork case study, is fresh and illuminating. Overall the book has serious implications for Pentecostals and others undertaking missions in the diaspora.” —Dr. Nigel Rooms, Co-Editor of Ecclesial Futures Journal “An enlightening exploration of African Pentecostals in the diaspora, with the Apostolic Faith Mission in the UK serving as a case study, this book masterfully intertwines contextual, conceptual, and theoretical frameworks. By integrating the pneumatological imagination, missiological spirit and missional imagination, it offers a ground-breaking pneumatological Pentecostal theology of diaspora mission. Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary theological studies, missiology, and church growth.” — Josh Chigorimbo, Vice President of the Apostolic Faith Mission International Ministries, United Kingdom.

1994 ISBN O 869818554 Contents PREFACE vii INTRODUCTION ix CHAPTER 1 The context and life-situation of Indian Pentecostalism 1 CHAPTER2 Indian Pentecostal churches before the 1960s 13 CHAPTER3 The Indian Pentecostal experience 57 CHAPTER4 Multiplying by division. The younger Pentecostal churches 91 CHAPTERS The institutionalisation of the older Pentecostal churches 131 CHAPTER6 Indian Pentecostalism in a changing religious context 162 CHAPTER 7 The Pentecostal experience 180 BIBLIOGRAPHY 233 Preface In this book, Gerald Pillay has presented us with a thought-provoking interpretation of the development of the Pentecostal Movement within the Indian community of South Africa. The Apostolic Faith Mission, the Full Gospel Church in South Africa, the Assemblies of God churches and numerous other independent churches are studied. The focus is on the largest Indian church, the Bethesda Temple, which is affiliated to the Full Gospel Church in South Africa. Original material which may have otherwise been lost has been gathered by the author. Personal interviews and discussions with early leaders and members of this movement were made. Observations of worship services and the features of testimonies, sermons, popular songs and choruses were also studied. But much more than historical data is given. The author helps the reader to interpret his findings by discussing and criticising different theories on religion. By doing this in the introductory section the reader is able to gain fresh insight into the lives of many of the leaders of the movement and their churches. The data is also further discussed and interpreted when he deals with the processes of institutionalisation and changing religious contexts. He also presents us with interesting paragraphs on Hindu reaction to Pentecostalism, the influence of Pentecostalism on Hinduism and the present changing religious attitudes of Hindus. In the last chapter the Pentecostal experience is discussed in an original way. Not only is Hinduism compared to Indian Pentecostalism on the basis of different practices and views on theological themes, but various doctrinal differences within different groups in the Pentecostal movement are also explored. In the closing sections he touches on issues which are relevant to and important for any in-depth theological discussion of Pentecostal issues. He makes a fresh contribution to the understanding of Pentecostals and offers some helpful solutions for Pentecostals in interpreting and communicating their faith. The book ends with an assessment of some of the main contributions of Pentecostalism to Christianity today. This is indeed a presentation of 'religion at the limits' - giving us 'eyes to see' and 'ears to hear' and helping us to discover a world many of us wouldn't have dreamed of entering. Professor Gerald Pillay is well qualified to write this book, having studied the community for many years and having written a doctoral thesis on the topic. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of Church History at the University of South Africa and has both a fine historical perspective and a multi-disciplinary approach. This book is one in a series published by the Pentecostalism and Charismatic Renewal Research Project, registered with the Institute for Theological Research at the University of South Africa. Studies of South African Pentecostalism and African Pentecostalism are now supplemented with a study of Indian Pentecostalism. We hope that this original contribution will be read by all religious communities. We would like to pay tribute to the late Professor Willem Vorster, for his particular interest in and active support of this project. This publication flows from discussions with him, and he was the driving force behind this undertaking. A word of thanks is also due to the staff of the Institute for Theological Research, Mesdames J Kilian, I Victor and E Benadie, who in many ways were involved in this publication. In particular to Mrs Nannie Fouche a special word of thanks for typing the manuscript and preparing it for printing. Professor J P J Theron Reverend David Olivier Project leaders Pentecostalism and Charismatic Renewal Research Project University of South Africa

Syncretism in the African section of South African Pentecostalism followed the emergence of the Ethiopian movement. The latter took the lead in promoting the syncretising of Christianity and African culture and practice (hereinafter referred to as Ubuntu). A similar syncretism emerged in the Christian Catholic Church in Zion in Wakkerstroom, the “black section of the Apostolic Faith Mission”, soon after the departure of Reverend Pieter Le Roux, who was appointed to lead the Apostolic Faith Mission in Johannesburg since John G. Lake was returning to the USA. This article intends to show that such syncretism did not occur in a vacuum. Rather, it was influenced by the interpretation of some portions of Scripture, the influence of John Alexander Dowie’s praxis and some dreams and visions of a leader of the Christian Catholic Church in Zion in Wakkerstroom. This form of syncretism later permeated subsequent sections of African Pentecostalism in the Apostolic Faith Mission, resulting in the emergence of two categories of African Pentecostalism in the church: namely, those who accept this phenomenon and those who abandon it. These past developments position the Apostolic Faith Mission as a prime example to use in analysing syncretism in Pentecostalism and how it could be addressed by taking cognisance of Ubuntu without committing syncretism. Hence, the following question arises: How can theological reflections on the past experiences of the black section of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa contribute to promoting a biblical approach that takes cognisance of Ubuntu without committing syncretism? This article applies the Magadi research method conceptualised for practical theology to answer this question. It further demonstrates that it is possible to promote a biblical approach that embraces Ubuntu without committing syncretism.

This article explores the socio-cultural, theological, and historical significance of church uniforms in African Independent Churches (AICs) in South Africa, with a focus on how black women navigate, reinterpret, and resist structures of power through religious dress. Adopting a qualitative and decolonial research approach, the paper engages with lived experiences, archival insights, and theoretical frameworks to investigate how church uniforms function as tools of spiritual agency, communal identity, and cultural negotiation. Through historical analysis and theological reflection, the paper examines the evolution of church clothing from its colonial imposition to its contemporary reappropriation as a medium of liberation. Particular attention is given to intergenerational dynamics, gendered hierarchies, and the ways in which visual and embodied theologies are performed by black women in AICs such as the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), Saint John’s Apostolic Faith Mission (SJAFM), and the Sega Apostolic Church. The findings underscore the complex role of uniforms as both instruments of conformity and vehicles for resistance, highlighting their function in preserving sacred memory while also facilitating theological innovation.

�This article presents a brief overview of the historical development of the missional church from the understanding of the missio Dei. From this perspective, it attends to the African context. With regard to African children, the African independent churches are looked at from a missional church perspective. The nature of the missional church is described as being a Biblical, Trinitarian, discerning, evangelistic, hermeneutic and agogic community. The implication of being missional in accordance with the mentioned characteristics is then linked to the five solas of the Reformed tradition. It is concluded that the African independent churches and the mainline missionary churches need each other in order to be truly missional in Africa and to reach the children of Africa.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Children and Youth Ministry is challenged by the context of Africa, when some relevant characteristics of the African independent or initiated churches (AICs) are described and related to the Reformed tradition. The (missional) ecclesiology of the AICs and the Reformed tradition is challenged by children�s ministry

This article revisits the hope of the First and Fourth Missiological Institute (MI) consultations in 1965 and 1967 regarding the survival of African Spirituality as relevant to the daily life of South African churches. African Spirituality has played a significant role in the cultural context of Africans. In the African context, African Spirituality is intertwined with life, death, and health, which co-exist with material aspects and the economy as gracious gifts from God. The churches in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa have been challenged by the African worldview of healing and culture. Thus, Africans mostly prefer the African-centred church with more African Christianity, instead of Western Christianity. This has been a serious challenge in African church circles for centuries, even in the current 21st century. The question therefore arises whether this is a matter for the Africanisation, indigenisation, and decolonisation of the church in Africa.Contribution: The article analyses the two MI consultations and whether the church in the 21st century has Africanised and decolonised itself in service of its African members. The study is a historical approach given the history of the MI’s contribution in South Africa. The concept of African Spirituality is unpacked and contextualised within the African Independent Churches’ (AIC) Zionist type churches such as the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), the St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), and other Ethiopian type churches such as Lutheran Bapedi Church and others in South Africa and African Traditional Religions (ATR). The article engages the importance of how African Spirituality differs from other spiritualities within the context of Christian spirituality.

This article focusses on women and the organisational leadership structures of the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) in Zimbabwe. The aim is to identify the roles, practices and contributions of women to the developmental agenda in the church. The AFM in Zimbabwe identifies leadership positions in their various assemblies as pastor ( mufundisi ), elder ( muvhangeri ), deacon ( muparidzi ) and lay worker ( mubati ). From these ranks, the provincial and national leadership is chosen. The access to and participation of women in these offices and leadership positions will be investigated to ascertain their input to the development of the church and perception of women in the society. The article discusses the mechanisms for the election of leadership in the AFM in Zimbabwe. It analyses leadership succession and leadership roles within the AFM in Zimbabwe from the perspective of gender equity and the involvement (or lack thereof) of women in policy-making, decision-making and the management of the church. Four aspects of the Exploratory Descriptive Normative Action research (EDNA) model were utilised from a practical theology perspective. The article shows that women do not have access to top leadership positions in the AFM in Zimbabwe even though there are no explicit policies that regulate their exclusion. It highlights their contribution to the development of the church despite this exclusion and engages critically with the unspoken assumption that women are not fit to take up the presidium offices and develop the AFM. The article finds that unquestioned patriarchal discourse contributes to women’s invisibility, which results in their not being taken into consideration when choices are made to elect people for higher leadership positions in the church.

This article examines the way the Old Testament (Jewish Bible) play,} a major role in the African Independent Churches. Many of these churches are founded following the publication of the whole Bible in local languages. The founders and followers see numerous points of contact between the life of Jewish people in the Bible and their own. They identify themselves in and through the Bible. It forms the authority by which they teach and live the Christian life. Consequently, they direct their church life according to insights that they derive from the Jewish Bible, whilst, at the same time, they hold firmly on to Jesus Christ.Examples of church life with roots in the Jewish Bible include taboos and customs connected with food, worship and death. The churches also use the Jewish Bible in matters connected with health, sickness and wellbeing. Healing activities feature prominently in many of the churches, and the Bible is the guide and authority for them. The churches have sacred places (mountains, beaches and villages), where members go for pilgrimage and special worship. Some are given biblical names. The land is very significant for them, but in South Africa some members were slaughtered in, and others forcefully thrown out of the land of their churches. African Christianity needs a theology of the land.

Opening ParagraphSampling provided the rationale of my previous account of ‘Dreams in an Independent African Church’ (1973). I took a set of ninety-five dream reports, and a handful of visions, as individual events which could be summed and categorised in a variety of ways. I had been able to garner these over a period of five months' study, from the services of this ‘Independent African Church’ (IAC). Beyond considering in general terms the part played by dream-telling and its accompaniments in the services of the Church and in its life more generally, in that article I worked out patterns, categorising the individual dreams in relation to their tellers, to the way they might implicate other named people, to whether they depicted IAC activities, to their apparent location, and so on. I sought to explain the patterns in terms of leadership and its interests, and of the idea that dream-telling was a kind of ‘bidding’, ‘to contribute valuably to the life of the group, and through this for status within it’ (op. cit.: 256). This article moves on from that analysis.

In attempting to discern the contribution of African Independent Churches to development, it is essential to first both define and deconstruct both the concept ‘development’ and the concept ‘African Independent Churches’. Both terms have disputed and complex histories which are historically and contextually bound – making it difficult to simply make pragmatic proposals without unpacking and problematising often unspoken assumptions that lay behind both ‘development’ and the Independent Church phenomenon. This chapter therefore, seeks to unpack some of the assumptions underlying an often western-driven development agenda and bring this into conversation with the possible contribution of African Independent Churches in addressing issues of poverty and marginalisation within a South African context.

The formation and advancement of indigenous Pentecostal movements was a significant reason for Africa’s impact on global Christianity. Notwithstanding, a critical concern is the sustenance of such a feat for future global missions. Since leadership development is key to both organizational growth and continual relevance, the African Pentecostal movement that will continue to serve the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission mandate must ensure adequate leadership succession to keep the vision. This paper examined mentoring as an effective approach for leadership development in contemporary African Pentecostalism. Drawing heavily from the Nigerian examples, it argued that mentoring is suitable for preserving and enhancing African Pentecostal theological heritage, core values and practices for effective global missions. By the use of various pieces of literature and observation methods, the article explains the impact of mentoring on the sustenance of the African Pentecostal phenomenon. The author identified three dynamics that had sustained African Pentecostalism and made it impactful: aggressive incorporation programmes, continuous contextualized Christian education, and extensive use of media tools. Consequently, the article argues that these dynamics, amongst other factors, must be intentionally pursued, sustained, and strengthened to form future African Pentecostal leaders who will sustain and enhance the missionary impact of the African Church on the rest of the world. Keywords: The Church, African Pentecostalism, Mentoring, Leadership Development

This article argues that the little-known Elias Letwaba was the most influential African Pentecostal in southern African religious history. Using an array of primary sources, the article demonstrates the rapid growth of Pentecostal communities in the Northern Transvaal under Letwaba’s control. Unlike other African Pentecostal ministers who inevitably abandoned the movement, Letwaba received significant support, funding, and publicity for his efforts. These factors, combined with his strong leadership role, contributed to his remaining within the white-led Apostolic Faith Mission and building up its African membership. As the founder of South Africa’s first black-run seminary, the Patmos Bible School, Letwaba was able to propound and spread classic Pentecostal theology, although he placed a strong personal emphasis on holiness. He also placed a strong emphasis on faith healing as a means of attracting converts, and trained numerous evangelists to do likewise.

This article argues that the little-known Elias Letwaba was the most influential African Pentecostal in southern African religious history. Using an array of primary sources, the article demonstrates the rapid growth of Pentecostal communities in the Northern Transvaal under Letwaba’s control. Unlike other African Pentecostal ministers who inevitably abandoned the movement, Letwaba received significant support, funding, and publicity for his efforts. These factors, combined with his strong leadership role, contributed to his remaining within the white-led Apostolic Faith Mission and building up its African membership. As the founder of South Africa’s first black-run seminary, the Patmos Bible School, Letwaba was able to propound and spread classic Pentecostal theology, although he placed a strong personal emphasis on holiness. He also placed a strong emphasis on faith healing as a means of attracting converts, and trained numerous evangelists to do likewise.