Exploring the Dynamics of Leadership and Their Impact on the Anglican Schism in the Diocese of Harare in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This paper examines the leadership controversy in the Anglican Church Diocese of Harare and evaluates the extent to which the exigencies of power impacted upon this conflict. This study is necessitated by the fact that the Anglican Church Province of Central Africa has been affected by an unprecedented conflict hinged on leadership wrangle and a crisis of legitimacy. This has resulted in the excommunication of Bishop Nolbert Kunonga who had deliberately withdrawn from the Anglican international communion to form the province of Zimbabwe. Key to this dispute was the allegation of gay marriages presumably blessed by the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) although it appears there were other multifarious factors behind the controversy. Given this background, this paper seeks to present a critical exploration of the cardinal factors at play within the context of the Episcopalian polity and try to link church governance and ecclesiology to the context of the Anglican conflict in Zimbabwe. It should be appreciated that, as the world is setting into the 21 st Century and Globalisation becomes inescapable, a new breed of leaders and leadership paradigm is needed in Christian organisations. There is a general consensus among scholars that the term leadership can be defined from various vantage points. But for the purposes of this study, the term leadership designates the art of inducing competence, an instrument of goal achievement, a form of persuasion. Leadership is the most important factor determining the future of any organisation. The style of leadership in a religious organisation is a critical determinant in enhancing the stability and growth of the church. To this end, leadership has to do with the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans for institutional development, staff development progress in pursuit of organisational excellence. Suffice is to say that, the Anglican church faced an epoch where the Diocese of Harare turned to be a stadium of politics and poly tricks as the contestation for leadership legitimacy tellingly led to the shipwreck of the once robust diocese.