LEADERSHIP

The corruption in appointment of leaders in the church is deeply rooted. It is not viewed as corruption, of course. One's first responsibility is to his family and then to his tribe. So any appointments or perks are to be given to them. To do otherwise seems wrong.

God's view of this is quite different. We are all His children, and blood ties no longer count. In the appointment of leadership this should be especially true. He has been very specific in His qualifications for leadership. The state of the church is indicative if how far it has wandered from these qualifications.

In his book "A Letter to Africa About Africa", Kasongo Munza discusses this. I quote:

“Udya ngombe, udya na bobe; utala ngombe wakahwile!” means, “When you get meat, share it with your family, or you will not have someone to share with you when you don’t have meat.” It talks about not being selfish. We have had the tradition of sharing in our culture. This is a good thing.

However this sharing has been expanded to mean power or benefits if one has any social or political position. It involves much more than sharing food or goods or taking care of family. It means that if you have the office of President or Bishop or District Superintendent or Pastor you must fill the key positions around you with family members or tribal members. Churches and conferences only want fellow tribesmen or family members to have power. Qualifications and ability and character are non-issues in this matter.

I have this recorded in English and French for your listening pleasure.