Church leaders in Africa are often elevated to an enviable, god-like status, wielding power and authority without the requisite accountability. This unchecked power can lead to abuse, and it begs the question: why is this leadership phenomenon common?
Church leaders in Africa are often elevated to an enviable, god-like status.
Through a series of articles based on my book, God’s Design for the Church, I aim to shed light on who should lead the church. This short article attempts to explain how African church leaders amass immense power. I will conclude with an admonition, calling church leaders to ask: how does God want us to lead his church?
Church Leader or Tribal Chief?
Although many of us no longer live in villages, the view that a leader—even a church leader—is like a tribal chief still lingers in our psyche. To begin with, a chief is not primarily chosen by the people. It is hereditary. The position comes to him because ‘the gods’ placed him in the right family tree, at the right position in that family, and at the very right time. Once he is inaugurated, it is as if the spirit of the gods comes to dwell with him.
The view that a leader––even a church leader––is like a tribal chief still lingers in our psyche.
A chief, especially a paramount chief, is the highest position in the tribe. He may have many elders and advisors to help him, but his decisions are final. He is the final custodian of the vast, vast land that belongs to the entire tribe. The chief has an aura about him that fills the people with fear when they are in his presence. He has a special seat, which is his throne. He has many assistants around him. In a bygone era, even the lives of individuals in his tribe were at his mercy. If he demanded that you die, you would die with nowhere to appeal the decision. That was the absolute power that chiefs wielded.
How Do We Decide Who Leads the Church?
We need to get back to the Bible and see what God says about who should be church leaders.
When you understand this psyche, you begin to see why pastors and other church leaders in Africa tend to be treated with the dignity that leaves political leaders in the West green with envy. They end up being accountable to no one and easily abuse the money, property, and females in the church—and get away with it. We need to get back to the Bible and see what God says about who should be church leaders and how they should carry out their work.
Who Should Lead?
In the next article we’ll see that the earliest churches were led by elders, following the commands of the apostles and pattern of Jewish synagogues. Elders are biblically qualified men tasked to shepherd a local flock or church, instructing them in and modelling for them the Lord’s commands given to us in the Bible. They should have among them a gifted man who regularly feeds the flock through preaching. Later in the series we’ll also consider the role of deacons, who assist the elders through non-pastoral works of service.
This article was adapted from God’s Design for the Church: A Guide for African Pastors and Ministry Leaders, by Conrad Mbewe, Copyright © 2020, p. 99. It is used with the permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, based in Wheaton, IL. Purchase a copy at Christian Book Discounters. You can read a review of it here, as well two series of articles adapted from the book dealing with: (1) The African Church and Money; and (2) Church Discipline.
