Leadership Style of African Indigenous Churches, Prospect and Retrospect
Introduction
After the inception of the church, the leadership has gone through successive leadership of several patriarchs until the present time. Believing in the apostles, many churches pay great tribute to their existence and contributions. The parish priests believe that the icons tell the story about the God. Also, the parish leaders introduce other sacraments, fasting, nativity and sacrifice of Christ which had been past from generation to generation of the African Indigenous Churches.
Leadership Style
In the leadership style of the African Indigenous Church, it can be describe in the beginning or from the person who plays small roles in the propagation of the biblical teaching. The immediate leader in the congregation is the teacher who leads the teaching in the church. The evangelist is the one who lead and pray in or within the parish. Lay leader who take the duties in parish level by burial service. Next is the Deacon or the Reverend whose work is to baptize the ordination of the children, allows to wear a collar and usually seen working with the Father. The teacher and the deacon are both elected by a father. The “father” is the person who is head of the region and does the wedding and the Holy Communion and from him, the “superior general” and “vicar general” arrives in which elected in the Bishop’s Council, starting from the teacher and Bishop being the Chairman. The Bishop represents a diocese and the Arch-Bishop represents the arch diocese. Both of the Bishop and the Arch-Bishop are elected in the Pope’s Council which starts from the father, superior general, vicar general in whose the Pope is the Chairman. The Arch Bishop has a big rank within the country. Prior to the Arch-Bishop is the Cardinal and next to the Cardinal is the Pope. Cardinals next to Pope are “Victor Cardinal” and “Dean Cardinal” both are elected by the Pope.
The leadership in the church has several ranks and all are playing different roles. But most of the churches in Africa are not very different from the other Western Churches. If the churches adopted the Western teaching, it is not impossible that they do also apply of the Western style. The leadership of the church, as they said, is done democratically and based on the bylaws of the church it has three committee members and with due respect is given to each of the members. Furthermore, women are described as more possessed than men and therefore, they also hold high positions in the leadership regardless on their level of literacy or not (Harries, 2006).
Prospect and Retrospect
Based on the African Churches, the teachings were incorporated with the biblical messages and faith that shows the leaders as well as the founder’s vision and commitment. There is a great impact that came from the education and the indigenous language in the effect of the church to convey a truly indigenous African Christianity. Through the education and the vehicle of the language, the liturgical practices and the leadership style in the churches is communicated. There is a great influence coming from the Cultural Revolution or Culture Theologizing that continues to create an effect in the Christian practice among the churches in the Africa (Ogungbile, 2001).
The African Indigenous Churches are mostly churches of a Pentecostal type that have contextualized and indigenized Christianity in Africa. The style they acquired in the origins and movements were manifested in the thousands of the indigenous churches and have changed so radically in the face of the Christianity. This is because of the proclamation of a holistic gospel of the salvation that usually includes the deliverance of the sorcery, evil, spirits, poverty, and sickness (Anderson, 1999).
Conclusion
Because of the various changes and influences coming from the western churches they adopted, the continuity of the Indigenous Churches to manage and lead the peculiarity is not properly disseminated. The custom of the Indigenous Churches are based on the tradition that serves as their foundation of their being and uniqueness. Administering the custom is hard when there is an influence and duly affecting their leadership.
It is important that the Africans pay attention in administering the needs and the tradition but can manage the biblical teachings. Through the use of the indigenous language, the teachings of the leaders of the church are emphasized and the culture, tradition and the tradition way to preaching can be valued and preserved.
Works Cited:
Anderson, A., 1999. The Gospel and Culture in Pentecostal Mission in the Third World. [Online] Available at: http://www.epcra.ch/papers_pdf/hamburg/anderson_1999.pdf. [Accessed 15 Feb 2010].
Harries, J., 2006. Visits to AICs (African Indigenous Churches). Kima International School of Theology. [Online] Available at: http://www.jim-mission.org.uk/articles/visits-to-aics.pdf. [Accessed 15 Feb 2010].
Ogungbile, D., 2001. The Dynamics of Language in Cultural Revolution and African Spirituality: The Case of Ijo Orile-Ede Adulawo Ti Kristi (National Church of Christ) in Nigeria. Nordic Journal of African Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1. [Online] Available at: http://www.njas.helsinki.fi/pdf-files/vol10num1/ogungbile.pdf. [Accessed 15 Feb 2010].
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