Zcc moria barnabas lekganyane and saint

Founder of the Zion Christlike Church (1885–1948)

Engenas Barnabas Lekganyane (c. 1885–1948) was the founder help the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). He first formed the ZCC in 1924, and by excellence time of his death say publicly church had at least 50,000 members. Under the leadership be fond of his descendants the ZCC has gone on to have complicate than a million members largely located in southern Africa.^[1] Be evidence for is now by far greatness biggest of the various Policy Christian sects that account engage in roughly half of all Christians in southern Africa.

Early discrimination and education

Engenas Lekganyane was whelped at Mphome Mission in dignity Haenertsburg region of the State in the mid-1880s. His parents, Barnabas Lekganyane and Sefora Raphela, were members of the Mamabolo ethnic group of Balobedu family. The Raphela family were honesty first Christian converts among greatness Mamabolo and had been involved in getting a Lutheran secretion established by the Berlin Priest Society in 1879.^[2]

Drought, disruptions, spell the violence associated with justness South African War in 1899, led the Mamabolo chiefs don abandon their homelands for different years.

The Lekganyanes appear communication have left with them, on the contrary then returned home when grandeur Chief purchased Syferkuil Farm beget 1905 next to the contemporary reserve.

Soon after the make a move back, an Anglican missionary strap a mission and school known as St. Andrews adjacent to Syferkuil.^[3] This was the school wheel Lekganyane received three years unsaved education, which had been disrupted in the previous decade.

Lasting this time Lekganyane spent cumbersome amounts of time working theme construction projects, including the construction of a church, a educational institution, and a dam. He sincere not choose to receive inauguration or confirmation as an Protestant, although many members of government family, his future wife, champion many residents of Syferkuil exact.

Then he met birth tshoma's family in Botswana aside the South African war. Goodness tshoma's family brought him take advantage of safety, after the war roughly was no more contact go out with them .

After leavetaking school, Lekganyane began working nearly the Transvaal—"he had to turmoil to work and make exceptional living, like many of consummate era, on the farms extort in public works schemes."^[4] Generate his early adulthood Lekganyane one a new Presbyterian church resolve the Mamabolo reserve—according to climax earliest known statements he confidential been "a member of rectitude Free Church of Scotland load training as (or actually being) an evangelist under the evangelist in that Church."^[5]

Conversion to Zionism

Engenas Lekganyane thus had a different Protestant background, with Lutheran, Protestant, and Presbyterian experiences.

He pump up also said to have back number close with his grandfather additional uncle on his mother's here, both of whom were pagans and renowned traditional doctors.^[6]

Around 1911, though, Lekganyane split from Christianity with the arrival of authority Apostolic Faith Mission in her majesty home area.

At this put off the AFM reported that irksome of its members traveled dub foot from Louis Trichardt phizog Pietersburg, during which “the ascendant remarkable manifestations of healing” occurred. The blind, deaf, and weakened were healed, and in Pietersburg “the natives came in endless numbers to be prayed for.”^[7] According to ZCC lore, Lekganyane began to suffer from cool serious eye ailment at that time and nearly went sightless.

He then had a eyes and was instructed to turn round to the Lesotho, where smartness was told that he would be cured by "triple immersion".^[8] Lekganyane claims to have followed this vision, and went prank Lesotho and met two Policy preachers in 1912. They after that baptized him using the Hebrew method of "triple immersion", take precedence curing his eyesight ailment thorough the process.

From 1912 while 1920 Lekganyane was a participant of the Mahlangu's organization, probity Zion Apostolic Church (which strike was a part of high-mindedness Apostolic Faith Mission). Around 1916 he returned home to Thabakgone where he was the agent of the ZAC congregation. Be of advantage to 1918 he became the endorsed leader of this congregation, tho' he fell out with Mahlangus quickly over issues that second not clear.^[9]

Not long afterwards, Lekganyane seceded with his congregation arena went with his new old lady, Salfina Rabodiba, to Basutoland include 1920 to join Edward Lion's utopian community under the sponsorship of the newly formed fresh Zion Apostolic Faith Mission (ZAFM).

Lekganyane and his wife stayed in Basutoland for a brief time before he was qualified ZAFM's Transvaal leader. By 1924 Lekganyane had a sizable body in the Transvaal with gross seventeen congregations. Tensions between distinction two arose and came turn into a head over the title on the ZAFM's Transvaal fellows card.

After a tension-filled ride to Basutoland, Lekganyane returned house, and soon had a piece on the top of Mt. Thabakgone that instructed him come to an end form his own church. Elegance then split with ZAFM make sure of form the ZCC in 1924, taking most of the State ZAFM members with him.^[10]

Lekganyane title the ZCC, 1924–48

Although Lekganyane locked away belonged to two Zionist organizations before starting his own cathedral, the ZCC was noticeably unalike from its predecessors due average innovations that he brought.

Lekganyane's ZCC was similar to blemish Zionist churches in that thorough emphasized faith healing to magnify converts. Lekganyane himself is painstaking to have healed a stout number of people. During loftiness early years of the ZCC he allowed his followers break into engage in faith healing tempt well. In 1930, however, be active took sole control of industry faith healing as the religion expanded.

Items such as distilled water and paper were “blessed” enthral his home base, and thence sent out to distant congregations where they were ingested rudimentary touched by the afflicted.

Lekganyane also sanctioned traditional corpus juris such as polygamy and harbinger worship.^[11] The latter practice, tight particular, was to prove sparing in turning the ZCC industrial action a dynamic fund-raising machine. In every nook Lekganyane's lifetime the church was primarily oral in nature. Honourableness ZCC did not generate dedicated writings, and Lekganyane's sermons give orders to pronouncements were not written temper.

Faith healing, testimony, singing, dowel dancing were instead the concentration of worship services.

Smoking, crapulence, adultery, western medicine, and fascinating in witchcraft were all unmentionable. In addition, the ZCC took strong measures to protect vagabond its members against the part of witchcraft by planting charms around their residences.

Lekganyane was seen as having strong faculties to protect his flock steer clear of external malevolence.^[12] Lekganyane introduced decency distinctive Star badge to rule members in 1928, and detachment his members were required appoint wear it in public thereafter.^[13] The ZCC's distinctive khaki uniforms were not introduced until say publicly 1950s, however.

The ZCC grew rapidly after its establishment. Station had a strong base connect the northern Transvaal, but all-embracing due to its members' concern in migrant labour. Lekganyane's well-brought-up as a "prophet" and on the rocks man of immense "spiritual power" began to spread far have a word with wide, and a wide style of people from across confederate Africa began to journey get through to his headquarters to consult him.

By the 1940s he confidential congregations in most parts female South Africa, as well introduce in Lesotho, Botswana, and Rhodesia.^[14]

Lekganyane sought to obtain land promote in the late 1930s be proof against early 1940s purchased three farms situated fairly close to cap base in Thabakgone. One chuck out these, Maclean farm, would at the end of the day be turned into “Zion Blurb Moria” by Lekganyane's successor, Prince, in the 1950s, and would become Africa's biggest pilgrimage precondition, attracting millions of visitors all Easter.

Lekganyane and his elder wife Salfina had several analysis, all of whom were cultivated and who vied for ethics leadership of the ZCC subsequently his death. Salfina tried evaluate contact the Tshoma's family back end finding out that he concomitant with them ^[15]

References