A Literature Review on Ubuntu Concept as a Panacea for African Ecclesiology: A Case Study of Harvest Revival Ministry Churches in Kenya

The study seeks to examine the approaches taken currently with regard to scholarship on ecclesiology from the patristic era, the medieval era to that of the reformation and beyond. The study evaluates the various ecclesiological approaches of various confessional traditions that have defined ecclesiology over time. In progression, the study examines contextual ecclesiologies with a focus on three specific cultural geographical environments of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This is because of the significance that these regions play in the current global shift within Christendom. African ecclesiology has been the centre of focus in an attempt to link all the discussed ecclesiologies with the African Christian thought. The study intends to review the Ubuntu concept and to capture the concept of the humanness of people in the African setting. The study intends to expose the gap in the literature demonstrating that the African conceptual framework can indeed be of use in articulating theology relevant to the African world. The study was keen to evaluate the contribution towards the development and construction of an African ecclesiology using the Ubuntu concept as a remedy to solve ecclesiological problems witnessed in Africa.

Ubuntu Philosophy as a Technology for the Foundational Architecture of African Ecclesiology in Reference to Harvest Revival Ministry Churches in Kenya.

The study seeks to study the Christian narrative unearthing the wealth of resources inherent in it to act as a stimulant and a motivating force for the present church towards the much-desired immortality that is the mark of the finish. It is an account that dates back to the first century during the formation of the church to the present state of the church in her pursuit of an alignment to the eschatological roadmap stipulated in scriptures. The study employs the scholarship of the historical Christian narrative from the analogical perspective of a journey of the Israelites in the Pentateuch towards Canaan. This was a journey that was characterized by pulsations of moving and stopping based on the instruction and guidance of God. Similarly, the Christian story is one that is emphatic with regard to the involvement of God in the Christian journey. The study captures the dominant moves of God over the centuries and their significant contribution to the establishment and progress of Christianity and the key players in the entire process from the protestant movement to the Apostolic Reformation. This will facilitate the understanding of the church in her present state as a product of her past journey and development with regard to offering guidance and facilitation of Christian practice. It will help the church with regard to guidance to help her avoid falling into the pit that their forerunners fell into and also motivate her towards greater exploits for God.

Inculturation Methodology as the Medium towards the Formulation and Establishment of an African Ecclesiology of Ubuntu.

The emergence of ecclesiology scholarship in recent theological discourse has exposed the various approaches that ecclesiology has been studied as a distinctive discipline. The traditional ecclesiological approach has prioritized the scholarship of ecclesiology from the perspective of specific denominational orders. There has also been an approach of ecclesiology that revolves around the perspective of some renowned theologians on the basis of their affiliation to their respective church organizations. The most recent approach has been the global ecclesiology that prioritizes the concept of contextualization while looking at ecclesiological discourse from distinct sociocultural-geographical contexts. Three geographical regions hold a wealth of significance by virtue of the global trajectory of Christianity towards the global South: Asia, Africa and Latin America. African ecclesiology plays a critical role in this arrangement and is a major contributor to global ecclesiology. In this understanding, it is imperative for the pursuit of an African ecclesiology to appreciate the concept of Ubuntu as a definitive expression of the African identity. The problem is the methodology of ecclesiological scholarship in Africa that ignores the significance Ubuntu has and resultantly births a foreign ecclesiology to the indigenous African population. It is important to acknowledge that the approach of ecclesiology that will thrive in Africa is nothing less than an Ubuntu ecclesiology that prioritizes community and relationships reminiscent of our traditional African portrait as foundational pillars for her establishment. The formulation and establishment of an African friendly ecclesiology of Ubuntu can only be facilitated by the usage of the inculturation method of theology. This methodology accords due consideration to the African heritage with regard to their culture, spirituality and religious background emphasizing the values from traditional Africa that are helpful to Christian life and condemning those practices that are non-Christian in nature.

Towards an authentic transformation of the Church of Christ in Zimbabwe

This article evaluates the impact of transformation in the Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (COCZ) over the past 10 years. The study is guided by the following questions: What does it mean to be COCZ in the Zimbabwean society? What is the COCZ mission that empowers it to play a meaningful role in nation building? The critical analysis is observed from the Christian education (CE) pedagogy. This raises questions on the historical foundations, transformation tenets and future plans and guidelines towards authentic transformation. Transformation could be affected by new developments, and thus participants need to be guided accordingly. The article gives a critical analysis of the COCZ journey experiences using a dialogical approach to CE. This study presupposes that lack of CE is a limiting factor to the transformation process in the church. This study is an interdisciplinary study that combines missiology, African ecclesiology and Christian theology. The study was conducted using surveys, observations and interviews among leaders and members of the COCZ.

African Ecclesiologies

This chapter examines the key issues in scholarship on the identity and mission of the Christian church in Africa, while also exploring in depth the identity of the Roman Catholic Church in Africa. First, the chapter discusses the methodological questions in scholarship in this area, while highlighting the types and models of African ecclesiology in general. Second, it historicizes the narrative of the church in Africa, showing the theological trajectories of scholarship on ecclesia in Africa in the Roman Catholic tradition. Finally, it briefly surveys the key themes being developed in African Catholic ecclesiology from the Second Vatican Council (1962–5) to the Second African Synod (2009). It concludes with a thematic account of how the priorities and practices of the church of Christ are being enacted in the mission of the church in Africa with regard to the challenges facing the Christian faith there.

The continuity of indigenous rituals in African ecclesiology: A Kenyan experience from a historical perspective

The article sets out to unveil the problem: Is there any effective continuity of indigenous rituals in African ecclesiology? In other words, has the faith of the church in African Christianity given room to some African rituals that are visible in the contemporary theo-doctrinal discourses? The article is theoretically informed by Samuel Kibicho’s (1932–2011) supposition on ‘radical continuity’ in African religion into and through the Christian message. For him thus, this ‘radical continuity’ should be the starting point for African theology and African Christianity for that matter. In his view, African ecclesiology requires a ‘radical reinterpretation’ of the Christian concept of revelation, salvation, evangelization, Christ and religious rituals. While Kibicho approached African indigenous rituals from a theo-philosophical perspective, this article approaches the subject from an oral historical perspective. In its methodology, the article relies heavily on oral sources, interviews, and participant observation.

Reflections on a missional ecclesiology for Africa's expressions of Christianity through the Tswana lens

The continent of Africa has indubitably shown exponential growth in the spread on the Christian faith since its introduction by colonial missionaries. It can thus be argued that a plurality of African Christianities thrive on African soil and are exported, through missionaries, to the developed world. This growth in Christian converts does not come without challenges to the future of the Church in Africa; these challenges abound and need to be articulated and worked through contextually and biblically.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article seeks to explore four missional challenges to African ecclesiology under a broad understanding of what can be termed a missional ecclesiology through utilising the Tswana world view as a case study. The article will challenge readers on the importance of continuity within the Christian faith in terms of a holistic biblical world view while touching on the overarching importance of contextualisation and Gospel adaptation. The article proposes a missional epistemological identity as opposed to a typical Western epistemological approach to mission work and contextualisation within the safeguards of an evangelical anchor. The interdisciplinary nature of this study is such that it deals with anthropological realities within a historical framework that impact in the traditional ways Christian practitioners approach the mission of God through his church in Africa specifically. The article challenges the comfortable and complicit attitudes related to the evident growth in Christian faith in Africa with the sobering reality of discernment in praxis and missional enterprise.