Pentecostalisation of Mainline Churches in Africa: The Case Of The United Church of Zambia

Introduction

Pentecostal-charismatic churches are growing at a fast rate, both in Africa and in the African diaspora. ¹ It is predicted that, if the current rate of increase continues, by 2025, about 69 per cent of Christians worldwide will be living in the global south and about 32 percent in the global north. ² Babatunde Adedibu notes:

The shift in the centre of gravity of Christianity [from the global north] to the majority of the world [in the global south] has overlapped with the global rise of Pentecostalism characterised by its emphasis on mission. Pentecostal and charismatic movements, in all their “multifaceted variety, probably constitute the fastest growing churches within Christianity today.” ³

While the Pentecostal-charismatic movement is shaping the growth of world Christianity, it is also re-shaping, if not dictating, beliefs and practices within African Christianity. Mainline churches are challenged to redefine the way in which they do mission and to focus more on the spiritual, physical, and economic challenges of people in Africa.

Pentecostal-charismatic churches on the continent are many and of varied character. They include new forms of Christianity, Pentecostal and charismatic churches with links to the United States, as well as a great number of African Initiated Churches (AICs) which are Pentecostal in nature. AICs are often associated with charismatic and Pentecostal movements because they share a belief in healing and prophecies. However, as Kimhong Hazra writes, AICs differ from classical Pentecostal and charismatic churches because “their roots are strictly in the African cultural and religious contexts and their theologies are vastly different”. ⁴ However, all these new forms of Christianity, including classical Pentecostal-charismatic churches and AICs, pose a huge challenge to mainline churches in Africa, which over a long period have adhered to European liturgy, theologies, and worldviews.

Generally, changes in religious beliefs and practices—including in Christianity—can be attributed to social factors. Scholarly studies of processes involving social change show that societies tend to create boundaries protecting them from outsiders. ⁵ In a community where rituals of faith are celebrated such as baptism and Holy Communion, these serve to initiate believers and to demarcate the different components of the community of faith. Rituals express the significance of faith, validating it and resulting in the incorporation of participants into the wider society.

Reeler and Lumbwe list three types of change, namely emergent change, transformative change, and projectable change. The types of change are inherently part of the development of human beings. ⁶ First, society can experience emergent change when people learn and adopt new beliefs and practices by undergoing day-to-day life as individuals, as families or as communities. The process may take place consciously or unconsciously. Secondly, people may adopt new beliefs and practices through transformative change as a result of some form of crisis. For example, when a community suffers high levels of unemployment, or a pandemic such as HIV and AIDS, or climate change, people are likely to adopt other beliefs and practices helping them to survive. Thirdly, people may adopt new beliefs and practices through projectable change. This happens when they undertake a well-planned and conscious process of change. ⁷

Change is inevitable. Societies and institutions always experience both change and continuity in their beliefs and practices. ⁸ Owing to external factors such as globalisation and secularisation, social institutions, including the church, may change dramatically in some aspects while remaining constant in others. ⁹ As regards the United Church of Zambia (UCZ), it is obvious that members have been acculturated by external influences such as colonisation, western forms of Christianity, migration, globalisation, and Pentecostalisation. As a result, beliefs and practices in the UCZ have adopted forms, structures, and qualities of Pentecostal-charismatic churches. Current beliefs and practices, such as the use of anointing oil, praying for water and promising people financial miracles within seven days, have emerged from the interaction between Zambians and new arrivals from other contexts and churches, for example prophet T. B. Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

Migration or change of geographical location often result in the mixing of beliefs and cultures. Apart from international migration and social mobility, Zambian people tend to move from rural life in villages to an urban existence. This affects people’s outlook on life and on the world. As society changes, religious beliefs and practices are also transformed to suit prevailing new lifestyles. ¹⁰ Processes of social, political, and religious change are strongly impacted by cultural influences. People who have acquired a western education tend to identify with western lifestyles, expressing a new self-image and personal standards and the attainment of a higher status in society. At the same time, they are not completely detached from their traditional African background and culture. As a result they often adopt Christian practices that mix African culture with western secular beliefs. A closer look at the UCZ shows how social change can affect beliefs and practices.

Formation of the United Church of Zambia

The UCZ was formed on 16^th January, 1965, ¹¹ when four mainline missions created a union representing different Christian traditions. These were the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society (PEMS) which had arrived in Zambia in 1884 under the leadership of a French Calvinist missionary, the London Missionary Society (LMS) that established its first mission station at Niamukolo in 1885, the Primitive Methodists (who later joined with the Wesleyan Methodists), the Church of Scotland (Presbyterians), who opened a first station in Mwenzo (north-eastern Zambia) in 1882, and the Church of Barotseland. ¹² The union was the result of many years of negotiations. Thus, in 1965, the Church of Central Africa in Rhodesia, which was itself the result of a union of the Church of Scotland and the London Missionary Society, the union church of the Copperbelt, the congregations of the Copperbelt Free Church Council, the Church of Barotseland (born out of the PEMS), and the Methodist church amalgamated into the UCZ. ¹³

It is claimed that, unlike earlier local church groupings instigated by white colonial missionaries, the formation of the UCZ was driven by God’s spirit of unity as recorded in Romans 15:5 and by an African spirit of integration. ¹⁴ In spite of this claim, however, the church unity in Zambia was more obviously the result of political machinations by President Kenneth Kaunda and his United National Independence Party in an effort to crack down on Barotse activists who advocated for the secession of Barotseland from Zambia. Kaunda, assisted by his friend, Rev. Collin Morris, a Methodist missionary, pushed for the church union in line with the political philosophy of “one Zambia, one nation”, aiming for the creation of a one-party state. ¹⁵ In spite of its inception under a cloud of political machinations by Kaunda, the UCZ had a tremendous success. According to statistics the UCZ had in 2009 a membership of over two million people, making it the largest protestant church in Zambia. ¹⁶ The tremendous growth can largely be attributed to its resilience when, after 1999, it accommodated Pentecostal and charismatic ways of worship and evangelism. The UCZ spreads the gospel through evangelism, the running of schools, hospitals, orphanages, and developmental projects. Thus, the church strives to attain holistic mission by supporting, equipping, empowering, and healing its followers, resulting in strong community building and development. ¹⁷

After church union, the theology, doctrine and forms of worship in UCZ were based on those of the mission churches that preceded it. The missionaries who had come to Zambia from Europe were influenced by the Enlightenment. They emphasized a perceived dichotomy between the spiritual and the secular. They rejected the belief in ancestors and spirits that was prominent in the African worldview. European missionaries believed in “the two kingdom theology”, which distinguished between the spiritual and the material world. ¹⁸ African converts to Christianity were taught to abandon their traditional culture and concentrate on preparing their souls for life in heaven. They were made to believe that, as Christians are mere pilgrims on earth, economic, social, and political matters are of little importance to them. Their real home is heaven. African concerns such as witchcraft and demon possession were ignored or dismissed as primitive. ¹⁹ Worship and the singing of hymns in church followed the patterns of European “mother” churches. The kind of theology preached by European missionaries and African ministers trained by them, for example the Rev. Joel Chisanga, left many Africans dissatisfied. They longed for a form of Christianity that would be in harmony with their African worldview. At Lubwa Mission, for instance, many Christians left the Presbyterian Free Church of Scotland to form the Lumpa church under the leadership of Alice Lenshina. ²⁰ When the Pentecostal-charismatic movement from the global north reached Africa, and eventually Zambia, many people left the UCZ to join them.

Origins and Development of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements

Although the terms ‘charismatic’ and ‘Pentecostal’ are often used interchangeably, they have different meanings. ‘Pentecostal’ refers to the events recorded on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1–12. The word ‘charismatic’ is derived from the Greek word charismata, referring to spiritual gifts as listed in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. ²¹ The Greek word charisma means ‘free gifts of the Holy Spirit’. The concept was first coined by an Anglican priest, Dennis Bennett, who told congregants that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. ²² Bennett put strong emphasis on baptism in the Holy Spirit, recovery by the church of the charismatic gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and on the belief that the Holy Spirit is the link between God and the world. ²³ Charismatics draw on the Hebrew word for spirit, Ruach (Gen. 1:2), and the Greek word for spirit or breath, Pneuma (John 1), in arguing that the Holy Spirit is God’s agent in creation. They believe that the Holy Spirit gives the power of leadership and prophecy and often manifests itself in ways that by human beings are perceived as extraordinary and supernatural. According to Denis Sikazwe, the Holy Spirit fills human beings with dynamic power (dunamis), enabling them to perform signs and wonders. All human beings are gifted in this way and therefore can exercise ministry in common everyday events. ²⁴

The history of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement can be divided into three stages. Asamoah-Gyadu notes:

Contemporary Pentecostalism refers to the spirituality of the new Pentecostal Churches that have burgeoned in Africa since the last three decades of the twentieth century. Iconic charismatic leaders, modern and fashion conscious outlook, contemporary worship forms, extensive use of modern media technology, and messages of existential success and material prosperity… ²⁵

The early stage of the phenomenon is called classic Pentecostalism (1900 to the 1960s). Charles Fox Perham (1873–1929) established the idea of Pentecostalism in 1901. Fox developed his teaching on the basis of the experience of Pentecost as described in Acts 2:1–13. After a revival meeting, held in Azusa Street, Los Angeles in 1906, the Pentecostal Holiness church was founded. ²⁶ The Assemblies of God denomination was formed in 1914. The movement was characterised by an emphasis on the speaking in tongues (glossolalia). The Azusa Street mission (1906–09) and the work of Joseph William Seymour (1870–1922) served as catalysts for the worldwide classical Pentecostal movement. It was largely defined by the phenomenon of the gift of tongues, which has been associated with worship in black communities. The movement evolved, based on the theology of the Holiness movement, which focused on God’s blessings, divine healing, sanctification as post-conversion experience, and pre-millennialism. ²⁷

The first wave of Pentecostalism originated in ex-slave communities in the USA from where it spread to Latin America and Africa. In North America the movement addressed issues related to reconciliation between white and black people. Black communities in Africa easily identified with classical Pentecostalism and later with the charismatic worship because of their similarities to African spirituality. Africans enjoy dancing, clapping, ululating, and celebrating life during their ceremonies. ²⁸

The second wave of Pentecostal-charismatic expansion started in the 1960s. Dennis Bennett, an Anglican priest in California, declared in 1959 to members of the church that he had been filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. The event inaugurated the charismatic renewal movement in mainline churches including the Roman-Catholic church of Europe, North America, South Africa and Latin America. ²⁹ It focused on spiritual healing and other charismatic practices. Unlike in classic Pentecostalism, members of mainline churches were not encouraged to leave their churches in search of other, spirit-filled faith communities. Revival and liturgical renewal took place within the respective mainline churches. ³⁰ This second wave is often called “the charismatic movement” because there was a strong emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the use of spiritual gifts without, however, pressing the faithful to leave their mainline churches. ³¹

The third wave of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement started in the 1980s and continues in the present. It accentuates a belief in signs and wonders and the importance of spiritual healing. It focuses on the healing of diabetes, HIV, and AIDS, the anointing with oil, blessing by the laying on of hands, reversing generational curses, blessings for material wealth such as cars, scholarships, and visas to the USA and UK. ³² In this stage of the movement, entrepreneurship and individual leadership are emphasized. ³³ There is an increased use of the print media, social media such as Facebook, video-conferencing, and the use of satellite TV stations. The contemporary Pentecostal-charismatic movement has, after 1990, changed its outlook by concentrating on health and material wealth in the here-and-now. The Toronto blessings in the mid-1990s are seen as the origins of this trend. ³⁴ The new wave of, what is now called, the neo-charismatic movement is characterised by speaking in tongues, the prosperity gospel, evangelistic campaigns and conferences by televangelists and the opening of churches or ministries by individuals. ³⁵ It is believed that God operates outside the confines of the church and the Bible. Since 2000, the Christian church in Africa has witnessed extraordinary miracles, performed by multibillionaire televangelists such as prophet T. B. Joshua of SCOAN in Nigeria and prophet Shepherd Bushiri, a Malawian post-modern pastor, based in South Africa. ³⁶

The division of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement into three stages in history is not absolute. Some insights and practices are found in all three stages. Varied expressions and theologies occur in the movement, and there is more than one Pentecostal and charismatic theology is in use. Different experiences within the movement(s) are identified. Some Pentecostal-charismatic churches adhere to a theology that is not distinct from that of mainstream creeds and confessions. Hazra notes:

It is in the spirit and tradition of the older Pentecostalism, i.e. stress on body life as mutual ministry, emphasis on Spirit baptism as a post-conversion necessity, tongues as a sign of its supernatural healing. But, unlike classical Pentecostalism, the charismatic movement did not originate from an ethnic base nor did it evolve into a distinct denomination and majors on other manifestations of the Spirit not characteristic of the older movement. … The movement is concerned to renew inherited church traditions. The movement is generally loyal to what its church professes as a starting point but wants to revitalise the church practice. ³⁷

The Pentecostal-charismatic movement shares some roots and characteristics with renewal movements that were active long before the dawn of classical Pentecostalism. These include the Montanist movement of the 2^nd century ce that represented a reaction to the formalism of the church and that aimed to reinstate the role of the spirit in daily Christian life, and the Anabaptists of the 16^th century who were forerunners of the Brethren. The Anabaptists condemned the Baptist denominations as heretical for their enthusiasm. ³⁸

The role of the Holy Spirit was, from the 5^th century to 14^th century, not emphasized in the church. However, in the 1500s the Protestant reformation took place, inspired by Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, and others. There were different strands of reformation. The more radical reformers emphasized the role of the spirit of God and criticised Luther for not allowing them to exercise their spirituality in worship services. In the end, these critics were expelled from the church. ³⁹

Other revival movements in the past were the Great Awakenings in the United States and Europe between the 1740s and 1850s. The revival movement in Britain was characterised by its return to ‘biblical holiness’ and an emphasis on spiritual gifts. It coincided with the Great Awakening in America and Pietism in Germany. Many pioneers of revival movements, especially in America, were people who had been excommunicated from the Church of England on the grounds of their emphasis on spiritual revival. ⁴⁰ Camp meetings by revivalists were associated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Wesleyan or Methodist revival meetings in 1849 were described as follows:

There is a stamping and bouncing, jumping and falling, crying and howling, groaning and sighing, all praying in confusion, a rude singing of the most vulgar street songs so that it must be loathing to an educated man, and fill the serious Christian with painful emotions. ⁴¹

Among past revivals in other parts of the world are those in the AICs. In 1930 there was a revival movement in East Africa and in the 1950s Alice Lenshina in Zambia conducted revival and witchcraft eradication meetings which drew many members of the Roman Catholic Church and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

Although aspects of Pentecostal and charismatic spirituality could be detected in AICs as early as the 1930s, classical Pentecostalism as such reached Zambia in the late 1960s after the country’s political independence, In the 1970s and early 1980s, large Pentecostal churches with links to the USA began to emerge. In the late 1970s, some mainline churches such as the Roman Catholic Church and the UCZ began to adopt a Pentecostal and charismatic way of worship, including speaking in tongues and shouting. This led to divisions in the church between charismatic and non-charismatic members. In the 1980s the demand in mainline church congregations for Pentecostal and charismatic worship programmes increased, and some church members were excommunicated for speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and holding all-night prayer meetings. In the 1990s mainline churches like the UCZ began to accommodate Pentecostal and charismatic worship. ⁴²

Impact on the United Church of Zambia

The impact of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement on the UCZ became evident in the late 1970s. Two camps emerged. The camp that supported Pentecostal-charismatic worship consisted mostly of youths, while among the opponents elders and ministers were found. The tension between the camps resulted in splits in the church in 1980. ⁴³ In many UCZ congregations, members of youth fellowships left to join Pentecostal churches. Some formed their own churches. It became difficult for the advocates of Pentecostal-charismatic worship to remain in UCZ congregations, which were traditionally Methodist or Presbyterian and where they could be suspended for speaking in tongues. Some who today are prominent pastors and bishops in Pentecostal churches such as Bernard Nwaka of Living Water Global Ministries in Kitwe, left UCZ at this stage. ⁴⁴

The growth of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement was promoted by Frederick Chiluba when, in December 1991, soon after assuming office as president of Zambia, he declared Zambia to be a “Christian nation”. ⁴⁵ Pastor Never Mumba, General Godfrey Miyanda, and other Pentecostal enthusiasts strongly supported the declaration. Many Christians now joined politics and Christian civil society organisations in an effort to achieve a “Christian democracy”. Chiluba himself appointed Pastor Danny Pule as deputy minister of finance. During Chiluba’s presidency, a good deal of financial support was given to pastors for the building of churches and the presidential fund donated vehicles to churches. President Chiluba would even sponsor pastors so that they could attend crusades organised by the American televangelist Benny Hinn. ⁴⁶ With Zambia wide open to Pentecostal-charismatic perceptions, churches proliferated.

The growth of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement presented mainline churches with a powerful challenge. Many of the new Pentecostal-charismatic churches had links with televangelists in the USA. ⁴⁷ In 1992, a group of ministers in the UCZ organised a group of youths and other members to request formally the introduction of charismatic worship in the church, but the UCZ synod did not wish to hear of it. The result was another schism in 1993, when the majority of its members, including ministers, some lay leaders, and especially young people, left the UCZ to form a new church called Grace Ministries. ⁴⁸ It was the most significant schism in the history of the UCZ. Some ministers left the church taking with them almost their entire congregation. Among the ministers who left the UCZ were the Rev. Sampa, Rev. Mrs. Sampa, Rev. Chibesakunda, Rev. Catherine Mumba, Rev. Peter Mutale, and Rev. Sinyola. Rev. Chibesakunda became the first bishop of Grace Ministries and was later replaced by Rev. Peter Mutale. Grace Ministries became popular and, like other newly formed Pentecostal-charismatic churches, it received some support from the president of Zambia. The new churches made no distinction between the spiritual and the material world and many pastors prayed for President Frederick Chiluba praising him as a “new Moses of Zambia.” ⁴⁹

In 1999, in an effort to stop the loss of members and to prevent further schisms in the church, the UCZ synod circulated a questionnaire, asking congregants for their views on Pentecostal-charismatic worship. As it turned out, most members of the church were in favour. Hence, the UCZ synod resolved to accommodate Pentecostal-charismatic worship in its services. The UCZ Theological College was tasked with providing guidelines. The student body of the UCZ Theological College listed the following points concerning the practice of charismatic worship and these were adopted by the UCZ synod in 1999. ⁵⁰

The guidelines opened the road for the introduction of charismatic worship in the UCZ. It was emphasized that “charismatic intolerance of non-charismatic worship should not be allowed in church, and both types of worshippers, charismatic and conservative, should be encouraged to work together for the sake of unity and harmony within the church”. ⁵¹ The older generation of ministers, trained by western missionaries, did not whole-heartedly accept the Pentecostal and charismatic ways of worship. Those who were charismatic, were derogatorily referred to as “born again”. On the other hand, the youth regarded ministers who were against Pentecostal-charismatic worship as “un-spiritual”. The accommodation of charismatic worship has helped the UCZ to retain members. The majority of those who left to join Grace Ministries did return to the UCZ. Rev. Catherine Mumba was one of those who re-joined the UCZ, while Rev. Sampa and Mrs. Sampa left Grace Ministries to form their own church. ⁵²

Since 2000, the landscape of Pentecostal-charismatic worship in Zambia has changed tremendously. New beliefs and practices, some of which appear to be secular rather than sacred, have emerged. The new trends include praying for containers of water, applying anointing oil on the private parts of women to chase demons, miracle money, sowing a seed for financial blessings and material prosperity. On the musical scene, the youth have reinvented gospel music by incorporating African and South American beats such as kalindula and rumba and by mixing in contemporary western types of music such as R&B. ⁵³ The Mount Sinai choir in Kitwe and the Faithful Melody Choir in Chililambombwe have introduced the use of modern instruments and choirs in the UCZ use a distal form of dance called sokola hip. ⁵⁴

In the Zambian context of high unemployment levels and general economic challenges, Zambians often choose to hold dual church membership. They keep up their UCZ membership and follow UCZ services, but they also attend the miracle and prophetic services conducted by Pentecostal-charismatic prophets and apostles who promise them material wealth and a solution to health problems. Furthermore, UCZ members have travelled to Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and South Africa for the purpose of buying anointing oil from prophets such as T. B. Joshua and Shepherd Bushiri. In order to solve this situation, the UCZ synod has appointed a committee to review the 1999 guidelines on charismatic worship. The committee has met at the Diakonia Centre in Kabwe, Zambia between the 5^th and 7^th of September, 2013 and submitted a report to the synod. ⁵⁵ The synod decided to uphold the guidelines of 1999 but made the following adjustments and additions. ⁵⁶

The new rules are an indication that the UCZ cannot ignore the Pentecostal-charismatic movement if it is serious about its renewal and transformation. ⁵⁷ Ministers and members were encouraged to ignore beliefs and practices such as going to the mountains to pray, “sowing the seed” or the prosperity gospel, and the conducting of deliverance and miracles during the church service. The UCZ synod does today sell anointing oil and water, and ministers in the various UCZ congregations are doing the same. Every year, in October, a pilgrimage to Israel is organised.

The changes in the UCZ under the influence of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement in Zambia confirm that social, economic, and political factors do play a role in the shaping of people’s religious beliefs and practices. Anderson writes:

most Pentecostal movements ‘came into being as missionary institutions’ and their mission work was ‘not the result of some clearly thought out theological decision, and so policy and methods were formed mostly in the crucible of missionary praxis’. It must be acknowledged that despite the seeming naiveté of many early Pentecostals, their evangelistic methods were flexible, pragmatic and astonishingly successful. ⁵⁸

The Pentecostal-charismatic churches do not suggest that the secular and the sacred belong to different realms. As opposed to the mission churches, there is in Pentecostal-charismatic churches and their missionary endeavours no trace of such a dichotomy. This “missiological thrust” has been a strong point, central to the existence of Pentecostal-charismatic churches. ⁵⁹ The emphasis on healing, prophecy, and God’s blessings on earth has made Pentecostal-charismatic worship very appealing to Zambians who face economic, social, health, and political challenges. It appears justified to argue that the expansion of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement in Africa can be largely attributed to its resilience and its adaptability to African cultural values and expressions. This resilience is often referred to as the “oral structures” of the Pentecostal-charismatic movement. ⁶⁰ The oral structures include oral liturgy, the participation of the entire community of worshipers in the liturgy, an emphasis on visions and dreams in worship, healing by prayer, prophecy, and liturgical dance. These features of spirituality are also found in African culture. ⁶¹ The UCZ and other mainline churches are today attracting members by using oral liturgy and oral structures, learnt from Pentecostal-charismatic churches.

Pentecostalism and its emphasis on the ‘freedom in the Spirit’ have led to a greater flexibility of Christianity, so that today it is able to adapt to widely differing cultural, social, economic, and political contexts. As a result Pentecostal-charismatic churches have become home to many of the marginalized in Africa and to minorities in the western world. ⁶² Their emphasis on the offering of solutions for presently-felt needs, like sickness, poverty, the perceived consequences of witchcraft, and the actions of evil spirits distinguishes Pentecostal-charismatic churches from the mission churches, where European missionaries and the African church leaders who took over from them tended to ignore African problems. European missionaries based their liturgy and worship on 19^th- and 20^th-century European spirituality, while the minds of UCZ ministers trained by them were colonised to such degree that they felt they should preach, sing, and dress like Europeans. In the Mindolo congregation and at the UCZ Theological College, hymns composed by reformers in Europe, such as Charles Wesley, John Wesley, and Henry Francis Lyte, had to be followed strictly. Spontaneous worship and dancing in the African manner were not allowed. No movements were allowed in church during preaching. ⁶³ Ministers such as the Rev. Joel Chisanga fully adhered to the western way of worship taught by the western missionaries such as Rev. Vernon Stone. Similarly, demon casting and prayers that were Pentecostal or charismatic in outlook were prohibited. In many UCZ congregations such as Lubwa, Mbereshi, St. Marks, Nchanga, and St. Andrews in Ndola, church members who adopted Pentecostal and charismatic worship modes were expelled. ⁶⁴ However, it became increasingly clear that the theology, liturgy, and forms of worship, left by the missionaries and adopted by UCZ after union in 1965, failed to appeal to the psyche of Africans.

It can be argued therefore that, despite its flaws, ⁶⁵ the Pentecostal-charismatic movement has served as a “renovator” of theology, mission, and worship in mainline churches. In the case of the UCZ, it has challenged the church to engage with the social, cultural, economic, and political needs of the people in a manner that corresponds to the African worldview. At the same time the movement has made the church see the need to make better use of technological advancements that have come with globalisation and postmodernism. The result is that churches have opened radio stations and accessed social media. While some mainline churches have reacted to the Pentecostal-charismatic movement with hostility and by being on the defensive, the UCZ has adapted. It has adapted and adjusted its beliefs and practices to suit the demands of its congregants in the social, economic, political, and spiritual context of Zambia today. ⁶⁶

Conclusion

Hodges states:

There is no place on earth where, if the gospel seed be properly planted, it will not produce an indigenous church. The Holy Spirit can work in one country as well as in another. To proceed on the assumption that the infant church in any land must always be cared for and provided for by the mother mission is an unconscious insult to the people that we endeavour to serve, and is evidence of a lack of faith in God and in the power of the gospel. ⁶⁷

The Pentecostal-charismatic movement has gone a long way in challenging the mainline churches in Africa in their various contemporary contexts to become more relevant by responding to the specific physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people in Africa. Pentecostal-charismatic churches in their many and varied forms appeal to a new generation of Africans. The movement has inspired the UCZ to reinvent itself in response to the needs of Zambians today. The churches in the global north— where, judging by the number of people who attend church services, Christianity is declining— could learn a lesson from African Pentecostal-charismatic churches regarding the need to be flexible and adapt to local cultures and contexts.