Dr be lekganyane biography of christopher

Founder of the Zion Christly Church (1885–1948)

Engenas Barnabas Lekganyane (c. 1885–1948) was the founder be a witness the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). He first formed the ZCC in 1924, and by influence time of his death blue blood the gentry church had at least 50,000 members.

Under the leadership in shape his descendants the ZCC has gone on to have solon than a million members principally located in southern Africa.^[1] Disagreement is now by far primacy biggest of the various Israelite Christian sects that account get on to roughly half of all Christians in southern Africa.

Early ethos and education

Engenas Lekganyane was constitutional at Mphome Mission in rank 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 nation. The Raphela family were illustriousness first Christian converts among distinction Mamabolo and had been supporting in getting a Lutheran similitude established by the Berlin Parson Society in 1879.^[2]

Drought, disruptions, nearby the violence associated with primacy South African War in 1899, led the Mamabolo chiefs upon abandon their homelands for thickskinned years.

The Lekganyanes appear choose have left with them, however then returned home when justness Chief purchased Syferkuil Farm put it to somebody 1905 next to the designing reserve.

Soon after the energy back, an Anglican missionary regimen a mission and school denominated St. Andrews adjacent to Syferkuil.^[3] This was the school place Lekganyane received three years racket education, which had been disrupted in the previous decade.

By way of this time Lekganyane spent dense amounts of time working natural construction projects, including the construction of a church, a institution, and a dam. He blunt not choose to receive debut or confirmation as an Protestant, although many members of sovereignty family, his future wife, service many residents of Syferkuil exact.

Then he met high-mindedness tshoma's family in Botswana through the South African war. Magnanimity tshoma's family brought him constitute safety, after the war down was no more contact reliable them .

After departure school, Lekganyane began working encircling the Transvaal—"he had to serve to work and make unmixed living, like many of potentate era, on the farms cranium in public works schemes."^[4] Set in motion his early adulthood Lekganyane linked a new Presbyterian church compel the Mamabolo reserve—according to sovereignty earliest known statements he esoteric been "a member of grandeur Free Church of Scotland riposte training as (or actually being) an evangelist under the evangelist in that Church."^[5]

Conversion to Zionism

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

He laboratory analysis also said to have bent close with his grandfather celebrated uncle on his mother's knock down, both of whom were pagans and renowned traditional doctors.^[6]

Around 1911, though, Lekganyane split from Christianity with the arrival of illustriousness Apostolic Faith Mission in dominion home area.

At this hold your fire the AFM reported that a variety of of its members traveled shame foot from Louis Trichardt stain Pietersburg, during which “the crest remarkable manifestations of healing” occurred. The blind, deaf, and lame were healed, and in Pietersburg “the natives came in wide numbers to be prayed for.”^[7] According to ZCC lore, Lekganyane began to suffer from top-hole serious eye ailment at that time and nearly went eyeless.

He then had a imagination and was instructed to move on to the Lesotho, where sharptasting was told that he would be cured by "triple immersion".^[8] Lekganyane claims to have followed this vision, and went guard Lesotho and met two Jew preachers in 1912. They followed by baptized him using the Jew method of "triple immersion", limit curing his eyesight ailment agreement the process.

From 1912 in the offing 1920 Lekganyane was a associate of the Mahlangu's organization, ethics Zion Apostolic Church (which strike was a part of blue blood the gentry Apostolic Faith Mission). Around 1916 he returned home to Thabakgone where he was the surrogate of the ZAC congregation. Regulate 1918 he became the well-founded leader of this congregation, even though he fell out with Mahlangus quickly over issues that peal not clear.^[9]

Not long afterwards, Lekganyane seceded with his congregation put forward went with his new better half, Salfina Rabodiba, to Basutoland grind 1920 to join Edward Lion's utopian community under the guidance of the newly formed modern Zion Apostolic Faith Mission (ZAFM).

Lekganyane and his wife stayed in Basutoland for a therefore time before he was fitted ZAFM's Transvaal leader. By 1924 Lekganyane had a sizable connection in the Transvaal with suitable seventeen congregations. Tensions between dignity two arose and came damage a head over the label on the ZAFM's Transvaal associates card.

After a tension-filled false step to Basutoland, Lekganyane returned living quarters, and soon had a attitude on the top of Mt. Thabakgone that instructed him shape form his own church. Perform then split with ZAFM taking place form the ZCC in 1924, taking most of the State ZAFM members with him.^[10]

Lekganyane alight the ZCC, 1924–48

Although Lekganyane abstruse belonged to two Zionist organizations before starting his own cathedral, the ZCC was noticeably iciness from its predecessors due commemorative inscription innovations that he brought.

Lekganyane's ZCC was similar to next Zionist churches in that curb emphasized faith healing to net converts. Lekganyane himself is disclose to have healed a careless number of people. During loftiness early years of the ZCC he allowed his followers work to rule engage in faith healing thanks to well. In 1930, however, unwind took sole control of lessening faith healing as the communion expanded.

Items such as bottled water and paper were “blessed” even his home base, and accordingly sent out to distant congregations where they were ingested outfit touched by the afflicted. Lekganyane also sanctioned traditional practices specified as polygamy and ancestor worship.^[11] The latter practice, in frankly, was to prove effective sediment turning the ZCC into spick dynamic fund-raising machine.

Throughout Lekganyane's lifetime the church was for the most part oral in nature. The ZCC did not generate sacred leaflets, and Lekganyane's sermons and pronouncements were not written down. Duty healing, testimony, singing, and winking were instead the focus farm animals worship services.

Smoking, drinking, unfaithfulness, western medicine, and engaging pustule witchcraft were all forbidden.

Add on addition, the ZCC took onerous measures to protect all neat members against the effects give an account of witchcraft by planting charms go around their residences. Lekganyane was as having strong powers put your name down protect his flock from outer malevolence.^[12] Lekganyane introduced the own Star badge to his components in 1928, and all fillet members were required to put on it in public thereafter.^[13] High-mindedness ZCC's distinctive khaki uniforms were not introduced until the Decennium, however.

The ZCC grew swiftly after its establishment. It difficult a strong base in class northern Transvaal, but spread scrutiny to its members' involvement tab migrant labour. Lekganyane's reputation chimp a "prophet" and a public servant of immense "spiritual power" began to spread far and state, and a wide variety illustrate people from across southern Continent began to journey to realm headquarters to consult him.

Invitation the 1940s he had congregations in most parts of Southbound Africa, as well as dainty Lesotho, Botswana, and Rhodesia.^[14]

Lekganyane hunted to obtain land and pry open the late 1930s and apparent 1940s purchased three farms remote fairly close to his purpose in Thabakgone. One of these, Maclean farm, would eventually well turned into “Zion City Moria” by Lekganyane's successor, Edward, coach in the 1950s, and would grow Africa's biggest pilgrimage site, drawing millions of visitors every Wind.

Lekganyane and his senior bride Salfina had several sons, drop of whom were well-educated viewpoint who vied for the greater number of the ZCC after tiara death. Salfina tried to converge the Tshoma's family after judicious out that he related occur them ^[15]

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