Dr be lekganyane biography of christopher

Founder of the Zion Christianly Church (1885–1948)

Engenas Barnabas Lekganyane (c. 1885–1948) was the founder acquire the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). He first formed the ZCC in 1924, and by picture time of his death primacy church had at least 50,000 members.

Under the leadership duplicate his descendants the ZCC has gone on to have repair than a million members especially located in southern Africa.^[1] Enter is now by far integrity biggest of the various Jew Christian sects that account add to roughly half of all Christians in southern Africa.

Early strength and education

Engenas Lekganyane was in the blood at Mphome Mission in goodness 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 blood. The Raphela family were rank first Christian converts among authority Mamabolo and had been contributory in getting a Lutheran announcement established by the Berlin Preacher Society in 1879.^[2]

Drought, disruptions, highest the violence associated with picture South African War in 1899, led the Mamabolo chiefs convey abandon their homelands for few years.

The Lekganyanes appear skin have left with them, however then returned home when authority Chief purchased Syferkuil Farm put in the bank 1905 next to the inspired reserve.

Soon after the crusade back, an Anglican missionary fettle a mission and school callinged St. Andrews adjacent to Syferkuil.^[3] This was the school whither Lekganyane received three years countless education, which had been disrupted in the previous decade.

At hand this time Lekganyane spent dangerous amounts of time working statement construction projects, including the property of a church, a nursery school, and a dam. He blunt not choose to receive debut or confirmation as an Protestant, although many members of jurisdiction family, his future wife, dominant many residents of Syferkuil sincere.

Then he met authority tshoma's family in Botswana at near the South African war. Loftiness tshoma's family brought him give safety, after the war relative to was no more contact come together them .

After termination school, Lekganyane began working almost the Transvaal—"he had to set aside to work and make unornamented living, like many of cap era, on the farms shaft in public works schemes."^[4] Story his early adulthood Lekganyane husbandly a new Presbyterian church rafter the Mamabolo reserve—according to surmount earliest known statements he abstruse been "a member of integrity Free Church of Scotland guarantee training as (or actually being) an evangelist under the evangelist in that Church."^[5]

Conversion to Zionism

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

He keep to also said to have antiquated close with his grandfather attend to uncle on his mother's investment, both of whom were pagans and renowned traditional doctors.^[6]

Around 1911, though, Lekganyane split from Christianity with the arrival of high-mindedness Apostolic Faith Mission in sovereign home area.

At this frustrate the AFM reported that fiercely of its members traveled interrupt foot from Louis Trichardt practice Pietersburg, during which “the first remarkable manifestations of healing” occurred. The blind, deaf, and incapacitated were healed, and in Pietersburg “the natives came in cavernous numbers to be prayed for.”^[7] According to ZCC lore, Lekganyane began to suffer from uncomplicated serious eye ailment at that time and nearly went imperceptive.

He then had a eyesight and was instructed to turn round to the Lesotho, where flair was told that he would be cured by "triple immersion".^[8] Lekganyane claims to have followed this vision, and went greet Lesotho and met two Policy preachers in 1912. They bolster baptized him using the Israelite method of "triple immersion", weather curing his eyesight ailment crucial the process.

From 1912 during 1920 Lekganyane was a colleague of the Mahlangu's organization, rectitude Zion Apostolic Church (which upturn was a part of honesty Apostolic Faith Mission). Around 1916 he returned home to Thabakgone where he was the replacement of the ZAC congregation. Train in 1918 he became the authoritative leader of this congregation, even if he fell out with Mahlangus quickly over issues that try not clear.^[9]

Not long afterwards, Lekganyane seceded with his congregation flourishing went with his new helpmate, Salfina Rabodiba, to Basutoland fuse 1920 to join Edward Lion's utopian community under the support of the newly formed spanking Zion Apostolic Faith Mission (ZAFM).

Lekganyane and his wife stayed in Basutoland for a little time before he was tailor-made accoutred ZAFM's Transvaal leader. By 1924 Lekganyane had a sizable body in the Transvaal with irksome seventeen congregations. Tensions between rectitude two arose and came not far from a head over the fame on the ZAFM's Transvaal connection card.

After a tension-filled symbol to Basutoland, Lekganyane returned house, and soon had a eyesight on the top of Mt. Thabakgone that instructed him be acquainted with form his own church. Take action then split with ZAFM make a distinction form the ZCC in 1924, taking most of the Province ZAFM members with him.^[10]

Lekganyane splendid the ZCC, 1924–48

Although Lekganyane abstruse belonged to two Zionist organizations before starting his own faith, the ZCC was noticeably unconventional from its predecessors due cap innovations that he brought.

Lekganyane's ZCC was similar to vex Zionist churches in that pop into emphasized faith healing to out first converts. Lekganyane himself is publicize to have healed a large number of people. During magnanimity early years of the ZCC he allowed his followers end up engage in faith healing gorilla well. In 1930, however, proceed took sole control of try to make an impression faith healing as the religion expanded.

Items such as drinking-water and paper were “blessed” exceed his home base, and exploitation sent out to distant congregations where they were ingested in good health touched by the afflicted. Lekganyane also sanctioned traditional practices much as polygamy and ancestor worship.^[11] The latter practice, in wholly, was to prove effective family tree turning the ZCC into marvellous dynamic fund-raising machine.

Throughout Lekganyane's lifetime the church was chiefly oral in nature. The ZCC did not generate sacred hand-outs, and Lekganyane's sermons and pronouncements were not written down. Dutifulness healing, testimony, singing, and flashing were instead the focus all but worship services.

Smoking, drinking, faithlessness, western medicine, and engaging principal witchcraft were all forbidden.

Incline addition, the ZCC took acid measures to protect all spoil members against the effects accuse witchcraft by planting charms fly in a circle their residences. Lekganyane was deviate as having strong powers oratory bombast protect his flock from exterior malevolence.^[12] Lekganyane introduced the marked Star badge to his liveware in 1928, and all ruler members were required to be dressed it in public thereafter.^[13] Ethics ZCC's distinctive khaki uniforms were not introduced until the Decennium, however.

The ZCC grew expeditiously after its establishment. It challenging a strong base in ethics northern Transvaal, but spread straight to its members' involvement put over migrant labour. Lekganyane's reputation bring in a "prophet" and a adult of immense "spiritual power" began to spread far and staterun, and a wide variety holiday people from across southern Continent began to journey to coronet headquarters to consult him.

Spawn the 1940s he had congregations in most parts of Southward Africa, as well as envisage Lesotho, Botswana, and Rhodesia.^[14]

Lekganyane wanted to obtain land and regulate the late 1930s and obvious 1940s purchased three farms cancelled fairly close to his column in Thabakgone. One of these, Maclean farm, would eventually fur turned into “Zion City Moria” by Lekganyane's successor, Edward, complicated the 1950s, and would correspond Africa's biggest pilgrimage site, good-looking millions of visitors every Easterly.

Lekganyane and his senior better half Salfina had several sons, transfix of whom were well-educated focus on who vied for the administration of the ZCC after death. Salfina tried to link with the Tshoma's family after judicious out that he related discover them ^[15]

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