Research Project: The Christ Apostolic Church in Yoruba Land
This is a description of my PhD thesis on "The leadership crisis of Christ Apostolic Church in Yoruba land 1989-2005: A historical and theological critique."
Research Background
Leadership crises and their resultant effects are matters that are of great concern to everybody in modern times. Generally speaking, this is a subject that had pitched various people, organisations, nations and continents against each other in a tussle for political, economic, nuclear and other forms of power and financial-related matters. For instance, this subject particularly describes and summarises the occupation of the western world in non-western and developing countries and continents like Africa, the Middle East, and the Asian world among others. It also manifests among people, and in the various kinds of organisations or institutions to which they belong all over the world.
Such crises
continue to get worse because of the interest and intent of the parties
involved in them, each wanting to either stoke their pride or boost
their ego, irrespective of the far reaching consequences of such
tussles on their people and on the entire world.
Surprisingly,
even without external interference, it is observed that some of the
leadership crises are clearly cases of a leader (or leaders) oppressing
their own people, in attempts to hold on to power perpetually to
themselves, their families, cohorts, and allies. Such selfish or
individualistic actions which are against collective interests are
capable of, and may ultimately ruin the people and a system or
institution. If it degenerates into a socio-cultural, political or
economic war situation, may also ultimately ruin a country, continent
or the whole world. It is from this kind of background that many of the
local, national and international conflicts of our world past and
present could be understood. It would then serve as a starting point
for initiating peaceful negotiations and successful conflict
resolutions after identifying collectively what went wrong
initially.
The
fact that some of these kinds of crises in our society have religious
undertone makes one to pulse and have a rethink on the kinds of
religious systems that we have and practice globally. Christianity and
the Church founded upon the ministry of Jesus Christ is not an
exception when talking about these religions and religious institutions
as, either having crises within themselves, or serving as venues
through which crisis emerge.
Research Problem
The case of the “Aladura” Pentecostal and charismatic Christian
Churches or movements in Nigeria particularly draws one’s attention.
The Aladura Churches had been seen long ago as sources of spiritual
succour and liberation to Africans within their cultural milieu. Added
to this is that they are regarded as veritable alternatives to the
partially successful mission Christianity efforts in Africa. They are
re-packaging African brands of Christianity for re-exportation just
like the way it was exported into Africa earlier on by the
missionaries. They have been said to represent a re-____expression of
Christianity with vibrant Pentecostal and charismatic power, like in
the old Apostolic era, achieving also a blending of it with African
worldviews and realities generally. The blending of Christianity with
African ideals by the Aladura Churches without deviating from the pure
Christian belief and practice (as so claimed, but highly questioned by
some scholars and religious practitioners alike) was one of the
outstanding feats that they achieved. This is the kind of Christianity
that they are re-exporting to the entire world.
However,
the issue of leadership crises among other problems within the Aladura
Churches has greatly polarised them. It has created doubts as to
whether the initial velocity of the power of the Holy Spirit, unity and
brotherly love as portrayed in the Christian message is still in their
mindset or is still the fulcrum of their operation.
The
leadership crisis has been claimed, or appears to be mild in some
Aladura Churches where the case is just that of the issue or problem of
family succession in a kind of father-to-son and, or husband-to-wife
handing over of ecclesiastical authority. This however, is not without
the possible grumbling and criticisms within and outside such Churches,
and probably, one of the reasons for schisms in such Aladura Churches.
Synonymous to the above, is that of some leadership crisis that stems
out of cases that involves the absence of, or not wanting to establish
(or review even when it is absolutely needed) the defined and specific
Constitutional standards of ascension to ecclesiastical authority and
administrative positions, or the neglect of it where one exists.
These
are coupled with the fact that some of the present leaders of the
Aladura Churches, judging by their actions (in relation to these crises
issues) appear to have lost focus, and are not following the path of
the original vision or mission of the early founders of those Churches.
The resultant effect is that of the several kinds of crises plaguing
these Churches today. They show that the leaders in such crises are
not, or are partially committed to the old tradition of emphasis on
effective serious prayer, prophetic, healing and evangelistic works of
the Aladura Churches. They rather bother about occupying top
ecclesiastical positions at all costs for fame and amassing of wealth,
and thereby causing all kinds of problems within these Churches.
Their
desperate moves have led them to employing the use of personal attacks
through all possible means that are unchristian, polarising the clergy
and laity, while encouraging the existence of factions, and worse
still, resorting to law courts to settle ecclesiastical disagreements.
This last one clearly is a deviant tendency going by Apostle Paul’s
teaching that Christians should not allow their disputes to degenerate
to such levels (1 Corin.6: 1-6). Many ministers and laity across board
have lost their lives in the course of these crises in these Aladura
Churches.
The
case of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) is that of an acclaimed true
Church of God, which started with a genuine and clearly defined mission
or purpose. She allowed herself in later years to derail and degenerate
due to leadership crisis into a presently factionalised and polarised
Church. This happened because she allowed secularism, human sentiments,
the excessive pursuit for, or worship of power or fame (that was
supposed or originally meant to be exclusively spiritual in nature)
from a mundane perspective. Underlying these also is some misplaced
struggle for wealth and negligence of old pure spiritual standards
regarding ascension to clerical position and maintenance of such
offices. Hence, the CAC has lost and is loosing till today the original
unity of the Church, rather than working towards a re-unification of
the original single whole. Several efforts geared towards
re-unification had failed, thereby prolonging the crisis unnecessarily.
It is the peculiarity of this crisis, in reference to the root causes
for it and its persistence that has been identified as a research
problem of study in this work.
Research Objectives
With the research problem being identified and defined as above,
the aim in this research is to, on a general note, appraise through
critical and factual demonstrations (with the consideration of the
works of other scholars) the Pentecostal nature of the CAC. It would
specifically involve a critical examination of the remote causes of the
crisis, after a re-appraisal of her founding history, to show if any,
the link of the crisis to her historical past.
Having
started since 1989, the crisis has persisted unabated for fifteen years
now. This research will therefore focus on the key CAC factions and
leaders at the forefront of the crisis, what resolution attempts have
been made, why they failed, and the aftermath of such failures, which
had prolonged the crisis till now. The research would suggest after
intense study, possible ways or steps that could help current
reconciliation efforts.
In this study, related literatures,
published and unpublished on the Aladura Churches generally, and
especially on the CAC would be consulted, and reviewed by way of
critical appraisal. Many of these literatures usually dealt more on the
Pentecostal nature, organisational structure, beliefs and practices,
and achievements of the Aladura Churches. The uniqueness of this
work however is that, unlike others, it will focus on the crisis aspect
of Aladura Churches in modern times that has been rarely or partially
studied. There is therefore the need for an organised and detailed
research at doctoral study level (as some scholars have earlier
recommended), especially because the crisis is a serious issue
threatening the existence of a vibrant Church (and other Aladura
Churches), which has gained many adherents in Nigeria, Africa and
worldwide.
The
research will significantly show the devastating effects of the
leadership crisis on the Nigerian Aladura Churches generally, and the
CAC in particular. The inevitability of the high level and in-depth
study required on this subject will make the research to be heavily
demanding, involve risk taking and other complications in approaching
it. Along with these is the need to work and interact (by way of
interviews and participation) with the various factions involved in the
CAC crisis.
Research Methods
The methodology in this research would be a
combination of library and field based research methods. Though, there
are so many literatures on the CAC and other Aladura Churches, and but
this task will involve carrying out series of oral interviews with
principal actors and eyewitnesses to the crisis. The fact that many of
these people in the two categories are still alive as leaders or
members, or independent observers of the crisis would really help in
this research. Church records, court case files and papers, and many
other non-library based primary sources would be consulted.
Research Outcomes
In
summary, the research will generally do a critique of the position of
the CAC (like other Aladura Churches) as a typical example of a true
African indigenous Pentecostal initiative, which (also like others)
signalled the turning point for the world’s Christian experience. Yet,
the research would show that due to the unabated crisis, the Church has
had serious setbacks, and if allowed to remain unresolved, may render
the entire once well laid foundation completely disorganised. The
consequences of this for the CAC and other Aladura Churches in Nigeria,
Africa and globally would be very grave and damaging. It would in many
ways not speak well of Pentecostals, non-Pentecostals and even
Christianity globally, thereby affecting the global Pentecostal appeal
or campaign.
last modified
2011-02-09 14:21