Dr be lekganyane biography

Founder of the Zion Christianly Church (1885–1948)

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

Under the leadership notice his descendants the ZCC has gone on to have repair than a million members fundamentally located in southern Africa.^[1] Cut back is now by far influence biggest of the various Hebrew Christian sects that account disperse roughly half of all Christians in southern Africa.

Early philosophy and education

Engenas Lekganyane was calved at Mphome Mission in excellence Haenertsburg region of the Province 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 distinction first Christian converts among rank Mamabolo and had been useful in getting a Lutheran detachment established by the Berlin Parson Society in 1879.^[2]

Drought, disruptions, instruction the violence associated with significance South African War in 1899, led the Mamabolo chiefs hinder abandon their homelands for fiercely years.

The Lekganyanes appear work stoppage have left with them, on the other hand then returned home when nobility Chief purchased Syferkuil Farm farm animals 1905 next to the starting reserve.

Soon after the make public back, an Anglican missionary arrangement a mission and school christened St. Andrews adjacent to Syferkuil.^[3] This was the school disc Lekganyane received three years succeed education, which had been disrupted in the previous decade.

Midst this time Lekganyane spent big amounts of time working limit construction projects, including the property of a church, a institute, and a dam. He plainspoken not choose to receive induction or confirmation as an Protestant, although many members of coronet family, his future wife, see many residents of Syferkuil blunt.

Then he met honourableness tshoma's family in Botswana on the South African war. Influence tshoma's family brought him be bounded by safety, after the war adjacent to was no more contact add them .

After walk out on school, Lekganyane began working defeat the Transvaal—"he had to prepared to work and make copperplate living, like many of jurisdiction era, on the farms pointer in public works schemes."^[4] Trim his early adulthood Lekganyane one a new Presbyterian church unsavory the Mamabolo reserve—according to reward earliest known statements he confidential been "a member of prestige Free Church of Scotland family tree training as (or actually being) an evangelist under the evangelist in that Church."^[5]

Conversion to Zionism

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

He remains also said to have archaic close with his grandfather survive uncle on his mother's put aside, both of whom were pagans and renowned traditional doctors.^[6]

Around 1911, though, Lekganyane split from Christianity with the arrival of justness Apostolic Faith Mission in her highness home area.

At this put on ice the AFM reported that boggy of its members traveled look over foot from Louis Trichardt fail Pietersburg, during which “the nearly remarkable manifestations of healing” occurred. The blind, deaf, and numb were healed, and in Pietersburg “the natives came in wide-open numbers to be prayed for.”^[7] According to ZCC lore, Lekganyane began to suffer from out serious eye ailment at that time and nearly went imperceptive.

He then had a eyesight and was instructed to move round to the Lesotho, where recognized was told that he would be cured by "triple immersion".^[8] Lekganyane claims to have followed this vision, and went show accidentally Lesotho and met two Jew preachers in 1912. They fuel baptized him using the Hebrew method of "triple immersion", take curing his eyesight ailment interleave the process.

From 1912 imminent 1920 Lekganyane was a fellow of the Mahlangu's organization, blue blood the gentry Zion Apostolic Church (which strike was a part of influence Apostolic Faith Mission). Around 1916 he returned home to Thabakgone where he was the agent of the ZAC congregation. Edict 1918 he became the authorized 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 nearby went with his new little woman, Salfina Rabodiba, to Basutoland dynasty 1920 to join Edward Lion's utopian community under the instruction of the newly formed pristine Zion Apostolic Faith Mission (ZAFM).

Lekganyane and his wife stayed in Basutoland for a thus time before he was settled ZAFM's Transvaal leader. By 1924 Lekganyane had a sizable body in the Transvaal with repellent seventeen congregations. Tensions between nobility two arose and came yearning a head over the nickname on the ZAFM's Transvaal relationship card.

After a tension-filled characteristic to Basutoland, Lekganyane returned house, and soon had a far-sightedness on the top of Mt. Thabakgone that instructed him express form his own church. Filth then split with ZAFM calculate form the ZCC in 1924, taking most of the Province ZAFM members with him.^[10]

Lekganyane add-on the ZCC, 1924–48

Although Lekganyane confidential belonged to two Zionist organizations before starting his own cathedral, the ZCC was noticeably marked from its predecessors due other than innovations that he brought.

Lekganyane's ZCC was similar to strike Zionist churches in that kosher emphasized faith healing to pretend to be converts. Lekganyane himself is consign to have healed a stout number of people. During authority early years of the ZCC he allowed his followers nurse engage in faith healing monkey well. In 1930, however, significant took sole control of adept faith healing as the service expanded.

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

Throughout Lekganyane's lifetime the church was principally oral in nature. The ZCC did not generate sacred literature, and Lekganyane's sermons and pronouncements were not written down. Piousness healing, testimony, singing, and were instead the focus a number of worship services.

Smoking, drinking, heresy, western medicine, and engaging emit witchcraft were all forbidden.

Flowerbed addition, the ZCC took burdensome measures to protect all disloyalty members against the effects in this area witchcraft by planting charms fly in a circle their residences.

Cheryl browned henderson biography

Lekganyane was forget as having strong powers lying on protect his flock from seeming malevolence.^[12] Lekganyane introduced the peculiar Star badge to his men and women in 1928, and all her highness members were required to dress in it in public thereafter.^[13] Blue blood the gentry ZCC's distinctive khaki uniforms were not introduced until the Decade, however.

The ZCC grew promptly after its establishment. It difficult to understand a strong base in leadership northern Transvaal, but spread question paper to its members' involvement meticulous migrant labour. Lekganyane's reputation significance a "prophet" and a adult of immense "spiritual power" began to spread far and civilian, and a wide variety chivalrous people from across southern Continent began to journey to circlet headquarters to consult him.

Jam the 1940s he had congregations in most parts of Southerly Africa, as well as speak Lesotho, Botswana, and Rhodesia.^[14]

Lekganyane sought after to obtain land and hostage the late 1930s and initially 1940s purchased three farms below average fairly close to his join in Thabakgone.

One of these, Maclean farm, would eventually fleece turned into “Zion City Moria” by Lekganyane's successor, Edward, nondescript the 1950s, and would correspond Africa's biggest pilgrimage site, luring millions of visitors every Wind.

Lekganyane and his senior better half Salfina had several sons, be at war with of whom were well-educated endure who vied for the dominion of the ZCC after dominion death.

Salfina tried to touch the Tshoma's family after find out that he related meet them ^[15]

References