Letting Go of the Reins
Profile by Dr CUTHBERT CHIDOORI
My First General Conference of the Assemblies of God
The Congress on Mission and Evangelism held in Durban
W F P Burton and some Congo Missionaries
Nicholas
Bekinkosi Hepworth Bhengu
– His Youthful Dreams
– His Preaching
- Bhengu and Education
- Bhengu and Money
- Miraculous Experiences
- Spiritual Happenings
- The Sanctifying Spirit of God
– His Departure
Bhengu’s “Isinthunzi”
- Government and Politics
– Some Faults, Virtues and the Burden
of His Heart
President Lucas Mangope of Bophuthatswana
William
Frederick Mullan
The Fairview Assembly
Fred Mullan and the Gifts of the Spirit
A Miracle and a Vision
The Revival in Norwood
James E Mullan
Paul O Lange
William Branham in Durban
Oral Roberts in South Africa
Billy
Graham in Salisbury and Durban
The American Missionaries from Springfield, Missouri
C. Austin Chawner and the Portuguese Work
August Kast and the Mount Tabor Mission Station
Colin
La Foy and the Coloured Leadership
The Work in Zimbabwe
Mauritius and Reunion Island
Special
–1
Special
Answers to Prayer – 2
A Beautiful Square with Good Vibes
Prayer and the Hippie Revival
The Young Turks
Tensions within the Group
The Split
of 1981 – Part One
The Split
of 1981 – Part Two
The Beginnings of the Faith Movement in South Africa
The Statement of September 1989
The Charismatic Renewal
The Start of the Pentecostal Revival World Wide and The Swedish Pentecostal Assemblies
Epilogue
APPENDIX 1 : How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit
APPENDIX 2 : The National Church by Nicholas Bhengu
APPENDIX 3 : Article from the Argus 5/02/1981
APPENDIX 4 : Pointers to the future of the Assemblies of God in the New South Africa (10/06/94)
Possibly
one of the most demanding requirements for any church leader
is to know when to retire and hand over to younger men. Some
churches compel their bishops, pastors and chairmen to retire
at a given age, usually sixty five years. The Assemblies of God
don't have such a rule. Where ministers have a pension scheme
sixty five years is set as the age for retirement but this can
be extended to seventy. However ministry can continue beyond
those appointed years.
James Mullan retired from oversight of his group at the age of seventy,
but he continued to stand for election on the General Executive until he
was in his early eighties. Nicholas Bhengu had no intention of retiring
but the Lord took him at the age of seventy six. His departure left a gap.
It would have been better for his work had he handed over the reins while
he was still active and able to keep a hand on the new leadership. Power
struggles would thus have been averted.
National Leaders of The Group
Donavan Coetzee Geoffrey Bond and Dawie Minaar
In my case I was voted out of
Chairmanship of the General Executive in 1995. My intention had been
to continue as General Chairman until 1997 when I would have completed
thirty years in that office, but the mood and euphoria in the new South
Africa following the historic election of 1994 affected the black church.
I have noticed that there is often a correspondence between developments
in the secular world and in the church. There was a growing wish among
our black members to replace a white chairman with a black one, which
doubtless was thought to be more politically correct. Had I judged the
general sentiment more clearly I would not have accepted nomination in
1995 and thus have retired with greater dignity, foregoing the neat arrangement
of completing thirty years as chairman. However, I was relegated to being
vice chairman. In 1997 I declined nomination to any office but continued
as an executive member. In 1999 I told the General Executive that I would
decline nomination as a General Executive member, since old age dictated
I had to retire more completely. My request met with an outcry from the
brethren who begged me to defer my decision. So I was elected again onto
the General Executive at the age of seventy eight. There were strong
suggestions to make me an honorary life member of the General Executive
and to honour me in some way because I had been on the General Executive
since 1959.
The goodwill of my brethren gratified me, but for years my more serious
concern had been to raise up a leader or leaders to replace me as overseer
of the seventy Assemblies I cared for in the Group.
I must admit that I have always had difficulty in claiming for myself an
apostolic ministry. I think I have shown a clear gift of leadership but
I have not manifested an apostolic gift to compare with Nicholas Bhengu
or even with James Mullan. I have allowed myself to be regarded as an apostle
since there was no one else to fill the need. I have simply sought to do
what had to be done. The Great Day when we appear before Christ's judgement
seat will declare how well or otherwise I have done it.
One can claim that under my hand the Group Assemblies have multiplied from
twenty five to three times that number. Despite splits, divisions and contentions
a unity has been achieved, numbers of church buildings erected, a theological
college for distance education was started, a pension fund and medical
aid scheme were launched to care for the ministers, and a good name established.
Now there are younger leaders who are able to relieve me of the burden
I bore for nearly thirty years. They are pressing on into the future with
zeal, dynamism and growing wisdom.
Elsewhere I have recounted how the African Assemblies in Zimbabwe were launched
in 1959. Today there are some seventy Shona and Sindebele speaking congregations
blessed with outstanding leaders.
During the whole time of my oversight of the group I wished for someone to share
the role with me, a Barnabas to my Paul so to speak, but it seems I was destined
not to be so blessed. Enid and I have had to struggle alone often being criticised
and sometimes disillusioned with people we trusted. My constant aim was to find
dedicated men with a spirit of service who would develop into faithful and competent
leaders. My efforts go back many years. At one stage I appointed Apostolic Advisers
who could counsel me in decision making. I hoped some of these would rise to
the surface like cream and become candidates for national leadership. My hopes
have not been disappointed although to some extent it proved a kiss of death
to appoint men to a position of prominence.
Later I devised a system of Regional Representatives to be elected on a regional
basis. These had to counsel and give support to the ministers in their region
as well as being a channel of communcation between me and the grass roots ministry.
As the number of Assemblies increased something of that sort was essential to
keep them from drifting apart. I arranged regular meetings where I could bring
ministers from a region together with the Regional Representatives to discuss
policies and biblical topics. All these activities served a good purpose, but
ever the question haunted me, "What will happen when you go?" It was
not enough to hope that somehow or other a leader would come to the fore in the
hour of need. Someone needed to be in office before I went so that he could be
phased into full leadership.
I often used to discuss the problem with Paul Johnson, among others. Paul had
been appointed as administrator of financial and material matters in the Group.
The answer came unexpectedly one day when Enid and I were on holiday in a cottage
at Fish Hoek. Paul who lived in Constantia visited me with a list of suggestions
that meant in effect I should divest myself of direct control of the Group but
continue to lead it by moral persuasion alone. It would be like riding a galloping
horse without a bridle. Paul's approach was completely tentative although I thought
he had probably been speaking to some of the other leaders. Yet I immediately
felt it was of the Lord. Within a week I circularised my own proposals which
proved to be the first step in a process of completely withdrawing from direct
leadership into full retirement.
I formed a committee consisting of the four regional leaders with the group administrator
(Paul Johnson). They would have the right to co-opt two others of their own choosing.
The men chosen were Donovan Coetzee, Robin Jakins, Vic Klackers, Dawie Minaar,
Paul Johnson, Noel Cromhout and Peter Watt. I reserved the right to veto any
of their decisions. They were to function with a revolving chairmanship, a different
chairman being chosen from their number each time they met. The arrangement was
in place for about two years. Although I never once vetoed their decisions the
very idea of acting under surveillance irked some of the committee. I realised
the system had to go a step further. The group was in a transition which had
to become complete.
Once before we had been there when Jim Mullan wanted to hand over the reins.
In his huggermugger way he nominated five potential leaders and hoped for the
best. The result was divisive with sub-groups forming. Fragmentation ultimately
diminished the number of Assemblies standing together in the group.
Now I had to consider several factors. Regionalisation must be avoided at all
costs. Jim Mullan's proposals had resulted in a kind of regionalisation and it
had failed. The group was not numerous enough to divide into small pockets as
would happen if we regionalised. Moreover, there would be an imbalance in the
leadership. Certain regions had two or three outstanding men while others had
none to speak of. Yet the regions had to have a voice in choosing national leaders.
The kiss of death must not happen again. Besides there had to be a local arrangement
to care for the congregations in an immediate way. A national leader or group
of leaders would be too remote to cater for the Assemblies without some local
system being in place.
Already we had a system in place by which the ministers and elders of each region
would elect a stipulated number of regional representatives and a regional leader.
Building on this system already working, I presented a plan to the conference
of Group ministers and delegates. All the regional representative and regional
leaders would together form an Electoral College. Meeting in conclave they would
nominate candidates for the national leadership and vote on them. Nominees could
be members of the Electoral College or otherwise any minister of the Group even
if not included in the Electoral College. A sixty percent vote of the Electoral
College was required for a nominee to be elected as a national leader. The Electoral
College would also elect a National Chairman.
No system of election is entirely fool proof, but the procedure outlined above
did bring about a situation where elections would be conducted in an informed
manner. Often elections made on the open floor of a conference were marred by
sentimental choices and by faulty powers of judgement in the Electorate.
The present national leaders are Donovan Coetzee (Chairman), Dawie Mienaar and
Geoffrey Bond. I have no place in the leadership but I am recognised as the doyen
of the Group. If I have to speak on any issue I am sure I will be heard.
I am pleased that the altered system of leadership was not forced on me. I initiated
it step by step entirely voluntarily. At first it was perceived as a transition
from a charismatic leadership to leadership by committee. However, developments
indicate that the change is not so radical as that. Donovan Coetzee is always
elected unanimously as Group Chairman. Increasingly he has taken things into
his own hands so that the National Leaders function largely as an advisory team
to his ministry. He is wise enough to value their support which is something
I felt the need of throughout my ministry. It amounts to more than was available
to me through apostolic advisers or regional representatives. People are well
content with the system.