Evangelist Zinyongo calls for fixing of ‘churchprenuership’ in Malawi

Lilongwe-based evangelist Richard Zinyongo has called for the need to fix the  booming churchprenuership of Malawian Pentecostal  and prophetic movement and sanitise the society.

The  freedom of wor­ship and association has led to mushrooming of evan­gelical churches  and prophetic movement in the country with many terming the phenomenon as a boom of religion, similar to what happened during the colonial era when vari­ous missionary groups from Europe trooped into Malawi to spread Christianity.

However, critics have called the trend ‘church­prenuership’ and claimed that self-seekers are taking advantage of the right to worship and lack of regula­tion to fleece followers.

“The current church forms of devotion are false and empty. If you are unable to recognize which kind is true, you can easily be deceived and led astray by following one that is offensive and superstitious,” Evangelist Zinyongo told Nyasa Times in an interview.

Zinyongo also said looking at the people who are involved in the plunder of government resources; it is an indication that they lack counselling where they congregate, not because their wrong doings are not visible but because they make huge contributions towards church activities or church projects.

“The church has become a den of robbers who clothe themselves with certain outward actions connected with holy devotion and the world believes that they are truly devout and spiritual whereas they are in fact nothing but copies and phantoms of devotions,” he said.

According the evangelist churches are supposed to be epicentres of good morals and Christian behaviour but unfortunately, this has not been the case as churches have turned to be the breeding grounds for corruption.

“Malawi is in need of greater discipline. The people in the public and private sectors are failing to display relentless culture of discipline- disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought and discipline actions.

“The culture of discipline is no longer considered a principle of business considering the fact that discipleship is core to being a believer, it is a principle of greatness from scriptural reference,” added Zinyongo.

He, however, added that if the church in Malawi can be a little better, Malawi could be a lot better.

“The manifold wisdom of God is to be made known through the church to the powers which reflect themselves in the neighbourhoods and community,” he said.

The preacher said there is a need to move from church-centric to community-centric.

“There is a need to stop teaching people how to be Christian at church, but not in their marriage, at their schools, in their jobs and with their neighbours,” he said.