The Genealogical-Paternity Succession Model: The “Mother of All Succession Models in African Initiated Churches”

Abstract

The nexus between the genealogical and paternity models of leadership succession in African Independent Churches (AICs), also known as father-to-son, and generations of familial inheritance, respectively, are prevalent yet divisive. These models are rooted in African traditional customs, where the church is viewed as an extension of the founder’s intellectual property, to be inherited by children or relatives upon their death. The founder’s family and relations regard the church as their estate, leading to economic determinism and materialism, influencing disputes and splits within AICs. Economic determinism, a concept coined by Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels in 1848, posits that economic factors shape historical events and societal structures. In the context of AICs, this means that the distribution of material resources and goods within the church is central to understanding historical events and power struggles. The founders’ numerous sons from polygamous marriages and the complications brought about by the involvement of extended relations often led to struggles over the church and its resources and, hence, battles for control and ownership.

To gain ascendancy, family members construct and manipulate various leadership succession models, favouring their own ascendency. This leads to the proliferation of traditions and factions within AICs, ultimately resulting in splits and divisions. The church becomes a site of economic struggle, where family members vie for control over its human, material, and spiritual resources. This is what this article critically highlights in view of patriarchal and capitalist values, prioritising family lineage and economic interests over spiritual values. This is an intersection of economics, politics, and religion that acknowledges the complex web of power dynamics that shape these organisations. For this study, the genealogical-paternity may be both singular and plural as the model/s represent similar but differing perspectives of the nucleus and extended family among the Shona.

Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The nexus of the genealogical-paternity models of leadership succession in AICs relate to ecclesiology, missiology and soteriology as Church History has historical, anthropological, sociological, psychological, philosophical, political, hermeneutical, ecclesiological, eschatological, ethical, and practical perspectives of the history and theology of the Church.