Remaining Unspoken: Historicising Priscilla Ngoma’s Contributions to the Emergence and Development of the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa

Philip Musoni

doi:10.25159/2412-4265/17898

Authors

Philip Musoni University of KwaZulu-Natal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4597-8526

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2412-4265/17898

Keywords:

Priscilla Ngoma, literal interpretation of the Bible, theology, patriarchy, women’s contributions, Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa

Abstract

This article reports on a study that aimed to examine the role of women in African Pentecostal Churches in Zimbabwe, with a particular focus on their often-unrecognised contributions. Prompted by the acknowledgment that women have been crucial in the establishment and expansion of these churches, the study utilised a historical narrative approach to chronicle Priscilla Ngoma’s (1928–1998) influence on the growth of the Assemblies of God Africa (AOGA), which was founded by Archbishop Ezekiel Handinawangu Guti (1923–2023) on 12 May 1960. After Zimbabwe gained its independence on 18 April 1980, the church was renamed the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa – Forward in Faith church (ZAOGA-FIF). The study findings indicated that Ngoma and other women were instrumental during the church’s early years. She was the first woman to contribute significantly to the development of church talents (Matarenda) and was the sole female among the original five executive directors of the church. However, the study uncovered that patriarchal frameworks and the church’s literal Bible interpretation within the Zimbabwean Pentecostal Church overshadowed Ngoma’s contributions. Such a literal understanding of certain biblical texts and the patriarchal setting among many Zimbabwean societies has fostered ZAOGA theology summarised by the church’s rhetoric – “men must lead!”, leaving the marginalisation of women largely uncontested. The article argues that this marginalisation has led to the overshadowing and the unrecognition of many ordained female pastors who have become a forgotten memory following their husbands’ deaths. Based on interviews and an analysis of unpublished documents in the National Archives of Zimbabwe, the article concludes that, in spite of Ngoma’s significant role in the founding and development of ZAOGA, not much has been written about her in the history of the organisation; hence, her ecclesiastical legacy may soon become a forgotten memory.

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