Toward Inculturating the Theology of Healing Ministry in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe
Martin Mujinga 
Issue: Vol.10 No. 14 December 2024 Special Issue Article 1 pp.1-12
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.202410141 | Published online 18th December 2024.
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The relationship between theology and culture created serious tensions in the mission of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. Research has shown that most of the splits that happened in the church were premised on the differences between the missionaries and/or the locals and how the Methodist Church was theologising healing ministry, From the year 2008, most Methodist congregants sought healing from the newer religious movements, resulting in dual and/or total transfer of membership. The purpose of this paper was to discuss the ongoing debates about the theology underlying healing ministry in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. The paper used a missio-cultural conceptual framework to assess the inculturative challenges of healing ministry.The research was conducted between 2015 and 2016 in the Mabelreign, Epworth, and Mbare societies of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. The qualitative research used both purposive and snowball sampling to collect data from ninety-eight participants who took part in different interviews. The paper found out that the diverse understanding of healing ministry has caused conflictive relationships among the clergy themselves and the clergy and congregants, dual membership, and total transfer of members to newer religious movements. The paper recommended the church to advocate for the inculturation of healing ministry in the Methodist Church if the ecclesial space will remain relevant in a multireligious world. This research contributes significantly to knowledge as it brings to light a new dimension of creating a dialoguing space between the healing ministry and African culture. This inculturative space allows theology to be relevant in Africa.
Keywords: Inculturation, Missio-cultural, Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, Healing Ministry
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Revd. Dr. Martin Mujinga is the General Secretary of the Africa Methodist Council and former General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. He is an adjunct at Midlands State University and the former Academic Dean of United Theological College. Dr. Mujinga is a distinguished scholar with 47 publications in his name that include books, and book chapters, He has peer-reviewed articles for several high-impact international journals including Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) (Religion and Theology), Verbum et Ecclesia, Stellenbosch Theological Journal, HTS Theological Studies /Teologiese Studies and Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae. He has attended and presented at several academic conferences. His research interest is in Methodist history, theology, religion, politics, and theologies of migration
Mujinga, Martin. “Toward Inculturating the Theology of Healing Ministry in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe,“ E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 10 no.11 (2024): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.202410141
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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