Money, neglect causes formation of Wesleyan Church
MBABANE - Unfair distribution of offerings, tithes, stipends and neglect has been cited as the sole reason for the establishment of the Wesleyan Church of Eswatini.
The Wesleyan Church has been formed by members who parted ways with the Methodists Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) based in South Africa.
In an interview yesterday, Party Shongwe who is an active member of the newly formed Wesleyan Church confirmed the latest developments.
Misunderstanding
Shongwe stated that some local members of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa decided to part ways with the church based in South Africa after their leaders did not see eye-to-eye. He said the misunderstanding among the leaders extended to the church.
“We made offerings and paid tithes which were then taken to South Africa. The money was paid monthly so that our pastors could get salaries. It happened that some members did not afford to pay the offerings and tithes, resulting in them being listed as debtors. Our local pastors were not paid due to the owed tithes and offerings and this lasted for months without being attended to,” he claimed.
He stated that there was a time when the local members felt neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that they, on numerous occasions, requested the leaders based in South Africa to solve issues in Eswatini, but they never attended to them for almost a year before they decided to establish their own church in January 2020.
He added that the local pastors did not benefit from stipends (sondlo) once the money was taken to South Africa.
Shongwe also mentioned that the local members contributed a lot in building church structures without any help from the church based in South Africa.
He said they therefore felt duty-bound to establish a Wesleyan Church of Eswatini so that they could take care of their pastors.
“Many people have shown interest in joining the Wesleyan Church of Eswatini because we felt neglected in South Africa. We are in the process of establishing our own structures across the country. We have already obtained pieces of land for the establishment of the churches,” he said. Asked about their affiliation, Shongwe stated that they were yet to register under one of the three church bodies in Eswatini. For now, he said they had the main church at Mahamba and several branches across the country. He mentioned that the local church had requested a retired pastor from the Methodist Church of South Africa to lead it because it was difficult to get a pastor.
On another note, Shongwe stated that the contradicting laws in South Africa and Eswatini was another contributing factor to the division. He made an example that South African laws allowed marriage between people of the same sex yet such was not allowed in the country.
Practices
He stated that there was no way the church could allow practices that were not allowed in the country.
However, a statement which was directed to the Methodist people in Eswatini by the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa Reverend Purity Malinga stated that the Methodist Church of Southern Africa was a multi-national church founded and operating in six countries in the South African sub-region.
She said the countries included Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana and Eswatini.
She said contrary to the report, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa had at this stage no intentions of establishing an independent Methodist Church in Eswatini. She said there was not even a proposal before the church conference which she said was the highest decision making body.
However, Malinga stated that they were aware that a number of members had resigned for various reasons which she said was their right.
This, she said, was because membership to the MCSA was voluntary.
Understanding
“Critical is the understanding that all Methodist ministers are under the discipline of the MCSA in which they personally made an annual undertaking and covenant which stipulated among others: should I leave the ministry of this church for any reason, I shall not conduct any ministry in the circuit or area to which I was appointed. Should I leave this church, I will not encourage any member or adherent of the church to follow,” reads the covenant.
She said any act or participation, or encouragement of a Methodist minister or supernumerary minister which gives birth to the establishment of an independent Methodists Church of Eswatini was mischievous and created dissension which should be treated with the seriousness it deserved.
Asked about the contents of the statement issued by Malinga, Shongwe stated that the statement was clear that any member was at liberty to leave the church as joining and leaving was voluntary.
He said the local members had left the church the way they had joined it.