The Zion Christian Church (ZCC) is one of the largest African initiated churches in southern Africa. The church was founded by Engenas Lekganyane in 1910 in Thabakgone, South Africa. After being expelled from the Apostolic Faith Mission church, Engenas started ZCC, which soon spread across southern Africa, with over 4 million members today.
The ZCC is characterized by its focus on faith healing and the use of holy water. Engenas Lekganyane was believed to have special powers of healing, and this drew many people to the church. Healing rituals involving the use of blessed water, candles, and ash are still an important part of ZCC worship. The church also emphasizes the Holy Spirit and baptism.
Leadership of the ZCC has remained within the Lekganyane family. Following Engenas’s death in 1948, his son Edward Lekganyane became bishop. Today the ZCC is led by Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane, grandson of the founder. The main administrative center and “mother church” of the ZCC is still located in Thabakgone.
ZCC worship services are typically held outdoors, as the church believes in worshiping in the “temple not made with hands.” Worshipers wear badges with a star symbolizing Zion, and women wear white headscarves. Services involve singing, drumming, dancing, prayer, faith healing, and speaking in tongues. The ZCC observes Saturday as the Sabbath.
All members of the ZCC must follow its “Nine Laws” which forbid drinking alcohol, smoking, dancing, using makeup, watching TV, and more. The church promotes marriage, clean living, hard work, and faith in God. Tithing and offerings are important practices, based on Malachi 3:10. ZCC members are expected to give one tenth of their income to the church.
The growth of the ZCC in southern Africa has not been without controversy. Some have criticized the church’s leader-focused ideology and rigid rules. There have also been clashes with more traditionalist African churches. However, the ZCC continues to provide an important source of identity and community for millions across southern Africa.
In summary, the Zion Christian Church is the largest African-initiated church in southern Africa, founded by Engenas Lekganyane in 1910. Key aspects of the church include faith healing, use of blessed water, emphasis on the Holy Spirit, worship outdoors, distinctive dress code, strict lifestyle rules, tithing, and ongoing Lekganyane family leadership. Despite some controversies, the ZCC meets spiritual needs for millions through its blend of Christianity and African traditions.
History and Founding
The Zion Christian Church was founded by Engenas Barnabas Lekganyane in 1910 in the Thabakgone district of modern day Limpopo Province, South Africa. Engenas was born around 1885, the son of a farmer and mine worker named Kgomo Lekganyane.
As a young man, Engenas joined the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), one of the new Pentecostal churches emerging in southern Africa at the turn of the 20th century. He became an evangelist and faith healer within the AFM. However, in 1910 he had a falling out with AFM leadership and was expelled from the church.
This expulsion was a seminal moment that led Engenas to found his own church. He began preaching in Thabakgone independently of the AFM, emphasizing divine healing and the power of the Holy Spirit. His reputation as a faith healer attracted followers, who began meeting outdoors for lively services characterized by singing, drumming, dancing, spiritual gifts, and healing rituals.
Engenas’s new church was initially called the Christian Catholic Church in Zion before adopting the name Zion Christian Church. The ZCC grew rapidly as Engenas and other evangelists traveled across southern Africa winning converts through their healing and preaching. By the 1920s, ZCC congregations were meeting in South Africa, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Mozambique, and other neighboring territories.
A few key factors help explain the ZCC’s appeal and rapid growth under Engenas Lekganyane’s leadership:
- Emphasis on faith healing – Engenas was believed to have great healing powers through the Holy Spirit. This drew many people seeking physical healing.
- Africanization – Blending Pentecostal Christianity with aspects of African tradition helped attract converts.
- Black nationalist sentiment – The ZCC provided a church free from white control or missionaries.
- Order and community – The ZCC gave structure and belonging to migrants entering cities.
By the time the founder Engenas Lekganyane died in 1948, the ZCC had become one of the largest African-initiated churches in southern Africa. Leadership passed to his son Edward Lekganyane, who would head the church for over 60 years.
Beliefs and Practices
The Zion Christian Church is a Protestant Christian denomination. In keeping with Pentecostalism, the ZCC places emphasis on:
- The Holy Spirit
- Baptism
- Spiritual gifts like faith healing, prophecy, and speaking in tongues
- Experiential spirituality
However, the ZCC diverges from classical Pentecostalism in some respects. For example, the church has incorporated African ritual practices and belief in ancestral spirits.
Some key beliefs and practices of the ZCC include:
- Faith Healing – The power of faith and the Holy Spirit to heal sickness remains central. Healing rituals involve praying, anointing with blessed olive oil, sprinkling holy water, candles, ash, blessed foods, and more.
- Water – Water blessed by church leaders has sacred powers. Members drink it, carry it in bottles, sprinkle homes, and use it for healing.
- Zion City Moria – The church’s “holy city” in Limpopo Province is regarded as sacred ground. Important gatherings and healing rituals happen here.
- Sabbath – Saturday is observed as the Sabbath. Work is forbidden on this day, replaced by worship, rest, and prayer.
- Tithing – Members are required to give one tenth of their income to the church. This is based on Malachi 3:10.
- Outdoor Worship – Services are mostly held outdoors, as Zionists believe in worshiping in the “temple not made with hands.”
- Spirit Possession – Members sometimes experience becoming “mounted” by the Holy Spirit during worship services.
- Ancestors – Ancestral spirits are venerated and respected. But ancestors are not worshiped alongside God.
In addition to these spiritual practices, the ZCC promotes moral discipline among members. Adherents are expected to follow the “Nine Laws” that forbid alcohol, smoking, gambling, dancing, makeup, shorts and pants, television, and more.
Organization and Leadership
The Zion Christian Church is highly centralized under the authority of its bishop. Since its founding, leadership has remained within the Lekganyane family:
- 1910-1948 – Engenas Lekganyane (founder and first bishop)
- 1948-1972 – Edward Lekganyane (son of Engenas)
- 1972-1988 – Joseph Lekganyane (son of Edward)
- 1988-present – Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane (great-grandson of Engenas)
Decisions about doctrines, rules, finances, and administration are made by the bishop and top leadership concentrated at the church’s headquarters Zion City Moria in Limpopo Province. Local ZCC congregations are led by pastors appointed and overseen by the bishop.
The ZCC is divided into 15 dioceses led by bishops representing zones across southern Africa. But Zion City Moria remains the ultimate seat of power – the “mother church” where millions make pilgrimage annually.
The ZCC does not maintain membership rolls, but estimates indicate between 4 to 6 million adherents belonging to thousands of ZCC congregations and parishes across the region.
Worship and Lifestyle
Worship in the ZCC is characterized by its vibrant, Africanized style. Services typically take place outdoors in “temples not made with hands.” Key aspects include:
- Music – Services involve lively singing, accompanied by drums and dance. Women ululate, whistle, and play tambourines.
- Spirit possession – Members sometimes become “mounted” by the Holy Spirit, manifesting spiritual gifts.
- Uniform – Women wear white headscarves. Men often wear Zionist star badges on their suits signifying Zion.
- Offerings – Tithes and offerings are collected from members during worship.
- Preaching – Sermons emphasize morality, hard work, and obedience to church laws.
- Healing – The sick are anointed with holy water, ash, and olive oil blessed by the bishop.
Outside of worship, ZCC members are expected to live according to strict moral rules. The church’s “Nine Laws” prohibit drinking, smoking, gambling, dancing, television, makeup, short skirts, and more. Members who break these rules face discipline from the church.
In general, the ZCC promotes clean living, hard work, abstinence before marriage, and devotion to God. Members find meaning not just through vibrant worship, but also through following the church’s strict lifestyle code.
Controversies and Criticisms
The phenomenal growth of the ZCC over the past century has not been without controversy. Some of the major criticisms leveled at the church include:
- Autocratic governance – Ultimate power concentrated in the hands of the Lekganyane bishops is unaccountable.
- Cult of personality – Personality cult surrounds the Lekganyane family, which is seen as divinely appointed.
- Exploitation – Commercialization and pressure on members to donate has led to accusations of exploitation.
- Rigid rules – The ZCC is criticized for rigid lifestyle rules that limit members’ freedoms.
- Traditionalism – The ZCC clashes with more traditionalist African churches by blending traditions.
There have also been tensions between the ZCC and government authorities at times. In the apartheid era, the ZCC was suspected of opposing the government. More recently, clashes over commercial development on ZCC-owned land have sparked protests by the church.
However, the ZCC remains highly popular among millions of adherents who see the church as a vital source of identity, community and spiritual power. The church continues to fill needs that other institutions have not.
Impact and Significance
As the largest African-initiated church in southern Africa today, the Zion Christian Church has had an undeniable social impact over the past century. Several key elements of its influence include:
- Africanization of Christianity – Blending African and Christian beliefs and practices helped make Christianity more relevant to many.
- Alternative to mission churches – The ZCC provided an alternative to white-led churches by emphasizing African leadership.
- Promoting African identity – ZCC theology promotes pride in African traditions and worldviews.
- Urbanization – The church helped rural migrants adjust to urbanization by providing community and order.
- Healing – The ZCC is sought out for physical and spiritual healing, meeting needs often neglected by government.
- Economic development – Entrepreneurial activities by the church fuel regional tourism and business opportunities.
However, some also argue the ZCC has hindered progress through authoritarian leadership, rigid rules, and resistance to social change. But its ability to meet spiritual needs and foster a sense of African identity helps explain why millions remain devoted adherents.
The Zion Christian Church remains one of the most influential religious institutions in southern Africa today. Its history and beliefs synthesize Christianity with African culture in ways that still resonate powerfully among its millions of followers.