apostolic faith mission of south africa with special

210 Pages·2012·2.32 MB·English

( THE APOSTOLIC FAITH MISSION OF SOUTH AFRICA
WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS RISE AND DEVELOPMENT
)
IN THE "INDIAN" COMMUNITY-l
/'l
BY
7
DEAN -CHRIS REDDY
SUBMITTED IN PART FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF THEOLOGY
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CHURCH HISTORY
AND MISSIOLOGY IN THE FACULTY OF
THEOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
DURBAN - WESTVILLE
SUPERVISOR DR DARYL M. BALIA
DATE SUBMITTED 18 DECEMBER 1992
ABSTRACT
This study of the Indian mission of the Apostolic Faith Mission
of SA (AFM) covers a period of 16 years since its inception in
1930 in Stanger, Natal. Twenty two years earlier the pentecostal
message was introduced to South Africa when the AFM was
established. The two White missionary overseers appointed were
C.S. Flewelling, from 1930 to 1940, and J.T. du Plessis, from
1940 to 1945. In this initial period crucial missiological
principles were implemented which were to play a major role in
influencing the particular developments within the Indian
section.
The link between the pentecostal movement in South Africa and the
Azusa Street revival of 1906 in Los Angeles, USA, emphasises the
fact that the pentecostal message that was transplanted here was
shaped by' various factors in the racist American society of the
19th and early 20th century. The immigrant Indian community in
South Africa, who came as labourers, were bedeviled by socio
political and economic factors which impinged on their evolution.
The r'esuLt.ant; feeling of insecurity created by these debilitating
factors proved to be fruitful soil for the pentecostal movement,
which offered a haven to ~his community on ·t he fringes of
society.
The development of the AFM Indian mission was due not merely to
the efforts of White missionaries, as is generally held, but also
to dedicated indigenous pastors . The first three full-time
pastors were Samuel Manikkam, David F. Williams and Henry James.
These Indian church leaders faced various hardships in the
ministry and, in spite of their shortcomings and their struggles,
played an integral role in the development of the AFM "Indian"
church.
In its development, the AFM has been characterised by a strong
conformity to White societal policy of racial segregation. The
effects of this policy is evident in the sectional divisions
existent within the AFM, and is indicative of the organisation's
close alliance with the political philosophy of the status quo.
Together with its ideological bias, the church's theological
conservativism has precluded it from involving itself in
affirmative socio-political action in an apartheid ridden
society. Further, the Indian Section has been plagued by numerous
schisms, resignations and secessions, which has also contributed
to the tardy growth of the AFM within this population group.
In 1989 the Composite Division of the AFM had been established,
comprising the former Indian, Coloured and Black Sections. The
White Section, or Single Division as it has now become known, has
remained aloof from this practical initiative towards the
formation of one church. As of January 1993 the Indian Section
(and the other sections of colour) will theoretically cease to
exist. It is clear therefore that the future of the Indian
mission lay in the Composite Division, with its hope for one
church in one nation, and serves as a barometer of the coming
struggle and reward for a society seeking to rid itself of the
final vestiges of racial prejudice.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ii
INTRODUCTION ill
CHAPTER ONE
THE FORMATIVE YEARS
1.1. THE RISE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENT 1
1.1.1. Revivalist Christianity 2
1.1.2. Wesleyan Methodism and
the First Evangelical Awakening 3
1.1.3. The Second Evangelical Awakening 5
1.1.4. The Holiness Movement 6
1.1.5. The Zionist Movement of John Alexander Dowie 9
1.1.6. The Azusa Street Revival and William Joseph Seymour 11
1.1.7. White Racism 20
1.2. THE MESSAGE OF PENTECOST COMES TO SOUTH AFRICA 24
1.2.1. John Graham Lake 24
1.2.2. The Zion Church in South Africa 28
1.2.3. The Establishment of the
Apostolic Faith Mission of SA 31
CHAPTER TWO
THE PIONEER DAYS
2.1. THE ARRIVAL OF INDIANS IN SOUTH AFRICA 38
2.2. THE PIONEER PENTECOSTAL MOVEMENT
IN THE INDIAN COMMUNITY 46
2.3. THE PIONEER CHURCH OF THE APOSTOLIC FAITH MISSION
AMONG INDIANS IN STANGER, NATAL 50
2.3.1. The Christians in Stanger and surrounding Districts 51
2.3.2. The First Missionary Overseer _
Charles Samuel Flewelling 56
2.3.3.° The First Gospel Campaign 58
2.3.4. The First AFM Church is established for
the Indian Community 63
2.4. THE INITIAL SPREAD OF THE AFM OF SA 66
2.4.1. Darnall 66
2.4.2. Kearsney 70
CHAPTER THREE
THE YEARS OF ESTABLISHMENT (1940 - 1946)
3.1. JUSTUS TELO DU PLESSIS 76
3.2. THE NEED FOR INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP 81
3.3. THE THREE PIONEER INDIAN FULL-TIME PASTORS 82
3.3.1. Samuel (Bobby) Manikkam 83
3.3.2. David F. Williams 86
3.3.3. Henry James 89
3.4. STRUGGLES OF THE EARLY PIONEER MINISTERS 91
3.4.1. Lack of sufficient financial support 91
3.4.2. Transportation 95
3.4.3. Neglect of the Indian mission 97
3.5. OTHER EARLY CHRISTIAN WORKERS 99
3.6. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHURCHES 101
3.6.1. Stanger and Kearsney 101
3.6.2. Darnall 101
3.6.3. Clairwood and Mayville, Durban 105
3.6.4. De Charmoy 108
3.6.5. Glendale 109
3.6.6. Zululand - Amatikulu and Empangeni 111
3.6.7. Mount Edgecombe 112
3.6.8. Harding 113
3.7. STRUCTURAL DIVISIONS IN THE INDIAN MISSION 114
3.8. ESTABLISHMENT OF A MATERNITY CLINIC 115
3.9. ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EMERGENCY BENEVOLENT FUND 119
3.10. THE SEEDS OF RACIAL SEPARATION 120
3.10.1. Adherents, not members! 120
3.10.2. A non-racial church? 121
3.10.3. Separation between Indian and Black missions 124
CHAPTER FOUR
THE LATER YEARS
4.1. THE AFM "INDIAN" CHURCHES IN SOUTH AFRICA 128
4.1.1. Durban and surrounding areas 128
4.1.2. Chatsworth and surrounding areas 130
4.1.3. Natal South Coast 134
4.1.4. Mount Edgecombe - Phoenix - Verulam complex 135
4.1.5. Natal Midlands 137
4.1.6. Natal North Coast and Zululand 138
4.1.7. Transvaal 139
4.2. ESTABLISHMENT OF A BIBLE COLLEGE 141
4.3. SECESSIONS FROM THE AFM 142
4.4. STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE.AFM -151
4.4.1. Missionary Councils and Overseers 151
4.4.2. Separate Policies 153
4.4.3. Membership 154
4.4.4. System of Government 155
4.4.5. Formation of the Composite Church 156
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION -
5.1. MISSIONARY POLICY 162
5.1.1. The Racial Factor 162
5.1.2. Theological Education 172
5.1.3. Church Growth 177
5.2. THEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE PENTECOSTAL EXPERIENCE
vis-A-vis THE SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIO-POLITICAL CONTEXT 182
5.3. THE FUTURE OF THE AFM IN THE INDIAN· COMMUNITY 187
BIBLIOGRAPHY
189
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Because my nurture in the Christian faith and my ordination to
the ministry was within the Apostolic Faith Mission of SA, this
work cannot be a dispassionate study or a mere academic exercise.
The documentation of this history brings is therefore a sense of
fulfilment for me. I should like to express my appreciation to
the many individuals and organisations who have assisted me in
this research project. My gratitud~ goes to Professor W.A. Krige,
who during my undergraduate years at the University of Durban
westville, had instilled in me the need for preserving our fast
fading historical heritage, especially with regards to the rise
and development of the Black churches. The emphasis on the role
of in~igenous leadership and ministry in the church was due in
no small measure to his guidance and sharing of his missionary
experiences . After a lapse of over ten years, I am thankful to
Rev A.L. Pitchers for reviving my interest in the direction of
completing this st udy, and to Dr Daryl M. Bal ia for continuing
to stimulate my vision in this area of research through his
critical supervision. I owe a special debt to the members and the
board of the Free Church of Christ, Chatsworth, for allowing me
the time from my ministerial duties to complete this project. The
cooperation of the past Executive Council and the present and
former pastors and members of the Indian Section of the AFM
cannot be overlooked, especially D.P. Williams , Ronnie Naidoo,
and Jonathan Naidoo. Paul Saul had made available the earliest
minutes of the Indian mission for the period 1940-1945 and J .T.
du Plessis had located relevant archival material. My thanks also
to Professor P.M. Krishna for proof-reading and editing the
script.
- i -
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
AFM (of SA) Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa
AFM GJB AFM (Indian Section) Golden Jubilee Brochure
AFM DJB AFM (Indian Section) Diamond Jubilee Brochure
CBC Covenant Bible College
·
CU · Committee for Unity
·
DBC · Durban Bible College
·
DC · District Council
·
DRC · Dutch Reformed Church
DRMC Dutch Reformed Mis·sion Church
·
EC · Executive Council
EWISA Evangelical witness in South Africa
FGC Full Gospel Church of God
IBC International Bible College
NIDWC Natal Indian District Workers' Council
NIBTI Natal Indian Bible Training Instit~te
.
.
NIDC Natal Indian District Council
NNCDC Natal North Coast District Council
NSCDC Natal South Coast District Council
PPC Pentecostal Protestant Church
RPW Relevant Pentecostal Witness
S&D Stanger and District
Stanger DJB AFM Stanger Tabernacle Diamond Jubilee Brochure
.
.
UDW University of Durban-Westville
..
WC Workers' Council
- ii -
INTRODUCTION
After her "incomplete survey of Indian missions in Natal" in
Christian Indians in Natal, 1860-1911 (1983), p.166, J.B. Brain,
Professor of History at the University of Durban-Westville,
emphasised "the need for the various denominations to undertake
research on their early history and to give credit to the
hitherto unknown pioneers who laboured to establish Christianity
among the Indians of Natal in the 19th and "ear l y 20th centuries . "
Concerning the history of the AFM within the Indian community,
very little had been recorded.
Isak Burger's Geskiedenis van die Apostoliese"Geloof Sending van
suid-Afrika, 1908-1958 (1987), concentrates on the development
of the denomination within the White community in South Africa.
The history of the Indian mission, which was confined to not more
than 300 words in his comprehensive study, i s a synopsis of the
"achievements" of White missionary overseers of the AFM until
1958 . G.C. Oosthuizen's study on Pentecostal Penetration into the
Indian Community in South Africa (1975) , includes a brief
overview of the AFM. Oosthuizen merely mentions the beginning of
the AFM Indian mission, incorrectly attributing the initiative
to Charles S. Flewelling, an American missionary. The focus of
his study is the ecclesiastical policy of the many pentecostal
denominations among Indians.
The inclusion of the AFM in G.J . Pillay' s A Historico-Theological
study of Pentecostalism as a Phenomenon within a South- African
- iii -
Community (1983) is an attempt to highlight the role of Indian
pioneers. Due to the expansive nature of his study limited
attention had to be p~id to the history of the AFM. C.R. De Wet's
study, The Apostolic Faith Mission in Africa, 1908-1980. A Case
Study in Church Growth in a Segregated Society (1989), and A.J.
van Staden's Die Apostoliese Geloofsending van suid-Afrika
(1980), have left the history of the Indian churches of the AFM
unexplored.
A strong case therefore exists for an academic and historical
study of the Indian mission of the AFM in a fragmented, White
oriented,racist society. The existing meagre references to the
Indian field are mere "obiter" writings, incidental to what has
hitherto been portrayed as a trail blazing effort by pioneer
White missionaries. The role of Indian pioneer Christian leaders
in the AFM are relegated to obscurity, or at most, are
statistical data for the records of these White missionaries. A
study of the Indian mission from one who happens to be on the
"other side" of the colour line, without any vested interest in
promoting anyone in particular, is thus a pressing need to give
a balanced picture. This study is an endeavour "to give credit
to (these) hitherto unknown pioneers" and is also motivated by
the effect the racial policies of a White dominated South Africa
has had on the Indian mission (and also pecessarily on other
racial sections of the AFM). The consequent formation of the
Composite Church as a powerbloc against the White Section of the
AFM is an attempt by the victims of the apartheid-ridden society
to reflect the racial harmony so sorely needed not only i~ the
- iv -