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August 24, 2007

Outgoing Malawi Presbyterian leader 'satisfied' at work done

by Frank Jomo
Ecumenical News International

BLANTYRE, Malawi — Malawi’s largest Protestant church has appointed a new general secretary, and the outgoing leader has declared himself “very satisfied” with his attempts to stem membership losses.

Officials from what is known as the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian – Blantyre Synod announced on Aug. 23 that the Rev. McDonald Kadawati had been elected as its new chief executive officer.

Kadawati replaces the Rev. Daniel Gunya, who said he left office on Aug. 19 content that he had helped save the church from losing many of its membership to Pentecostal churches.

After the Roman Catholic Church, the CCAP is the second largest denomination in Malawi, where 80 percent of the 13.6 million population are Christians.

Two other pastors, Andrew Maere and Gertrude Kapuma, contested the election for the senior administrative position in the CCAP. In a secret ballot, Kadawati clinched 161 votes against Maere’s 124, while Kapuma got 14 votes.

Gunya was appointed general secretary in 1999, at a time when the church was registering a heavy exodus of its membership to Pentecostal churches because, it was said, the Presbyterian denomination was not incorporating “born again” Christians into its fold. This had resulted in the birth of a splinter group — the Presbyterian Church of Malawi.

Gunya said he had been instrumental in modifying his church’s constitution so it was in line with modern church needs, and believed this had checked the exodus to Pentecostal churches, as well as to his own church’s breakaway group.

“I am stepping down from my position a very satisfied person,” Gunya told Malawi’s Daily Times newspaper on Aug. 22. “I came into office when the synod was facing many challenges, but I’m happy to say that the problems are now history.”

Church officials have noted that Gunya’s accomplishments during his eight years in office included the formation of a human rights wing of the church, and the creation of a church and society program that, say supporters, has been instrumental in checking human rights abuses in the country. Gunya also devised a strategy to help breakaway pastors and members rejoin the church.

It was also under his watch that the Blantyre Synod accepted the ordination of women as pastors, once a thorny issue. The synod currently has five ordained women ministers, with six more women undergoing training at the Zomba Theological College in southern Malawi.