Ezekiel Guti: Revered Zimbabwean Church Leader Who Preached Hard Work and Morals Over Miracles Ezekiel Handinawangu Guti, the founder of Zim...
Ezekiel Guti: Revered Zimbabwean Church Leader Who Preached Hard Work and Morals Over Miracles
Ezekiel Handinawangu Guti, the founder of Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (Zaoga), passed away at the age of 100. He founded an extensive media empire, a university, a hospital, and a number of schools. He also penned 127 books, pamphlets, and tracts.
Ezekiel Guti was one of the first Zimbabweans to found and lead a Pentecostal church that was based on the Western Pentecostal movement. He was a member of the "prayer band"—a small group of intercessors—that departed the Apostolic Faith Mission in 1959. There were nine people in the group. White missionaries and church authorities in Salisbury (later Harare) regarded the band's actions as threats to their authority and status. It kept up its evangelizing and proselytizing efforts until Zoaga was founded in 1960.
Humble Beginnings
Baba Guti started out as a carpenter and business owner by operating a roofing company. Additionally, he was a lay preacher with no training in theology or religious studies. The prayer band conducted its activities at marketplaces, hostels, and under trees – Zoaga is actually recorded to have begun under a gum tree in Bindura – and at Baba Guti's house in Highfield (known as cottage 593) in today’s Harare.
The prayer band was especially popular with urban dwellers who did menial work and migratory workers. Baba Guti started out by focusing on the urban colonial underclass who desired permanence and upward mobility. He gave his followers hope with his message. For instance, during the services, fresh garments were given to those who wore soiled or worn-out attires. He attended to his followers' material and spiritual needs.
To advance the gospel, Guti has always appropriated technology. In his early years, he commuted between preaching opportunities on motorcycles and bicycles. Later, he would establish his global church using communications innovations like television and the internet. He was the driving force behind the "reverse mission" — bringing the gospel out of Africa.
Self Reliance
By addressing the needs of his followers, Baba Guti left a lasting impression on their lives. His message focused on self-reliance through what has become known in academic discourse as “penny-capitalism” – or “matarenda” (talents) in Zaoga parlance.
Members of Zaoga are encouraged to have a “side hustle” dedicated to funding a particular cause within a specific year. This can be in the form of moonlighting by, for example, vending, knitting jerseys, or selling candy and food. The talent system encourages diverse revenue streams and serves as the cornerstone of self-reliance.
By listening to Baba Guti’s sermons and reading his books, it can be concluded that his teachings and this talent system were not a way of responding to the global neoliberal economic system. Rather, hard work and thriftiness were a way of promoting spiritual growth and a holistic ministration to an individual.
To buttress the gospel of self-reliance, Baba Guti discouraged his followers from taking loans from banks because they enslave the borrower. He also took a lifelong stand against sexual immorality. From the beginning, Baba Guti was a pragmatist. His school of Pentecostalism never over-emphasized miraculous healing or amassing great wealth.
Nation building
Under Baba Guti’s leadership, Zaoga constructed a biomedical hospital which assists Zaoga members and the wider community. The church also built a University in Bindura, Bible Schools and secondary schools. It established a media empire with Ezekiel TV and radio channels. These projects were partly funded through matarenda.
Legacy
Ezekiel Guti was an astute leader and administrator and has left a great legacy. The new leadership has a big responsibility to maintain the pragmatic gospel that encourages faith and hard work. Baba Guti’s leadership sustained and grew the movement despite numerous challenges.
His contribution to the Zimbabwean Pentecostal landscape over 75 years is immense. His gospel appealed to the downtrodden, giving them hope. His pragmatism in dealing with poverty helped many of his followers.
Baba Guti was an excellent mobilizer of resources for church activities, tapping into local and global networks. History will note his immense role in assisting the marginalized and less privileged through the movement he founded.
- Advertisement -
Read More At The Online Coronavirus Portal Or Use The 24-Hour Public Hotline:
South Africa: 0800 029 999 or just Send Hie to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp
Think Mzansi is a free to use platform and the views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent, reflect or express the views of Think Mzansi. Any/all written content and images displayed are provided by the blogger/author, appear herein as submitted by the blogger/author and are unedited by Think Mzansi. Read More Here.
Think Mzansi Brand as a Durban-based online portal aims to help other South African brands to get off to the best start possible. We support local entrepreneurs and want to empower them to communicate their new business offerings effectively.
- Advertisement -
