Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic: Pentecostal Perspectives on Christian Ministry in South Africa 3031080335, 9783031080333

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Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic Pentecostal Perspectives on Christian Ministry in South Africa Edited by Mookgo Solomon Kgatle Collium Banda

Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic

Mookgo Solomon Kgatle  •  Collium Banda Editors

Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic Pentecostal Perspectives on Christian Ministry in South Africa

Editors Mookgo Solomon Kgatle University of South Africa Pretoria, South Africa

Collium Banda Faculty of Theology North-West University Potchefstroom, South Africa

ISBN 978-3-031-08033-3    ISBN 978-3-031-08034-0 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the ­publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and ­institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: © Alex Linch shutterstock.com This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

Contents

1 Introduction  1 Mookgo Solomon Kgatle and Collium Banda 2 Homiletical  and Liturgical Challenges During COVID-19 in South Africa 25 Perceverance Percival Molehe 3 Virtual  Ecclesiology on the Rise: Considering the Challenges Posed by COVID-19 in South Africa 45 Erna Oliver 4 The  Shutdown of Church Services During COVID-19 in South Africa: A Social Work Perspective 71 Selelo Frank Rapholo 5 Pentecostal  Ministry During COVID-19 in South Africa: Pastoral Care Perspective 93 Paul Mngadi 6 Caring  for Grieving Congregations in South Africa After the Death of Their Pastors from COVID-19115 Mangaliso Matshobane

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7 The  Benefits of and the Need for Social Gatherings During Lockdown135 Buti David Mulutsi 8 The  Impact of Social Media on Black Pentecostalism During COVID-19159 Mercy Pheladi Bvuma 9 The  Use of Social Media by Churches During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa181 Jonas Sello Thinane Epilogue199 Index203

Notes on Contributors

Collium  Banda  is extra-ordinary research fellow, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, South Africa, and adjunct lecturer, Theological College of Zimbabwe. He is an emerging researcher with interests in African Pentecostalism, Christian doctrines in the African public space, African traditional religions, African indigenous knowledge systems, and Christianity in African contexts. Mercy Pheladi Bvuma  is Communications and Media Studies Lecturer at the University of South Africa. She holds an MA in Media and Cultural Studies from the University of Kwazulu Natal where she received the prestigious Golden Key award in 2018. She is currently registered for a PhD at UNISA. Mookgo Solomon Kgatle  is Professor at the University of South Africa. Kgatle is a National Research Foundation (NRF) Y Rated researcher (2019–2024) in African Pentecostalism. He is the visiting scholar at the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies-University of Birmingham (2020–2022) and founding President of the Southern African Society for Pentecostal Studies. Mangaliso Matshobane  is a PhD graduate, in Practical Theology, from the University of Pretoria. He has published two academic articles on Pentecostalism. He is a full-time Pastor and founder of an independent Pentecostal-Charismatic church, based in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

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NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS

Paul Mngadi  is an Anglican Priest and a Quality Assurance Manager at Esayidi TVET College. He is currently a registered PhD student at the University of Fort Hare. His area of specialisation is systematic theology. Perceverance Percival Molehe  holds a Masters in Theology and is currently a PhD Theology student at the University of South Africa, Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology. Buti David Mulutsi  is a PhD graduate, in Missiology from North-West University. Mulutsi is a founder and Senior Pastor of God’s Tabernacle Christian Family Church with 12 campuses. He is also a founder and chairperson of Polokwane United Pastors which comprise of a group of pastors in and around Polokwane city in South Africa. Erna  Oliver  is full Professor in the discipline of Church History that forms part of the Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology at the University of South Africa. She is also an ODeL specialist in the college of Human sciences. Selelo  Frank  Rapholo  is the Associate Professor at the University of Limpopo. Rapholo is a registered social worker with the South African Council for Social Service Professions and a researcher in the fields of Child Sexual Abuse, Forensic Social Work, Migration Studies, Spirituality, Public Health and Substance Abuse. Jonas Sello Thinane  completed his MA in Theology with specialisation in Religious Studies at the UFS (2018). He is UNISA’s PhD graduate in Missiology (2021) and has published peer-reviewed articles in the same field.

Abbreviations

4IR AACC AAFC ACDP AFM AFR AIC AIDS AOG APA ATR BBT CA COVID-19 CRC CRL

Fourth Industrial Revolution All Africa Conference of Churches Above All Family Church African Christian Democratic Party Apostolic Faith Mission African Freedom Revolution African Initiated Church Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Assemblies of God American Psychological Association African Traditional Religion Born Before Technology Content Analysis Corona Virus Disease 2019 Christian Revival Church Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities DG Director General Dr Doctor ECC Ethekwini Community Church ECG Enlightened Christian Gathering ENCA eNews Channel Africa ESV English Standard Version FGC Full Gospel Church FGCG Full Gospel Church of God FNB First National Bank Fr Catholic (Father) ix

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ABBREVIATIONS

GB Gigabyte GBV Gender-based violence GFIM Generation of Fire International Ministries ICT Information and Communications Technology IFCC International Federation of Christian Churches Km Kilometer KZN KwaZulu-Natal LGBTIQ+) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Intersex, Queer and other MAUs Monthly Active Users MERS Middle East Respiratory Syndrome MMIC Mercy Ministries International Church MTN Mobile Telephone Networks NCC National Command Council NPCs Newer Pentecostal Churches NPO Non-Profit Organisations PCCs Pentecostal Charismatic Churches POWA People Opposing Women Abuse PPE Personal Protective Equipment SACC South African Council of Churches SANDF South African National Defense Force SAPS South African Police Services SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SASOP South African Society of Psychiatrists SMSShort Message Service SSA Sub-Saharan African STATSSA Statistics South Africa TBN Trinity Broadcasting Network TV Television UK United Kingdom UNICEF United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund Unisa University of South Africa Univen University of Venda USA United States of America VODACOM Voice Data Communication VUCA Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity WHO World Health Organization ZCC Zion Christian Church

CHAPTER 1

Introduction Mookgo Solomon Kgatle

and Collium Banda

The arrival of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and its spread to pandemic proportions in 2020 has had a severe impact on global Pentecostalism. The severe impact has indeed been felt in all other ecclesiological traditions, although this book concentrates on Pentecostalism.1 The worldwide spread and diversity of the movement also reflect the diversity of experiences and responses to the pandemic. For most Pentecostals in the southern hemisphere, access to health care and testing facilities is unfamiliar or 1  Pentecostalism is a protestant movement known for its emphasis on the direct relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. In South Africa, there are four main sub-traditions of Pentecostalism which include classical Pentecostalism, African Independent Pentecostalism, Newer Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches, and prophetic Pentecostalism or New Prophetic Churches which are part of African Neo-Pentecostals. African Initiated Churches become are also part of the broader Pentecostal movement in South Africa.

M. S. Kgatle (*) University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa e-mail: [email protected] C. Banda Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_1

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an unaffordable luxury because of a many unfavourable socio-economic conditions such as high levels of poverty and unemployment. Low living standards, weak public health systems, and a lack of services and restrictions in densely populated cities and widely dispersed rural populations have affected these Pentecostals dramatically. The most immediate consequences of restricted or no personal interaction as a result of social distancing measures in response to the pandemic-induced widespread sickness and death reveal a startling range of practical, pastoral, and theological challenges including coping with anxiety, grief, loneliness, anger, stress, lack of touch and relationships, unfamiliarity with digital technology, care for the sick, conducting funerals, maintaining empty buildings, loss of church members and leaders, financial needs, managing absentee liturgies and sacramental rites, widening generational gaps, and separation among different social classes.2 While these challenges are not unique to Pentecostals, especially congregations in the global south and the East as well as the Black, Asian, and minority ethnic membership of Pentecostal churches in the West have emerged as the most vulnerable population during the pandemic. Pentecostals suffer the difference between spiritual warfare and physical healthcare often at the cost of their own lives. The distrust in medical services and science, paradigmatic for much of classical Pentecostalism, is still evident among Pentecostals today.3 It is important to realize that the distrust in medical services and science exists even among well-educated and well-informed Pentecostals. Case in point, South Africa’s outgoing Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng, a fervent Pentecostal, expressed his suspicions about the COVID-19 vaccines in ways that riled the medical community and left some even calling for his removal from office. In the northern hemisphere and the West, where restrictions were put in place on church services and public activities, the health of Pentecostal communities has been severely affected especially in denominations with an older and more vulnerable membership base.4 In parts of the global South, ­popular responses to revoke or exorcise the pandemic have challenged not 2  Joe Aldred, “Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches and Covid-19,” Churches Together in England, available at https://www.cte.org.uk/Articles/579120/Home/Coronavirus/ Pentecostal_and_Charismatic.aspx, accessed March 1, 2021. 3  See Candy Gunther Brown, Testing Prayer: Science and Healing (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012), 71–74, 99–102. 4  Michelle Boorstein, “Covid-19 Has Killed Multiple Bishops and Pastors within the Nation’s Largest Black Pentecostal Denomination,” The Washington Post (19 April 2020),

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only the public image of the movement but endangered entire congregations. Amidst the socio-economic problems of Pentecostalism in Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic challenges especially the dominant claims and teachings of prosperity leaders.5 Responses are often inadequate and uncoordinated and struggle with the range of medical, political, economic, spiritual, and theological interpretations of the pandemic. The African experience of Covid-19 is reminiscent of the so-called Spanish flue between 1918 and 1919 where we can “recognize significantly different interpretations of the pandemic.”6 On the one hand, the unprecedented parallels between the influenza pandemic of the early twentieth century and the COVID-19 pandemic in the twenty-first show the lack of space given to the disproportionate effect of the earlier crisis in Africa, the absence of social and local histories, and the disconnect from the wider diffusion and demographics of the pandemic.7 This volume seeks to provide a social history and local topography of the present pandemic while it is being experienced in order to measure the effects and to begin a broader conversation. On the other hand, in both pandemics, we can observe a lack of uniformity in response to the pandemic by the churches, ecclesiastical conferences, councils, and coordinating committees.8 Many have questioned the adequacy of western responses to the crisis for the very different African context.9 Some have highlighted the differences in perception of public health and the place of Pentecostal churches in response beyond African worldviews.10 Yet, African Pentecostals, in particular, have looked at the pandemic as a spiritual

available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/04/19/church-of-god-inchrist-­pentecostal-coronavirus-kills-bishops, accessed March 1, 2021. 5  Asonzeh Ukah, “Prosperity, Prophecy and the Covid-19 Pandemic,” Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 32, nos. 3–4 (2020): 430–59. 6  Matthew Heaton and Toyin Falola, “Global Explanations versus Local Interpretations: The Historiography of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918–1919 in Africa,” History in Africa 33 (2006): 205–30 (206–7). 7  Ibid., 206. 8  Stefano Picciaredda “Religions, Africa and COVID-19,” in Law, Religion and COVID-19 Emergency, edited by Pierluigi Consorti (Pisa: DiReSoM, 2020), 109–18. 9  Ibid., 117. 10   Jörg Haustein, “Covid-19 and Pentecostals in Africa,” Religion & Diplomacy (30 March, 2020), available at https://religionanddiplomacy.org.uk/2020/03/30/covid-­ 19-­and-pentecostals-in-africa, accessed 1 March 2021.

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enemy.11 The spiritualization of the response to the situation has exposed conflicting interpretations which attribute the disease often stereotypically to either evil sources and the devil, or to God, who at least indirectly uses the pandemic to display his power.12 In some forms, prophetic Pentecostal churches have offered interpretations of hope.13 In others, the responses range from misinformation to conspiracy theories.14 This volume offers a contribution to the theological and pastoral discussion that has emerged from the pandemic and from its various interpretations and responses in Africa.15 South Africa was already seen as being in an economic and political crisis before the pandemic. Yet, as chair of the African Union in 2020 when the pandemic erupted, the country occupied a strategic location in measuring the response to the disease. At the beginning of 2021, the department of health reported 757,144 positive

11  Xavier Moyet, “Pentecostalism, Public Health, and COVID-19 in Nigeria,” Religion in Public (3. April 2020) available at https://religioninpublic.com/2020/04/03/ pentecostalism-­public-health-and-covid-19-in-nigeria, accessed 1 March 2021; Benjamin Kirby, Josiah Taru, Tinashe Chimbidzikai, “Pentecostals and the Spiritual War against Coronavirus in Africa,” The Conversation (30 April 2020), available at https://theconversation.com/pentecostals-and-the-spiritual-war-against-coronavirus-in-africa-137424, accessed 1 March 2021. 12  Kim Knibbe, “‘Wash Your Hands and Be Washed in the Blood of the Lamb:’ Pentecostalism and Corona in Nigeria,” The Religion Factor (30 March 2020), available at https://www.rug.nl/research/centre-for-religious-studies/religion-conflict-globalization/ blog/wash-your-hands-and-be-washed-in-the-blood-of-the-lambpentecostalism-and-the-­ coronavirus-30-03-2020, accessed 1 March 2021. 13  Maria Frahm-Arp, “Pneumatology and Prophetic Pentecostal Charismatic Christianity during COVID-19 in South Africa,” in The Use and Abuse of the Spirit in Pentecostalism: A South African Perspective, edited Mookgo S.  Kgatle and Allan H.  Anderson (London: Routledge, 2020), 150–74. 14  Charlotte Brill, “COVID 19  in Africa: Pentecostalism, Prayer and Conspiracy,” The Badger (10 May, 2020), available at https://thebadgeronline.com/2020/05/covid-19-in-­ africa, accessed 1 March 2021. 15  See African Leadership Centre, “Analysing the Impact of COVID-19 on Africa,” King’s College London News (23 October 2020), available at https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/ analysing-­the-impact-of-covid-19-on-africa, accessed 1 March 2021; Osei Baffour Frimpong, Rigobert Minani Bihuzo, Richmond Commodore, “The COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa: Impact, Responses, and Lessons from Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda,” Africa Program Occasional Paper (September 2020), available at https://www. wilsoncenter.org/publication/covid-19-pandemic-africa-impact-responses-and-lessons-­ ghana-­democratic-republic-congo, accessed 1 March 2021.

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identified cases and 20,556 deaths.16 With the highest infection numbers in the region, and the second highest on the continent, South Africa declared a national state of disaster on 15 March 2020.17 The impact of COVID-19 in South Africa led to the introduction of national lockdown measures on March, 23, 2020.18 In addition, the appearance of the new South African variant of COVID-19 in early 2021 further elevated the significance of understanding the South African response to the crisis. This introduction prepares the ground for a discussion of the theological, practical, pastoral, liturgical, and institutional challenges.

1.1   Theoretical Framework: Pastoral Ministry The national lockdown in South Africa, as in the rest of the world, also affected the churches as gatherings of large crowds were prohibited, buildings were closed, and clergy was restricted in movement and performing acts of worship.19 The history and character of Pentecostalism in the country is well-documented, yet little is known about the challenges on the ground to Pentecostal churches since the start of the pandemic.20 Some churches responded to government regulations by starting up different types of “assemblies” such as online services, parking lot churches, or drive thru meetings. The new developments raised questions primarily concerning how church can be experienced during the pandemic. Yet, for many Pentecostal churches, particularly in rural areas, such were not the most 16  Department of Health, Republic of South Africa, Covid-19 Online Resource and News Portal, available at https://sacoronavirus.co.za/, accessed 1 March 2021. 17  United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (ed.), “COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Southern Africa,” Reliefweb, available at https://reliefweb.int/sites/ reliefweb.int/files/resources/PowerPoint%20Presentation_23.pdf, accessed 1 March 2021. 18  Here follows the explanation of alert levels in South Africa according to the South African government (2020) (a) “Alert Level 1” indicates a low Covid-19 spread with a high health system readiness; (b) “Alert Level 2” indicates a moderate Covid-19 spread with a high health system readiness; (c) “Alert Level 3” indicates a moderate Covid-19 spread with a moderate health system readiness; (d) “Alert Level 4” indicates a moderate to a high Covid-19 spread with a low to moderate health system readiness; (e) “Alert Level 5” indicates a high Covid-19 spread with a low health system readiness. 19  Cf. Barney Pityana, “A Theological Statement on the Coronavirus Pandemic: Living the Faith Responsibly,” Religion and Theology 27, nos. 3–4 (2020): 329–58 (334–35). 20  Cf. Mookgo S. Kgatle, “Religious Live-streaming in Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic and the Subsequent Lockdown in South Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020): 1–6.

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immediate concerns. With often no internet access, few technological resources and know-how, frequent loss of employment, and sometimes only rudimentary homes and infrastructure, pastoral challenges emerged on more elementary levels such as communicating with the congregation, visiting the sick, conducting burials, and surviving financially during the lockdown. The theological response is often motivated by the concerns of pastoral care and counselling, worship, liturgy, and ritual because it is through these means that a response to the pandemic is communicated. With no theoretical framework to guide the churches in the unexpected confrontation with the impact of the disease, theological explanations have been consulted and evaluated primarily based on the pastoral task. The difference between theological explanation and pastoral care in the midst of the pandemic has emerged prominently with the public voice of N.T. Wright who has advocated that the Christian focus is not on explanation but on lament, kindness, and leadership rather than on concerns about theodicy and divine authority.21 The start of the Christian response, for Wright, is lament, grief, and love.22 While others have promoted that the pandemic should be interpreted as divine judgment, those concerns also focus on transformation and good works.23 Even those who have directly criticized Wright’s opinion agree that hope lies not immediately in theological explanation but in a pastoral response.24 The proper answer to the pandemic is found in the difference made in the lives of others on the basis of one’s faith.25 That the theological and the pastoral task are not separated becomes visible most clearly with the emergence of the pastor as public theologian, intimately connected with the theological task of explanation and interpretation but also engaged deeply in it by experience,

21  Nicholas Thomas Wright, “Christianity Offers no Answers about the Coronavirus. It’s not Supposed to,” Time (29 March 2020), available at https://time.com/5808495/ coronavirus-­christianity, accessed 1 March 2021. 22  Tom Wright, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath (London: SPCK, 2020). 23  See John Piper, Coronavirus and Christ (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 55–98. 24  Owen Strachan, “NT Wright Is Wrong: Hope in a Time of Pandemic,” Reformanda (1 April 2020), available at https://www.reformandamin.org/articles1/2020/4/1/nt-­ wright-­is-wrong-christianity-offers-answers-and-hope-amidst-the-coronavirus-pandemic, accessed 1 March 2021. 25  John C.  Lennox, Where Is God in a Coronvirus World? (London: The Good Book Company, 2020), 50–61.

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suffering, and understanding.26 The contributions in this volume narrate the Pentecostal history of this pastoral theological task. In a significant way, they define the pastoral ministry, not only for Pentecostals, by redefining it in the circumstances of the pandemic.

1.2   Theological Challenges of Pastoral Ministry During COVID-19 The contributors to this volume survey actual processes rather than theoretical foundations of pastoral interventions during the pandemic. These processes document the changing nature of Christian ministry precisely because the theology of Pentecostals in response to the pandemic becomes visible in their theology of ministry. In turn, the pastoral theology emerging from the chapters in this volume is shaped dominantly by an ad hoc response to the pandemic, the restrictions of government guidelines, the changing situation of the congregations, and the resources available to the churches. Five broad challenges to the pastoral task are identified throughout this volume in the areas of ecclesiology, liturgy, rituals, congregational infrastructure, and economic survival. The pandemic has sharpened Pentecostal sensitivity to these themes and their theological implications. With COVID-19 has emerged a new theological thoughtfulness among Pentecostals that is largely the consequence of the experience and challenges of pastoral ministry. The most essential theological challenge on the ground emerges on the level of ecclesiology: What does it mean to be the church in times when “church” cannot be experienced in the traditional ways and customs? In response to COVID-19 pastors and congregations radically changed the way church services were conducted and introduced different types and styles of worship by offering church services online, inventing parking lot services, drive-thru church, and family or home group services. Yet, many of these inventive measures were confronted with strict government guidelines that further restricted the proceedings, and for many pastors the concrete outcome of what it meant to “have” church resulted from their response to laws and restrictions. The result meant for many also a 26  See Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Owen Strachan, The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vocation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015), 103–30; Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015).

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restrictive ecclesiology: the lack of freedom to realize the theology of the church in praxis projected the image of a weakened and persecuted church. Zamandulo Malonde, a South African journalist for the Herald paper reported on the Word of Faith Christian Centre that used to conduct drive-through services in Port Elizabeth during the lockdown but were restricted to 50 people per service even if they were fellowshipping in their cars following social distancing guidelines.27 The pastor of the Word of Faith Christian Centre responded to the restrictions when addressing his congregation: It’s a very sad day here in SA where we are told that the police will shut us down if we have church in the parking lot. I want to tell you, we’d better wake up. The devil is trying to take over the world, we’d better serve Jesus Christ.28

The pastor continued to encourage his congregants: You need to come and serve the Lord. We need to ride out this storm and we pray that it will end shortly. God only knows how that is going to last and how the problems are going to increase because it’s obvious the governments of this world are turning against Jesus Christ and the gospel.29

Government measures in response to COVID-19 posed a serious ecclesiological challenge to Pentecostals. The disharmony between the church and the government regarding the nature and conditions of church fellowship displays how the theology of the church is conditioned by Pentecostal cosmology, political theology, and eschatology.30 In a very practical sense, the pandemic forced Pentecostals to sharpen their ecclesiology to the present situation. The pressing question was not what it means to church but: What does it mean to be the church now? The critical and inventive response, its frustrations, and successes tell the history of Pentecostal ecclesiology during the pandemic. 27  Zamandulo Malonde, “Lockdown Regulations Ignoring Our Rights—Port Elizabeth church,” Herald Live (27 July 2020), available at https://www.heraldlive.co.za/ news/2020-­07-27-lockdown-regulations-ignoring-our-rights-bay-church/, accessed 1 March 2021. 28  Ibid. 29  Ibid. 30  Cf. Wolfgang Vondey, Pentecostal Theology: Living the Full Gospel (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017), 225–54.

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Inherent in the ecclesiological crisis is a liturgical challenge: the traditional way of conducting worship could not be done at all or had to change dramatically. The question of a Pentecostal liturgy, a much-debated topic before the pandemic, became a more pressing topic.31 The concern was no longer whether Pentecostals had a functioning liturgy but what shape that liturgy would take under the constraints of the pandemic. The location, size, and welfare of local assemblies played a significant role in how alternative liturgies could be realized. For many small and rural congregations, COVID-19 simply meant the suspension of fellowship. For larger, especially urban churches, the liturgy moved online. Some churches that were technologically savvy developed an online liturgy for use during the pandemic. For example, LINC church, based in Salt Rock, advertised high-­ quality online church services with viewers not only from South Africa but the rest of the world.32 Participation in virtual church services exceeded the numbers of their traditional face-to-face church services which had been about 1000 people each week. Thus, LINC church managed to create an alternative fellowship despite the lockdown. However, the possibility to create a “lockdown liturgy” for all churches has not been simply proportionate to the size and means of the congregation. For many churches that were not used to fellowship online and who did not possess the personnel or tools to establish an online presence, the lockdown meant they had to suspend their services. The biggest church in South Africa, Zion Christian Church (ZCC), struggled to fellowship online during COVID-19 and remained closed for a long time.33 Many of the pastors of the ZCC are from an older generation not used to the way of presenting the gospel through online platforms. Therefore, COVID-19 presented liturgical questions which raised deeper social, generational, and economic concerns. The pressing question became not what it meant to conduct a Christian liturgy but how to obtain the means and know-how to realize a liturgy in any form. Whether the actual liturgy could be called “Pentecostal” 31  Cf. Wolfgang Vondey, Beyond Pentecostalism: The Crisis of Global Christianity and the Renewal of the Theological Agenda (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010), 109–40. 32  The International Trade Association for the Broadcast & Media Industry, “South Africa’s LINK Church: Live Streaming on Lockdown,” available at https://theiabm.org/ south-africas-linc-church-live-streaming-on-lockdown/, accessed 1 March 2021. 33  Kabous le Roux, “South Africa’s Largest Church (ZCC) Decides to Remain Closed,” CapeTalk, available at https://www.capetalk.co.za/features/380/covid-19-coronavirus-­ explained/385123/zion-christian-church-zcc-south-africa-s-largest-church-refuses-to-­­ reopen, accessed 1 March 2021.

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depended less on the character of the congregation than on the nature of the liturgical medium. What emerges is the surprising story of a Pentecostal liturgy. A third theological challenge emerges from the question of participation in the liturgy: the importance of ritual practices for Pentecostals becomes clearly visible during the restrictions as the way of conducting rituals such as water baptism, communion, anointing of the sick, foot washing, marriage, or ordination had to change. Although experience, spirituality, and praxis were widely considered normative for a Pentecostal liturgy, little attention has been paid to foundational and formative embodied practices.34 The restrictions posed on ritual activity during national lockdown forced Pentecostal pastors to reckon with the ability to participate in a consistent engagement and re-engagement of Pentecostal rituals, practices, and sacraments. The struggle of the ZCC also becomes apparent in the effort to maintain the embodied character of both African and Pentecostal spirituality. In an official statement, the church commented on the cancellation of their Easter convention which is typically attended by millions of people from across the globe.35 To set the record straight, the Zion Christian Church has postponed this years’ annual Easter pilgrimage, held at the headquarters of Moria, due to the coronavirus, or known as COVID-19. The church’s spiritual leader, Dr. BE Lekganyane, took the decision on Friday, March 13, 2020, after the church was briefed by the national government delegation, led by the Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize.36

ZCC was not alone in cancelling their Easter celebrations, Apostolic Faith Mission, a large Pentecostal church, also cancelled their Easter

34  Cf. Wolfgang Vondey, “Embodied Gospel: The Materiality of Pentecostal Theology at the Altar,” in Pentecostals and the Body, eds. Michael Wilkinson and Peter Althouse, ARSR 8 (Leiden: Brill, 2017), 102–19. 35  South African Government News Agency, “Churches Cancel Easter Services to Curb COVID-19 Spread,” available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/churches-­ cancel-­easter-services-curb-covid-19-spread, accessed 1 March 2021. 36  Rudolph Nkgadima, “ZCC Cancels Easter Service amid Coronavirus Pandemic,” Independent Online (18 March 2020), available at https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-­ africa/limpopo/watch-zcc-cancels-easter-service-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-45171680, accessed 1 March 2021.

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liturgy and other important services.37 The impact of this suspension of liturgy on the ritual activity of the churches cannot be overestimated. The helplessness of pastors faced with their separation from ritual activities reflects less on the public image of the church than on questions of ecclesiality and culture that surfaced in the enactment of human embodiment and its theological interpretation. The immediate question was not what it meant to baptize or to wash feet but what it meant not to be able to do so. The pastoral story of the pandemic is also a story of ritual change and interruption. With the shift from ecclesiology to liturgy and ritual, the pandemic has directed the theological task also to considerations of congregational infrastructure. The disconnect of human fellowship has become especially apparent in response to visiting the sick and dying. Pastors may be able to communicate with members online, but more serious sickness often prevents such means. Yet, the most severe challenge has been the burial of church members (and of pastors) who lost their lives. While the financial cost may have reduced, “families have found the cultural cost of burying their loved ones under lockdown difficult to bear.”38 The cultural practice of funerals needs to be contextualized in South Africa where especially among many black people there is normally a large gathering of family and friends to pay their last respect to their loved one. The situation is further concentrated if the person is well-known by the community, as many would come even if not invited. The rules of level 3 lockdown forced pastors and families to find new ways to conduct funerals. Only 50 people can attend a burial, night vigils are banned and physical distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 must be observed. You may travel to attend a funeral if you are a partner, child, child-­ in-­law, parent, sibling and grandparent and you need a permit.39

37   Chantalle Schutte, “AFM Statement: Coronavirus & Implications of National Lockdown,” The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (25 March 2020), available at https://afm-ags.org/afm-statement-coronavirus-implications-of-national-lockdown/, accessed 1 March 2021. 38  Tshegofatso Mathe, “Families Struggle with Funerals under Lockdown,” Mail and Guardian (08 June 2020), available at https://mg.co.za/coronavirus-essentials/2020-­06-08-­ funeral-cost-coronavirus-culture-south-africa/, accessed 1 March 2021. 39  Ibid.

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The need for a permit to cross from one province or city to another applied to everyone including pastors who were on official duty to conduct funerals for the members of their churches. Many pastors risked prosecution because of non-compliance to funeral protocol during the hard lockdown.40 These pastors experienced the theological impact of the infrastructure whenever the success of bridging the congregational distance technologically could not be maintained for all aspects of the life of the church. Physical distancing and psychological distancing mutually enforced each other often to the detriment of the life of the congregation. The immediate question was no longer one of congregational growth and well-being but of survival. The pastoral story of the pandemic reveals the challenges of developing and redesigning a congregational infrastructure. The final challenge to pastoral ministry during the pandemic is a financial one as many followers that used to support ministries could not conduct their business or work like before and were faced with the loss of employment and income. Even for those who kept their jobs, the loss of physical face-to-face fellowship meant that “offerings” could no longer be taken by the churches. Others were less motivated to give financially with the lack of interaction or withdrew from the fellowship entirely. Even churches that had regular donors faced financial difficulties because some donors lost their income. Especially in the South African context, the restriction of fellowship brought many congregations to the brink of closure as they depend almost exclusively on their followers for the financial survival of the church. Pastor Jentile shared his story to Tshegofatso Mathe: The income has dropped and we are now faced with a situation where the only person who is going to be paid a salary next month is me. The longer the lockdown takes, the worse it’s going to be for us. Some churches have even started saying they cannot pay pastors’ salaries.41

The consequences of the financial challenges are felt particularly by the pastors who depend on the church’s salary for their own livelihood. The 40  Mercy Maina, “Pastors in South Africa Risk Prosecution for COVID-19 Non-Compliant Funerals,” Association for Catholic Information in Africa (27 July 2020), available at https://www.aciafrica.org/news/1734/pastors-in-south-africa-risk-prosecution-forcovid-­19-non-compliant-funerals, accessed 1 March 2021. 41  Tshefatso Mathe, “Churches are Struggling in Lockdown,” Mail and Guardian (07 May 2020), available at https://mg.co.za/business/2020-05-07-churches-are-strugglingin-lockdown/, accessed 1 March 2021.

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impact of COVID-19 has highlighted the dire situation in which many congregations and pastors lived even before the pandemic. Yet, where financial contributions before the COVID-19 disease established the basis for church activities and mission, the question now became one of maintaining one’s immediate existence. The struggle of churches and pastors has raised theological questions about divine providence and care. Among severe financial constraints, the ritual and liturgical concerns outlined above often became less important. Where buildings could not be maintained, rent and mortgages could not be paid, and salary for pastoral staff was not available, the nature and mission of the church became radically restricted. The story of pastoral ministry during the pandemic is also the story of struggle, disappointment, and hardship that meant for many the end of their local church. The contributions to this volume trace the theological impact of these experiences.

1.3   Perspectives on Pastoral Ministry During COVID-19 Pastoral care occurs in a variety of ways, and the approach to pastoral ministry in this volume is cross-disciplinary and contextual. The purpose is not on developing general theories of pastoral intervention but on documenting and narrating an appropriate understanding of persons and communities in crisis and their responses to developing strategies for human welfare and justice.42 In this sense, the book offers a contribution to congregational study through the particular frame of pastoral care rooted in a specific issue and problem.43 The perspectives of the contributors on pastoral ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa emerge directly from the challenges identified above. The results offer different views on pastoral ministry intended as a conversation, discourse, and exchange rather than a model of the church and its pastor.44 The pastoral theology which emerges from these stories reflects not only the strategic aspects but 42  Cf. Carrie Doehring, The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2006), 9. 43  Cf. Scott L. Thumma, “Methods for Congregational Study,” in Studying Congregations: A New Handbook, edited by Carl S.  Dudley and Nancy Tatom Ammerman (Nashville: Abingdon, 1998), 196–239. 44  Cf. James F.  Hopewell, Congregation Stories and Structures (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006).

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also the “messy” and often unsought, untamed, and unintended dimension of the pastoral situation.45 The first perspective emerges from the challenges of lockdown and social distancing, the restriction of physical contact, the closure of churches, and the shift to a “virtual” church. The question guiding this perspective is: What image of the church has directed pastoral ministry during the pandemic? This book documents how a virtual ecclesiology emerged among various Christian groups, particularly the Pentecostal tradition, in response to the spread of COVID-19. This perspective is intended to study the ecclesiology of “virtual church” and to understand how such an ecclesiology changes the way the church is done and understood in the real world.46 The particular challenge of the ecclesial life and its liturgical, ritual, and sacramental dimensions presents the ground for documenting how “virtual churches have attempted to create a facility for performing online rituals.”47 On a foundational level, this approach is meant to assist in determining how the life of the church was conducted in light of the challenges of COVID-19. Since many churches in South Africa had never conducted a virtual service prior to the pandemic, in a very concrete way, virtual ecclesiology presents a new way of doing church.48 However, many of these churches have been able to survive and reach their followers through the use of live-streaming and a virtual liturgy.49 Thus, the purpose of this approach is also to highlight how a virtual ecclesiology has allowed churches in South Africa to cope with the situation through the turn to online media. A second perspective on pastoral ministry traces the social dynamics of measures in response to COVID-19 prohibiting fellowship and limiting the reach of pastoral care. The primary question here is: What is the place of social wellbeing in pastoral ministry during the pandemic? This question is imperative if we consider how the social dimension of an individual  Cf. Margaret Whipp, Pastoral Theology (London: SCM Press, 2013), 176–90.  Cf. Douglas Estes, SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009). 47  Stephen Jacobs. “Virtually Sacred: The Performance of Asynchronous Cyber-rituals in Online Spaces,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 12, no. 3 (2007): 1103–21. 48  John.R Bryson., Lauren Andres, Andrew Davies. “COVID-19, Virtual Church Services and a New Temporary Geography of Home,” Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie 111, no. 3 (2020): 360–72. 49  Tim Hutching, Creating Church Online: Ritual, Community and New Media (London: Taylor & Francis, 2017). 45 46

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affects their spirituality and that socializing itself can be seen as a spiritual activity.50 Hence, this perspective calls for the integration of the social and spiritual lives of believers and the church.51 The integration of the two is able to offer a more critical engagement of spirituality by identifying the importance for spiritual leaders to address the social needs of their communities.52 The premise of this approach to pastoral ministry is that social workers are able to engage a person holistically if they attend to both the social and the spiritual dimensions of the Christian life.53 This perspective highlights the relationship between sociology and spirituality or, more specifically, between sociology and theology for documenting the challenges of pastoral ministry during COVID-19. A third perspective on pastoral care focuses on the lives of both the pastors and the congregants during the pandemic and the dynamics of pastoral and congregational separation, sickness, and death, as well as the corresponding impact on individuals and the community. This approach is particularly important for addressing the loss of lives during the pandemic, explicitly when losing the pastor or church leaders, and the pastoral challenges surrounding the situation. Pastoral care should thus not be confused as solely the work of the ordained pastor but should be understood as the work of all believers in caring for their communities.54 Pastoral care is here taken as an approach or methodology that is quintessential for discussing the challenges of loss: grief, illness, abuse, and family challenges.55 Therefore, pastoral care must also be seen as relating to other forms of ministries and functions of the church.56 The stories and observations in this volume centre not only on the person of the pastor but include all members of the church engaged in caring for one another. Hence, the  Dona Reese, Hospice Social Work (New York: Columbia University Press, 2013).  Daniel Lee, Robert O’Gorman, Frederick L.  Ahearn Jr. Social Work and Divinity (London: Routledge, 2013). 52  Margaret, Holloway, Bernard Moss, Spirituality and Social Work (London: Macmillan International Higher Education, 2010). Cf Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, and Puleng Segalo. “Grieving during a pandemic: A psycho-theological response,” Verbum et Ecclesia 42, no. 1 (2021): 6. 53  Robin Gill, Theology in a Social Context, vol. 1 (Farnham: Ashgate, 2012), 57. See also Sheila Furness and Philip Gilligan, Religion, Belief and Social Work: Making a Difference (Bristol: Policy Press, 2010). 54  John Patton, Pastoral Care in Context: An Introduction to Pastoral Care (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005). 55  John Patton, Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2010). 56  David Lyall, Integrity of Pastoral Care (London: SPCK, 2001). 50 51

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important question is not who is engaged in pastoral care but, how pastoral care can be given during measures of social distancing and the restrictions of physical fellowship. To document different and emerging forms of pastoral ministry, the specific forms of Pentecostal churches offer a unique portrait of the ministry of congregations during the pandemic. A fourth perspective focuses on the communicative dimension of the pastoral life and the public life of the church. A virtual ecclesiology is extended here with the use of social media during COVID-19. Like many other organizations, churches have been using social media to communicate with their congregations and to engage in public life during the pandemic. Thus, churches have a sizeable number of followers on various social media platforms. While in principle, churches participate in social media debates to articulate their Christian point of view,57 the use of social media in a church setting comes with various practical and theological challenges, not the least in the posting of content not meant for the public, cyber-attacks from outsiders, and posting under false pretences.58 These and other challenges are explored in this book to document the wider problems of pastoral care and ministry. However, social media should not be viewed only negatively as they have also “played a major role in transforming communities and can be used by religious institutions as a tool to shape people and change their behaviour.”59 The primary question of this perspective is how social media have been used effectively to enhance the communication between the pastor and the congregation.60 This perspective is interested in documenting the pastoral and public voice of the church. The final approach is a missiological perspective on the pastoral ministry during COVID-19.61 This perspective takes seriously a missional approach to pastoral ministry “rooted in an understanding that God cares 57  Marcus Moberg and Sofia Sjö (eds.), Digital Media, Young Adults and Religion: An International Perspective (London: Routledge, 2020). 58  Mookgo S. Kgatle, “Social Media and Religion: Missiological Perspective on the Link between Facebook and the Emergence of Prophetic Churches in Southern Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 39, no. 1 (2018): 1–6. 59  Gabriel Faimau and William O. Lesitaokana (eds.), New Media and the Mediatisation of Religion: An African Perspective (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018), 66. 60  See August E. Grant et al. (eds.), Religion Online: How Digital Technology Is Changing the Way We Worship and Pray, 2 vols. (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2019). 61  Craig Van Gelder (ed.), The Missional Church and Denominations: Helping Congregations Develop a Missional Identity, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008).

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for all people and sent Jesus into the world where hurting people live.”62 This approach to pastoral care, therefore, looks at the response of the church to the pandemic beyond the concerns of the congregation and for the wider concerns of human welfare and social justice. With its mission, the church points not only to the spiritual but to the social and economic aspects of life. The missional approach is used to assess how churches have been reaching out to communities during COVID-19 and if there has been any evangelism, social work, and community help during the pandemic. Hence, this perspective examines the involvement of the church in mission when pastors and congregations were faced with the conditions and restrictions of the pandemic. The guiding question for this perspective is: What forms of mission are possible or necessary for the church during the pandemic? The goal here is to speak as much to the shape of ecclesiology and the changing demands of identifying the nature and mission of the church as to the shape of the traditional image of the pastor.

1.4  An Outline of the Perspectives Chapter 2 argues that the new way of doing church posed some challenges for pastoral ministry in South African Pentecostalism such as homiletical and liturgical challenges. These challenges call for theologians and practitioners of faith to up with new methodologies within the theoretical framework of pastoral ministry that will deal with COVID-19. The contribution of this chapter is a suggestion of a virtual ecclesiology in light of the challenges of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown in South Africa. Chapter 3 recognizes that times of trouble and turbulence provide opportunities for change and innovation. Through the years, Christianity adapted and changed with all the new and problematic events that it encountered, and the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be no exception. Virtual ecclesiology is a strong, virtuous way of structuring the church in the technology-driven society. This provides a new church model and allows for stumbling blocks that are currently hampering the mission of the church to be removed and replaced by open, inclusive, and diverse technologically based options to communicate Gods’ love, both inside the global church and to the world. The African Pentecostalisation process

62  Lynne M. Baab, Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care in the Twenty-First Century (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2018).

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serves as an example of a possible first step towards developing virtual ecclesiology. Chapter 4 aims to analyse how COVID-19 affected Christian spirituality from a social work perspective in a South African context. The contribution of this chapter is the banning of religious gatherings from a social work perspective. An extensive literature review was conducted and the findings are that Christian spirituality remained a resilience strategy to mitigate the social ills during the lockdown in South Africa. Chapter 5 seeks to demonstrate that even though Pentecostal ministry was affected by the lockdown in South Africa, most of the pastors rose to the occasion in order to deal with the challenges of closure of churches and limitations on church attendance. The author does this by locating Pentecostal ministry within pastoral care as a theoretical framework. The aim is to illustrate that Pentecostal pastors were supportive of their church members during lockdown. In addition, these pastors were involved in initiatives that dealt with the needs of their church members. Furthermore, pastors themselves worked together to deal with the challenges. Chapter 6 first acknowledges that the death of pastors to COVID-19, in Newer Pentecostal Churches (NPCs), presents a great challenge to these congregations who have never imagined that their pastors, most of whom are faith healers, can be killed by the pandemic. In most NPCs, their grief is further complicated by a lack of a clear succession plan. The congregation, therefore, experiences multiple losses with the following being more prominent: relationship loss, systemic loss, and intrapsychic loss after the death of their prominent leader. A healing pastoral care methodology of doing the work of mourning through conversation, communion, and compassion, is proposed for this chapter. The findings are that this methodology can help to journey with congregations who are grieving because of the death of their pastors. Chapter 7 shows that the restrictions during levels five and four of the lockdowns during COVID-19 in South Africa never allowed churches to gather and operate. Churches resorted to conducting services online to bring emotional and spiritual upliftment to people. Since online services were the only method of bringing spiritual and emotional nourishment to people, it was accepted and appreciated. Even though the online services’ viewership was initially high, it generally declined as days of lockdown went by. This study attempts to show through a pastoral care approach, the importance of social gathering as evidenced by church members

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coercing their leaders to re-open church services and by public breaking lockdown regulations to see their family and friends. Chapter 8 shows the impact that the use of media had on the black Pentecostal churches including some African Independent Churches. While illustrating the goodness of social media on one hand, the chapter also seeks to demonstrate that given the sufferings of black people, some could not manage to attend the online services on the other. The argument is that resorting to the use of media during the lockdown in South Africa became challenging to majority of poor black people in the country. Because most of them lacked basic needs during lockdown let alone means of accessing online services. Chapter 9 the question of how churches made use of social media to continue services is important for this book chapter. This chapter will investigate the experience of churches during the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa. On how churches conducted services through technology capabilities, live-streamed sermons, and virtual communication. Further, it will investigate how social media will continue to play an important role in the future of the church beyond the crisis of COVID-19.

References African Leadership Centre. “Analysing the Impact of COVID-19 on Africa.” King’s College London News (23 October 2020), available at https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ news/analysing-­the-­impact-­of-­covid-­19-­on-­africa, accessed 1 March 2021. Aldred, Joe. “Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches and Covid-19.” Churches Together in England, available at https://www.cte.org.uk/Articles/ 579120/Home/Coronavirus/Pentecostal_and_Charismatic.aspx, accessed March 1, 2021. Baab, Lynne M. Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care in the Twenty-First Century. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2018. Boorstein, Michelle. “Covid-19 Has Killed Multiple Bishops and Pastors within the Nation’s Largest Black Pentecostal Denomination.” The Washington Post (19 April 2020), available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/04/19/church-­of-­god-­in-­christ-­pentecostal-­coronavirus-­kills-­ bishops, accessed March 1, 2021. Brill, Charlotte. “COVID 19 in Africa: Pentecostalism, Prayer and Conspiracy.” The Badger (10 May 2020), available at https://thebadgeronline. com/2020/05/covid-­19-­in-­africa, accessed 1 March 2021.

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Hutching, Tim. Creating Church Online: Ritual, Community and New Media. London: Taylor & Francis, 2017. Jacobs, Stephen. “Virtually Sacred: The Performance of Asynchronous Cyber-­ rituals in Online Spaces.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 12, no. 3 (2007): 1103–21. Kgatle, Mookgo S. “Social Media and Religion: Missiological Perspective on the Link between Facebook and the Emergence of Prophetic Churches in Southern Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 39, no. 1 (2018): 1–6. Kgatle, Mookgo S. “Religious Live-streaming in Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic and the Subsequent Lockdown in South Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020): 1–6. Kgatle, Mookgo S., and Puleng Segalo. “Grieving during a pandemic: A psycho-­ theological response.” Verbum et Ecclesia 42, no. 1 (2021): 6. Kirby, Benjamin, Josiah Taru, Tinashe Chimbidzikai. “Pentecostals and the Spiritual War against Coronavirus in Africa.” The Conversation (30 April 2020), available at https://theconversation.com/pentecostals-­and-­the-­spiritual-­war-­ against-­coronavirus-­in-­africa-­137424, accessed 1 March 2021. Knibbe, Kim. “‘Wash Your Hands and Be Washed in the Blood of the Lamb:’ Pentecostalism and Corona in Nigeria.” The Religion Factor (30 March 2020), available at https://www.rug.nl/research/centre-­for-­religious-­studies/ religion-­conflict-­globalization/blog/wash-­your-­hands-­and-­be-­washed-­in-­the-­ blood-­of-­the-­lambpentecostalism-­and-­the-­coronavirus-­30-­03-­2020, accessed 1 March 2021. le Roux, Kabous. “South Africa’s Largest Church (ZCC) Decides to Remain Closed.” CapeTalk, available at https://www.capetalk.co.za/features/380/ covid-­19-­coronavirus-­explained/385123/zion-­christian-­church-­zcc-­south-­ africa-­s-­largest-­church-­refuses-­to-­reopen, accessed 1 March 2021. Lee, Daniel, Robert O’Gorman, and Frederick L.  Ahearn Jr. Social Work and Divinity. London: Routledge, 2013. Lennox, John C. Where Is God in a Coronvirus World? London: The Good Book Company, 2020. Lyall, David. Integrity of Pastoral Care. London: SPCK, 2001. Maina, Mercy. “Pastors in South Africa Risk Prosecution for COVID-19 Non-­ Compliant Funerals.” Association for Catholic Information in Africa (27 July 2020), available at https://www.aciafrica.org/news/1734/pastors-­in-­south-­ africa-­risk-­prosecution-­for-­covid-­19-­non-­compliant-­funerals, accessed 1 March 2021. Malonde, Zamandulo. “Lockdown Regulations Ignoring Our Rights—Port Elizabeth Church.” Herald Live (27 July 2020), available at https://www. heraldlive.co.za/news/2020-­0 7-­2 7-­l ockdown-­r egulations-­i gnoring-­o ur-­ rights-­bay-­church/, accessed 1 March 2021.

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Mathe, Tshefatso. “Churches are Struggling in Lockdown.” Mail and Guardian (07 May 2020a), available at https://mg.co.za/business/2020-­05-­07-­ churches-­are-­struggling-­in-­lockdown/, accessed 1 March 2021. Mathe, Tshegofatso. “Families Struggle with Funerals under Lockdown.” Mail and Guardian (08 June 2020b), available at https://mg.co.za/coronavirus-­ essentials/2020-­0 6-­0 8-­f uneral-­c ost-­c oronavirus-­c ulture-­s outh-­a frica/, accessed 1 March 2021. Moberg, Marcus and Sofia Sjö, eds. Digital Media, Young Adults and Religion: An International Perspective. London: Routledge, 2020. Moyet, Xavier. “Pentecostalism, Public Health, and COVID-19  in Nigeria.” Religion in Public (3 April 2020) available at https://religioninpublic. com/2020/04/03/pentecostalism-­public-­health-­and-­covid-­19-­in-­nigeria, accessed 1 March 2021. Nkgadima, Rudolph. “ZCC Cancels Easter Service amid Coronavirus Pandemic.” Independent Online (18 March 2020), available at https://www.iol.co.za/ news/south-­a frica/limpopo/watch-­z cc-­c ancels-­e aster-­s er vice-­a mid-­ coronavirus-­pandemic-­45171680, accessed 1 March 2021. Patton, John. Pastoral Care in Context: An Introduction to Pastoral Care. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005. Patton, John. Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2010. Picciaredda, Stefano. “Religions, Africa and COVID-19.” In Law, Religion and COVID-19 Emergency, edited by Pierluigi Consorti, 109–18. Pisa: DiReSoM, 2020. Piper, John. Coronavirus and Christ. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020. Pityana, N.  Barney. “A Theological Statement on the Coronavirus Pandemic: Living the Faith Responsibly.” Religion and Theology 27, nos. 3–4 (2020): 329–58. Reese, Dona. Hospice Social Work. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013. Schutte, Chantalle. “AFM Statement: Coronavirus & Implications of National Lockdown.” The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (25 March 2020), available at https://afm-­ags.org/afm-­statement-­coronavirus-­implications-­of-­ national-­lockdown/, accessed 1 March 2021. South African Government News Agency. “Churches Cancel Easter Services to Curb COVID-19 Spread.” Available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-­ africa/churches-­cancel-­easter-­services-­curb-­covid-­19-­spread, accessed 1 March 2021. South African Government 2020. About alert system. (Gazette 43599, 7 August 2020) https://www.gov.za/covid-­19/about/about-­alertsystem#:~: text=(c)%20'Alert%20Level%203,a%20low%20health%20system%20readiness Strachan, Owen. “NT Wright Is Wrong: Hope in a Time of Pandemic.” Reformanda (1 April 2020), available at https://www.reformandamin.org/

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articles1/2020/4/1/nt wright is wrong Christianity offers answers and hope amidst the coronavirus pandemic, accessed 1 March 2021. The International Trade Association for the Broadcast & Media Industry. “South Africa’s LINK Church: Live Streaming on Lockdown,” available at https:// theiabm.org/south-­africas-­linc-­church-­live-­streaming-­on-­lockdown/, accessed 1 March 2021. Thumma, Scott L. “Methods for Congregational Study.” In Studying Congregations: A New Handbook, edited by Carl S. Dudley and Nancy Tatom Ammerman, 196–239. Nashville: Abingdon, 1998. Ukah, Asonzeh. “Prosperity, Prophecy and the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 32, nos. 3–4 (2020): 430–59. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ed. “COVID-19 pandemic impact on Southern Africa.” Reliefweb, available at https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/PowerPoint%20 Presentation_23.pdf, accessed 1 March 2021. Van Gelder, Craig, ed. The Missional Church and Denominations: Helping Congregations Develop a Missional Identity, vol. 2. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008. Vanhoozer, Kevin J. and Owen Strachan. The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vocation. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015. Vondey, Wolfgang. “Embodied Gospel: The Materiality of Pentecostal Theology at the Altar.” In Pentecostals and the Body, eds. Michael Wilkinson and Peter Althouse, 102–19. Leiden: Brill, 2017a. Vondey, Wolfgang. Beyond Pentecostalism: The Crisis of Global Christianity and the Renewal of the Theological Agenda. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010. Vondey, Wolfgang. Pentecostal Theology: Living the Full Gospel. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017b. Whipp, Margaret. Pastoral Theology. London: SCM Press, 2013. Wright, N.T. “Christianity Offers no Answers about the Coronavirus. It’s not Supposed to.” Time (29 March 2020a), available at https://time. com/5808495/coronavirus-­christianity, accessed 1 March 2021. Wright, Tom. God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath. London: SPCK, 2020b.

CHAPTER 2

Homiletical and Liturgical Challenges During COVID-19 in South Africa Perceverance Percival Molehe

2.1   Introduction The surge of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in South Africa meant that a great number of Christian activities including Easter celebrations in 2020 had to be suspended, giving rise to an unusual situation for Christians since these celebrations are at the centre of the liturgical calendar of most of the churches. In addition, the restrictions imposed on churches as a result of the hard lockdown during COVID-19 meant that the way of doing church for Pentecostals in South Africa had to change. This is a paradigm shift in Pentecostalism as Pentecostals around the world are used to worshipping God in congregational gatherings.1 Pentecostals in 1  Tony Richie, Essentials of Pentecostal Theology: An Eternal and Unchanging Lord Powerfully Present & Active by the Holy Spirit, (Eugene Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2020).

P. P. Molehe (*) Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_2

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South Africa managed to communicate their message to their flock and found alternative ways of doing church such as parking lot church, online church, family church and other forms of ecclesiology.2 Pentecostals became creative in finding ways of doing church differently and in re-­ imagining the future of the church.3 Some of them did this by complying with the government-imposed regulations for the safety and protection of church members. A few others did not adhere to the restrictions and regulations resulting in ugly clashes with the state authorities. Nonetheless, the challenges of the effects of COVID-19 on the lives of the ministers of the Word, their families and church remain. These new dynamics, challenges and developments raise some serious theological questions; How have churches conducted worship service during the lockdown? How have ministers of the Word been preaching during lockdown period? How have minsters conducted sacraments such as holy communion and water baptism? How have they conducted rituals such as anointing with oil and laying hands upon the sick? How have ministers of the word conducted funeral services during the lockdown? These are questions that need proper theological reflection and research within the framework of pastoral ministry. Therefore, the pastoral interventions by Pentecostal pastors need a proper theological reflection that will not only address the challenges of COVID-19 but deal with any other pandemic that can impose a different way of doing church. This chapter works within the framework of pastoral ministry to introduce virtual ecclesiology as a way of addressing homiletical and liturgical challenges during a pandemic. The chapter will introduce Pentecostal homiletics and Pentecostal liturgy in order to highlight the challenges imposed by COVID-19  in South Africa. Homiletical and liturgical challenges identified in this chapter are worship service, sermon presentation, holy communion and water baptism, laying on of hands and anointing with oil and funeral and night vigil attendance. The last section of the chapter will propose virtual ecclesiology as a solution to these challenges.

2  Jerry Pillay, “COVID-19 shows the need to make church more flexible,” Transformation 37, no. 4 (2020): 266–275. 3  Eugene Baron, and Khamadi J. Pali, “The shaping and formation of a missional ecclesiology of township congregations in the Mangaung Metro Municipality during COVID-19,” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 77, no. 3 (2021): 11.

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2.2   Pentecostal Homiletics Homiletics refer to the way pastors or preachers present their sermons or simply the way they preach during a church service. Pentecostal homiletics is the way Pentecostals as the people of the Spirit present their sermons in a Pentecostal service. Leoh in Martin defines Pentecostal homiletics as “the powerful and passionate proclamation of God’s good news.”4 Pentecostal preaching claims to be unique work of the Holy Spirit, which implies that during the delivery of the sermon, the Holy Spirit takes over the church service in order to revive the lives of the people.5 Pentecostal pastor and academic, Tony Richie explains, “The proclamation of the word flows out of the Spirit’s moving and then the Spirit’s word touches people’s hearts. Pentecostal homiletics appropriately concerns itself with the craft of sermon preparation and delivery yet nonetheless invites hearers into a transforming encounter with God’s presence as they respond in faith and obedience to the preached word.”6 Therefore, Pentecostal homiletics do not only inform the audience in terms of the content in the sermon but rather seek to transform the audience through the power of the Holy Spirit present in the sermon. It can be concluded that the distinctiveness of Pentecostal homiletics is based on the relationship that Pentecostals have with God through the Holy Spirit. In South Africa and elsewhere in Africa, Pentecostal preachers bring forth this kind of transformation through a congregational setting whereby preaching is merged with singing and playing of sounds such as keyboard and drums. An African Pentecostal preacher does not only rely on his or her notes in the presentation but the whole band and audience are active during the delivery of the sermon. This makes Pentecostal homiletics within the African context, a participatory one, hence it is not common for people to sleep during the preaching. The African Pentecostal preacher connects with his or her audience with responses such as “halleluiah” and “amen” during preaching. This means that the absence of the physical audience in a Pentecostal preaching brings some changes to the way the 4  Vincent Leoh, “A Pentecostal preacher as an empowered witness,” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 9, no. 1 (2006): 35–58 cf. Lee Roy Martin, “Towards a biblical model of Pentecostal prophetic preaching,” Verbum et Ecclesia 37, no. 1 (2016): 1–9. 5  Lee Roy Martin, “The Uniqueness of Spirit-Filled Preaching,” in Mark Williams and Lee Roy Martin, eds. Spirit-Filled Preaching in the 21st Century, (Montgomery: Pathway Press, 2013), 199–212. 6  Richie, Essentials of Pentecostal Theology 86.

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sermon is delivered to the audience. Thus, the lack of church meetings has had an adverse effect in presenting a transformative preaching during a church service in a Pentecostal church setting.

2.3   Pentecostal Liturgy Liturgy according to Bossie et  al. is “a form or formulary according to which a public religious worship is conducted.”7 Liturgy can also be defined as fixed or prescribed ceremonies, words and activities that are used during public worship in a religion, according to its beliefs, customs, and traditions. However, this is a narrow sense of the term since, according to Adam, liturgy can be defined as the joint action of Jesus Christ, the High Priest, and his church for the salvation of human beings and the glorification of the Heavenly Father.8 He insists that it is incomplete, or even mistaken, to regard liturgy only in terms of what human beings can do to win divine favour, leaving out what God does to the people as part of the whole phenomenon.9 This means that liturgy cannot only be reduced to the actions done by the church or the pastor during the service, God himself is involved in liturgy in making his God-presence on earth. Thus, the liturgists in conducting worship, sacraments, or any other church rituals should not take it for granted that they are doing it for human beings but should rather perceive liturgy as the service of God before humanity. Within Pentecostalism, liturgy just like homiletics is marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit in worship, sacrament, and church rituals. Meaning, Pentecostals do not conduct these sacraments for the sake of fulfilling a program but rather endearing for an encounter with the Holy Spirit sacraments. In South Africa and elsewhere in Africa, Pentecostals speak of an open liturgy where they allow the Holy Spirit to take over during a worship service as opposed to the cerebral formalistic way of

7  Bossie Robert, Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Linda Thomas, Frank Rogers, Michelle Walsh, Lisa Stenmark, Willie Hudson et  al. Taking It to the Streets: Public Theologies of Activism and Resistance, (Lanman, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018). 8  Adolf Adam, The Liturgical Year: Its History & Its Meaning After the Reform of the Liturgy (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1990). 9  Motsepe Mogoane, “The role and impact of women in worship in the Pentecostal churches of the Germiston district of Gauteng: a ritual-liturgical exploration,” (PhD diss., University of Pretoria, 2019).

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conducting worship in conservative churches.10 It is during this Holy Spirit-led liturgy where transformation, social interactions, and empowerment take place amongst Pentecostals in South Africa. Hence, in Pentecostal liturgy, the preacher always believes that the services will be followed by healing and deliverance take place amongst their followers.11 Pentecostals in their liturgy, according to Vondey, “emphasise an oral, spontaneous, and joyful liturgy that is attractive.”12 Pentecostal liturgy is not caught up in quietist spirituality but it is lively with the playing of music, singing, clapping of hands and other activities.13

2.4   Homiletical and Liturgical Challenges During COVID-19 The COVID-19 challenge is unprecedented, and it has changed the system of pastoral ministry. The major disruption in the form of government-­ imposed lockdown brought challenges to the way Pentecostals in South Africa conduct their worship services. Consequently, COVID-19 changed the landscape of spirituality in South Africa and elsewhere in the world specifically from Pentecostal perspectives. The way Pentecostal churches normally function in coming together, singing and dancing like one body, collectively listening to a sermon, jointly confessing faith, worshipping, and praying together, sharing faith, bringing offerings—confess as the “communion of the saints”—has changed dramatically and so too has the role of the pastor. COVID-19 has brought some challenges to the way Pentecostals conduct their church services and Christian rites or sacraments such as Holy Communion, funerals, visits, and the laying on of hands. In addition, the lockdown has presented challenges to Pentecostal 10  Wolfgang Vondey, “The making of a Black liturgy: Pentecostal worship and spirituality from African slave narratives to American cityscapes,” Black Theology 10, no. 2 (2012): 147–168. 11  Mark Cartledge and Jason Swoboda, eds., Scripting Pentecost: A Study of Pentecostals, Worship and Liturgy, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2016), 158. 12  Wolfgang Vondey, The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2020). 13  Allan Anderson, and Samuel Otwang, TUMELO: the faith of African Pentecostals in South Africa, (Pretoria: University of South Africa, 1993) cf. Thandi Miller and Kenneth T.  Strongman, “The emotional effects of music on religious experience: A study of the Pentecostal-charismatic style of music and worship,” Psychology of Music 30, no. 1 (2002): 8–27 cf. Mookgo Solomon Kgatle. The fourth Pentecostal wave in South Africa: A critical engagement, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2019).

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ministers as it relates to the way they preach the Word, execute practical ministry and pray for their members. Although, the scope of this chapter cannot discuss all the challenges, the few are highlighted below: 2.4.1   Worship Service The different ways of doing church as highlighted in the introduction such as parking church, drive-through church, online church, family, and others have affected the worship service during the lockdown. This new normal means, for example, that pastors would have to minister without their worship team that normally helps in singing and dancing during the service. The new church means that the worship service is done for the first time without audience in the building. Some of the pastors conducted worship service with only a lead singer, and the keyboard players as members of the worship team were not permitted into the church because of the lockdown. There were also some adjustments when it came to the program of the worship service as common slots such as testimony time could not be allocated in the service. The worship service in the Pentecostal tradition comprises of joyful singing, dancing, and clapping hands in the presence of God through the Holy Spirit.14 Anderson puts it in this way: Pentecostal spiritualities are centred on the experience of the Spirit that pervades the whole person, makes Jesus Christ more real and relevant to daily life, and inspires testimony, praise, unknown tongues, prophecies, healings, dancing, clapping, joyful singing, and many other expressions that characterise Pentecostalism worldwide.15

These songs which are mostly sang in indigenous languages are sang to bring down the presence of the Holy Spirit to ignite an encounter with the almighty God. Therefore, in the lively worship, Pentecostals endear to have a meaningful encounter with God in a spiritual service. Hence, Pentecostals follow an open liturgy that allows the work of the Holy Spirit

14  Douglas Jacobsen, the world’s Christians: Who they are, where they are, and how they got there, (New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2021). Cf Wolfgang Vondey, “Religion as Play: Pentecostalism as a theological type,” Religions 9, no. 3 (2018): 80. 15  Allan Anderson, Spirit-Filled World: Religious Dis/Continuity in African Pentecostalism. (Basel: Springer, 2018), 92.

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to take over the service instead of following a specific program.16 This does not mean that a program is not important to Pentecostals but rather that they aim to go beyond an organised program or liturgy. It is through worship that Pentecostals are afforded the opportunity to grow spiritually in their relationship with God on one hand, while they also grow in a relationship with others.17 A Pentecostal worship service is holistic because it affects the body, soul and spirit of the believer in a meaningful way. Hence, Edwards in Kgatle calls it an “ecstatic, participatory and spontaneous worship.”18 This worship is more experiential as it is centred on the work of the Holy Spirit than the program of human beings.19 However, the Pentecost emphasis on experiential worship can lead to the criticism of confusing emotionalism with the presence of the Holy Spirit. It also raises the question of whether God only works effectively in emotionally charged worship services and is not present in quiet services. On their part, Pentecostals hold the view that the presence of the Holy Spirit is marked with lively atmosphere and not a dull one. In summary, Pentecostal worship is distinct from other Christian traditions in the sense that it is centred on the work of the Holy Spirit. In addition, it is more experiential than theoretical as worshippers express themselves by singing, dancing, clapping hands, and other expressions. Pentecostal worship aims for a practical Johanine gospel style of worshipping in the spirit and worship in truth (John 4:24). Thus, the Pentecostal format of worship service was disrupted during COVID-19 by taking away spontaneity and experiential aspects of worship that could not be implemented online. When worshipping at home, the possibility of dancing and clapping hands is minimal as the space may not allow such actions. However, some Pentecostal churches in South Africa still provided a  Vondey “The making of a Black liturgy” 147.  Vondey “The making of a Black liturgy” 149 cf. Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, “Spirituality of Liberation in African Pentecostal Worship and Its Implications for Black Theology,” Black Theology 19, no. 2 (2021): 168–180. 18  Korie Edwards, “Race, religion, and worship: Are contemporary African-American worship practices distinct?” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 48, no. 1 (2009): 30–52. Cf Kgatle, “Spirituality of Liberation in African Pentecostal Worship” 170. 19  Marius Nel, An African Pentecostal hermeneutics: A distinctive contribution to hermeneutics, (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018) cf. Marius Nel, “Attempting to develop a Pentecostal theology of worship,” Verbum et ecclesia 37, no. 1 (2016): 1–8. Cf Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, “Singing as a therapeutic agent in Pentecostal worship,” Verbum et Ecclesia 40, no. 1 (2019): 1–7. Cf Ezra Chitando, Singing culture: A study of gospel music in Zimbabwe, No. 121, (Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute, 2002). 16 17

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fulfilling worship in the form of music played by the worship team and streamed live to the audience via different mediums such as Facebook, YouTube, and others. Therefore, even if Pentecostals could not gather for a meaningful Pentecostal worship service, they could still have an experience in an online service. 2.4.2   Sermon Presentation As highlighted in the preceding sections, Pentecostal preaching engages the audience or rather it is enhanced by the presence of the audience. Pentecostal preaching is full of gestures with both the preacher and the audience in contact with one another. Pentecostals do not preach for the sake of fulfilling a duty but rather preach in order to transform lives.20 During COVID-19, there is a challenge as to how the Pentecostal preacher presents their sermons, especially during the hard lockdown. Thus, the hard lockdown presented challenges to this type of preaching as Pentecostals in South Africa could not gather. The form of preaching that is enhanced by some sounds, the responses of congregants and other activities could not take place when the country was in a lockdown. Furthermore, Pentecostal preaching is dramatic as some preachers can be seen dancing and jumping up and down when presenting their sermons. However, this was not possible outside of a congregational setting in a normal church service as most preachers were confined to their devices in the form of laptops, cell phones, and so forth. This means that a transformative homiletics that Pentecostals experience in a normal church service was disrupted by the pandemic that disturbed the Pentecostal experience of a Holy Spirit-charged congregational preaching. While this view does well to emphasise preaching as the work of the Holy Spirit, the position may be criticised for having a localised understanding of the Holy Spirit that fails to realise the omnipresence of the Spirit that makes his work and presence unlimited by the preacher’s physical presence. However, it is important to note that Pentecostal churches generally have vibrant audio and visual preaching ministries21—for example, most 20  Vinson Synan and Amos Yong, eds., Global renewal Christianity: spirit-empowered movements past, present, and future. (Lake Mary: Charisma Media, 2017), 304. 21  Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, “Anointing through the screen: Neo-Pentecostalism and televised Christianity in Ghana,” Studies in World Christianity 11, no. 1 (2005): 9–28 cf. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, “Pentecostal media images and religious globalization in sub-­ Saharan Africa,” In Mary Hess, ed., Belief in media: cultural perspectives on media and

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South African preachers and churches featured on the various local Television stations are Pentecostals. Prophet Shepherd Bushiri, a Pentecostal prophet of Enlightened Christian Gathering was one of the first preachers to launch an online app during COVID-19 to reach his audience.22 This means that Pentecostal preachers could still manage to reach their members during the pandemic through these mediums. Furthermore, Pentecostals believe that the Holy Spirit ministers through a spoken word. Therefore, most Pentecostal preachers believed that even when the audience is not in the building, the Holy Spirit can still reach them through the spoken word released on television or online app.23 Lastly, it is important to also note that many Pentecostals take seriously the altar call and anointing announced by the Preacher in a Video or Tape recording to be genuine.24 This means that if the audience managed to receive the audio or video clip through WhatsApp group and other mediums, they would still come in contact with the anointing. 2.4.3   Administering Holy Communion and Water Baptism The other challenge for Pentecostal pastors during COVID-19 has been the administration of the sacraments such as Holy Communion and Water baptism. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper is a way of connecting and fellowshipping with the Lord and remembering the body of Christ. Equally, water baptism serves as the symbol of demonstrating that a believer is part of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism in water serve as a symbol of partaking in both the suffering and the victory of Christ. These sacraments are significant especially among the classical Pentecostal Christianity Belief in Media, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2020), 65–80. CF Asonzeh Ukah, “Advertising God: Nigerian Christian video-films and the power of consumer culture,” Journal of religion in Africa 33, no. 2 (2003): 203–231. 22  Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, “Religious live-streaming in response to coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in South Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020): 1–6. 23  Marleen De Witte, “Altar media’s living word: Televised charismatic Christianity in Ghana,” Journal of Religion in Africa 33, no. 2 (2003): 172–202. 24  Asamoah-Gyadu, “Pentecostal media images” 68. Cf Lovemore Togarasei, “Mediating the gospel: Pentecostal Christianity and media technology in Botswana and Zimbabwe,” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27, no. 2 (2012): 257–274. Cf Marleen De Witte, “Modes of binding, moments of bonding. Mediating divine touch in Ghanaian Pentecostalism and traditionalism,” in Bergit Meyer, Aesthetic formations: Media, religion, and the senses, (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), 183–205.

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and Charismatic Churches in South Africa.25 However, many of the neo-­ Pentecostals do not seem to regard these sacraments as important as they do not regularly observe them.26 But there is hope that Pentecostals will discover the revelation of partaking in the holy communion and water baptism not only as sacraments but as ways of connecting to Christ.27 This is a call for Pentecostals do perceive holy communion and water baptism not only as symbols but as meaningful acts.28 Nonetheless, conducting these sacraments has been a challenge for many pastors during COVID-19 as they are normally conducted in a church setting. Ministering baptism or celebrating the Lord’s Supper (both of which cannot be anything but concrete, in-the-body events, in communion with others) were difficult, if not impossible. Although most pastors came with innovative ways such as asking the congregants to buy their own necessities for the Holy Communion and partake online, the feeling is not the same as in the church setting. In some churches, water baptism that is supposed to be conducted in a dam, river, or even a church baptism pool, was not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. While it was possible for some Pentecostal pastors to conduct the holy communion during their virtual services, water baptism was a challenge as it required the presence of the pastor or elder at the baptismal pool. 2.4.4   Laying on of Hands and Anointing with Oil The fourth challenge is regarding the laying on of hands by lay preachers and pastors. Most Pentecostals believe in the laying on of hands as commanded in the scriptures for the healing of those who are sick.29 But some neo-Pentecostals would rather sell the anointing oil instead of laying hands 25  Teresa Berger, and Bryan D.  Spinks, eds., The Spirit in worship-Worship in the Spirit. (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2009). 26  Kgatle, the fourth Pentecostal wave, 108. 27  Kenneth Archer, “Nourishment for our journey: The Pentecostal via salutis and sacramental ordinances,” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 13, no. 1 (2004): 79–96. 28  Constantineanu, Corneliu, and Christopher James Scobie, eds., Pentecostals in the 21st Century: Identity, Beliefs, Praxis, (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018). Cf Kay, William K. SCM Core Text Pentecostalism (Norwich: Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd., 2013). 29  Allan Anderson, Bazalwane: African Pentecostals in South Africa, (Pretoria: University of South Africa, 1992) cf. William Kay, and Anne E. Dyer. Pentecostal and charismatic studies: A reader. (London: SCM Press, 2017), cf. Christopher Stephenson, Types of Pentecostal theology: Method, system, spirit. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).

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upon the sick.30 Neo-Pentecostal preachers would use the anointing oil for the healing and deliverance of their congregants.31 Hence some congregants do not only go to the church building in order to fellowship with others but do so to also consume anointing oil and other anointed objects. However, the laying on of hands was not permitted during COVID-19. In addition, according to the regulations, it is preferable not to anoint with oil as it is not possible to observe physical distancing, but where the priest considers this to be an indispensable part of care for the dying, he or she should apply the oil with an applicator that must be disposed of safely and immediately if it has come into contact with the dying person. However, there were some neo-Pentecostals that found a way to sell anointing oil even during the lockdown. These anointed products were ordered through online shopping whereby members ordered the products and paid for the delivery of their goods. Apostle Musawenkosi Joshua Mohlala of Shekainah Healing Ministries in Cape Town, South Africa made an official announcement on his Facebook page for people to order their anointing oil online.32 Mohlala is not alone numerous other neo-­ Pentecostal prophets and Apostles in South Africa asked their members to order these healing and deliverance products online as they could no longer attend church.33 This demonstrates continuity with the commercialisation of religion in the form of selling of healing and deliverance products on hand, but some creativity in dealing with the challenges of the pandemic on the other.

30  Collium Banda, “Complementing Christ? A soteriological evaluation of the anointed objects of the African Pentecostal prophets,” Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary 2018, no. se2 (2018): 55–69. 31  Collium Banda, “Managing an elusive force? The Holy Spirit and the anointed articles of Pentecostal prophets in traditional religious Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 40, no. 1 (2019): 1–10. Cf Collium Banda, “Doctrine as security? A systematic theological critique of the operational theological framework of the controversial South African neo-Pentecostal prophets,” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 77, no. 4 (2021): 1–10. 32  https://www.facebook.com/772837549443377/posts/our-online-anointingoil-service-will-be-live-on-sowetotv-facebook-and-youtube-­t/3037355206324922/. 33  Asonzeh Ukah, “Prosperity, Prophecy and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Healing Economy of African Pentecostalism,” Pneuma 42, no. 3–4 (2020): 430–459. Cf Maria Frahm-Arp, “Pneumatology and Prophetic Pentecostal Charismatic Christianity during COVID-19 in South Africa,” in Mookgo Solomon Kgatle and Allan Anderson, The Use and Abuse of the Spirit in Pentecostalism: South African perspective, pp.  150–174. Abingdon: Routledge, (2020).

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2.4.5   Funeral Attendance and Night Vigils During Lockdown Night vigils are important in Pentecostalism not only for night prayers in the church setting but also in solidarity with the bereaved family during funerals. Anderson states that Pentecostals would spend the whole night until the following morning praying and signing with the family bereaved family.34 In recent times, some Pentecostals have limited the night vigils to spending half a night in the family, after which they are allowed to go home in order to prepare for the funeral in the following day.35 Equally, attending the funeral of a church member is important in Pentecostalism as a sign of supporting the bereaved family. It is important to also note that visitations to the bereaved family do not only start on the day of burial but from the day the announcement of the death is made to the church members. It can be reiterated that both funeral attendance and night vigils are done in order to support the family that is mourning the loss of their loved one. It is believed in Pentecostalism that the larger the number in attendance of these rites, the more the family would be comforted during their loss. Furthermore, for many Pentecostals, it should not only be members of the church attending these events, but the pastors should always be present to show that they care for the bereaved family. Throughout the levels 1–5 of lockdown in South Africa, funeral numbers are limited to 50 and funeral duration limited to one to two hours due to the high infection rate in South Africa and due to funerals being responsible for the fast spread of COVID-19. It is also important to note that only close relatives may attend funerals. In addition to the limitations of funeral attendance, night vigils are not permitted at all. This is a challenge since Pentecostals are used to attending both night vigils and funerals in support of the bereaved families.36 However, most pastors still found a way to make it to the funerals of their church members even if it was a risk to their health and immediate family members. Some of the pastors were arrested as they violated the COVID-19 restrictions in order to attend the funerals of their members. This became very common in South Africa during level 5 lockdown when interprovincial travel was not allowed without necessary permits issued through the national police.

 Anderson, Spirit-Filled World 92.  Ibid. 36  Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, and Puleng Segalo, “Grieving during a pandemic: A psycho-­ theological response,” Verbum et Ecclesia 42, no. 1 (2021): 6. 34 35

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2.5   Pentecostal Pastoral Interventions Through a Virtual Ecclesiology The homiletical and liturgical challenges highlighted above mean that pastors have had to run virtual ministries to their congregants and to the community at large. The challenges of worship service, sermon presentation, water baptism and holy communion, anointing with oil and laying on of hands, and funeral attendance all presented challenges for the smooth running of Pentecostal churches in South Africa. Ironically enough, the pandemic is also creating new opportunities for pastoral involvement with people and with each other. Such opportunities include telephone discussions, Short Messages (SMS), WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams (and all of these are apart from the many other creative ways that people are inventing and adapting to communicating over a distance). In addition, it is an opportunity for Pentecostal pastors to enhance their technological and mediatisation of their ecclesiology. In other words, COVID-19 is an opportunity for many Pentecostal pastors to improve on their current way of using technology and media in the propagation of the gospel. The use of online services should be taken positively because in a normal church service, some people still face problems of transport. However, with online church services, anyone can attend because such services are so easy to access. The only thing that a believer needs to do is login and there they can start watching and worshiping. Online church services allow those who want to worship two, three, or more times per week and to do so with ease. The physical church services also had their own challenges, particularly busyness that prevented some people from attending midweek services. However, in an online service, there is a possibility of attending the service while at work in an office. With good connectivity, some are even able to attend a church service while driving on the road. Thus, if taken positively, an online service is more efficient and time-saving than a physical church service. Spreading the good word becomes a lot easier when followers can just send someone a link and have them watch a service. Thus, virtual service reaches a wide and diverse array of people from all backgrounds and age groups. Watching a live church service online is a great entry point for people who want to let God into their lives, but do not yet feel comfortable going to church. As children grow up and form their own identities, it becomes difficult to make them want to go to church. With online

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church services, they can simply have them sit down in front of the computer or smart TV and watch a church service. Online church services allow Pentecostals to worship God in their own comfort. All they need to do now is to wake up and open their laptops. COVID-19 and the lockdown have made it possible for people to find God online. Indeed, as highlighted in the preceding sections, many Pentecostals have vibrant virtual ministries—they are leading in using technology to communicate the gospel and minister to their congregations. Most Pentecostal pastors are vigilant and savvy with technological developments and are active in the world of technology. Pentecostal Pastors have recognised as stated by Hans Kung that “the church’s essence is constant and unchangeable; [but] its form, on the other hand is changing according to the needs and circumstances of the times.”37 Pentecostal pastors have learnt that indeed preaching in this era is not just about standing on the pulpit and shout but to present virtual services and send voice note sermons at times to the congregation. Pentecostal Pastors are well-­conversant with the proclamation of the Word through live streaming,38 videos on Facebook, YouTube, SMS messages, WhatsApp groups, written sermons, and so forth. However, Pentecostal pastors can improve on their use of technology. Pentecostal preaching using these technological developments means that pastors must learn to make their sermons shorter, more compact, to really think about what to say, and how to say it with fewer words. Pentecostal pastors online cannot preach a long sermon the way they used to preach in a church building. They should rather adjust to the new way and find possibilities of communicating in a better way. Furthermore, Pentecostal preachers should guard against having a dubious theological content specifically on social media platforms such as Facebook.39 In doing a presentation, Pentecostal pastors should be careful not to project personal stories too much as the centre of their content (which is something that can be rudely exposed by social media); it must be about the Good News of the Bible, pointing away from personal life. The focus of the Good News should be on the love and care of God, the salvation and grace of our Lord  Hans Kung, The Church (Edinburgh: A&C Black, 2001), 2.  Kgatle, “Religious live-streaming 6. 39  Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, “Social media and religion: Missiological perspective on the link between Facebook and the emergence of prophetic churches in southern Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 39, no. 1 (2018): 1–6. 37 38

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Jesus Christ, and the communion and consolation of the Holy Spirit. In this way, the virtual platforms become fruitful, even though they cannot really replace the normal church service in a church building. This digital church especially in South Africa might disadvantage some of the older people who love physical church services, especially those who were born before modern information technology and who do not have access to laptops and smartphones, especially in the rural areas and disadvantaged communities. Many of them will not be able to access their Pastor’s services because they may not be using Facebook and WhatsApp as their preferred way of communicating. It is mostly young people, young adults, and middle-aged people who have more efficient use of technology. However, Kgatle suggested that the elderly need to be encouraged to fellowship in their homes, to read their bibles, pray, and partake in the Holy Communion on their own.40 In this way, the elderly will not feel left out during the pandemic as they will still be in touch with their God through family prayer meetings. Pentacostal Pastors are in online church services should also find creative ways of collecting church offerings and tithes without necessarily imposing givings on the people. They should have a different platform where they address their members on tithes and offerings instead of using public platforms such as Facebook to ask for offerings and tithes.41 Other effective ways of collecting tithes and offerings are through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) through which church members should be encouraged to deposit their offerings in the church’s bank account instead of bringing it to church. Although this might be a challenge since most Pentecostals are used to bring their love offering to their pastor for prayers, electronic transfer systems should be encouraged during the pandemic. Many of the elderly people as stated above cannot do EFT and many of them do not earn enough. However, should they wish to give during the online services can still do so through their children or grandchildren who are savvy with technology. The collection of funds should be done so that the church is still able to run even though it is using the online mode. The followers in Pentecostal churches should have an understanding that even though they do not have contact sessions; the electricity and rates services do not stop running. The followers in these churches should be able to support their pastors during  Kgatle, “Religious live-streaming” 5.  Ibid.

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an online service, the same way they did during a contact session. They should be able to use every tool at their disposal to support the preaching of the Good News, including those things that make them uncomfortable including giving. It is exactly in the challenging times that Pentecostals should share the gospel and see God’s kingdom grow. As John Wesley wrote in his instructions for singing hymns, “If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.”42 This means taking the cross of becoming a blessing during an online service for the benefit of the kingdom of God. Naturally, Pentecostals in South Africa are givers but some of them might have been shaken by the pandemic as they lost jobs and businesses. However, for those who still have something to give they can become a blessing in an online church setting. Pentecostal pastors can improve on the ministration of holy communion through virtual platforms. This means that families will have to prepare their own bread and wine which they can partake together with their pastor through a virtual platform. What remains a challenge is water baptism. However, the baptism of new members can be arranged to be done in church since there are not so many people baptised in a specific time. Instead of insisting to pray for people through the laying on of hands, Pentecostal pastors can pray for people while presenting the sermon on an online platform. People with specific prayer points can send them to a pastor for a special prayer. When it comes to funeral services and night vigils, Pentecostal pastors should be careful that they do not become victims of the pandemic. In other words, the ministry should not be done at the expanse of their lives but should rather take care of themselves while conducting the funeral rites.

2.6  Conclusion The closing of churches during COVID-19 forced churches to find new ways of staying open and being church, and in many instances, churches have survived. Pentecostal churches have learnt during this time of COVID-19 to live-stream sermons, do online liturgy, conduct religious rites online, and request for tithes and offerings online. Pentecostals in South Africa have come to know exactly what the mission of the church is and how they can embrace theologies that are life-affirming and 42  Hans Küng, Truthfulness: the future of the church (London & Sydney: Sheed & Ward, 1968).

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transforming to reflect and mirror the reign of God during a pandemic through new technological developments. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed Pentecostals in South Africa that the church does not live within walls, but rather that it is the people of God who, in the power of the Holy Spirit, live and long for God’s reign in the world. The Kingdom (or reign) of God is the primary missional perspective of the church as Pentecostals continue to pray for, and work towards, God’s justice, peace, righteousness, and love on earth. The church is a sign, symbol, and pointer to that kingdom as it is both called out of the world and sent into the world to be the presence of God. However, for theologians interested in South African and global Pentecostalism, it is important to think further about the development of the virtual ecclesiology that came to a rise during COVID-19. In this chapter, such a Pentecostal virtual ecclesiology should be cognizant of the difference between the church audience and the public. Therefore, a Pentecostal preacher online should prepare their content in such a way that it will suit both the church audience and the public. Second, it should be an ecclesiology that is able to take care of the elderly who cannot access the technological developments. Third, virtual ecclesiology should be able to encourage people through EFT without compelling the have-nots. Lastly, it must be an ecclesiology that maintains the integrity of the gospel even on an online stage. Therefore, a Pentecostal preacher should refrain from preaching that makes their personal lives the centre of their sermons, while on a public platform they should endeavour to centre on the kingdom of God.

References Adam, Adolf. Foundations of liturgy: an introduction to its history and practice. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1992. Anderson, Allan Heaton. Bazalwane: African Pentecostals in South Africa. Pretoria: University of South Africa, 1992. Anderson, Allan, and Samuel Otwang. TUMELO: the faith of African Pentecostals in South Africa. Pretoria: University of South Africa, 1993. Anderson, Allan Heaton. Spirit-Filled World: Religious Dis/Continuity in African Pentecostalism. Basel: Springer, 2018. Archer, Kenneth. “Nourishment for our journey: The Pentecostal via salutis and sacramental ordinances.” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 13, no. 1 (2004): 79–96.

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Asamoah-Gyadu, J. Kwabena. “Anointing through the screen: Neo-Pentecostalism and televised Christianity in Ghana.” Studies in World Christianity 11, no. 1 (2005): 9–28. Asamoah-Gyadu, J. Kwabena. “Pentecostal media images and religious globalization in sub-saharan Africa,” In Mary Hess, ed., Belief in media: cultural perspectives on media and Christianity Belief in Media, Abingdon: Routledge, 2020, 65–80. Banda, Collium. “Complementing Christ? A soteriological evaluation of the anointed objects of the African Pentecostal prophets.” Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary 2018, no. se2 (2018): 55–69. Banda, Collium. “Managing an elusive force? The Holy Spirit and the anointed articles of Pentecostal prophets in traditional religious Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 40, no. 1 (2019): 1–10. Banda, Collium. “Doctrine as security? A systematic theological critique of the operational theological framework of the controversial South African neo-­ Pentecostal prophets.” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 77, no. 4 (2021): 1–10. Baron, Eugene, and Khamadi J. Pali. “The shaping and formation of a missional ecclesiology of township congregations in the Mangaung Metro Municipality during COVID-19.” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 77, no. 3 (2021): 11. Berger, Teresa, and Bryan D.  Spinks, eds. The Spirit in worship-Worship in the Spirit. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2009. Bossie, Robert, Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Linda Thomas, Frank Rogers, Michelle Walsh, Lisa Stenmark, Willie Hudson et  al. Taking It to the Streets: Public Theologies of Activism and Resistance. Lanman: Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018. Cartledge, Mark J., and A.  J. Swoboda, eds. Scripting Pentecost: A Study of Pentecostals, Worship and Liturgy. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. Chitando, Ezra. Singing culture: A study of gospel music in Zimbabwe. No. 121. Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute, 2002. Constantineanu, Corneliu, and Christopher James Scobie, eds. Pentecostals in the 21st Century: Identity, Beliefs, Praxis. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018. De Witte, Marleen. “Altar media’s living word: Televised charismatic Christianity in Ghana.” Journal of Religion in Africa 33, no. 2 (2003): 172–202. De Witte, Marleen. “Modes of binding, moments of bonding. Mediating divine touch in Ghanaian Pentecostalism and traditionalism.” In Bergit Meyer, Aesthetic formations: Media, religion, and the senses, New  York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, 183–205.

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Edwards, Korie L. “Race, religion, and worship: Are contemporary African-­ American worship practices distinct?.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 48, no. 1 (2009): 30–52. Frahm-Arp, Maria. “Pneumatology and Prophetic Pentecostal Charismatic Christianity during COVID-19 in South Africa.” In Mookgo Solomon Kgatle and Allan Anderson, The Use and Abuse of the Spirit in Pentecostalism: South African perspective, pp. 150–174. Abingdon: Routledge, (2020). Jacobsen, Douglas. The world's Christians: Who they are, where they are, and how they got there. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2021. Kay, William K. SCM Core Text Pentecostalism. Norwich: Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd, 2013. Kay, William, and Anne E.  Dyer. Pentecostal and charismatic studies: A reader. London: SCM Press, 2017. Kgatle, Mookgo S. “Social media and religion: Missiological perspective on the link between Facebook and the emergence of prophetic churches in southern Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 39, no. 1 (2018): 1–6. Kgatle, Mookgo S. “Singing as a therapeutic agent in Pentecostal worship.” Verbum et Ecclesia 40, no. 1 (2019a): 1–7. Kgatle, Mookgo Solomon. The fourth Pentecostal wave in South Africa: A critical engagement. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019b. Kgatle, Mookgo Solomon. “Religious live-streaming in response to coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in South Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020): 1–6. Kgatle, Mookgo Solomon. “Spirituality of Liberation in African Pentecostal Worship and Its Implications for Black Theology.” Black Theology 19, no. 2 (2021): 168–180. Kgatle, Mookgo S., and Puleng Segalo. “Grieving during a pandemic: A psycho-­ theological response.” Verbum et Ecclesia 42, no. 1 (2021): 6. Küng, Hans. Truthfulness: the future of the church, London & Sydney: Sheed & Ward, 1968. Kung, Hans. The Church. Edingburgh: A&C Black, 2001. Leoh, Vincent. “A Pentecostal preacher as an empowered witness.” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 9, no. 1 (2006): 35–58. Martin, Lee Roy. “Towards a biblical model of Pentecostal prophetic preaching.” Verbum et Ecclesia 37, no. 1 (2016): 1–9. Martin, Lee Roy. “The Uniqueness of Spirit-Filled Preaching.” in Mark Williams and Lee Roy Martin, eds. Spirit-Filled Preaching in the 21st Century, Montgomery: Pathway Press, 2013, 199–212 Miller, Thandi and Kenneth T. Strongman. “The emotional effects of music on religious experience: A study of the Pentecostal-charismatic style of music and worship.” Psychology of Music 30, no. 1 (2002): 8–27.

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Mogoane, Motsepe Lawrence. “The role and impact of women in worship in the Pentecostal churches of the Germiston district of Gauteng: a ritual-liturgical exploration.” PhD diss., University of Pretoria, 2019. Nel, Marius. “Attempting to develop a Pentecostal theology of worship.” Verbum et ecclesia 37, no. 1 (2016): 1–8. Nel, Marius. An African Pentecostal hermeneutics: A distinctive contribution to hermeneutics. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018. Pillay, Jerry. “COVID-19 shows the need to make church more flexible.” Transformation 37, no. 4 (2020): 266–275. Richie, Tony. Essentials of Pentecostal Theology: An Eternal and Unchanging Lord Powerfully Present & Active by the Holy Spirit. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2020. Stephenson, Christopher A. Types of Pentecostal theology: Method, system, spirit. Oxford University Press, 2013. Synan, Vinson, and Amos Yong, eds. Global renewal Christianity: spirit-empowered movements past, present, and future. Lake Mary: Charisma Media, 2017. Togarasei, Lovemore. “Mediating the gospel: Pentecostal Christianity and media technology in Botswana and Zimbabwe.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27, no. 2 (2012): 257–274. Ukah, Asonzeh. “Advertising God: Nigerian Christian video-films and the power of consumer culture.” Journal of religion in Africa 33, no. 2 (2003): 203-231. Ukah, Asonzeh. “Prosperity, Prophecy and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Healing Economy of African Pentecostalism.” Pneuma 42, no. 3–4 (2020): 430-459. Vondey, Wolfgang. “The making of a Black liturgy: Pentecostal worship and spirituality from African slave narratives to American cityscapes.” Black Theology 10, no. 2 (2012): 147–168. Vondey, Wolfgang. “Religion as Play: Pentecostalism as a theological type.” Religions 9, no. 3 (2018): 80. Vondey, Wolfgang. The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology. Abingdon: Routledge, 2020.

CHAPTER 3

Virtual Ecclesiology on the Rise: Considering the Challenges Posed by COVID-19 in South Africa Erna Oliver

3.1   Introduction In times of crisis, whether it is a global or local catastrophe or a personal or collective disaster, what and how we believe tend to rise to the top of the list of things that we treasure as important and meaningful in our lives. It is therefore not surprising that amid the current pandemic, Christians all over the world are contemplating about their faith and the Christian message and mission. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will eventually subside, and humanity will adapt because, according to consensus, the world will not return to its pre-pandemic state. The future will probably bring other and ever-increasing challenges, like a possible global outbreak

E. Oliver (*) Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_3

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of the even more deadly Nipah1 virus, or disasters such as resource depletion and more natural or human-made catastrophes. Christianity shares its remarkable adaptability with humanity and has survived intense challenges and changes—from both inside and outside— during the past 2000 years such as persecutions, wars, schism and secularisation. To prevail through the twenty-first century, will require major adjustments and transformations to the character of the church that were up to recently rather unthinkable and unattainable. The current unstable environment provides a fertile setting for the development of a fluent and adaptable virtual ecclesiology. A few years ago, Ward called ecclesiology the “new rock and roll”, owing to the renewed focus on Christianity and the functioning of the church in society.2 He added that the “Church is being reshaped and reimagined as a myriad of new ecclesial forms burst onto the scene”.3 And while Christianity is evolving once more through restructuring and remodelling to adjust to the changing world in which the Christian church and society currently find themselves, the world is watching. It notices what Christians are saying, but it pays even closer attention to our actions and, by doing so, it is providing the bride of Christ with the opportunity to proclaim and demonstrate that which makes the Christian religion unique, namely love, in all its fullness to the world. The opportunity to witness to the world in times of uncertainty also gives Christians the chance to change what is wrong with the church and institutions and to revolve back to what Jesus meant his followers to be. We can generate positive change through re-thinking what the core values and mission of Christianity are and once again get Christians to focus on being people of the way (Acts 9:2; 24:14). For this to happen, major paradigm shifts are required, pioneered by the same high spirit and strong faith that the “reckless ones”4 of Alexandria in North Africa (about 1  The Nipah virus was first detected in 1999 in Malaysia. It infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease with a high death rate among people (WHO, “Nipah Virus Infection”, World Health Organization, 2018, https://www.who.int/health-topics/ nipah-virus-infection#tab=tab_1) 2  Paul Ward, Liquid Ecclesiology: The Gospel and the Church (Leiden: Brill, 2017), 1. 3  Ward, Liquid Ecclesiology, 2. 4  The Latin term parabalani, derived from the ancient Greek parabolanoi, can be translated as “persons who risktheir lives as nurses to attend to the sick” (Henry G. Liddel and Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon [Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968], 1305). These people were also known as the “reckless ones” who cared for the sick and buried the dead, well knowing that by doing this, they could also get sick and die.

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300 AD) displayed. Christians’ acts of love and caring towards other people, which Emperor Julian the Apostate wrote about in 360 AD, bore witness to the impact that the gospel and the mission of the church can and should have.5 This brings the following question to mind: Will this generation be known for being church to the world when future generations look back on how we reacted to the opportunities provided to us? The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa have resulted in innovative ways in which the body of Christ witnesses and proclaims the gospel. These actions and inventions (some of which are included in this book), from grassroots level up to institutional transformation, now call for follow-up actions to revise and update the formal description of the nature and structure of Christian ecclesiology. This chapter takes a brief introductory look at the rise and possible use of virtual ecclesiology to realise more open and diverse collaboration between churches and denominations, and between individual believers from all over the world in their unique environments and circumstances, to bring God’s love, acceptance, hope and salvation to the world. First, the term “virtual ecclesiology” needs to be unpacked and the positive meaning that can be linked to it should be emphasised. After noting how virtual ecclesiology can convert a few of the problem areas that the current diverse ecclesiologies are causing for the growth and development of faith, the focus moves to the unique contribution that South African Pentecostalistic ecclesiology can make to elevate virtual ecclesiology as a fresh way of being church in a COVID-adapted world order.

3.2   In Search of an Applicable Definition Although both the terms “virtual” and “ecclesiology” have been around for a long time and are familiar to most of us, the combined term “virtual ecclesiology” is still a fairly new concept. This notion really became more commonly used since the COVID-19 pandemic struck and lockdown 5  In his 22nd letter, the Letter to Arsacius (the Roman high priest of Galatia in 362), Emperor Julian (the Apostate) referred to Christians as follows: “[W]hy do we not observe that it is their [Christians] benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead and the pretended holiness of their lives that have done most to increase atheism [i.e.not believing in the Roman gods] … the impious Galilaeans [Christians] support not only their own poor but ours as well” (Julian the Apostate [Flavius Claudius Iulianus], Letters, [London: William Heinemann, 1923]; cf. also StephanJ. Joubert, Jesus Radical, Righteous, Relevant [Vereeniging: Christian Art Publishers, 2012, 168]).

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rules prevented faith communities from going about their business as usual. Several other terms, such as “digital ecclesiology”,6 which focuses on the use of media technology, and “liquid ecclesiology”7 are also used to describe the complex and liquefied understanding of church life that “comes from the complexity, ambiguity, and nuance that characterizes the lived expression of the Church”.8 The subject “ecclesiology” forms a subcategory of the field of systematic theology. The term is derived from the well-known Greek term “ekklesia”, which has generally been translated by Christians since New Testament times as “assembly” or “church”. The declension to ecclesiology only came into regular use by the mid-eighteenth century. In 1837, the term “ecclesiology” first appeared in an academic journal, The British Critic, and it was explained by the anonymous author as. a science which may treat of the proper construction and operations of the Church, or Communion, or Society of Christians; and which may regard men as they are members of that society, whether members of the Christian Church in the widest acceptation of the term, or members of some branch or communion of that Church, located in some separate kingdom, and governed according to its internal forms of constitution and discipline.9

In 1845, the Cambridge Camden Society claimed that its journal, The Ecclesiologist, had first invented and published the term “ecclesiology”.10 The first edition of The Ecclesiologist was printed in 1841 to promote the restoration of Anglican church buildings. The original meaning of the declension of the term was therefore related to the structure and decoration of church buildings. Although systematic theology was developed in the twelfth century, it started to blossom in the sixteenth century owing to the influence of the 6  Heidi A. Campbell (ed.), ‘Digital Ecclesiology: A Global Conversation’, Digital Religion Publications, 2020. 7  Ward starts by defining “Solid Church” as “a gathering in one place, at one time, with the purpose of performing a shared ritual”. He then explains the growing fluidity in society and culture and asks for theology to move from solidity to fluidity because “fluidity is a characteristic of both divine being and of human culture” (Ward, Liquid Ecclesiology, 10). 8  Ward, Liquid Ecclesiology, 5. 9  Anon, “Ecclesialogy”, The British Critic Quarterly Theological Review and Ecclesiastical Record 22, no. 41 (1837): 218–248. 10  Cambridge Camden Society, “Preface: The Ecclesiologist”, Cambridge Camden Society 4, no. 1 (1845): 2.

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Protestant Reformation, when denominations and churches began to demarcate their beliefs, formats, structures, and organisational models. Ecclesiology formally became part of the theological disciplinary structure by the 1950s11 and the term is currently used to describe the nature and structure of the Christian church. The Oxford Handbook of Ecclesiology12 states that ecclesiology describes the church’s self-understanding of its origins, structures, authority, doctrine, ministry, sacraments, unity, diversity, and mission in relation to society, culture, and the state. In practice, this means that ecclesiology is theology as it is subscribed to and applied by a specific Christian church or denomination. Members of such specific groups emphasise their own understanding or interpretations, models and structures (read: dogma) that make them unique and set them apart from other churches or denominations in the Christian tradition. Ecclesiology, therefore, describes a specific church or a denomination’s characteristics, which may be either self-defined or identified by others. Examples include Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Baptist or Pentecostal, Ecumenical and Charismatic ecclesiology. The aim of this chapter is to start a general and open discussion about the possibility of creating a new, global, inclusive ecclesiology by connecting Christians worldwide and facilitating interaction between them. Christians from all over the world, different denominations and churches, and all walks of life should be included in the discussion with the sole purpose of focusing on the Christian faith and the mission of the church in the world as it is altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, next we investigate how the term “ecclesiology” is currently used in conjunction with the adjective “virtual”. Surprisingly, the term “virtual” has been in use for much longer than the term “ecclesiology” although it is sometimes mistakenly limited to association with technological developments of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The root word, “virtus”, is a Latin term that can be translated as “strength” or “virtue”. During the fifteenth century, the meaning changed to mean “efficacious” or “potential” (i.e. “very close to being something without actually being it” or “almost or nearly as described,

11  Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, “Ecclesiology”, n.d., https://www.merriamwebster. com/dictionary/ecclesiology. 12  Paul Avis (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Ecclesiology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018).

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but not completely or according to strict definition”).13 In the current era of fourth revolutions,14 the term mostly refers to “being such in power, force, or effect, though not actually or expressly such”,15 for instance an image that is “temporarily simulated or extended”16 through the use of computer software and technology. Currently, most people, when asked what they understand by the term “virtual ecclesiology”, answer that it is a form of church or worship or Christian religion linked to a kind of communication technology such as a computer, laptop, or mobile phone. Some people substitute the term “virtual ecclesiology” with more familiar, seemingly similar terms such as “online church”, “digital church” and “e-church”. With that comes the question whether these terms can be used as synonyms or if each one has its own specific meaning and field of reference. “Virtual ecclesiology” is an overarching or umbrella term, while “online church” and “e-church” are two specific ways in which faith communities could or are moving or have already moved their worship services and pastoral care, and large parts or even the whole ministry, to a technology-­ based, networking platform in order to accommodate the COVID-19 restrictions. E-church was founded in 2002 by Stephan Joubert, a South African citizen then living in New Zealand, who started an e-mail ministry that developed into a worldwide online Christian community.17 E-church is not linked to a specific denomination or tradition and does not ­substitute local churches and congregations. It is “just another way of being church 13  Dictionary.com, n.d. “Virtual”, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/virtual#:~:text= adjective,Optics. 14  Although most of us are familiar with the term “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (Klaus Schwab, The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What it Means, How to Respond [Geneva: World Economic Forum]), this is not the only fourth revolution we are currently experiencing. In fact, there are a number of revolutions and fourth revolutions taking place that are contributing to the liquid reality we are experiencing, like the fourth communication revolution (Mark Warschauer & Tina Matuchniak, “New Technology and Digital Worlds: Analyzing Evidence of Equity in Access, Use, and Outcomes” Review of Research in Education 34, no. 1 [2010]: 179; cf. Stevan Harnad, “Post-Gutenberg Galaxy: The Fourth Revolution in the Means of Production of Knowledge”, Public-Access Computer Systems Review 2, no. 1 [1991]: 39–53), and the fourth revolution of self-awareness (Luciano Floridi, The 4th Revolution: How the Infosphere is Reshaping Human Reality [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014]). 15  Dictionary.com, “Virtual”. 16  Ibid. 17  Ian Nell, “Virtual Leadership? The E-church as a South African Case in Point”, HTS Theological Studies 72, no. 2 (2016). 9 pages.

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in the world”.18 At about the same time, at the beginning of the new millennium, online or internet churches (also known as cyber or digital churches) became a popular way of providing an opportunity for people to participate in religious services and events. These online churches use the internet to conduct and facilitate some or all of their religious activities and ministries. Defining the term “virtual ecclesiology” is therefore no easy task. Its link with the notion of “simulated”, “not actual” or “not real” poses a life-threatening danger to the future and potential development of a virtual ecclesiology that could rewrite church history by adding a much more positive, productive, global, and unifying chapter to the current chaos that both the Christian church and the world, in general, are experiencing. For this to become a reality, the original Latin term “virtus”, with its potential meanings of “strength” (the capacity to withstand great force or pressure—to stay true to the Christian faith) and “virtue” (behaviour that reveals high moral standards), must be actively brought into the centre when discussing the main content that should form part of virtual ecclesiology. From this, it should be clear that the potential meaning of the term “ecclesiology” has to be more open, inclusive, and diverse. Virtual ecclesiology in the twenty-first century world should describe the global Christian church’s self-understanding in terms of its faith and character as expressed by its members of all ranks and from all groups and denominations, from different geographical locations around the globe, united in their mission towards the world by using all available means and resources that include the optimum use of technology.19 Virtual ecclesiology should add on, expand and extend the existing modes and models used by the Christian community to effectively interact with different and unique contexts and environments. It should also provide a space and opportunity to debate  Ekerk, “Wat is E-Kerk?” (2020). https://www.ekerk.org/wat-is-ekerk.  I amended the definition used to describe virtual organisations: a virtual organisation can be defined as a goal-oriented enterprise, composed of multiple members who reside in geographically dispersed locations and use technology media to communicate and coordinate the fulfillment of a defined objective or task (cf. Michael Workman, “Virtual Team Culture and the Amplification of Team Boundary Permeability on Performance”, Human Resource Development Quarterly 16, no. 4 (2005): 435–458; Abbe Mowshowitz, Virtual Organization [Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 2002]; Marian Stoica and Bogdan Ghilic-Micu, “Virtual Organization—Cybernetic Economic System: Modeling Partner Selection Process”, Economic Computation & Economic Cybernetics Studies & Research 43, no. 2 (2009), 1–11; Jill Nemiro, Michael Beyerlein, Lori Bradley, and Susan Beyerlein, The Handbook of High-­ Performance Virtual Teams [San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008]). 18 19

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and unravel the complexities of theological content and the impact of concepts such as spirituality, piety, ecumenism, and missiology. Although this could easily be expanded into a book of its own, the next section will note just a few of the major aspects that virtual ecclesiology can successfully address. Thereafter we give a short overview about Pentecostalisation in Africa and move on to describe the possible contribution to and interaction with virtual ecclesiology that South African Pentecostal ecclesiology can make to empower believers during the turbulent times of the prolonged pandemic.

3.3   Virtual Ecclesiology Can Convert Problem Areas to Strengths 3.3.1   Promote Unity The nature of the virtual platforms where people of all denominations, churches, cultures, and nationalities can interact brings with it the potential for finally leaving behind those traditions and trends that promote schism and churchism. Cultural diversity and denominational variety must enrich Christianity and broaden the impact and reach that the Christian community could have on society. This is currently, sadly, not the case as ethnic and denominational divisions present major obstructions that prevent task-driven cooperation. The multiple individual Christian communities and organisations which for so long have mostly been defined and restricted by language, culture, race, worldview, tradition, and more, can, by using technology and by focusing on the shared “virtus-“vision, work towards ecumenism and unity with a focused global impact. Denominational schism as anchored by creed, broke Christianity into minuscule factions, each convinced that their belief system, worship style, and dogma are the only true and correct interpretations of God’s will. The authority of Scripture adhered to by all Christians must take priority over the interpretations thereof by institutions, denominations, and individuals.20 Groupings should be transcended, and Christians must engage in critical thinking (interrogating their own ideas, perceptions, actions, and beliefs and its consequences). This will lead to acceptance that other denominations and churches also have hold of the truth and open 20  Willem H.  Oliver and Erna Oliver, “Sola Scriptura: Authority versus Interpretation?” Acta Theologica 40, no. 1 (2020): 102–123.

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opportunities to learn from each other and to work side by side with fellow Christians of different ethnical or denominational backgrounds to bring salvation and hope to a global society that is sinking into depression, despair and other serious COVID-19 related sufferings (UN n.d.). 3.3.2   New Church Models There is a huge variety of church models, from the hierarchical and authoritarian models to the koinonia, oikos, and spiritual models, as well as the models derived from Biblical images of the church of which the images of “light” and “salt” seem to be the most commonly used. Through virtual ecclesiology, these models can be expanded to incorporate more open and flexible models as well as technology-based collaboration and interaction. Although models can be used as tools to express our thoughts and ideas about the church in the world, “[t]he crucial question here pertains to the relationship between an idealist and concrete ecclesiology. The earlier is addressed via models while reflections on concrete activities and distinctive functions of the church relate to the latter”.21 It is time to move away from the idealistic to a more practical ecclesiology. Virtual ecclesiology will hopefully be able to end the high value that Christians tend to put on assets such as church buildings, campuses and facilities. Vast amounts of money are invested in properties that are often only used for a few hours each week, and with COVID-19 restrictions in place, often not at all. As early as 1995, Beckham has called for churches to become. less isolated from the world in which it lives, more relevant to the needs of society—especially, sick, poor and jobless, more compassionate in the way it uses money and manpower, reaching more people instead of promoting better programmes, less materialist with its huge buildings and money, more redemptive and less political, less influenced by the world it is called to influence.22

Christians must realise that these seemingly important things can, especially in the current pandemic situation, be utilised in much more 21  Teddy C. Sakupapa, “Ecumenical Ecclesiology in the African Context: Towards a View of the Church as Ubuntu,” Scriptura 117, no. 1 (2018): 15. 22  William A. Beckham, The Second Reformation: Reshaping the Church for the 21st Century (Houston, TX: Touch Publications, 1995), 26–27.

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productive, fruitful, and innovative ways (e.g. as isolation centres, hospitals, housing for the homeless, clinics, schools, and day-care centres while vegetable gardens and nurseries and greenhouses can replace lawns and parking lots). And while these assets can be put into much needed and more productive use, the workplace of the church must move away from structures to where the physical and spiritual needs of the world are. Some churches and denominations tend to value their programmes, political powers, lifestyle, and social status more than the lives and salvation of people. The restrictions, chaos and devastation that the pandemic brought will hopefully bring transformation from both the side of the religious institutions and leaders as well as the nominal Christians to search for new innovative ways to interconnect and promote the realisation of the Christian vision. 3.3.3   Refocused Theological Training Although the Bible is the number one best-selling book23 and even the most often stolen book from bookshops,24 knowledge and understanding of the content and message of the Bible diminished dramatically during the past century. This led to a drastic weakening of the principle of the priesthood of all believers25 that warranted mutual accountability, responsibility and respect between believers of all ranks and positions. A renewed focus on theological education is needed to develop mature faith that enables believers to use their gifts both inside the church and to the b ­ enefit of the world. Theological education must once again be prioritised both at home and as part of the formal activities of churches and denominations albeit from an accommodating and open perspective. 23  More than 5 billion copies of the Bible have been sold (All Top Everything.com, 2021: h t t p s : / / w w w. a l l t o p e v e r y t h i n g . c o m / t o p - 1 0 - b e s t - s e l l i n g - b o o k s - o f - a l l -­ time/#:~:text=The%20Bible,-~%205%20billion%20copies&text=The%20Bible%20is%20 the%20best,and%20the%201st%20Century%20 CE. Accessed 23 May 2021). 24  CNNMoney, 2013. You stole what? & bizarre items thieves love. CNNMoney. https:// money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/2013/06/07/bizarre-stolen-items/. Accessed 23 May 2021. Cf. Khanyi Ndabeni, 2015. Bible top of SA book thieves’ best-stealer list. 17 May 2015 by Khanyi Ndabeni. Sunday Times, https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/ news/2015-05-17-bible-top-of-sa-book-thieves-best-stealer-list/, Accessed 23 May 2021. 25  All Christians share the same calling, responsibility, and dignity. It entails privileges such as direct access to God without the mediation of a human priest and the individual interpretation of Scripture as well as responsibilities like love, holiness, study and knowledge of the faith and sharing it with others (Herschel H.  Hobbs, You are chosen: the Priesthood of all believers [San Francisco: Harper, 1990]).

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Due to the impact that theology has on education, epistemology and philosophy26 and its potential of modelling society, theological education must also be transformed at tertiary level. Oyler states that the curriculum of a Higher Education institution should be structured in such a way that students both encounter the world and are being encouraged to become responsible and active citizens with sound moral principles.27 In line with the practical expressions of faith and participation in religious activities that exhilarate during the pandemic, universities and seminaries must make the content of their programmes assessable (open source), interactive and interdisciplinary to embrace a more open, and sustainable way of witnessing and providing educational content and opportunities for learning to all. 3.3.4  Spirituality The blurring of lines between physical, digital and biological components due to the influence of the fourth industrial revolution opens the opportunity to wipe out the existing separations between personal faith, institutionalised religion and spirituality. The call is for a holistic and liquid spirituality that can change form and structure as and when needed to infuse all sectors of life in all circumstances. An open approach to spirituality can avail an infinite amount of knowledge, insights, virtues, qualities, moral guidelines, and practical lifelines from different traditions, theologies, and doctrines that can be used productively to construct a new and fresh Christian perspective on life. 3.3.5  Discernibility Christianity must convey sustainable transformation through renewed audibility and visibility. Through its prophetic voice, Christians must address moral and ethical issues that society28 struggles with, stimulate 26  Peter Harrison, 2009, The fall of Man and the Foundations of Science (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). 27  Celia Oyler, 2012, Actions speak louder than words: Community activism as curriculum (Routledge, New York, 2012), 1. 28  Christianity has the obligation to address and guide believers in all sectors of humanity such as medical questions (e.g. cloning, euthanasia), juridical issues (e.g. death penalty, human trafficking), economic problems (e.g. money laundering, prosperity gospel); political guidance (e.g. corruption, nepotism), ecological issues (e.g. earth keeping), and cosmological questions (e.g. life on other planets).

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academia and provide guidance to churches, denominations and organisations. The encouraging and directive voice of the church must be heard constantly in all three public spheres29 to ensure that the whole spectrum of humanity becomes infused with the gospel message, its vision, and its actions. Supporting the voice of the church in proclaiming positive change is the visible and tangible ways that Christianity brings transformation to the world. In South Africa (and some other countries) the church is recognised as the strongest and most influential non-government organisation30 with influence even in the smallest and most remote rural areas. Women organisations, cell groups, local congregations, and even individual believers are championing outreach and charity work. The infrastructure and network that virtual ecclesiology provides can expand this kind of work and impact on society immensely. 3.3.6  Technology This brings us to one of the most important tools that virtual ecclesiology can use to accomplish the aforementioned ideals. Information and communication technology is the latest add-on to the row of communication developments (speech, writing, printing). Just as the Protestant Reformers used the cutting-edge technology of their time, which was the printing press, to get the message and their ideas into the world, so does the technology-­based communication network provide a state-of-the-art platform for virtual ecclesiology to develop and grow within the developing dispensation of a COVID-19 world. The focus should be on the optimal use of all social, electronic, and digital media and platforms to advance and coordinate the proclamation of the gospel and actualise the Christian mission. 29  David Tracy identifies the three public spheres in which theology operates as society, academia, and the church (David Tracy, “On theological education: A reflection,” in Rodney Petersen & Nancy Rourke (eds.), Theological literacy for the twenty-first century (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002), 13–22. 30  Johannes G.  Erasmus, “Who are the people with no religion?” In Johan. Symington (Ed.), South African Christian handbook 2005/2006 (Cape Town, Lux Verbi, 2005), 87–101. Also, a few years ago, the government admitted to its inability to promote positive social transformation and asked religious institutions with their widespread networks and influences to provide such infrastructure by using governmental funds (Neels Jackson, “Staat gee geld vir armes in pakt met godsdiensgroepe.” Beeld. 25 July 2007, 4).

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Now an important question remains: To what extend can everything that is said above be linked to Africa and the South African Pentecostal environment in the current circumstances and towards developing a radical and positive virtual ecclesiology to serve the pandemic-ridden society?

3.4  African Pentecostal Ecclesiology as a Response to Social-Political and Spiritual Needs A hundred years ago, there were twice as many Christians living in Europe than in the rest of the world. Today both Africa and Latin America have more Christians than Europe. The percentage of the unevangelised part of the world population dropped from 54.3% in 1900 to 28.3% in 2020.31 In addition to this, statistics show that the centre of world Christianity is moving south, to Africa where Christians accounted for 49% of the continent’s population in 2020. Most of the Christian churches that had been established in Africa by the nineteenth century missionary movements were trapped in the denominational ecclesiologies of the sending churches. The “scandal of denominationalism”32 as experienced by missionaries eventually led to the establishment of the global ecumenical movement. In 1963, the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) encouraged Christian churches to seek unity. This notion evolved during the following years and churches were urged also to be “engaged, involved and sensitive”, and to “be alive in the present in order to live better in the future”.33 This resulted in a shift from paternalistic to partnership church models. By 2008, the call came to revitalise theology and ecumenical and interfaith relationships.34 In 1995, Mugambi called for an African Reconstruction Theology that would shift the focus from liberation to reconstruction and social transformation.35 The Christian church in Africa is one of the most influential and sustainable institutions that reach deep into rural areas. Therefore, the church (not governments or other organisations) is 31  Aaron Earls (ed.), “10 Encouraging Trends of Global Christianity in 2020: Facts and Trends,” 2020, https://lifewayresearch.com/2020/06/10/10-encouraging-trends-ofglobal-christianity-in-2020/. 32  Sakupapa “Ecumenical Ecclesiology in the African Context,” 2. 33  AACC, The Struggle Continues: Official Report, Third Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches, Lusaka, Zambia 12–24 May 1974 (Nairobi: AACC, 1975), 38. 34  Sakupapa “Ecumenical Ecclesiology in the African Context,” 3. 35  Jesse N.K.  Mugambi, From Liberation to Reconstruction: African Christian Theology after the Cold War (Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers, 1995), 165.

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regarded as a vehicle that can bring about positive change in the lives of African people. New, contextual theologies continue to develop as and where there is a need and opportunity. By the 1960s several new theologies mushroomed and influenced African Christianity. The intention of African Theology, Black Theology, Liberation Theology, and Feminist Theology is transformative. Their aim is to eliminate discrimination, inequality, and social injustice. More voices are calling for the implementation of Ubuntu ecclesiology,36 an indigenous model that can add a unique perspective to ecclesiology and the way in which Christians witness to and interact with the world. Kgatle and Mashau propose a layered approach that includes theologies of life, care, solidarity, accompaniment, and justice to promote collective and individual well-being and wholeness.37 The shift towards contextualisation opens up a comprehensive, holistic approach to a diverse ecclesiology that weaves together strands from different theologies and ecclesiologies. African ecclesiology has also been shaped in another unique way: Pentecostalism is said to be the representative face of Christianity and an agent of social transformation on the continent.38 Already in the late nineteenth century, Africans (in Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Tanzania) started to break away from the authoritarian Western-orientated churches to organise themselves into different African Initiated/Independent/ Indigenous/Instituted Churches (AIC). These churches focused on the experience and practice of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts even prior to 36  Ubuntu Theology is developed in line with the writings of archbishop Desmond Tutu who penned the oral and social principle that is common to numerous African peoples into Christian terms (cf. Michael Battle, Reconciliation: The Ubuntu Theology of Desmond Tutu (Pilgrim Press, 2001). See also: Teddy C. Sakupapa, “Ecclesiology and Ethics: An Analysis of the History of the All Africa Conference of Churches (1963–2013)”, (PhD diss., University of the Western Cape, 2017), 257; Sakupapa Ecumenical Ecclesiology in the African Context,” 7; Derrick Mashau and Solomon Kgatle, “Prosperity Gospel and the Culture of Greed in Post-Colonial Africa: Constructing an Alternative African Christian Theology of Ubuntu,” Verbum et Ecclesia 40, no.1 (2019), 8 pages; Temba E. Ngcobo, “The Holy Communion and African Rituals: An Encounter between African Religion and Christianity”, HTS Theological Studies 76, no.3 (2020), 7 pages; Sandiswa L. Kobe, “Ubuntu as a Spirituality of Liberation for Black Theology of Liberation,” HTS Theological Studies 77 no.3 (2021), 8 pages. 37  Mashau & Kgatle, “Prosperity gospel,” 7. 38  Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity: Interpretations from an African Content (Oxford, Regnum Books International, 2013).

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the early twentieth-century development of Pentecostalism that sought to replace Christianity with Biblical founded, “supernatural, apostolic” faith.39 It is difficult to plot the global history and development of the Pentecostal-Charismatic-Neo-Pentecostal movement due to local variations, mutations, and different focus points such as repentance, prayer, or spiritual gifts. It is even more difficult to compile a workable definition for Neo-Pentecostalism. Neo-Pentecostalism is a pneumato-centric, trans-­ denominational renewal Christian movement that focuses on addressing religious and existential human needs. In addition, Prophetical or African Neo-Pentecostal churches and ministries started to gain momentum in Ghana and Nigeria since 1970. This movement centres around prophetism that brought extensive revival and opportunities for lay-leadership and spiritual growth as well as some unique challenges such as renewed male dominance, individualism, fragmentation, and fundamentalism.40 Pentecostalism, in line with both the early church and with African cultures, creates direct links between the invisible or spiritual world and the visible world. This association with the indigenous worldview of Africans, Hollenweger argues, is responsible for the exceptional growth of Pentecostalism in Africa.41 After the political liberation struggles, Pentecostal student movements started to mushroom on Nigerian university campuses.42 They soon crossed national borders and replaced the character of mission-based African Christianity with a contextualised and enculturated faith. These events are now referred to as the Pentecostalisation of Africa.43 The key to this successful transformation was the translation of Christianity into African culture. As seen through the centuries, the Christian faith changed every time it came into contact with a different culture: 39  Micheal J.  Mcclymond, Charismatic Renewal and Neo-Pentecostalism: From North American Origins to global Permutations, 31. 40  Chammah J. Kaunda, “‘The emptied authority’: African Neo-Pentecostalism, modernisation of sacred authority, and gendered and sexualised constructions of violence,” Acta Theologica 40, no.2 (2020): 231. 41  Walter J.  Hollenweger, “The Pentecostal Elites and the Pentecostal Poor: A Missed Dialogue?” Charismatic Christianity as a Global Culture, ed. Karla Poewe (Columbia, University of South Carolina Press, 1994), 210. 42  Umar H.D.  Danfulani, “African Culture, Christ and the Academia: The Need to Christianise the African Cultural Matrix,” Ogbomoso Journal of Theology 17, no.1 (2012): 40. 43  Opoku Onyinah, “African Christianity in the Twenty-First Century,” Word & World 27, no.3 (2007): 309.

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In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next it moved to Europe, where it became a culture [Catholic; Protestant; Orthodox], and, finally, it moved to America where it became an enterprise.44 In Africa, Christianity became pneumatic and prophetical.

Inculturation “results in new forms and understanding of Christianity”,45 as the character of both Christianity and the culture tends to be changed through interaction, although their respective identities stay the same. In all circumstances, Christians must strive to remain true to the essence of the gospel; they must be a Messianic people in any given context and location and circumstance or crisis. It is important that they should be aware of the cross-pollination between religion and culture, and ensure that only that which may be changed, is transformed. Lastly, although the use of media and technology has the potential to either improve or complicate the functioning of religious matters, it seems that the Pentecostal movement in Africa is using these tools and gadgets to its advantage. Technology is used to stay in touch with congregants and fellow Christians, wherever they may be, to expand the impact of worship services, to promote church events, to encourage engagement and even to increase productivity in the church office. Poor communication seems to be something of the past. Technology has a positive effect on “church growth, spiritual upliftment of members and its concomitant effect on society as a whole”46 in Nigeria. Togarasei states that Pentecostal churches in Botswana and Zimbabwe have fully embraced the use of technology, which sets them apart from churches like the “African Independent Churches that consider such technologies as trivializing Christianity”.47 As early as 2015, Magezi identified three types of pastors when it comes to

44   Richard Halverson, Richard Halverson Quotes. n.d. https://www.azquotes.com/ author/22359-Richard_Halverson. 45  John W. de Gruchy, “From Cairo to the Cape: The significance of Coptic Orthodoxy for African Christianity,” Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 99 (1997): 38. 46  Fummilola O.  Omotayo, “Adoption and Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Pentecostal Churches in Ibadan, Nigeria,” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 49, no.2 (2016): 222. 47   Lovemore Togarasei, “Mediating the Gospel: Pentecostal Christianity and Media Technology in Botswana and Zimbabwe,” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 no.2 (2012): 257.

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the use and implementation of technology in church life.48 Technology is sometimes also implemented to shine the light on negative aspects of Pentecostalism such as the extravagant lifestyles and corruption of some leaders, as well as their false prophecies49 and abuse of people. It could be stated that the use of technology enhances the concept of being church and provides a significant voice in shaping Christianity in Africa today and particularly in the current turbulent situation. On the whole, Africa has already made huge progress towards a workable virtual ecclesiology of openness, diversity, and global impact that can serve to lead the world into acceptance of an inclusive, diverse and virtuous model for Christianity in the developing environment of crisis management and survival.

3.5   South African Pentecostalism: “Made to Travel”50 in a COVID-19 World South Africa was one of the first African countries to be influenced by the Pentecostal theology from as early as 1908. After 1994, the influx of people from African countries brought eclectic African Pentecostalism to the major cities where it infuses and expands South African Pentecostalism even more. The debate is still open on if, where and how to accommodate the African Indigenous Churches and the Neo Prophetic Churches into the South African Pentecostal family. Clark identifies the Pentecostal groups in South Africa as Classical Pentecostal, Charismatic and the Pentecostal African Independent Churches (AIC),51 while Kgatle categorises them as 48  The networker/entrepreneur is a pastor who “is a technology embracer and is as sophisticated as the congregational members”. Pastors who are trailing society and technology are “confused technology consumer[s]” and pastors who are technology objectors are working in isolation (Vhumani Magezi, “Technologically Changing African Context and Usage of Information Communication and Technology in Churches: Towards Discerning Emerging Identities in Church Practice [A Case Study of Two Zimbabwean cities],” HTS Theological Studies 71, no.2 [2015]. 1 of 8). 49  Modupeoluwa Adekanye, Nigerians remind T.B. Joshua of his prophesy on Coronavirus. The Guardian. 26 March 2020. [Online.] https://guardian.ng/life/nigerians-reminds-t-bjoshua-­of-his-prophesy-on-coronavirus/, Accessed on 28 September 2021. 50   Murray Dempster, Byron Klaus and  Douglas Petersen, “The globalization of Pentecostalism: A religion made to travel,” (Wipf & Stock Pub, 2011). 51  Mathew Clark, “Pentecostal ecclesiology: A view from the global South,” Transformation 30, no.1 (2012): 46.

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Classic Pentecostals, Pentecostal AIC, Charismatics, and New Prophetic Churches.52 Frahm-Arp clusters the groups together as Pentecostal Charismatic Evangelical but excludes the AIC because these churches in the particular geographical area of her research did not identify themselves as Pentecostal.53 Due to the pendulum-like differences that exist between these streams on some aspects, it is impossible to make blanket statements regarding the Pentecostal tradition in South Africa. Kgatle correctly identifies spiritual experiences in Pentecostalism as the common denominator shared by all groups within South African Pentecostalism.54 He, therefore, speaks of a pneumatological ecclesiology.55 How does the pneumatological theology promote and prevent the development of virtual ecclesiology in the current situation? We will start with the negative aspects because the number on the negative side is less than on the positive side. However, the negative impact is unfortunately, disproportionally huge. Prosperity gospel is flourishing in the unequal, poverty-ridden South African society. The Neo Prophetical Churches focus on financial prosperity—often of the leader more than the congregants,56 while the Pentecostal Charismatic Evangelical group are prying on the social needs of the people by promoting “ability” “progress” and “miracle” prosperity theology.57 This promotes an “anything goes” mindset58 amongst believers who move from one group or church or leader to the next as their specific needs and circumstances change. Linked to the prosperity theology is the trend to emotionalise and sensationalise religious experiences, often by using social media that can promote shallow and unstable commitment to faith.

52  Solomon Kgatle, “New paradigms of pneumatological ecclesiology brought about by new prophetic churches within South African Pentecostalism,” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no.1 (2020), 1, a2053. https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v41i1.2053. 53  Maria Frahm-Arp, “Pentecostalism, politics, and prosperity in South Africa,” Religions 9, no.298 (2018), 1. 54  Kgatle, “New paradigms” 1. 55  Ibid., 3. 56  Mashau and Kgatle “Prosperity gospel” 4. 57  Frahm-Arp “Pentecostalism” 1. 58  Lina Kim, Most people believe salvation is earned by being good. Christianity Daily. 20 August 2020. [Online.] http://www.christianitydaily.com/articles/9691/20200820/mostpeople-believe-salvation-is-earned-by-beinggood.htm, Accessed on 20 September 2020.

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The “man of God” syndrome59 puts the spotlight on authoritarian leadership60 which often, especially in the case of the Neo Prophetical Churches, lead to dependency and manipulation of Scripture and people. Due to the lack of structure and organisation in these movements, the leaders cannot be held accountable for either their extravagant lifestyle, participation in corruption, or the outrageous and dangerous acts that they are often accused of or make their congregants do.61 On the positive side, the Pentecostal movement and churches are contributing to a number of paradigm shifts that can serve as examples for traditional, conservative, and/or organisationally bound churches and bring fresh, new perspectives to take steps towards the development of virtual ecclesiology. Based upon the principle of holistic spirituality, it flows naturally that the inclusion of all people on a non-rational basis is one of the most important positive social influences. Clark notes the sense of a collective and extended family community that is typical of the Pentecostal family.62 Women, young people, and other marginalised groups are welcomed and included in leadership roles and encouraged to participate in programmes and events. All believers are encouraged to know and use their gifts and to build strong individual relationships with God. The mission and vision foci are outwardly directed at the social ills of poverty, unemployment, and inequality63 which are increasing dramatically in the COVID-19 environment. Also, some of the South African Pentecostalism groups promote Africanised liturgy64 which is well received within the holistic-centred African context, although this also opens the door for syncretism.65 Although the anti-structural and anti-organisational tendency can lead to deviation and derailing of the Christian message, as indicated above, the liquid movement of living faith enables adaptability to change while the  Kgatle “New paradigms” 3.  Clark, “Pentecostal Ecclesiology” 52 notes the huge “amount of authority and power, public dignity and even adoring adulation granted to many spiritual leaders” as well as the tendency to abuse this power. 61  Collium Banda, 2020 “Unsafe spaces? An ecclesiological evaluation and response to recent controversial practices in some South African neo-Pentecostal churches”, Verbum et Ecclesia 41(1), a2108. https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v41i1.2108. Cf. also Mashau and Kgatle “Prosperity gospel” 4. 62  Clark “Pentecostal ecclesiology” 46. 63  Kgatle “New paradigms” 3. 64  Ibid., 3. 65  Clark, “Pentecostal Ecclesiology” 49. 59 60

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quick and easy incorporation of available resources, such as technology, promote and enable growth and impact on society. Technological developments such as electronic media and expanding communication networks promote interaction and provide a showcase and advertising platforms where the authentic prophetic voice and healing actions of Christianity can be seen and heard.66 Maybe due to their uninstitutionalised nature, the Pentecostal movement occupies public spaces such as national and local media (as activists and influencers for matters ranging from politics to ethics) and culture (including art, music, and drama) and utilises these “for the sake of evangelism as well as personal fulfilment”67 while often taking the lead with relief actions in times of crises.

3.6  A Few Inconclusive Remarks We know and accept that crises often act as trigger mechanisms for innovation, creativity, and change. Therefore, the liquid situation that COVID-19 has plunged the world into provides ample opportunity for transformation and innovation at all levels, including how the Christian church operates and witnesses to the world. The restrictions imposed to curb the pandemic provided ample time for reflection and re-evaluation by Christians all over the world on what their faith really means to them and those around them. Christians turned to digital media and cutting-edge technology to air their views on how the transcendent reality of God is proclaimed and experienced. They contemplated about what and how to believe, while also pondering over the nature and structure that the Christian church should take in the unstable situation while the institutionalised churches and denominations grappled with opportunities and ways to restructure and remodel. We questioned what we previously knew, what we can now accomplish, and what will work best in the fast-changing reality while we once again marvelled about the adaptability of faith to survive and adjust and evolved in extreme circumstances.

66  Solomon Kgatle, “Social media and religion: Missiological perspective on the link between Facebook and the emergence of prophetic churches in southern Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 39 (2018), no.1, 4, 6. https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v39i1.1848. 67  Mathew Clark, “Pentecostal ecclesiology: A view from the global South,” Transformation 30 (2012): 51.

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One way of adjusting to the current situation is through virtual ecclesiology. By using the original possible meanings of the root term “virtus”, namely “strength” and “virtue”, a positive connotation with the term is created. Strong, ethical ecclesiology identifies, replaces, and reconstructs misplaced priorities and expired focus areas and dogmas. Virtual ecclesiology provides a platform for diverse opinions while also holding people accountable as the whole world—Christians and non-Christians—have access to 24/7 technology and media to assist and guide those with feet of clay in the spirit of priesthood and prophethood of all believers. Virtual ecclesiology enhances Christian self-understanding of their mission and role in the world despite their diversity and shortcomings.68 Indeed, it is no longer about beliefs and creeds, but about behaviour and deeds.69 It is possible to actively proclaim our confessions about the authority of Scripture while also making room for acceptance and understanding of others’ interpretations thereof, as truth can be sought at multiple levels. Through enculturation, the full diversity of global Christianity can find unity and develop creative ways on how to compassionately be church in a fluid, fragile world. Virtual ecclesiology adds a new church model to the existing list. Its teachings and spiritual equipment are accessible, interactive, and interdisciplinary. Open to all who seek education and training for development and growth and understanding of the Christian faith. As the lines between the compartments of life are dissolving, spirituality engulfs every sphere of our existence. As a result, Christians become less materialistic and more discernible. Church is being the hands and heart of Jesus amid earthly problems and needs. African Pentecostal virtual ecclesiology reclaims theology’s place in the public domain. The outward focus appeals to all people to build strong personal faith relationships with our Lord and Saviour while serving others, especially in their current fragile circumstances. The ability to both indigenise Christianity and use technology to introduce an inclusive and lived experience of witnessing, is transforming Pentecostal virtual ecclesiology into a model that can set an example to the world. Furthermore, Pentecostal pneumatology can withstand pressure and persecution and to 68  “The church is perhaps the only institution with the beliefs, literature, liturgy, practices, social structure, and authority (diminished though it may be) necessary to rescue people from the violence and other deforming features of modern-day life” (Ellen T.  Charry, “Raising Christian children in a pagan culture” Christian Century, 16 February 1991. 69  Rick Warren, ‘Rick Warren’s Second Reformation,’ Beliefnet, 2005.

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plant and grow itself in spiritual communities worldwide that will share and proclaim Christian love through international, inclusive, and diverse networks that can also provide refocused theological training and opportunities for all believers to discover and use their spiritual abilities and gifts. Virtual ecclesiology can convert current problem areas into strengths: It can promote unity, provide new church models, develop mature faith through renewed theological training for all, and promote spirituality and discernibility while implementing technology to spread the Gospel. Virtual ecclesiology is the global Christian church’s self-understanding as expressed by its members of all ranks and from all groups and denominations, from all over the world, united in their mission to bring the Good News to the world by using all available means and resources. African and South African Pentecostalism can and do break boundaries. It provides courage to proclaim love and be a guiding light and life-saving harness towards a new, transformed ecclesiology amid a troubled, COVID-19-ridden world.

References AACC (All Africa Conference of Churches). The Struggle Continues: Official Report, Third Assembly of the All Africa Conference of Churches, Lusaka, Zambia 12–24 May 1974. Nairobi: AACC, 1975. Adekanye, Modupeoluwa. Nigerians remind T.B.  Joshua of his prophesy on Coronavirus. The Guardian. 26 March 2020. [Online.] Retrieved from: https://guardian.ng/life/nigerians-­reminds-­t-­b-­joshua-­of-­his-­prophesy-­on-­ coronavirus/ (Accessed on 28 September 2021). All Top Everything.com. The 10 best-selling books in history, 2021, https:// w w w. a l l t o p e v e r y t h i n g . c o m / t o p -­1 0 -­b e s t -­s e l l i n g -­b o o k s -­o f -­a l l -­ time/#:~:text=The%20Bible,-­~ %205%20billion%20copies&text=The%20 Bible%20is%20the%20best,and%20the%201st%20Century%20CE. Accessed 23 May 2021. Anon. “Ecclesialogy.” The British Critic Quarterly Theological Review and Ecclesiastical Record 22, no. 41 (1837): 218–48. Asamoah-Gyadu, J. Kwabena. Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity: Interpretations from an African Content. Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2013. Avis, Paul. (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Ecclesiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. Banda, Collium. “Unsafe spaces? An ecclesiological evaluation and response to recent controversial practices in some South African neo-Pentecostal churches”,

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Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020), a2108. https://doi.org/10.4102/ve. v41i1.2108. Battle, Micheal. Reconciliation: The Ubuntu Theology of Desmond Tutu. Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2001. Beckham, William A. The Second Reformation: Reshaping the Church for the 21st Century. Houston, TX: Touch Publications, 1995. Cambridge Camden Society. “Preface: The Ecclesiologist.” Cambridge Camden Society 4, no. 1 (1845): 2. Campbell, Heidi A. (ed.). “Digital Ecclesiology: A Global Conversation.” Digital Religion Publications. 2020. https://doi.org/10.21423/digitalecclesiology. Charry, Ellen T. “Raising Christian children in a pagan culture”, Christian Century (16 February 1994): 166. Clark, Mathew. “Pentecostal ecclesiology: A view from the global South.” Transformation 30, no. 1 (2012): 46–59. CNNMoney. You stole what? & bizarre items thieves love. CNNMoney. 7 June 2013. https://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/2013/06/07/bizarre-­stolen-­ items/. Accessed 23 May 2021. Danfulani, Umar H.D. “African Culture, Christ and the Academia: The Need to Christianise the African Cultural Matrix.” Ogbomoso Journal of Theology 17, no. 1 (2012): 39–73. De Gruchy, John W. “From Cairo to the Cape: The significance of Coptic Orthodoxy for African Christianity.” Journal of Theology for Southern Africa 99 (1997): 24–39. Dempster, Murray; Byron D. Klaus and Douglas Petersen (eds.). “The globalization of Pentecostalism: A religion made to travel,” Eugene Oregon: Wipf & Stock Pub, 2011. Dictionary.com. “Virtual.” n.d. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/virtual#:~: text=adjective,Optics (Accessed 1 March 2021). Earls, Aaron. (ed.). “10 Encouraging Trends of Global Christianity in 2020: Facts and Trends.” 2020. https://lifewayresearch.com/2020/06/10/10-­ encouraging-­trends-­of-­global-­christianity-­in-­2020/ (Accessed 3 March 2021). Ekerk. “Wat is E-Kerk?” 2020. https://www.ekerk.org/wat-­is-­ekerk (Accessed 20 February 2021). Erasmus, Johannes G. “Who are the people with no religion?” In Johann. Symington (Ed.), South African Christian handbook 2005/2006. Cape Town: Lux Verbi, 2005. Floridi, Luciano. The 4th Revolution: How the Infosphere is Reshaping Human Reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Frahm-Arp, Maria. 2018. “Pentecostalism, politics, and prosperity in South Africa”. Religions 9 no. 298: 1–16. Halverson, Richard. Richard Halverson Quotes. n.d. https://www.azquotes. com/author/22359-­Richard_Halverson (Accessed 3 March 2021).

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Harnad, Stevan. “Post-Gutenberg Galaxy: The Fourth Revolution in the Means of Production of Knowledge.” Public-Access Computer Systems Review 2, no. 1 (1991): 39–53. Harrison, Peter. 2009. The fall of Man and the Foundations of Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hobbs, Herschel H. 1990. You are chosen: The Priesthood of all believers. San Francisco: Harper. Hollenweger, Walter J. “The Pentecostal Elites and the Pentecostal Poor: A Missed Dialogue?” In Charismatic Christianity as a Global Culture, edited by Karla Poewe, 200–214. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1994. Jackson, N. 2007. Staat gee geld vir armes in pakt met godsdiensgroepe. Beeld. 25 July 2007, p. 4. Joubert, Stephan J. Jesus Radical, Righteous, Relevant. Vereeniging: Christian Art Publishers, 2012. Julian the Apostate (Flavius Claudius Iulianus). Letters. Transl. by Wright, WC.  Loeb Classical Library. London: William Heinemann, 1923. http:// www.tertullian.org/fathers/julian_apostate_letters_1_trans.htm Kaunda, Chammah J. “The emptied authority”: African Neo-Pentecostalism, modernisation of sacred authority, and gendered and sexualised constructions of violence”. Acta Theologica, 40, no. 2 (2020): 216–237. https://doi. org/10.18820/23099089/actat.v40i2.12. Kgatle, M. Solomon. “Social media and religion: Missiological perspective on the link between Facebook and the emergence of prophetic churches in southern Africa”. Verbum et Ecclesia, 39, no. 1 (2018). 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.4102/ ve.v39i1.1848 Kgatle, M. Solomon. “New paradigms of pneumatological ecclesiology brought about by new prophetic churches within South African Pentecostalism”, Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020), a2053. https://doi.org/10.4102/ve. v41i1.2053 Kim, Lina. 2020. “Most people believe salvation is earned by being good”. Christianity Daily. 20 August 2020. [Online.] Retrieved from: http://www. christianitydaily.com/articles/9691/20200820/most-­p eople-­b elieve-­ salvation-­is-­earned-­by-­being-­good.htm (Accessed 20 September 2020). Kobe, Sandiswa L. “Ubuntu as a Spirituality of Liberation for Black Theology of Liberation.” HTS Theological Studies 77 no. 3 (2021). 8 pages. https://doi. org/10.4102/hts.v77i3.6176. Liddel, Henry G. & Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968. Magezi, Vhumani. “Technologically Changing African Context and Usage of Information Communication and Technology in Churches: Towards Discerning Emerging Identities in Church Practice (A Case Study of Two Zimbabwean

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cities).” HTS Theological Studies 71, no. 2 (2015). 8 pages. https://doi. org/10.4102/hts.v71i2.2625. Mashau, T. Derrick and M. Solomon Kgatle. “Prosperity Gospel and the Culture of Greed in Post-Colonial Africa: Constructing an Alternative African Christian Theology of Ubuntu.” Verbum et Ecclesia 40, no. 1 (2019). 8 pages. https:// doi.org/10.4102/ve.v40i1.1901. Mcclymond, Micheal J.  Charismatic Renewal and Neo-Pentecostalism: From North American Origins to global Permutations. The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism, pp.  31–51. Publisher: Cambridge University Press Print, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1017/CCO9780511910111.005. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. “Ecclesiology.” n.d. https://www.merriam-­ webster.com/dictionary/ecclesiology (Accessed 4 March 2021). Mowshowitz, Abbe. Virtual Organization. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 2002. Mugambi, Jesse N.K. From Liberation to Reconstruction: African Christian Theology after the Cold War. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers, 1995. Ndabeni, Khanyi. Bible top of SA book thieves’ best-stealer list. Sunday Times. 17 May 2015. https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-­times/news/2015-­05-­17-­ bible-­top-­of-­sa-­book-­thieves-­best-­stealer-­list/, Accessed 23 May 2021. Nell, Ian. “Virtual Leadership? The Echurch as a South African Case in Point.” HTS Theological Studies 72, no. 2 (2016). 9 pages. https://doi.org/10.4102/ hts.v72i2.3570. Nemiro, Jill, Michael Beyerlein, Lori Bradley, & Susan Beyerlein. The Handbook of High-Performance Virtual Teams. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008. Ngcobo, Temba E. “The Holy Communion and African Rituals: An Encounter between African Religion and Christianity.” HTS Theological Studies 76, no. 3 (2020). 7 pages. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v76i3.5614. Oliver, Willem H. & Erna Oliver. “Sola Scriptura: Authority versus Interpretation?” ActaTheologica 40, no. 1 (2020): 102–23. https://doi.org/10.18820/23099089/ actat.v40i1.7. Omotayo, Fummilola O. “Adoption and Use of Information and Communication Technologies by Pentecostal Churches in Ibadan, Nigeria.” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 49, no. 2 (2016): 222–233. https:// doi.org/10.1177/0961000616662517. Onyinah, Opoku. “African Christianity in the Twenty-First Century.” Word & World 27, no. 3 (2007): 305–314. Oyler, Celia, 2012, Actions speak louder than words: Community activism as curriculum. New York: Routledge. Sakupapa, Teddy C. “Ecclesiology and Ethics: An Analysis of the History of the All Africa Conference of Churches (1963–2013).” PhD diss., University of the Western Cape, 2017.

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Sakupapa, Teddy C. “Ecumenical Ecclesiology in the African Context: Towards a View of the Church as Ubuntu.” Scriptura 117, no. 1 (2018): 1–15. https:// doi.org/10.7833/117-­1-­1384. Schwab, Klaus. The Fourth Industrial Revolution: What it Means, How to Respond. Geneva: World Economic Forum, 2016. Stoica, Marian & Bogdan Ghilic-Micu. “Virtual Organization—Cybernetic Economic System: Modeling Partner Selection Process.” Economic Computation & Economic Cybernetics Studies & Research 43, no. 2 (2009), 1–11. Togarasei, Lovemore. “Mediating the Gospel: Pentecostal Christianity and Media Technology in Botswana and Zimbabwe.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 27 no. 2 (2012): 257–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2012.675740. Tracy, David., 2002, “On theological education: A reflection”, in Rodney Petersen & Nancy Rourke (eds.), Theological literacy for the twenty-first century, pp. 13–22. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. UN (United Nations). n.d. Everyone included: Social impact of COVID-19. https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/everyone-­included-­covid-­19. html (Accessed 28 September 2021). Ward, Paul. Liquid Ecclesiology: The Gospel and the Church. Leiden: Brill, 2017. Warren, Rick. “Rick Warren’s Second Reformation.” Beliefnet. 2005. http:// www.beliefnet.com/faiths/christianity/2005/10/rick-­w arrens-­s econd-­ reformation.aspx (Accessed 3 March 2021). Warschauer, Mark & Tina Matuchniak. “New Technology and Digital Worlds: Analyzing Evidence of Equity in Access, Use, and Outcomes.” Review of Research in Education 34, no. 1 (2010): 179–225. WHO. “Nipah Virus Infection.” World Health Organization. 2018. https:// www.who.int/health-­topics/nipah-­virus-­infection#tab=tab_1 (Accessed 3 March 2021). Workman, Michael. “Virtual Team Culture and the Amplification of Team Boundary Permeability on Performance.” Human Resource Development Quarterly 16, no. 4 (2005): 435–458.

CHAPTER 4

The Shutdown of Church Services During COVID-19 in South Africa: A Social Work Perspective Selelo Frank Rapholo

4.1   Introduction The declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic, caused many Christians, including the Pentecostals, to be devastated because their usual contact church services were suspended to stop the spread of this airborne virus. Classical Pentecostal Christians in South Africa were not spared this tragedy. This chapter is written through the lens of Classical Pentecostal Christians from a social work perspective. Pentecostals believe that worship is a full-body (participatory) engagement with God.1 Therefore such 1  Wolfgang Vondey, Pentecostalism: A guide for the perplexed, (London: A&C Black, 2012) cf. Wolfgang Vondey, The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2020).

S. F. Rapholo (*) Department of Social Work, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_4

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Christians believe in the power of physically coming together in the church for fellowship. Social work and spirituality in Pentecostalism are complementary.2 Social workers are trained and poised to deliver a variety of social and supportive services to clients from diverse populations3 including Pentecostal Christians. Social workers are often confronted with various biopsychosocial challenges that clients, including Pentecostal Christians, face. There is therefore an intersection between religious pastoral support and clinical social work in addressing social problems that clients (in this case, Classical Pentecostal Christians) face. This notion is supported by other researchers in that faith leaders or pastors often have greater direct access than social workers in supporting religious populations.4 During social work intervention, some clients—especially Pentecostals—cite full-­ body prayer sessions led by their spiritual leaders (pastors) as a powerful mechanism to cope with adversities/hardships. This notion is supported by some scholars who claim that clients often cite prayer as one of the strategies they use to cope with their life challenges.5 Understanding the spiritual needs of clients is an important aspect in holistic service provision in social work. Several studies have been conducted globally on the impact of COVID-19 on several spheres of human life, but there is very little research on religion and spirituality in South Africa and according to my knowledge at the time of writing, none on Pentecostalism and social work practice. Thus, the scourge of COVID-19 in South Africa calls for vigorous scientific studies regarding spiritual care and therapy and how social work is also affected. An extensive integrative literature review was conducted to give a clear picture of how COVID-19 has affected Pentecostal Christians and social work practice in South Africa. In this chapter, I provide background information on COVID-19  in South Africa, the 2  Joseph Florez, Lived Religion, Pentecostalism, and Social Activism in Authoritarian Chile: Giving Life to the Faith, (Leiden: Brill, 2021), 233 cf. Synan, Vinson, and Amos Yong, eds. Global renewal Christianity: spirit-empowered movements past, present, and future. (Johannesburg: Charisma Media, 2017). 3  Ari Sytner, “Social work and pastoral counselling: Empowering each other,” Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought 37, no. 2 (2018): 202–219. 4  Ibid. 5  Dykes Glynnis and Carelse Shernaaz, “Spirituality,” In Adrian Van Breda and Sekudu (eds), Theories for decolonial social work practice in South Africa, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), 308.

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theoretical framework underpinning this study, Pentecostal Christianity and social work intervention during COVID-19 and the implications of the pandemic for social work intervention.

4.2   Background Information on COVID-19 in South Africa COVID-19 is a novel virus that was declared a pandemic,6 and spread quickly across the globe, including in South Africa.7 This deadly virus was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease was initially reported to be spreading rapidly in the developed countries and, later, in developing countries too, resulting in a high death toll. A possible reason for this occurrence could be that COVID-19 was discovered in one of the developed countries (Wuhan in China). The sub-Saharan African countries, including South Africa, now report a high number of COVID-19 cases, resulting in the health sector’s struggling to control the high mortality rate linked with other chronic diseases. To curb the spread of this virus, heads of state, together with the support of local leaders across most countries, instituted emergency measures to slow it down. This was done in order to protect peoples’ lives and avoid overwhelming the healthcare system. It must be stated from the onset that, although this chapter deals with the crisis of the lockdown as imposed by the national government, it realises that even if the government had not imposed a lockdown, the high cases of COVID-19-related sickness and death would have eventually resulted in self-imposed church closures to avoid spreading the virus among church members. Therefore, the issue at stake is not whether the government was right or wrong in imposing the temporary closure of churches, but the negative effects of the lockdown on Christians who are reliant on church meetings to cope with the 6  World Health Organization, “Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak,” available at WHO/2019-nCoV/MentalHealth/2020.1 accessed 18 March 2020. 7  Mashamba-Thompson Tivani and Crayton Ellen, “Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Technology for Novel Coronavirus Disease-19 Self-Testing,” Diagnostics, no. 10 (198), (2020): 2–4 cf. Brown, Matthew, “Coronavirus and Church Closures: Will the COVID-19 Gathering Bans Survive Free Exercise Challenges?” Available at SSRN 3580135 (2020) cf. Giorgio Shani, “Securitizing ‘bare life’? Human security and coronavirus,” E-International Relations, no. 3 (2020): 1–3.

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challenges of life. As pointed out by Quadri since public gatherings have the potential to increase the spread of COVID-19, social distancing is a foremost preventive strategy for curbing its spread.8 In South Africa, President Ramaphosa, instructed the nation on 23 March 2020 to stay at home (national lockdown) to remain safe, while complying with health regulations and protocols issued by the national Department of Health. The lockdown was effective from midnight on 26 March 2020 for a period of 21 days, which was supposed to end at midnight on 15 April 2020. Social and physical gatherings such as funerals and church services were initially limited to 50 people, but after the President’s national address and introduction of the lockdown, such gatherings, particularly religious gatherings, were totally banned after it was proved that they were super-spreaders of the virus. Thus, church congregants/members were not allowed to assemble, which affected Classical Pentecostal Christians immensely. Owing to the disturbing number of reported cases of COVID-19 during the initial 21  days of the national lockdown, President Ramaphosa—after consulting with the National Command Council (NCC) for COVID-19—extended the national lockdown to the end of April 2020, while continuing to observe the situation. It was during this time that a risk-adjusted strategy was developed to maintain the economy of South Africa. The strategy was designed to include levels one to five, level one had had minimum restrictions while level five was the total shutdown. Like most countries in the world, South Africa began its Covid-19 management structure with level five, the total shutdown. COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously affected church services of Classical Pentecostal Christians. Moreover, worship services of various faiths and pilgrimages relating to religious festivals and observances have been cancelled. After the introduction of the risk-adjusted strategy, religious leaders became creative in order to meet the spiritual needs of their respective congregations. For instance, many churches offered worship services via live streaming over the internet or Zoom video conferencing9 which negatively affected the spiritual lives of many Christians, particularly those who are used to attending weekly and Sunday fellowship services (e.g. Classical Pentecostals). According to the Bible, fellowship entails 8  Sayed Quadri, “COVID-19 and religious congregations: Implications for spread of novel pathogens,” International Journal of Infectious Diseases 96 (2020): 219–221. 9  Brown “Coronavirus and Church Closures” cf. Curtis Hart, “Spiritual lessons from the coronavirus pandemic,” Journal of Religion and Health, no 59 (2020): 623–624.

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unity of belief among believers that expresses itself as outward engagement with Christ and one another to accomplish the will of God (refer to the book of Acts 2:24–47). In other words, for the plan or will of God to be accomplished effectively, believers must come together at one place and empower one another, thus allowing the flow of the Holy Spirit to take over under the leadership of a spiritual leader. That is known as “fellowship” among Pentecostal Christians and COVID-19 has affected it immensely. Furthermore, COVID-19 has affected not only Classical Pentecostal Christians, but also social work intervention. Religion and spirituality are important attributes that cannot be ignored during social work intervention. During such intervention, clients cite prayer, meditation, rituals, church services and visualisation as internal resources and coping mechanisms from which they draw strength to cope with their life experiences. These spiritual practices are engrained in clients’ culture and the spiritual needs of clients are paramount in providing social work services. An important component of social work practice is the assessment of clients’ needs.10 To address these needs in South Africa, social workers often work with other professionals, including pastors, psychologists, nurses, physicians and many more. Social work practitioners recognise that religion and spirituality may play an important role in practice. Social workers may not always have direct access to populations that maintain a more private or tight-knit community, such as working with religious groups, hence their interaction with spiritual leaders in addressing social problems.11 Whilst this is a real practice in South Africa, there are quite a few academic studies that rigorously focus on spirituality and social work and none on Classical Pentecostalism in particular. It is important that social workers understand the spiritual needs of clients during holistic service provision,12 particularly during this national lockdown resulting from COVID-19. The lockdown has required social workers to rethink their approach(es) to mitigate the absence of churches that have always played a crucial role in social work. 10  Holly Oxhandler and Kenneth Pargament, “Social work practitioners’ integration of clients’ religion and spirituality in practice: A literature review,” Social Work 59, no. 3 (2014): 271–279. 11  Sytner, “Social work and pastoral counselling” 202. 12  Melinda Stanley et al., “Older adults’ preferences for religion/spirituality in treatment for anxiety and depression.” Aging & Mental Health 15, no. 3 (2011): 334–343.

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4.3  Theoretical Framework Resilience theory is used in this chapter to understand the influence of African Christian spirituality (Pentecostal Christianity, in particular) during social work intervention amid COVID-19 in South Africa. Resilience theory has its roots in studies of adversity and how adverse life experiences harm people.13 This theory was developed from several studies on vulnerability, which were conducted by scholars such as Emmy Werner, Michael Rutter and Norman Garmezy in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These studies found that higher levels of adversity lead to negative outcomes. But researchers began to challenge this notion after recognising that this is not always the case. The latter researchers argued that some people who experienced bad things in life managed to recover and do well. This prompted the question: what enabled these individuals to cope well when others did not? Professor Van Breda provides an answer to this question by stating that protective factors enable people who experience adversity to recover and do well when others are negatively impacted.14 In the context of this chapter, protective factors include the actual church and prayer services led by spiritual leaders or pastors that have been suspended in South Africa to curb the spread of COVID-19. Pentecostal Christians strongly believe in full-body engagement with God and, of course, physical prayer meetings led by spiritual leaders under the influence of the Holy Spirit in providing them with resilience when they are exposed to challenging life circumstances.15 Pentecostal Christians also learn spiritual values through preaching and testimonies when attending church, which helps them to manage their lives and relate well to others in their surroundings. Although social workers may not have a direct access to Pentecostal Christians unlike pastors, except when they report to them for a professional help, they should recognise the impact of pastoral intervention in the lives of religious population. Thus, despite the scourge of COVID-19 that has greatly impacted the lives of Pentecostal Christians and other religious populations, social workers and pastors should work collaboratively in addressing the needs of clients. Clients can benefit when a healthy partnership exists between religious leaders and social workers,16 13  Adrian Van Breda, Resilience theory: A literature review, Pretoria: South African Military Health Service. 2001. Available at http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10. 1.1.584.2767&rep=rep1&type=pdf. 14  Ibid. 15  Walter Hollenweger, Pentecostalism: Origins and developments worldwide, (Hendrickson Publishers, 1997). 16  Sytner, “Social work and pastoral counselling” 202.

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particularly during the period of COVID-19. It is in this intersection, where social workers and pastors or religious leaders can work together to best support clients’ needs in communities. Resilience theory has recently gained popularity in South Africa. One such study is “Journey towards independent living: resilience processes of women leaving residential care in South Africa” by Van Breda and Hlungwani in 2019 which focused on the resilience processes that facilitate better transitions of young women out of care and towards independent living just to mention few. Resilience theory has been critiqued by scholars such as Professor Adrian van Breda from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, who argues that resilience is about our capacity to rebound from adversity, strengthened and more resourceful.17 In addition to the above perception, resilience is regarded as the process of adjusting well to significant adversity.18 The concept of resilience has only recently been introduced in the social work profession. This view is supported by several scholars who argue that resilience was an unfamiliar concept among social workers and colleagues from other disciplines in Africa until recently.19 There is no consensus yet for defining the concept of resilience. Some writers refer to it as human capacities, others define it as positive functioning, while still others refer to it as competencies of people in the face of adversity. Some writers define “resilience” as the ability of individuals, groups and communities to deal with stressors, crises and life experiences in an emotionally and physically healthy manner.20 It is an effective coping style in the face of adverse conditions. The church plays a significant role in assisting Pentecostal Christians to deal with their life experiences.21 Ignoring the spiritual needs of clients during social work intervention is tantamount to judging or dismissing as foolish people who  Van Breda, Resilience theory 43.   Norman Garmezy, “Vulnerability research and the issue of primary prevention,” American Journal of orthopsychiatry 41, no. 1 (1971): 101 cf. Froma Walsh, Strengthening family resilience, (New York: Guilford, 2006). 19  Vincent Mabvurira, “Influence of African traditional religion and spirituality in understanding chronic illnesses and its implications for social work practice: A case of Chiweshe communal lands in Zimbabwe,” (Doctoral dissertation, University of Limpopo, 2016). 20  Robert Barker, Social work dictionary, (Washington, DC: NASW Press, 2003). 21  Mark Cartledge, Testimony in the spirit: Rescripting ordinary Pentecostal theology (Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, 2013) cf. Wolfgang Vondey, Pentecostalism and Christian unity, Volume 2: Continuing and building relationships. (Vol. 2. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013), 178 cf. Anthony Reddie, Theologising Brexit: A Liberationist and Postcolonial Critique, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2019). 17 18

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believe in the divine power of God to solve their problems. The discourse of spirituality in social work practice offers opportunities to acknowledge clients’ values, such as the right to self-determination and social justice. Social workers deal with multiple human dimensional problems—problems in individuals, families, groups, communities and society. When dealing with such problems, social workers should consider the spiritual needs of their clients. When asked how they manage life-threatening circumstances, clients—especially Pentecostal Christians—often mention their physical contact at church services as their resilience strategy. Consequently, the use of resilience theory in this chapter is necessary to understand the impact of the suspension of church services due to COVID-19 and the implications for social work practice in South Africa. Since African clients often cite prayer meetings and church services as resources and coping mechanisms to manage some of their life challenges it is essential to recognise the importance of spirituality among clients during the social work helping process. Therefore, not only in social work, but in other disciplines too, there is a growing interest in recognising spirituality as the source of clients’ strength and resilience. 4.3.1   Approaches to Social Work Thinking and Practice During COVID-19 in South Africa Resilience theory offers two different approaches to consider in the assessment of the spiritual needs of clients during social work intervention, namely the pathogenic and salutogenic approaches. • Pathogenic approach A pathogenic approach is focused on the origin of social problems during social work intervention.22 Social workers with a pathogenic perspective are more interested in the origins of social problems that they encounter and not necessarily in helping clients to find solutions to their problems. In other words, pathogenic social workers overemphasise social problems.23 They also believe that problems are wrong and abnormal; in  Van Breda Resillience Theory 43.  Ann Weick and Dennis Saleebey, “Supporting family strengths: Orienting policy and practice towards the 21st century,” Families in Society 76, no. 3 (1995):141–149. Cf van Breda. “Resilience theory”. 22 23

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other words, they believe that there shouldn’t be problems in the world. Social workers who use a pathogenic approach are also more interested in the causes of such problems and believe that if they can eliminate the causes, the problems will disappear. Social workers who intervene using a pathogenic approach are not interested in finding the best solutions to enable clients to bounce back from adversity. They are interested in assessing social problems, taking the client’s history and understanding pathways that lead to problems. Such social workers design intervention plans for their clients to eliminate their problems and later evaluate such plans to check how they have solved their clients’ problems. Pathogenic social workers do not afford clients the opportunity to take part in the designation of their intervention plans but rather take a lead. Social work training in South Africa unintentionally follows a pathogenic approach in preparing social work trainees. For example, lecturers teach social work students about theories that are essential in making sense of social problems. What matters is not that there are problems, but that people survive/cope despite the problems. A pathogenic approach is problematic because problems will always exist. Pathogenic social workers take the lead in determining their intervention, without harnessing their clients’ strength(s). Pathogenic social workers are biased as far as spiritual care is concerned to address clients’ social problems. Some clients, particularly those who come from religious backgrounds use spirituality to overcome their life challenging situations. It is thus, very important that social workers work together with religious leaders (Pentecostal leaders) in mitigating social ills that clients who come from religious backgrounds encounter. Social work training should rethink its approach to dealing with clients, including those from a Pentecostal background. • Salutogenic approach A salutogenic approach is recommended to social work intervention— not only during COVID-19 but beyond this scourge when dealing with other social ills. In the context of this chapter, a salutogenic approach is strongly advised during the assessment of Pentecostal Christians in this time of COVID-19. A salutogenic approach focuses more on psychosocial functioning and the well-being of clients. It focuses on the causes of problems and what enables people to flourish despite adversity. Social workers who follow a salutogenic approach question why, when exposed to the same problem, some people experience stress, while others maintain their

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psychosocial well-being. For example, when other people do not cope with their afflictions or problems, some people who have the same afflictions and problems flourish despite their challenges. Salutogenic social workers are interested in asking questions about the processes that facilitate resilience in Pentecostal Christians in their journey towards successful independent living. Salutogenic social workers recognise the inter-sectoral relationship that they may form with religious leaders in mitigation of clients’ social problems.24 Pentecostal Christians believe that a full-body engagement with God in church and the power of the Holy Spirit enables them to overcome the powers of darkness and ultimately receive deliverance from their adversities/hardships. Thus, the suspension of church services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the lives of Pentecostal Christians in that pastors do not have direct access or contact with their church members9; however, most resort to the use of virtual meetings which may not be effective in a context that values cooperate worship. While social workers and pastors or religious leaders are both essential service providers, neither profession is better or more important than the other.25 Just as dentists and podiatrists are both well-trained medical professionals, they each have their own area of expertise. Salutogenic social workers believe that there is a certain area in clients’ lives that they cannot reach until they engage the spiritual leader who is a Pentecostal pastor in the context of this chapter. A salutogenic approach does not mean that social workers should not focus on social problems that Pentecostal Christians face during COVID-19, but it invites practitioners to expand their focus from only such problems and their causes to effective psychosocial functioning and its enablers. Therefore, this chapter argues that social workers should not ignore the effect of Christianity on the psychosocial functioning and well-being of clients, particularly those from a Pentecostal background. For Pentecostals, a full-body engagement or church service and prayer meetings provide a salutogenic breakthrough in times of adversity. In other words, such encounters protect them when they experience hard times. Resilience theory therefore argues that, during the helping process, social workers should recognise the protective factors in a client’s life during their adversities/hardships.

 Sytner, “Social work and pastoral counselling” 206.  Ibid.

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4.3.2   Building Blocks of Resilience Theory As already indicated in this chapter, resilience theory originated in studies of vulnerability that found that the more adversity a person faced, the more negative outcomes they would experience. The argument behind this notion was that the more people experience bad things, the less likely they are to prosper. However, the writer began to recognise that this is not always the case, since some people who have had bad experiences recover and do well. This is a salutogenic argument. Resilience theory is built on three components, which are discussed below. • Adversity Everyone, including Pentecostal Christians, faces difficulties in life and there are significant social problems that affect the lives of people negatively. Pentecostal Christians are not immune to the hardships of life. Social problems such as poverty, unemployment and gender-based violence exist among Pentecostal Christians too. These social problems are called “adversities”, which are defined as life events that are associated with maladjustment or negative outcomes.26 When going through such adversities, Pentecostal Christians have their own way of becoming resilient,27 which social workers in South Africa should keep in mind during COVID-19 and beyond. Pentecostal Christians do not respond in the same way as other people.28 Therefore, the suspension of church services negatively affects the resilience of such Christians.9 It is therefore crucial that during the period of COVID-19 and beyond, social workers and pastors rigorously collaborate their services in addressing the needs of clients. Clients may present before a pastor to discuss a problem, which they

26  Suniya Luthar, Crossman Elizabeth and Small Phillip, “Resilience and adversity” in Learner Bornstein and Leventhal eds, Handbook of child psychology and developmental science, (New York: Wiley, 2015), 247–286. 27  One of the ways highlighted by scholars is that Pentecostals rely on a direct relationship with God. Cf Adam Stewart, Handbook of Pentecostal Christianity, (Northern Illinois University Press, 2012), 224 cf. Victor Ezigbo, Victor I. Re-imagining African Christologies: Conversing with the interpretations and appropriations of Jesus in contemporary African Christianity. Vol. 132. (Eugene Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010), 106 cf. Cecil Robeck and Amos Yong, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014), 144. 28  Sytner, “Social work and pastoral counselling” 207.

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believe is religious in nature, but is more deeply rooted in a clinical issue.29 Conversely, one may appear before a social worker to discuss a clinical issue, which is actually rooted in a theological struggle. • Outcomes Vulnerability studies demonstrated that high levels of adversity are associated with poor outcomes. Resilience theory argues that these negative outcomes are not true in all cases. This is a salutogenic perspective of resilience theory. Some people cope well while experiencing the same difficulties that others go through. Outcomes refer to how well a person is adjusting in the present moment. Pentecostal Christians learn scriptural teachings at church, which empower them to cope with their life difficulties.30 Thus, through their reliance on those scriptures, they can produce positive outcomes from their adversities. For example, endurance, perseverance and steadfastness are qualities and attributes that appear in the Bible and they provide meaningful insight for believers. This ability to endure hardship serves to increase the faith of believers and their confidence in God. It is therefore crucial that social workers recognise the spiritual needs of Pentecostal Christians. • Protective factors This is the most important aspect of resilience studies. It involves processes followed to mediate the relationship between adversity and negative outcomes. Luthar et  al. purport that such factors modify the effects of adversity on outcomes in a positive direction.31 In addition, this is a process that enables people to achieve better-than-expected outcomes in the face or wake of adversity. These protective factors involve factors that protect people from the negative effects of adversity.

 Ibid  Solomon Akanbi, and Jaco Beyers, “The church as a catalyst for transformation in the society,” HTS Theological Studies 73, no. 4 (2017): 1–8. 31  Luthar et al. “Resilience and adversity” 247 29 30

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4.3.3   Conceptualising the Role of the Pentecostal Church During COVID-19 in Producing Resilience in People The church also plays a significant role as far as teaching good human values is concerned. This supports the ten ways to build resilience, as suggested by the American Psychological Association [APA]32: • maintaining a good relationship with close family members, friends and others • not regarding crises and stressful events as unbearable problems • accepting circumstances that cannot be changed • developing realistic goals and moving towards them • taking decisive action in adverse situations • looking for opportunities of self-discovery after a struggle with loss • developing self-confidence • keeping a long-term perspective and considering stressful events in a broader context • maintaining a hopeful outlook, expecting good things and visualising what is wished for • taking care of your mind and body by exercising regularly and paying attention to your own needs and feelings When facing adversity, Pentecostals turn to the church led by a pastor, where they encounter the power of the Holy Spirit through their full-body engagement with God. This enables them to bounce back and return to their normal level of functioning. Certain African American women reported that spirituality helps them to reduce the impact of problems that they face in their life, thus enabling them to manage such life difficulties.33 The writer argues that the suspension of church services due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Africa has had a profound negative impact on Pentecostal Christians. Thus, in their interventions with clients amid COVID-19 and beyond, social workers should rethink their approach(es) and assess the spiritual needs of clients, as some Christian clients during 32  Evalex, “Identifying and managing resilience in the time of Covid-19”, accessed 11 October 2021 https://www.evalex.com/identifying-and-managing-resilience-in-thetime-of-covid-19/ 33  Banerjee Mahasweta and Pyles Loretta, “Spirituality, a source of resilience for African American women in the era of welfare reform,” Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work 13, no. 2 (2004): 45–70.

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the social work helping process cite spirituality as their resilience strategy. For this reason, we cannot ignore the role of the church in enhancing the well-being of people. The church plays an enormous role in building resilience among congregants. It is also within the church that congregants are taught strategies that help them to become resilient. Francis claims that Christians can overcome life challenges by being strengthened by scriptures that they are taught at church on a contract basis, such as the following: We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed ... So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.34 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:8–9, 16–18)

The apostle Paul views the impact of adversity as minimal, temporary and insignificant compared to the future glory of God’s power and eternity. It is through such scriptures, which are rigorously and intensively explored during church services, that Christians are able to stand firm during adversity. However, it is important to note that some pastors who are conversant with technology opted to provide virtual teachings to their congregants.35 The writer argues that such virtual teachings had limitations, for instance, network challenges in certain areas, illiterate congregants who could not operate different technological devices and the absence of altar calls, where the need arose. Resilience theory is appropriate in this chapter to understand the role of a church service among Classical Pentecostals in helping them to become resilient during life’s adversities, therefore social workers should give consideration to this fact during their interventions.36 The church is 34  James Francis, “Resilience Theory and Christian Formation: A Mixed Methods Study,” (Doctoral Thesis. Boyce College, Louisville, Kentucky, 2019), 37. 35  Hart, “Spiritual lessons” 624. 36  Wong, Yuk-Lin Renita, and Jana Vinsky, “Speaking from the margins: A critical reflection on the ‘spiritual-but-not-religious’ discourse in social work,” British Journal of Social Work 39, no. 7 (2009): 1343–1359.

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one of the agents of socialisation that promotes resilience among Classical Pentecostal Christians in South Africa. It is imperative to note that life in Africa is communal, in other words, Christians regain their strength by meeting with other Christians on a regular basis. Therefore, it is unfortunate that the scourge of COVID-19 has resulted in the suspension of such meetings in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.

4.4   Pentecostal Christianity and Social Work Intervention During COVID-19 in South Africa This section of the chapter provides an analysis of the implications of the suspension of church services for social work intervention. Church services are part and parcel of Christian spirituality. For decades, social work practice has been largely influenced by Christian spirituality; however, there has not been studies that rigorously and specifically looked into classical Pentecostalism. Social work practice, without the spiritual dimension, is incomplete.37 It is therefore imperative that, during their intervention, social workers be cognisant of the role that Christian spirituality plays in the well-being of their clients. Social workers are confronted with a number of biopsychosocial problems encountered by their clients. As already pointed out, during the helping process, clients indicate their faith in God and its related spiritual practices as major coping mechanism for their daily problems and adversities. This is supported by Dykes and Carelse, who state that spiritual practices, such as church services, prayer, rituals, meditation, dreams and visions, are often identified by African clients as measures that they draw on to cope with their challenges.38 Spiritual practices are extremely important among African people where existence and spirituality are inextricably linked. African people rely on God and/or their ancestors to cope with their life experiences. Dykes and Carelse argue that ignorance of the spiritual needs of clients in Africa amounts to belittling people’s faith in God. Religious practices differ according to the different cultures and beliefs within the African society.

37  Cindy Baskin, Cyndy. “Circles of resistance: Spirituality in social work practice, education and transformative change.” Currents: New Scholarship in the Human Services 1, no. 1 (2002):1–9. 38  Dykes and Carelse, “Spirituality,”

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Likewise, Pentecostal Christians rely on the divine power of God through full-body engagement with him at church for their resilience. People come to the church with many adversities and the Holy Spirit immediately takes over within the church, enabling these people to be set free from their problems. Since South Africa is a multicultural and multireligious society, social workers should be mindful of these factors when addressing social ills presented by clients in different contexts. The discourse of Pentecostal Christian spirituality offers an opportunity to realise values such as the right to social justice and self-determination. The relationship with God among such Christians contributes to their resilience in times of adversity. Many Christians believe that a church service is very helpful in boosting their morale, particularly when they have fellowship with other Christians.39 However, most but not all Pentecostal churches opted for online church services which somehow were not convenient for other congregants, particularly those who are not technologically advanced. Some Christians rely on the altar call by pastors (invitation to come forward and be prayed for) to experience relief from problems caused by evil spirits. It is within churches that people learn values such as respect for the dignity and worth of other people, the plight of the poor and caring for others. Social work clients often come from communities marked by discord and conflict, which sometimes affects their well-being and relationships with others. To mitigate such instances, Christians remember the values they have been taught at church, which provide them with emotional resilience. Social work, as a profession, was founded on spirituality and religion based on Judeo-Christian beliefs.40 Thus, social workers rely on religious and/or Christian values and recognise the importance of a church for the well-being of their clients. Many social work values affirm Christian values such as Ubuntu, respect, non-judgmental attitude, good human relations and self-determination. Therefore, social workers should be mindful of such values and practice their profession objectively by being sensitive to the multicultural nature of their clients. 39  Seleina Parsitau, “Keep holy distance and abstain till he comes”: interrogating a Pentecostal Church’s engagements with HIV/AIDS and the youth in Kenya,” Africa Today 56, no. 1 (2009): 44–64. 40  Furman et al. “A comparative international analysis of religion and spirituality in social work: A survey of UK and US social workers,” Social Work Education 24, no. 8 (2005): 813–839.

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Since 1950, social work has placed a greater focus on clients’ strengths.41 Saleebey, the pioneer of strength-based theory, postulates that social workers should serve clients by collaborating with them.42 In essence, the strength-based approach argues that, during COVID-19, social workers should not become disabling objects that prevent clients from finding ways to resolve their own problems. In social work practice, clients should be helped so that they can help themselves.

4.5   Implications for Social Work Intervention in Working with Classical Pentecostal Christians During COVID-19 The following are some of the issues that social workers should take into consideration when working with classical Pentecostal Christians during COVID-19 in South Africa. This section presents lessons that COVID-19 has taught us and the new approaches that social workers should adopt. 4.5.1   Lessons Brought by COVID-19 • COVID-19 has demonstrated the essence of the Pentecostal church in the communities that social workers serve. • Prior to COVID-19, most Classical Pentecostal Christians relied more on fellowship and worship services rendered in the church for their breakthrough from social ills that are more spiritual base. • COVID-19 has shown that social workers and spiritual leaders should intensively work together in addressing some of the social ills. • There is less scientific engagement in Classical Pentecostal Christianity and social work. 4.5.2   New Approaches • During social work education, students should be made thoroughly aware of the role of a Pentecostal church in social work practice.

 Van Breda, Resilience theory 59.  Saleebey Dennis. “Introduction: Power in the people”, Saleebey Dennis (6th ed.), The strengths perspective in social work practice. (Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2013), 300. 41 42

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• Social work training institutions should rethink their approaches to be more salutogenic when helping clients with a Pentecostal background. • Social workers should rethink their approach to mitigate the absence of churches during COVID-19, knowing the crucial role that spirituality plays in social work. • Social workers should possess extensive knowledge of different religions and the various Christian denominations in South Africa including Classical Pentecostalism, as well as how these affect people’s behaviours. • Social workers should develop a very strong relationship with religious leaders within the communities that they serve so that they can help clients from different religious backgrounds. • During the helping process, social workers should assess the spiritual background of their clients so that they can help them to make decisions when dealing with adversities in life. • Social workers should understand the spiritual needs of clients during holistic service provision.

4.6  Conclusion The temporary closure of churches to curtail the spread of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the lives of people (Christians, in particular). It is within churches that most Christians learn about values and morals that shape their behaviours and decision-making. We also cannot ignore the role of churches in social work, considering the historical foundation of social work. Thus, COVID-19 and the banning of religious gatherings have had a major impact on social work intervention. Spirituality and religion in Africa (including South Africa) cannot be separated from social work in the current era. Thus, during the social work helping process, spirituality should be assessed to establish how clients can overcome their life challenges and become resilient. Social workers should familiarise themselves with the African indigenous knowledge systems and traditions that clients subscribe to so that they can help them to deal with their life experiences. Social workers must not be guided solely by the Western worldview when attempting to help their clients. Social workers should liberate themselves from such restrictive paradigms and start to consider ways of including Christian spirituality in their interventions.

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References Akanbi, Solomon O., and Jaco Beyers. “The church as a catalyst for transformation in the society.” HTS Theological Studies 73, no. 4 (2017): 1–8. Banerjee, Mahasweta M. & Pyles Loretta. “Spirituality, a source of resilience for African American women in the era of welfare reform.” Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work 13, no. 2 (2004): 45–70. Barker, Robert L. Social work dictionary. Washington, DC: NASW Press, 2003. Baskin, Cindy. “Circles of resistance: Spirituality in social work practice, education and transformative change.” Currents: New Scholarship in the Human Services 1, no. 1 (2002): 1–9. Brown, Matthew A. “Coronavirus and Church Closures: Will the COVID-19 Gathering Bans Survive Free Exercise Challenges?” Available at SSRN 3580135 (2020). Cartledge, Mark. Testimony in the spirit: Rescripting ordinary Pentecostal theology. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2013. Dykes, Glynnis & Carelse, Shernaaz. “Spirituality.” In Adrian Van Breda & J. Sekudu, (1st ed.), Theories for decolonial social work practice in South Africa. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. Ezigbo, Victor I. Re-imagining African Christologies: Conversing with the interpretations and appropriations of Jesus in contemporary African Christianity. Vol. 132. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010. Florez, Joseph. Lived Religion, Pentecostalism, and Social Activism in Authoritarian Chile: Giving Life to the Faith. Leiden: Brill, 2021. Francis, James E. “Resilience Theory and Christian Formation: A Mixed Methods Study.” Doctoral Thesis. Boyce College, Louisville, Kentucky, 2019. Furman, Leola Dyrud, Perry W. Benson, Edward R. Canda & Cordelia Grimwood. “A comparative international analysis of religion and spirituality in social work: A survey of UK and US social workers.” Social Work Education 24, no. 8 (2005): 813–839. Garmezy, Norman. “Vulnerability research and the issue of primary prevention.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 41, no. 1 (1971): 101. Hart, Curtis W. “Spiritual lessons from the coronavirus pandemic.” Journal of Religion and Health, no 59 (2020): 623–624. Hollenweger, Walter J. Pentecostalism: Origins and developments worldwide. Hendrickson Publishers, 1997. Luthar, Suniya S, Crossman, Elizabeth J & Small, Phillip J. “Resilience and adversity” Learner, RM, Bornstein, MH & Leventhal, T eds. Handbook of child psychology and developmental science. New York: Wiley, 2015. Mabvurira, Vincent. “Influence of African traditional religion and spirituality in understanding chronic illnesses and its implications for social work practice: A

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case of Chiweshe communal lands in Zimbabwe.” Doctoral dissertation, University of Limpopo, 2016. Mashamba-Thompson, Tivani P. & Crayton, Ellen D. “Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Technology for Novel Coronavirus Disease-19 Self-Testing.” Diagnostics, no. 10 (198), (2020): 2–4. Oxhandler, Holly K., and Kenneth I. Pargament. “Social work practitioners’ integration of clients’ religion and spirituality in practice: A literature review.” Social Work 59, no. 3 (2014): 271–279. Parsitau, Damaris Seleina. ““Keep holy distance and abstain till he comes”: interrogating a Pentecostal Church’s engagements with HIV/AIDS and the youth in Kenya.” Africa Today 56, no. 1 (2009): 44–64. Quadri, Sayed A. “COVID-19 and religious congregations: Implications for spread of novel pathogens.” International Journal of Infectious Diseases 96 (2020): 219–221. Reddie, Anthony G. Theologising Brexit: A Liberationist and Postcolonial Critique. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019. Robeck, Cecil M., Jr, and Amos Yong, eds The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014. Saleebey Dennis. “Introduction: Power in the people”, Saleebey Dennis (6th ed.), The strengths perspective in social work practice. (Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2013): 300. Shani, Giorgio. “Securitizing ‘bare life’? Human security and coronavirus.” E-International Relations, no. 3 (2020): 1–3. Stanley, Melinda, Bush, Amber L., Camp, Mary E., Jameson John P., Phillips Laura P., Barber Catherine R., Zeno Darrell, Lomax James W., & Cully Jeffery A. “Older adults’ preferences for religion/spirituality in treatment for anxiety and depression.” Aging & Mental Health 15, no. 3 (2011): 334–343. Stewart, Adam, ed. Handbook of Pentecostal Christianity. Northern Illinois University Press, 2012. Synan, Vinson, and Amos Yong, eds. Global renewal Christianity: spirit-empowered movements past, present, and future. Johannesburg: Charisma Media, 2017. Sytner, Ari. “Social work and pastoral counseling: Empowering each other.” Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought 37, no. 2 (2018): 202–219. Van Breda, Adrian D. “Resilience theory: A literature review.” Pretoria, South Africa: South African Military Health Service. 2001. Vondey, Wolfgang. Pentecostalism: A guide for the perplexed. A&C Black, 2012. Vondey, Wolfgang. Pentecostalism and Christian unity, Volume 2: Continuing and building relationships. Vol. 2. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013. Vondey, Wolfgang. The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology. Abingdon: Routledge, 2020. Walsh, Froma. Strengthening family resilience. New York: Guilford, 2006.

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Weick, Ann & Dennis Saleebey. “Supporting family strengths: Orienting policy and practice toward the 21st century.” Families in Society 76, no. 3 (1995): 141–149. Wong, Yuk-Lin Renita, and Jana Vinsky. “Speaking from the margins: A critical reflection on the ‘spiritual-but-not-religious’ discourse in social work.” British Journal of Social Work 39, no. 7 (2009): 1343–1359. World Health Organization. Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak, accessed 18 March 2020. No. W ­ HO/2019-nCoV/ MentalHealth/2020.1.

CHAPTER 5

Pentecostal Ministry During COVID-19 in South Africa: Pastoral Care Perspective Paul Mngadi

5.1   Introduction The severer impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the lockdown imposed by the government to stop the spread of the deadly virus led churches in South Africa to find creative ways to survive.1 Instead of continuing with the old traditional ways of doing church, flexibility became necessary to avoid leaving members without any viable pastoral care system which could result in the total collapse of the churches.2 Pentecostal ministries were not spared from the destructive power of COVID-19 as some Pentecostal churches closed down. However, some Pentecostal pastors resiliently coped with the challenges of the hard lockdowns (the total closure of businesses and public gatherings) in South Africa. Both primary 1  Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, “Religious live-streaming in response to coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in South Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020): 1–6. 2  Jerry Pillay, “COVID-19 shows the need to make church more flexible,” Transformation 37, no. 4 (2020): 266–275.

P. Mngadi (*) Department of Theology, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_5

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and secondary sources of data were part of an iterative process that shaped data collection. In-depth interviews and overt observations were used as qualitative data collection methods. The findings that emerged out of this data collection and analysis have given shape to this chapter. This chapter focuses on the resilience of these pastors in coping with the challenges of COVID-19 and keeping their churches functional against all odds. The chapter works within pastoral care as a theoretical framework to investigate the pastors who coped with the challenges that threatened their ministries during a pandemic. To achieve this, the chapter will first define Pentecostal ministry by looking at written literature on the subject. The chapter will discuss the theme of supportive role of pastors within Pentecostal ministry to demonstrate that Pentecostal pastors remained positive even when faced with the challenges of COVID-19. Similarly, the chapter will explore the theme of coping mechanisms to demonstrate that Pentecostal pastors coped with these challenges. The chapter will also illustrate how Pentecostal pastors were motivated to work together to defeat the pandemic through what might be called Pentecostal ecumenism.

5.2   Pentecostal Ministry Pentecostal ministry in this chapter is described primarily as a direct encounter with God through the work of the Holy Spirit.3 This is informed by the emphasis of Pentecostalism on the direct relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.4 Togarasei explains that the Pentecostal ministry was formed as a direct relationship that believers have with the Holy Spirit.5 Therefore, Pentecostal ministry receives inspiration from the work of the Holy Spirit which is what makes it so distinct from other ministries. Pentecostal ministry refers to ministering to the followers or congregants 3  Mookgo Kgatle, and Allan H.  Anderson, eds. The use and abuse of the Spirit in Pentecostalism: A South African perspective. (Abingdon: Routledge, 2020). 4  Allan Anderson, Moya: the Holy Spirit in an African context. Pretoria: University of South Africa, 1991. Cf Vinson Synan, and Amos Yong, eds. Global renewal Christianity: Europe and North America Spirit empowered movements: past, present, and future (Johannesburg: Charisma Media, 2017), 340. Cf Nimi Wariboko, The Pentecostal principle: Ethical methodology in new spirit (Vol. 5. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm.B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2012), 136. 5  Lovemore Togarasei,, ed. Aspects of Pentecostal Christianity in Zimbabwe. (Basel: Springer International Publishing, 2018), 38.

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as per the calling that an individual pastor received from God through the work and power of the Holy Spirit.6 Furthermore, Pentecostal ministry refers to offering prayers to the sick, preaching, counselling, and so forth for salvation and even deliverance to take place in their lives. This simply refers to serving the people through the gifts of the pastor in local assemblies so that the church members are taken care of. In other words, Pentecostal ministry works within the framework of pastoral care but with the help of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Pentecostal pastors in their ministration have a high dependence on the guidance of the Holy Spirit than cerebral aspects—a desire to discern the spiritual powers behind the physical issues being addressed. This notion is very common among Neo-Pentecostals in South Africa who always speak about doing ministry as being helped by the power of the Holy Spirit. In addition, they are motivated to demonstrate this power to the congregants for them to receive healing and deliverance.7 Pentecostal ministry is not only embracing the power of the Holy Spirit but also known for standing against the powers of evil spirits that are perceived to be forces behind sickness and diseases.8 Therefore when facing challenges such as COVID-19, Pentecostals believe that the power of the Holy Spirit in Pentecostal ministry can defeat these challenges. This is informed by the very same perception that sickness and diseases including pandemics such as COVID-19 are caused by the forces of darkness. It is for this reason that Pentecostals have been approaching the pandemic in a different way as opposed to other Christian traditions in South Africa. COVID-19 is perceived as an enemy that can be fought through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the next section, the chapter will illustrate how the Pentecostal ministry have assisted pastors and their ministries to maintain a supportive role in the midst of the pandemic. But at the same time, illustrate how the same Pentecostal ministry undermine the regulations and restrictions set up by South African government. 6  Truls Akerlund, A Phenomenology of Pentecostal Leadership (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018), 31. 7  Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, “The unusual practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa: Reflections and recommendations,” HTS: Theological Studies 73, no. 3 (2017): 1–8. 8   Allan Heaton Anderson, Spirit-Filled World: Religious Dis/Continuity in African Pentecostalism. Basel: Springer, 2018.

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5.3   Pentecostal Ministry and Supportive Role of Pastors One of the functions of pastoral care is to give emotional, spiritual, and social support to church members when they face difficult challenges.9 The church members in various Pentecostal churches need this type of pastoral care. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pentecostal ministry had to be put in effect in a manner that no one was ever prepared for. Even in instances where the localised and community transmission of the virus was at a high rate, such as in Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa, the level of strategic preparedness and pastoral response, in terms of care and ministry experience, was equal to the task. Through pastoral care, some Pentecostal pastorsthe Pentecostal ministry will move have reached out to find joy in serving the destitute, and those infected and affected by this pandemic, out of the spirit of love. This spirit of love (in Romans 5:5) has empowered many pastors and congregants to become positive thinkers and doers, who have helped to transform the challenges and fears into opportunities to become Church communities that serve humanity.10 In doing this, they have conscientiously transformed humanity and found new ways of creating ecumenical and pastoral initiatives that unites believers (John 17:21). Pope Paul VI sums this up very well: Evangelisation, therefore, also includes the preaching of hope in the promises made by God in the new covenant in Jesus Christ, the preaching of God’s love for us and our love for God; the preaching of brotherly love for all men—the capacity of giving and forgiving, of self-denial, of helping one’s brother and sister—which, springing from the love of God, is the kernel of the Gospel; the preaching of the mystery of evil and of the active search for good.11

Pentecostal pastors through the pastoral care continued to offer their services to healthy individuals and those who have been infected or had to 9   Mary Elizabeth O’Brien, Parish nursing: Healthcare ministry within the church, Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2003. 10  Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Community serving humanity: Pastoral plan of the Catholic Church Pretoria, (South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, 1989). 11  Pope Paul VI, Evangelization in the modern world (Pretoria, South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference), 1975.

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be in isolation and quarantine facilities, to give support and sustain their hope of survival. So, those in isolation and quarantine were capacitated to cope with the psychological pressure of being physically distant; yet, socially and closely connected in fellowship with other congregants and family members.12 Pentecostal pastors were proactive to offer counselling long before Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma (Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) declared it as a much needed essential service by citizens of South Africa.13 Pastoral care was also offered by Pentecostal pastors to employees who were being retrenched, when the financial strain forced small and medium businesses to cut down on cost, to stay afloat during COVID-19 pandemic period.14 Pastors have also offered counselling to employees that were forced to take unpaid long annual leave by their employers. In some cases, counselling had to be offered to congregants that have lost family members or those that have been infected or affected by the pandemic.15 Pentecostal pastors also offered counselling to women and children, who fell victims of gender-­ based violence as an effect related to the national lockdown.16 Thus, the tenets of Pentecostal ministry made it possible for Pentecostal pastors to become active and positive in assisting their congregants in dealing with the challenges of COVID-19. However, some Pentecostal pastors used the same Pentecostal ministry in arguing that COVID-19 will not touch Pentecostals because they are filled by the Holy Spirit. The likes of TB Joshua, Emmanuel Makandiwa and even the former Chief justice 12  Alec Lazenby, “The difference between ‘physical’ and ‘social’ distancing”, 2020 available at https://www.martlet.ca/the-difference-between-physical-and-social-distancing. 13  The COGTA spokesperson is quoted saying: “After wide consultations with the religious sector, government is now in a position to categorise religious counselling as an essential service … This will enable the millions, who have been affected by the virus, to receive this much-needed service, since the majority cannot afford professional attention of this nature.” https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/religious-counselling-now-permitted. 14  DeRebus, “COVID-19 impacting the workplace: Outlining retrenchments in good faith” available at http://www.derebus.org.za/covid-19-impacting-the-workplace-outlining-retrenchments-in-good-faith/, accessed 01 August 2020 cf. Kgatle, “Religious livestreaming” 3. 15  Nivashni Nair, “I have lost half my family to Covid-19,” available at https://www. timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-07-22-i-have-lost-half-my-family-to-covid-19/, accessed 22 July 2020. 16  Tanya Farber, “Shocking stats on gender-based violence during lockdown revealed,” available at https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-09-01-shocking-statson-gender-based-violence-during-lockdown-revealed/, accessed 01 September 2020.

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Mogoeng Mogoeng were COVID-19 denialists with some of them condemning vaccines as evil and signs of the end times.17 Instead of caring for members who were affected by the virus, some Pentecostal pastors used the opportunity to guarantee their members that because they are baptised with the Holy Spirit, the virus will not touch them.18 This kind of gesture that these prominent leaders took has resulted in some of Pentecostal believers becoming negative towards COVID-19 vaccines and others undermining regulations and restrictions. In some cases, this denialism has resulted in some loss of lives. This calls for a renewed Pentecostal ministry within the perspective of pastoral care. The chapter will address this aspect in Sect. 5.6.

5.4   Pentecostal Ministry and Social Responsibility Another function of the pastoral care is the social dimension.19 In other words, a Pentecostal ministry should be able to go beyond the responsibilities of spiritual care as led by the Holy Spirit and reach out to the needs of the people. Anderson explains that Pentecostalism as a movement has an impact on the social welfare of the people to uplift the social needs of their members.20 Anderson goes on to say that Pentecostals have an economic competitive advantage given their moral standing against vices such as alcohol, promiscuity and so forth.21 Thus, Pentecostal pastors have a responsibility of not only preaching and teaching the word but to also take

17  Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, “Pentecostalism and Coronavirus: Reframing the Message of Health-and-Wealth in a Pandemic Era,” Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology 6, no. 1 (2021): 12. CF Asonzeh Ukah, “Prosperity, Prophecy and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Healing Economy of African Pentecostalism.” Pneuma 42, no. 3–4 (2020): 430–459. Cf Maria Frahm-Arp, “Pneumatology and Prophetic Pentecostal Charismatic Christianity during COVID-19 in South Africa.” In Mookgo Solomon Kgatle and Allan Anderson, The Use and Abuse of the Spirit in Pentecostalism: South African perspective, pp.  150–174. Abingdon: Routledge, 2020. 18  Asamoah-Gyadu, “Pentecostalism and Coronavirus” 12. 19  Paul Ballard, Stephen Pattison, and Emmanuel Y. Lartey. Spiritual dimensions of pastoral care: Practical theology in a multidisciplinary context. (London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2001), 219. 20  Chingarande, Sunungurai D., Juliet Thondhlana, Roda Madziva, and Allan H. Anderson. Matarenda/Talents in Zimbabwean Pentecostalism: Empowerment, Gender and Development in an African Movement. Leiden: Brill, 2021. 21  Ibid., 222.

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care of the needs of their congregants. This is an important aspect of pastoral care in the context of COVID-19. In a context of high levels of anxiety and fear of the unknown, Pentecostal pastors and congregations, continue to embrace creative ways of Pentecostal ministry to lead humanity through these dangerous times and through adjusting to the new normal with the prevalence of COVID-19, likely to be part of our lives for an extended period of time. All these developments only serve as complementary to the existing traditional forms of ministry and worship for these Pentecostal churches and ministries. Pastoral clusters or home cells have become channels of information sharing for empowerment, and platforms for those infected and affected by the virus to voice their fears. It can therefore be argued that this pandemic has challenged the Pentecostal churches and ministries to be more aware of themselves, as the evangelised with a mission to evangelise humanity. They are challenged not to only rely on the work of the Holy Spirit but to also minister relevantly to needs of their congregants during the pandemic. The sharing of good practice among Pentecostal churches, can be attributed to ensuring the survival of congregants against the pandemic. Some of these current social identities and shared good practices for survival may only last within the pandemic period. In line with this, for the survival of humanity against this pandemic, members of the Pentecostal churches and ministries have transformed or changed their workspace and professional service towards the survival of humanity. To achieve this, they go beyond the confines of their space of worship and church membership, because difficult times call for difficult measures. Therefore, pastoral care and ministry have been extended to those people who are in need by Pentecostal pastors. One of the general findings among the abovementioned Pentecostal churches and ministries is that, during the COVID-19 lockdown period and thereafter, they had to continuously redefine, reconceptualise and contextualise the Second Commandment of loving their neighbour (Mark 12:29–31) in addressing day-to-day challenges like poverty, homelessness, unemployment22 and becoming your brother’s keeper.23 The main pastoral focus, among Pentecostal pastors and leaders, has been and continues to be on transforming churches and ministries into being truly humane platforms, where the brotherhood/sisterhood in Christ is practised and concretely realised.  Kgatle, The fourth Pentecostal wave, 85–88.  This concept is taken from Genesis 4:1–13 and Mathew 25: 35–36.

22 23

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Many Pentecostal pastors in ministries fully embraced the image of God and committed to restoring the human dignity in each person during this pandemic. This period of our history has been redefined as a time for a change of heart and lifestyle in these churches and ministries. Based on this evidence, it can therefore be argued that Pentecostal pastors and leaders have, in their own unique way, demonstrated the emergence of a new brand of Christianity. In line with this perspective, Allan Anderson calls African Pentecostalism a truly “African Reformation” that restores the lost critical dynamism of the Pentecostal experience as part of the Christian faith experience. This new brand of Christianity has no distinction between the sacred and the secular. African Christianity systemically views religious, political, social and economic life as an integrated totality that values communality and the holistic development of the individual.24 This assertion is against the oversimplified generalisation or prevalent view that neo-Pentecostal churches and ministries are primarily money-­ making schemes, led by flamboyant and self-styled leaders. This is argued on the basis that these churches and ministries have “blossomed into complex varieties”25 and, therefore, this may have contributed to these negative generalisations. This chapter aims to provide corrective evidence that not all Pastors in neo-Pentecostal churches and ministries fall under the blanket of commercialising and commodifying the Christian faith experience. In fact, the churches and ministries that were part of this study demonstrate a paradigm shift, away from an understanding of God as only accessed through an intermediary—the hierarchy of the ordained ministers or man of God (Hebrews 10:10–14; 1 Peter 2:9–10). Besides the unique Pentecostal expression of the priesthood of all believers, the shared ministries demonstrate an appreciation of diversity and elevation of various gifts. These Pentecostal churches and ministries have highlighted, what Roger Stronstad calls, the prophethood of all believers.26 He bases this concept on Luke 4:18. The assertion here is that the power of prophecy is communally shared and has never stopped at any point of our history; instead, it continues to shape the vocational ministries in these churches and ministries. The Pentecostal pastoral leaders of 24  Allan Anderson, African reformation: African initiated Christianity in the 20th century, (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2001). 25  Ogbu Kalu, “Third Response: Pentecostalism and the Reconstruction of Christian Experience in Africa,” Studiae Historiae Ecclesiasticae (1970): 1–34. 26  Roger Stronstad, “The Prophethood of All Believers: A Study in Luke’s Charismatic Theology,” Journal of Pentecostal Theology Supplemental Series, 16 no.1 (1999): 136

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these churches and ministries continue the affirmation of teaching and the practice of the communality of prophecy. This theme of the prophethood of all believers seems to be part of those teachings of these non-­ denominational churches and ministries that are self-governing, self-­ supporting and self-propagating.27 Even during the second wave of COVID-19 in South Africa, these pastoral leaders still found meaning in prophetic ministry, proclaiming the word of God and interpreting it within our historical context and Christian destiny. They continue to edify and give hope to humanity (1 Corinthians 12: 28, 14: 1–5, 29–33). Based on this assertion, one can argue that the gift of prophecy still maintains its primary significance among the five-fold ministry gifts (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11–12). Amid high unemployment, job losses and poor incomes, there is a continued series of temptations for making money quickly and to get rich, as advertised in local newspapers; however, pastoral leaders have prophetically stood up against this kind of idolatry. For the abovementioned churches and ministries, there is no celebrity attitude of showing off with wealth and being powerful. The primary focus is on preaching restoration of hope, moral integrity and prophetic declarations made over peoples’ lives. Based on these featuring teachings that are not generally known as fundamentally Pentecostal, one gets a sense that some of these pastors have not made a total break with their historic past of having been members of mainline churches. As part of new birth through baptism (Ephesians 2: 1–3; Titus 3:5), each believer is called to work for holiness and to build a church that serves humanity. Within the scope of pastoral care, Christian discipleship and ministry increases a sense of uniqueness, personal worth, longevity, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. The unique gifts and sense of personal worth, reinforce altruism, self-actualisation, sense of belonging, and positive attitude to life and its purpose. The two processes that shape this individuation state are assimilation-accommodation through which a church member values lifelong learning and the ability to evaluate new information to preserve identity coherence, and save lives and livelihoods of others too. In the same process, they alleviate or modify any threat to their lives and their identities. Pentecostal ministers of the abovementioned churches and ministries have collectively declared the spirit of power and service to equip Pentecostal believers for various public ministries in the name of Christ (Luke 3:33). This seems to have strong links with what Kgatle calls  Kgatle, The Fourth Pentecostal Wave, Ix.

27

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the “second work of grace or the second blessing”.28 This is strongly evident in their vision and mission statements and their day-to-day life. The focus, on this dimension of growth and development during COVID-19, is more towards the pursuance of moral and social change, for humanity to achieve sustainable livelihood. The general belief, among these pastors, is based on having good moral standing as key to a positive response from God to our prayers (2 Chronicles 7:14). There is resolute commitment by each of these churches and ministries to transform humanity (starting from the local base), integration of prophetic evangelism (kerygma), fellowship (koinonia) and service (diakonia) to give shape to the prophethood of all believers.29 The key qualities of leaders in these churches and ministries are self-control, selflessness, good moral character, hospitality, being joyful, peaceful and the ability to mentor others towards achieving spiritual growth and maturity. This transformational shift of focus has marked a move from, what Musolo W’isuka Kamuha calls, a maintenance Christianity to a holistic and comprehensive mode of ministry and mission of the church.30 This pneumatocentric complementarity between holistic mission and responsive commitment of the church to transform society has become part of the prophetic face of these Pentecostal churches and ministries in the Kingdom of God. According to Allan Anderson: “Pentecostal mission is grounded first and foremost in the conviction that the Holy Spirit is the motivating power behind all this activity”.31 The health and well-being, socio-political and economic dynamics have taken the centre stage in Pentecostal ministry, to redress social ills, alleviate political injustices of the past and bring about a harmonious world order (Genesis 1:27–30). The active presence of the power of prophecy, deliverance, divine healing, shared prayers, and other pastoral care activities offered by such churches and ministries can, therefore, be counted among the other contributing factors that have led to the improved recovery rate of most South Africans. These elements continue to bring a new sense of the communally  Kgatle, The fourth Pentecostal wave, 2.  Charles Ringma, “Holistic ministry and mission: A call for reconceptualization,” Missiology 32, no. 4 (2004): 431–448. 30  Kamuha, Musolo W’isuka, “From maintenance Christianity to a holistic and comprehensive understanding of mission: A case study in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” (Master of Theology, UNISA, 2008) 31  Allan Heaton Anderson, “Towards a Pentecostal missiology for the majority world,” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 8, no. 1 (2005): 29–47. 28 29

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shared Pentecostal (outpouring of the Holy Spirit) experience and the evident signs and wonders of God or “power from on high”,32 intrapsychic transformation and social change among Pentecostal Christians. These interventions have given shape to personal deliverance, healing, spiritual growth, and proclamation through witness. There is a resolute emergence of emphasis on the prophethood of all believers that integrates a teaching that baptism, as a new covenant between each believer and the resurrected Christ, is the work of the Holy Spirit. Allan Anderson describes this person-centred deliverance experience as follows: The Spirit bears witness to the presence of Christ in the life of the missionary (believer), and the message proclaimed by the power of the Spirit is of the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ who sends gifts of ministry to humanity.33

The commonly shared experience of the Trinity (God the Father, Christ the Saviour and Holy Spirit the Paraclete) has downplayed and minimised the prevailing perception of Pentecostal pastors and leaders as merely running the church as a business for their own financial gain. Pastoral ministry and leadership have become less focused on making profits and the commodified experience of the faith—analogous to the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot in our time (Matthew 26:15). There is a wake-up call for some Pentecostal pastors to return to the core of pastoral ministry.34 A need to find a new meaning of ministry within Pentecostalism than practising their ministry as they wish. The manipulation of Christianity, as a religion to exploit members for financial gain, has thus become a serious point of reflection/introspection. COVID-19 has become a new crossroads or a nexus of conflicting identities and a point at which the Pentecostal ministry is being redefined and reconceptualised to prioritise human life over profiteering from the Christian faith experience. The inter-personal and inter-group coping 32  Gary McGee, “Power from on High: A historical perspective on the radical strategy in missions,” in Wonsuk Ma & Robert P. Menzies (eds.) Pentecostalism in Context, (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997), pp. 317, 324. 33  Anderson, “Towards a Pentecostal missiology,” 31. 34  Jnr, George Anderson, “Commercialisation of Religion in Neo-Prophetic Pentecostal/ Charismatic Churches in Ghana: Christian Ethical Analysis of their Strategies,” Culture and Religion 28 (2017): 3.

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strategies continually need to be developed during this COVID-19 pandemic period to ensure our survival. Jerome L. Fickel offers some insight on this from a Roman Catholic theological perspective in his argument, that we need to see Christianity as innately paradoxical in nature. He argues that history has moments of fortunate end results out of an unfortunate event.35 From this perspective, one can justifiably argue that the oxymoron of a “happy fault” has indeed offered new insights into the COVID-19 redefined Pentecostal vocational ministry. It has brought in a new sense of vocational ministry to re-establish a sense of hope, joy, peace, and prosperity to congregants that have suffered so many abuses from some “men of God”. This COVID-19 moment, in the history of the world, carries a positive element, as summed up in the Catholic Easter Vigil Exsultet: “O felix culpa quae talem et tantum meruit habere redemptorem” (translated as: “O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer”). Even within this dark moment, sadness, and death, some good is emerging. This defining moment teaches that theodicy is the best lesson for Pentecostal ministry to realise that God may allow evils and calamities for the greater good to surface.36 Two key complementary examples of theodicy in the Bible are the fall of humanity to sin (Genesis 3) and the crucifixion and death of Christ (Mark 15: 21–37). This points to a reality that, for our survival, we may choose any concept to establish social compatibility or solidarity during this pandemic period. This human solidarity has reinforced a sense of belonging, togetherness, and closeness among people that were doctrinally aloof from others.37 The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have determined the kind of social-­religious changes we need to be doing to harness new opportunities to enhance our quality of life and contextually responsive to the great commission (Matthew 28:16–20). The prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic has deconstructed the Pentecostal ministry to allow a new opportunity to reconstruct and rehabilitate the core belief that Christ is at the centre of the Christian faith,

35  Jerome Fickel, “The paradox of the fortunate fall in contemporary theology,” Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 2 no.3 (1959): 1–7. 36  James Mahn, Fortunate fallibility: Kierkegaard and the power of sin, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011). 37  Rusi Jaspal and Marco Cinnirella, “The construction of ethnic identity: Insights from identity process theory,” Ethnicities 12 no.5 (2011):1–28.

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which cannot be competed against,38 complemented for better sufficiency39 nor replaced as a foreigner in African Christianity.40 Pentecostal ministry has taken a corrective stand against the over-emphasis of the power of the Holy Spirit as working through some “man of God”, to alleviate sickness, poverty social injustices, evil spirits, and world calamities. In this regard, Allan Anderson says: Over emphasising the power of the Spirit often leads to bitter disappointment and disillusionment when that power is not evidently and immediately manifested. Pentecostal pneumatology must not only provide power, when there is a lack of it, but must also be able to sustain people through life’s tragedies and failures, especially when there is no visible outward success.41

5.5   Pentecostal Ministry and Ecumenism As discussed in Sect. 5.2 of this chapter, Pentecostal ministry is quite distinct from other ministries in other Christian traditions. But this does not mean that Pentecostal ministry cannot work with other ministries. The important source here is the book edited by Wolfgang Vondey, Pentecostalism and Christian unity: Ecumenical documents and critical assessments, where different scholars made contributions to Christian unity with the Pentecostal movement.42 What is important in these discussions is that ecumenism should be driven by the zeal to unite beyond different Christian traditions. Therefore, Pentecostals should thrive to unite with other Christian traditions even when they are different from them. Thus, 38  Vhumani Magezi, and Collium Banda, “Competing with Christ? A critical Christological analysis of the reliance on Pentecostal prophets in Zimbabwe,” In die Skriflig 51, no. 2 (2017): 1–10. 39  Collium Banda, “Complementing Christ? A soteriological evaluation of the anointed objects of the African Pentecostal prophets,” Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary 2018, no. se2 (2018): 55–69. 40  Victor Ezigbo, “Contextualizing the Christ-event: A Christological study of the interpretations and appropriations of Jesus Christ in Nigerian Christianity,” (PhD dissertation. University of Edinburgh, 2008). 41  Anderson, Allan, An introduction to Pentecostalism: Global charismatic Christianity, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 198. 42  Wolfgang Vondey, ed., Pentecostalism and Christian unity: Ecumenical documents and critical assessments, Eudene, Pregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010 cf. Wolfgang Vondey, Pentecostalism and Christian unity, Volume 2: Continuing and building relationships. Vol. 2. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013.

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being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues should not be an excuse for not working together with others. Because pandemics such as COVID-19 call for the unity of the body of Christ in dealing with challenges faced by church members. One of the positive elements arising out of this Pentecostal ministry during the pandemic is that many pastoral leaders, who have survived, made a conscientious decision to put aside any divisive differences to work together with those of other denominations to achieve success against the spread of the pandemic. Some of these Pentecostal ministers have taken ecumenical collaborations to another level by even using the same liturgical vestments as those used in mainline churches. For instance, Bishop Vusi Dube is an example to this. The ecumenical collaboration of various church leaders with key government departments (Department of Health, Department of Social Development, and Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) has positively contributed to the high levels of recovery from COVID-19 infections, economy, and better prospects to sustain livelihoods. Van Der Merwe highlights this when he speaks of the Church as an agent of change even during the COVID-19 pandemic period. He says: The remarks by (the Health Minister, Zweli) Mkhize (on the 29 of June 2020) confirm that the church has a vital role to play in the fight against poverty. The struggle against poverty is not only about providing food parcels, clothes, and grants. It entails a bigger picture. It is about changing communities and the attitude of people in communities. If local churches embrace this challenge amidst the pandemic, the crisis presents enormous opportunities for the church to start playing an ongoing and long-lasting role in changing the social face of South Africa.43

Most Pentecostal pastors collaborated with other Christian denominations to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on communities. These activities included providing counselling services to those who had lost jobs, workers who have been compelled to consent to reduced working hours and salaries, those who experienced uncertainty about the future or anger towards God, those who have lost a family member or who have been identified and confirmed to be Covid-19 positive, and victims of gender-­ based violence. These life challenges were prevalent during the lockdown 43  Johan van der Merwe, “Poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic: A challenge to the church,” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 76, no. 1 (2020): 6.

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period. Interim homes were sought for street children and homeless people. Spouses and children from abusive homes also received pastoral care and ministry.44 This brought some stability in families, where marriages experienced strain due to the pressures of lockdown. Awareness campaigns and giving guidance on frequently asked questions about the virus became one of the key roles of the Pentecostal churches too. Collecting and distributing basic food parcels to needy families and frail senior citizens, in collaboration with the private sector and local municipalities, were noted as one of the contributions by Pentecostal pastors. These concrete social gestures were done as ecumenical initiatives and most pastors gave these services to people beyond their church membership. However, what seems to be a challenge with ecumenism during COVID-19 is when pastors come together in defiance of the regulations and restrictions that a government has set up to deal with the pandemic. There is a serious challenge when different church formations in South Africa come together for the purpose of fighting the government even when the government has done nothing wrong.45 There is no need to call for the opening of churches if such opening is going to become a super spreader for the virus cases in South Africa. In many cases, many churches were closed by the government due to non-compliance with the government’s regulations. This brought some embarrassment on the side of the church because, the society expected the church to be an example to other institutions. The church is supposed to be exemplary in supporting the government’s efforts to deal with the challenges of COVID-19. The church cannot revolt against the government like other non-complying institutions such as taverns and gambling facilities. The church needs to lead by example as the light of the world. Once again, this calls for reflections or a renewed Pentecostal ministry during a pandemic period like this.

5.6  Towards a Renewed Pentecostal Ministry Pentecostal ministry through the work of the Holy Spirit has helped pastors to care for their members during the pandemic. The ministry has helped others to cope with the challenges of the pandemic and assisted 44  Amy Green, “COVID-19: Some homeless people choose streets over shelters,” https:// www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2020/04/22/covid-19-some-homeless-people-choose-streetsover-shelters/, accessed 22 April 2020. 45  eNCA, SA Lockdown: Pastors protest church closures, https://www.enca.com/news/ sa-lockdown-pastors-protest-church-closuresaccessed 22 January 2021.

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pastors to work together. Leaders and congregants of these churches and ministries have developed a Christian faith tenacity and kept demonstrating their firm faith and confession in the power of the name of Jesus, as the One able to save them from this calamity (Romans 10:8–12). During the current tide of “volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity” (VUCA),46 Pentecostal churches and ministries have kept the faith. The agile response of Pentecostal ministers in directing all available resources to save lives is remarkable. Pentecostal ministers, leaders, and congregants have armed themselves through the work of the Holy Spirit and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. While other Pentecostal ministers gave up ministry, others were able to untangle and allay fears through their empathy, by motivating congregants to find meaning and purpose in life, even in this volatile context. Their willingness to orientate pastoral ministry anew and to develop fresh approaches that are responsive to the environmental complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic, and staying positive, have contributed to the survivability and resilience of their churches and ministries. Their ability to diversify and awaken the biblical concepts of the commonly shared priesthood and prophethood of all believers in Pentecostal churches and ministries, in the midst of the complexities and ambiguities of the pandemic, have reinforced a hyper-responsive fellowship immune system, to continue against all odds. The various homegrown innovations and creativity initiatives have grown the churches and ministries beyond their operational space and geographic location in this current VUCA world. Total surrender, vibrant and spirit-led worship experiences, with music,47 and recorded worship services from Pentecostal pastors, that are still being shared through various multimedia platforms among congregants, have kept the unique form of worship alive among Pentecostals. Their trust and belief in the divine providence and holistic healing48 of those affected and infected by the pandemic are evident in their worship experience and prophetic declarations. These shared worship services continue to promote Christian values of faith, love, and hope, which serve as a basis for being hospitable and empathetic to one another. Within this context, Pentecostal ministry has promoted positive thinking and a  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility,_uncertainty,_complexity_and_ambiguity.  Bhekani Shabalala and Cynthia Patel, “The role of praise and worship activities in the spiritual well-being: Perceptions of a Pentecostal youth ministry group,” International Journal of Children’s Spirituality 15 no. 1 (2010): 73–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 13644361003603074. 48  Kgatle, The fourth Pentecostal wave, 56. 46 47

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positive attitude towards life. The shared messages of support and gratitude to healthcare workers and other public essential services, messages of support to those recovering from the effects of the pandemic, and pastoral ministry to those who have lost close family members, have served to strengthen the spiritual bond among believers. The power of testimony stories, as an experience of the power of prayer and divine healing by those that recovered from the pandemic, is shared at services and through multimedia platforms. These continue to empower and motivate congregants, encourage heightened compliance with COVID-19 protocols, and have led to praise and worship. These witness stories confirm that the spiritual warfare between good and evil reveals divine power and protection of God, even in these times of the pandemic. The sanctified or anointed objects have played a strong symbolic faith experience among some Pentecostal members. The witness stories of physical deliverance of the survivors of the COVID-19 virus have brought hope among those in isolation and quarantine. Others shared witness stories that revealed the joy of gaining employment at a time when some are being retrenched. These witness stories revealed a deep sense of gratitude to God and a positive work ethic among Pentecostals. The shared success stories have played a vital role in the Pentecostal ministry, by highlighting that earning a living through hard work is demonstrative of being fruitful and procreating/co-creating with God and one another (Genesis 1: 28–31; 2 Thessalonians 3;10). Through their talents/spiritual gifts, these Pentecostals are less inclined to succumb to a dependency syndrome, in other words, to solely rely on the welfare from the state.49 Their positive attitude to life and practice of biblical moral values have contributed to the altruistic and spiritual individuation of most of these Pentecostal believers despite the poverty and kleptocracy in South Africa. Even when they get job opportunities of a lower status than they may have wished for, they remain positive and focused on their personal responsibility for further development. Out of this, they continue to be cheerful givers, to promote the pastoral ministry of their church and the well-being of others in need, as a biblical mandate (2 Corinthians 9:6–15; Luke 14: 12–14; Matthew 6:30–33). However, these positive aspects of the Pentecostal ministry cannot be highlighted without raising negative aspects as discussed in the preceding 49  John Klaasen, “The role of personhood in development: An African perspective on development in South Africa,” Missionalia 45 no. 1 (2017): 29–44.

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sections. The same Pentecostal ministry was used to discourage members from taking vaccines by labelling them as demonic and as containing the mark of the beast.50 The same Pentecostal ministry was used as a form of exceptionalism in exonerating Pentecostals from the challenges of the pandemic.51 Thus, some Pentecostal launched spiritual warfare against the virus instead of addressing it like other pandemics as a physical and biological virus. This has resulted in some of the Pentecostal believers becoming denialists with some of them protesting vaccination. In this context, Pentecostal ministry as the ministration through the work of the Holy Spirit is used in a negative way that ignores governments’ efforts and ways of addressing the pandemic. Hence, in South Africa, we have seen pastors coming together to protest the regulations set by the government to deal with the pandemic. To move towards a renewed Pentecostal ministry during a pandemic, Pentecostals should find a balance between the work of the Holy Spirit and the work that is supposed to be done by the government. Equally, divine healing should not be the enemy of physical or biological healing; on the contrary, the two should work together if the sick person receives help. Instead of demonising vaccines, Pentecostal pastors should be at the forefront to help their church members to be vaccinated to build immunity within their churches.

5.7  Conclusion This study on the Pentecostal ministry has highlighted that Pentecostalism, through the work of the Holy Spirit, has a mechanism that deals with the challenges of the pandemic such as COVID-19. However, at times it is the same work of the Holy Spirit that causes Pentecostals to ignore regulations and restrictions that help in mitigating with these challenges. Hence, this chapter is calling for a renewed Pentecostal ministry that finds balance between the work of the Holy Spirit and adhering to efforts by governments to deal with pandemics. Pentecostals should not confuse the work of the Holy Spirit with the work that is supposed to be done by 50  eNCA, “Chief Justice Mogoeng prays against ‘vaccines of the devil’” viewed 10 December 2020 https://www.enca.com/news/chief-justice-mogoeng-prays-againstvaccines-devil. 51  Josiah Taru, Tinashe Chimbidzikai and Benjamin Kirby, “Pentecostals are in a ‘spiritual war’ against coronavirus in Africa—as are some political leaders” viewed 01 May 2020. https://qz.com/africa/1849315/pentecostal-churches-are-in-spiritual-war-vs-coronaviruscovid19/.

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governments and health professionals in dealing with pandemics. The two should work against each other but Pentecostals should find harmony between these two entities. Pentecostal pastors should be the ones working with governments in the provision of vaccines to build immunity among Pentecostals. Health professionals, some of whom are also filled with the Holy Spirit, should  not be enemies of divine healing but as enabling health initiatives among church members. Ecumenism is important during a pandemic, but pastors should not unite for the purpose of disrupting governance. On the contrary, the church should unite for the purpose of supporting government’s good intentions. In this way, the Pentecostal ministry will move towards renewal among Pentecostals in Africa.

References Akerlund, Truls. A Phenomenology of Pentecostal Leadership. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018. Anderson, Allan. Moya: the Holy Spirit in an African context. Pretoria: University of South Africa, 1991. Anderson, Allan. African reformation: African initiated Christianity in the 20th century. Trenton: Africa World Press, 2001. Anderson, Allan H. An introduction to Pentecostalism: Global charismatic Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Anderson, Allan H. “Towards a Pentecostal missiology for the majority world.” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 8, no. 1 (2005): 29–47. Anderson, Allan H. “Pentecostal Approaches to faith and healing.” International Review of Mission 91 (363), (2002): 523–534. https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1758-­6631.2002.tb00365.x. Anderson, Allan Heaton. Spirit-Filled World: Religious Dis/Continuity in African Pentecostalism. Basel: Springer, 2018. Anderson, George Jnr. “Commercialisation of religion in neo-prophetic Pentecostal/charismatic churches in Ghana: Christian Ethical Analysis of their Strategies.” Journal of Philosophy, Culture and Religion 42 (2019): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.7176/JPCR/42-­01 Asamoah-Gyadu, J.  Kwabena. “Pentecostalism and Coronavirus: Reframing the Message Health-and-Wealth in a Pandemic Era.” Spiritus: ORU Journal of Theology, 6, no. 1 (2021): 12. Ballard, Paul, Stephen Pattison, and Emmanuel Y. Lartey. Spiritual dimensions of pastoral care: Practical theology in a multidisciplinary context. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2001.

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Banda, Collium. “Complementing Christ? A soteriological evaluation of the anointed objects of the African Pentecostal prophets.” The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary, Special Edition (2018): 55–69. Chingarande, Sunungurai D., Juliet Thondhlana, Roda Madziva, and Allan H. Anderson. Matarenda/Talents in Zimbabwean Pentecostalism: Empowerment, Gender and Development in an African Movement. Leiden: Brill, 2021. DeRebus, “COVID-19 impacting the workplace: Outlining retrenchments in good faith” available at http://www.derebus.org.za/covid-­19-­impacting-­the-­ workplace-­outlining-­retrenchments-­in-­good-­faith/, accessed 01 August 2020. eNCA, SA Lockdown: Pastors protest church closures, https://www.enca.com/ news/sa-­lockdown-­pastors-­protest-­church-­closures accessed 22 January 2021. Ezigbo, Victor I. “Contextualizing the Christ-event: A Christological study of the interpretations and appropriations of Jesus Christ in Nigerian Christianity.” PhD dissertation. University of Edinburgh, 2008. Farber, Tanya. “Shocking stats on gender-based violence during lockdown revealed,” available at https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-­ africa/2020-­0 9-­0 1-­s hocking-­s tats-­o n-­g ender-­b ased-­v iolence-­d uring-­ lockdown-­revealed/, accessed 01 September 2020. Fickel, Jerome L. “The paradox of the fortunate fall in contemporary theology.” Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society 2, no. 3 (1959): 1–7. Frahm-Arp, Maria. “Pneumatology and Prophetic Pentecostal Charismatic Christianity during COVID-19 in South Africa.” In Mookgo Solomon Kgatle and Allan Anderson, The Use and Abuse of the Spirit in Pentecostalism: South African perspective, pp. 150–174. Abingdon: Routledge, (2020). Green, Amy. “COVID-19: Some homeless people choose streets over shelters,” https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2020/04/22/covid-­19-­some-­homeless-­ people-­choose-­streets-­over-­shelters/, accessed 22 April 2020. Jaspal, Rusi, and Marco Cinnirella. “The construction of ethnic identity: Insights from identity process theory.” Ethnicities 12, no. 5 (2012): 503–530. Kalu, Ogbu U. “Third response: Pentecostalism and the reconstruction of Christian experience in Africa.” Studiae Historiae Ecclesiasticae, 24 no. 2 (Dec. 1998): 1–34. Kamuha, Musolo W’isuka. “From maintenance Christianity to a holistic and comprehensive understanding of mission: A case study in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.” Master of Theology, UNISA, 2008. Kgatle, Solomon. “The Unusual Practices within some Neo-Pentecostal churches in South Africa: Reflections and recommendations.” HTS Theological Studies, 73, no. 3 (2017): 1–7. Kgatle, Solomon. The fourth Pentecostal wave in South Africa: A critical engagement. New York: Routledge, 2020a.

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Kgatle, Mookgo S. “Religious live-streaming in response to coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in South Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020b): 1–6. Kgatle, Mookgo S., and Allan H. Anderson, eds. The use and abuse of the Spirit in Pentecostalism: A South African perspective. Abingdon: Routledge, 2020. Klaasen, John. “The role of personhood in development: An African perspective on development in South Africa.” Missionalia 45, no. 1 (2017): 29–44. Lazenby Alec, “The difference between ‘physical’ and ‘social’ distancing”, 2020 available at https://www.martlet.ca/the-­difference-­between-­physical-­ and-­social-­distancing Magezi, Vhumani & Banda Collium. “Competing with Christ? A citical Christological analysis of the reliance on Pentecostal prophets in Zimbabwe.” In Luce Verbi 51, no. 2 (2017): 1–10. Mahn, James. Fortunate fallibility: Kierkegaard and the power of sin. New York, Oxford University Press, 2011. McGee Gary B. “Power from on High: A historical perspective on the radical strategy in Missions.” In Wonsuk Ma & Robert P. Menzies (eds.), Pentecostalism in Context Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997, pp. 317–336. Nair, Nivashni “I have lost half my family to Covid-19,” available at https://www. timeslive.co.za/news/south-­africa/2020-­07-­22-­i-­have-­lost-­half-­my-­family-­to-­ covid-­19/, accessed 22 July 2020. O'Brien, Mary Elizabeth. Parish nursing: Healthcare ministry within the church. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2003. Pillay, Jerry. “COVID-19 shows the need to make church more flexible.” Transformation 37, no. 4 (2020): 266–275. Pope Paul VI, Evangelization in the modern world, (Pretoria, South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference), 1975. Ringma, Charles. “Holistic ministry and mission: A call for reconceptualization.” Missiology 32, no. 4 (2004): 431–448. Shabalala, Bhekani G. & Patel Cynthia J. “The role of praise and worship activities in the spiritual well-being: perceptions of a Pentecostal youth ministry group.” International Journal of Children’s Spirituality 15, no. 1 (2010): 73–82. Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. “Community serving humanity: Pastoral plan of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa”, Pastoral action. No.50”, Pretoria SACBC, 1989. Stronstad, Roger. The prophethood of all believers: A study in Luke’s charismatic theology. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999. Synan, Vinson, and Amos Yong, eds. Global renewal Christianity: Europe and North America Spirit empowered movements: past, present, and future. Johannesburg: Charisma Media, 2017. Taru, Josiah Tinashe Chimbidzikai and Benjamin Kirby, “Pentecostals are in a ‘spiritual war’ against coronavirus in Africa—as are some political leaders”

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viewed 01 May 2020. https://qz.com/africa/1849315/pentecostal-­ churches-­are-­in-­spiritual-­war-­vs-­coronavirus-­covid19/. Togarasei, Lovemore, ed. Aspects of Pentecostal Christianity in Zimbabwe. Basel: Springer International Publishing, 2018. Ukah, Asonzeh. "Prosperity, Prophecy and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Healing Economy of African Pentecostalism." Pneuma, 42, no. 3–4 (2020): 430–459. Van der Merwe, J.M. “Poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic: A challenge to the church.” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 76 no. 1 (2020): 1–6 Vondey, Wolfgang, ed. Pentecostalism and Christian unity: Ecumenical documents and critical assessments. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010. Vondey, Wolfgang. Pentecostalism and Christian unity, Volume 2: Continuing and building relationships. Vol. 2. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2013. Wariboko, Nimi. The Pentecostal principle: Ethical methodology in new spirit. Vol. 5. Grand rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2012.

CHAPTER 6

Caring for Grieving Congregations in South Africa After the Death of Their Pastors from COVID-19 Mangaliso Matshobane

6.1   Introduction In May 2020 a newspaper report made headlines with the story of a Cameroonian Newer Pentecostal Churches (NPCs)1 pastor, Franklin Ndifor, who died after making claims that he could cure coronavirus (COVID-19). Ndifor was the pastor of a megachurch called Kingship International Ministries Church, who died of COVID-19 complications after praying for several people who were suspected to be infected with COVID-19. According to the newspaper report: “Ndifor had a reputation  This is a terminology coined by Allan Anderson when describing a newer expression of Pentecostals which emerged since 1970 in a form of independent churches also known as fellowships or ministries; see Allan Anderson, “The Newer Pentecostal Charismatic Churches: The Shape of Future Christianity”, Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, 24, No. 2 (Fall 2002): 167–184. 1

M. Matshobane (*) University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_6

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as a miracle healer”.2 His followers refused to believe that their pastor died and chased away the medical staff that certified him dead in his residence, claiming that he was not dead, but in a retreat with God, and would soon return. Police had to force their way into Ndifor’s residence, where many of his followers were gathered, singing and praying for his resurrection.3 Although this story took place in a country far away from South Africa, it highlights the difficulties faced by members of NPCs upon the death of their spiritual leaders. Although there were no reported cases of high-­ profile South African NPC leaders who died of COVID-19, such an event would cause a crisis of faith among locals even if it happened in a distant country. This is because these leaders present themselves as mighty spiritual warriors who are invincible to evil forces and are viewed as such by their followers. Therefore, this story is pertinent in the South African NPC context. This chapter focuses on aspects that can assist when providing pastoral care to Christians in NPCs who have lost their pastor to a pandemic such as COVID-19. A major challenge in the grieving process of NPCs is the inability to accept the death of their pastor. To many NPC believers, when a pastor who has been known to be a miracle worker dies becaue of Covid-19, it plunges them into a deep crisis of faith. This is caused by the iconic perspective that NPCs have towards their pastors.4 The iconic perspective is one that views the pastor as a spiritual giant with exceptional supernatural endowments. This iconic perspective is also fed by the charisma exuded by the pastor, which makes him or her appear invincible before the congregation, especially if endowed with healing gifts. In addition to the problem of an iconic perspective, the theological perspective that NPCs have on COVID-19 and death further complicates the grieving process. This chapter will focus on the state of NPC congregations after the death of their pastor from COVID-19 and how to care for such congregations. Although the chapter exclusively focuses on NPCs, other

2  Moki Kindzeka, “Cameroon Pastor Who Claimed He Could Cure Covid-19 Dies From Virus,” Africa News Agency, available at https://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/ cameroon-pastor-who-claimed-he-could-cure-covid-19-dies-from-virus-48107319, accessed May 2020. 3  Ibid. 4  Carolyn Wesse and Russell Crabtree, The Elephant in the Boardroom: Speaking the Unspoken about Pastoral Transitions. How to Think about and Create a Strategic Succession Plan for your Church (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004), 65.

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sectors of the Christian faith can benefit from the principles espoused in the proposed pastoral care framework.

6.2   Methodology This chapter is based on qualitative research that was conducted by observing various pastors’ deaths from COVID-19 within NPCs in Africa. The researcher is a pastor and founder of an NPC in South Africa for over 25 years. Over these years, he has observed how NPCs handle the death of their pastors and specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the chapter is to find a pastoral care model for the grieving NPC congregations, whose grief is compounded by multiple losses. In finding a pastoral care model it is important to first define what grieving is, and the various losses that accompany it.

6.3  Grieving and Its Accompanying Losses As will be highlighted in this section, grief is a complex process that is difficult to define succinctly. In this section, grief will be defined in terms of loss. Therefore, after defining grief, the section will look at the dynamics of loss that accompany it. 6.3.1   The Definition of Grieving Grieving means to feel a great sorrow, whereas mourning means to express sorrow.5 People who suffer loss, especially that of a significant person, experience sorrow, but they may not always know how to express it in a way that enables them to heal from their grief. Hamman highlights the differences between these words when he defines “grief” as a normal reaction to the experience of loss, while he defines “mourning” as “the intentional process of letting go of [previous] relationships, dreams and vision [and transitioning] into a new identity after the experience of loss and change”.6 Hamman further defines “grief” as the “emotional, spiritual, physical and relational reaction to the experience of loss and change”.7  Webster College Dictionary, Random House Kernerman, 2010.  Hamman, When Steeples Cry, 12, 13. 7  Jaco Hamman, When Steeples Cry: Leading Congregations Through Loss and Change (Cleveland Ohio, The Pilgrim Press, 2005), 73. 5 6

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Similarly, Mitchell and Anderson define “grief” as “the normal but bewildering cluster of ordinary human emotions arising in response to a significant loss”.8 The latter further posit that grief is not a disease that needs a prescribed treatment, but it is a journey that is undertaken from an ideal state to a state of how things really are. When handling grief, there must be a willingness to walk alongside those grieving by keeping them company as they go through the various stages of grief.9 Kübler-Ross and Kessler, in their book, On Grief and Grieving, discuss five stages of grief, namely: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.10 Furthermore, McCall gives insight into the characteristics of grief. He mentions that grief can be normal, complicated or dysfunctional.11 Although most of the grief experienced by NPC members is normal at the beginning, it is heightened by the iconic loss of the leader who often has presented himself or herself as a conqueror of death through various miraculous healings. Consequently, NPC Christians do not just grieve the loss of their leader but also the loss of a key element of their faith, which plunges them into a crisis of faith. Therefore, as indicated by McCall the characteristics of grief among the NPC members is complicated and dysfunctional in that it involves multiple losses which can lead to a dysfunctional state. The next discussion focuses on the nature of loss in grieving as it pertains to the NPCs. 6.3.2   The Elements of Loss in Grief A congregation can experience loss through the death of their pastor in expected or unexpected ways. This state of loss takes the church into a season of grieving. The principles applicable in both situations are similar, but the impact is greater when the death is unexpected. Mitchell and Anderson, discuss six types of losses: material loss, relationship loss, intrapsychic loss, functional loss, role loss, and systemic loss.12 Hamman, builds on the work of Mitchell and Anderson by focusing on institutional or 8  Kenneth Mitchell and Herbert Anderson, All our Losses All our Griefs (Louisville, Westminster: John Knox Press, 1983), 54. 9  Mitchell and Anderson, All our Losses All our Griefs, 56. 10  Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler, On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss (New York: Scribner, 2005), 7–24. 11  Junietta McCall, Bereavement Counselling: Pastoral Care for Complicated Grieving (Binghamton: Haworth Press, 2004), 13. 12  Mitchell and Anderson, All our Losses All our Griefs, 35–46.

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congregational losses, whereas the latter focus on individual losses.13 Among the six types of losses only three will be discussed because of their relevance to this chapter. These are relationship, intrapsychic, and systemic loss. 6.3.2.1 Relationship Loss This is a loss of relations with loved ones, friends, colleagues, or acquaintances and, in the case of this chapter, a pastor. While Mitchell and Anderson focus on the loss that individuals experience, such as in divorce, death, and relocation,14 Hamman approaches relational loss as experienced corporately by the congregation.15 In this chapter, relationship loss concerns the death of a pastor due to COVID-19. In the NPC context, when congregations lose a pastor, they undergo a multidimensional loss because they also lose a prophet16 who gave them a sense of direction in their journey of life by predicting their future, a spiritual healer who brought healing to their families, friends and communities, a spiritual father or mother who has been like a parent to the congregation, such that death leaves the congregants feeling like orphans. These multiple losses complicate the grief process among NPCs because they have a multi-­ dimensional relationship with their pastors. Relationship loss is identifiable by death, but intrapsychic loss—which is the next point of discussion—is not easily identifiable. 6.3.2.2 Intrapsychic Loss Hamman states that intrapsychic loss can be difficult to identify because it is hidden within the language and values of that specific congregation.17 NPCs experience loss of faith in their pastor, who has proven to be fallible by succumbing to COVID-19, and the loss of faith in God, who failed to answer their prayers for the healing of their pastor. This complicates grief in NPCs because of their identity as a congregation of a “faith healer” and as believers in the God who heals all diseases but seems to have failed to heal their pastor. The image of a congregation that was once known as an oasis of healing is lost when the faith healer dies. This leads to another form of loss, called a systemic loss.  Hamman, When Steeples Cry, 51–59.  Mitchell and Anderson, All our Losses All our Griefs, 37. 15  Hamman, When Steeples Cry, 54. 16  Anderson, The newer Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, 167–184. 17  Hamman, When Steeples Cry, 54–55. 13 14

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6.3.2.3 Systemic Loss Hamman posits that systemic loss occurs when the society is no longer interacting with the church building as a landmark.18 In the context of NPCs, loss is experienced by those who are congregants of megachurches, such as when their parking lots, which used to be full of congregants’ cars, are empty because of the death of their pastor. Some of the NPCs have colourful posters on the church premises, showing the faces of their pastors and indicating the scheduled times of their services. Following the death of a pastor, such posters will have to be removed, which is a systemic loss. As seen in this section, grief among NPCs is multi-dimensional because the NPC prophets and pastors are many things to their followers. The multi-dimensional nature of grief is underpinned by the ironic figure of these NPC leaders to their members which makes it difficult to fathom and accept that a person who has earned his or her reputation as a miracle worker can succumb to a pandemic such as COVID-19. This plunges the followers into a crisis of faith as they mourn not just their spiritual leader but also a beacon of their hope in its multidimensional nature. Losses experienced by NPCs are formed by their perspective concerning death, COVID-19, and how they view their pastors.

6.4  The Perspectives of New Pentecostal Churches on Death and Covid-19 In searching for a framework of pastoral care to assist NPC Christians who have lost their pastor to a pandemic such as COVID-19, their perspective of death and COVID-19 must be considered. 6.4.1   The NPC’s Perspective on Death NPCs that are African in origin are mostly influenced in their thinking by a background of primal religions, unlike those that are more Western in their outlook.19 Death is a subject that is viewed negatively by Pentecostals

 Ibid., 58–59.  Marius Nel, “The African Background of Pentecostal Theology: A Critical Perspective”, In die Skriflig, 53 no.4, 2019, a2418. https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v53i4.2418. 18 19

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in general.20 The focus, however, will be on those NPCs that are influenced by an African background. In the primal worldview, everything is seen through a spiritual prism; nothing just happens without a spiritual meaning attached to it. This primal view does not distinguish between the sacred and the secular. The supernatural is seen as being involved in the daily events of life and, therefore, miracles are expected every day. African Pentecostalism can easily relate to African traditional religion (ATR) without necessarily agreeing with all that ATR represents.21 NPCs tend to see perils and misfortunes in life, including premature death, poverty, miscarriages, and chronic hereditary disease—or anyone or anything that opposes a person’s wellbeing, health, prosperity, marriage, family, and others—as coming from one source, namely evil spirits.22 Death from the primal religious perspective is rarely thought as a natural phenomenon. It is usually suspected to be caused by sorcery, witchcraft, or some evil magic used on the victim. Therefore, a witch hunt is often launched to look for someone to blame for the cause of death. Alternatively, death is suspected to be caused by the spirit of someone who died but had held a grudge against someone, who will subsequently be killed. Another suspected cause of death is a curse that is released because of a broken taboo or oath.23 Death is, therefore, never accepted, no matter how natural the causes may appear to be. NPCs are covertly informed by this mindset. Death is looked upon with suspicion. Therefore, it becomes very difficult to accept the death of a pastor, especially one who has died of COVID-19, which in itself is seen as a demonic reality, possibly sorcery or a curse cast on the pastor. This leads us to a discussion on how NPCs view COVID-19. 6.4.2   The NPC’s Perspective on COVID-19 To the members of NPCs, it is unthinkable that their pastors, being such powerful spiritual healers, could be killed by COVID-19, which is 20  Keith Warrington, Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter (London: T&T Clark, 2008), 277. 21  Nel, The African Background, 3 cf. Allan Anderson, spirit-filled world: Religious Dis/ Continuity in African Pentecostalism (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). 22  Opoku Onyinah, “Deliverance as a Way of Confronting Witchcraft in Modern Africa: Ghana as a Case History,” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 5, no. 1, (2002): 109–136. 23  John Mbiti, Introduction to African Religion, 2nd ed. (Illinois, Waveland Press, 1991), 117–118.

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generally perceived as a demonic disease that has come “to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10).24 On 10 December 2020, a South African news channel called eNCA reported that the then Chief Justice of South Africa, Mogoeng Mogoeng, who is also an NPC pastor in the Redeemed Church of God based in Nigeria, called COVID-19 a demon during a prayer session.25 Although Justice Mogoeng never clarified what he meant by calling COVID-19 a demon and seems rather evasive when asked to elaborate on what he meant, among NPCs, such a statement means that to die of COVID-19 is to be killed by a demon. Among NPCs, it is unpalatable for their prophet or pastor to die such a death. Therefore, NPC congregations experience a loss of their theology when their pastors die from COVID-19, which is proved wrong because of their belief that it is impossible for a pastor to be defeated by the demon of COVID-19. One of the reasons that makes it difficult for NPC congregants to accept their pastor’s death to COVID-19 is the high regard they have for their pastor. In the view of NPC congregants, their pastor is a highly spiritual icon who cannot be killed by demons, let alone by sorcery, evil spirits or curses. This brings us to our discussion on the perspective of NPCs towards their pastors. 6.4.3   The Iconic Perspective That NPCs Have Towards Their Pastors Wesse and Crabtree discuss the four church culture variations from which a denomination or congregation derives its style of ministry, namely: family, icon, archival, and replication cultures. Most Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox churches fall under the family and archival cultures, where upholding a church’s tradition is the measuring stick for a pastor’s competence. In the Pentecostal context, classical Pentecostals are well suited between the family and archival cultures. Parachurch organisations have a replication culture, where the organisation thrives on contemporary trends that can be duplicated and adapted in advancing the success of the congregation or organisation. NPCs fall under the category of an icon culture, which is driven by the charismatic personality of a pastor, 24  Warrington, Pentecostal Theology,295; John Thomas, “The Devil, Disease, and Deliverance”, Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 1, no. 2 (1993): 25–50, https://doi. org/10.1177/096673699300100202. 25  Siphamandla Goge, “Chief Justice Mogoeng prays against ‘vaccine of the devil,” Available at https://www.enca.com/news/chief-justice-mogoeng-prays-against-vaccinesdevil, accessed 10 December 2020.

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who is also innovative and gifted with both leadership and spiritual qualities. The pastors of NPCs are regarded as great icons of healing, prosperity, and influence by their congregants. One such NPC pastor who has ventured into politics in South Africa is Kenneth Meshoe, who has been the leader of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) since 1999, to date.26 Most of these leaders are charismatically gifted and place great emphasis on supernatural healing. They are perceived as “spiritual giants who exude health, wealth, success and dynamic personalities, which the congregations are encouraged to identify with and emulate”.27 It is the latter that causes congregants to see their pastors as icons. Many of the congregants of NPCs are attracted to these churches because of the emphasis on healing, deliverance from evil spirits, and the message of prosperity, which is advocated by their pastors. When a leader of this calibre dies because of the COVID-19 pandemic, his or her death is seen as an anomaly and, worse still, as a defeat by the devil. The latter is what complicates the grieving process of NPCs, when the iconic perspective they upheld towards their pastor is shaken by death. The death of an NPC pastor, therefore, complicates the grieving process because the congregation is suffering a double loss. On the one hand, they suffer the loss of their icon; on the other hand, they suffer the loss of their theology, which is challenged by death due to COVID-19. Their grief is deepened when they realise that their pastor is human after all, or maybe not as invincible as they initially thought. A pastoral care framework that will journey with NPCs in their grief is proposed next.

6.5  A Pastoral Care Framework for NPCs Grieving the Death of Spiritual Leader Caused by COVID-19 This section does not intend to provide a program of grieving but highlights some important aspects that inform the crafting of a pastoral care framework for ministering to NPC Christians who have lost their pastor to a pandemic such as Covid-19.

 Anderson, The Newer Pentecostals, 178.  Maria Frahm-Arp, Professional Women in South African Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV, 2010), 67. 26 27

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6.5.1   De-Stigmatising COVID-19 Among NPC Members A critical element in providing pastoral care to NPC members who have lost a spiritual leader to COVID-19 is the de-stigmatisation of the disease which is presented as a form of a curse that holy men and women cannot and should not suffer from or be killed by. The pastoral framework must demystify the notion that Covid-19 is a demonically inspired disease by providing scientific evidence for the causes of the disease and also indicate that from a biblical view, “not all illness is from the Devil and /or demons”.28 The above discussion shows that NPCs view COVID-19 and the death caused by it in demonic terms. However stigmatic notions of COVID-19 are large even in the secular sphere. From the moment of its eruption in 2019, COVID-19 carried a severe stigma and people suffering from it were often ostracised and shunned. To make matters worse, the measures taken to control its spread such as avoiding social gatherings, wearing of masks, sanitising, and hand washing, projected COVID-19 in huge anti-social terms, which created the impression that those suffering from the disease were to be avoided at all costs. Even though these measures were necessary and remain so, to avoid the spread of the diseases, they earned the disease a fearful stigma. In the church, the anti-social stigma was exacerbated by the demonic and plague notions attached to the virus. Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to state that to NPCs, for a prophet or pastor to die of COVID-19 is as disgraceful as a prophet in the Bible dying of leprosy, a dreaded disease seen as a curse and has several instances where God punished his disobedient servants by striking them with the diseases. In essence, the stigma attached to COVID-19 is similar to that attached to HIV and AIDS in the early days before the discovery of anti-retroviral medicines where it was a death sentence. Consequently, a pastoral care framework for NPCs grieving the death of their spiritual leader caused by COVID-19 must de-stigmatise the disease. NPCs must de-stigmatise COVID-19 by presenting it as a medical disease. The pastoral care team must guide the community to appreciate the medical science account of COVID-19 and, therefore, adhere to the protocols given by the WHO.29 Although there is no cure for COVID-19 and much is still to be known and understood about it, there is no need to stigmatise the disease, nor to shun those who have suffered or died from  Thomas, The Devil, Disease and Deliverance, 276.  World Health Organization, “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Advice for the Public,” March 2021. 28 29

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it. To de-stigmatise COVID-19 requires cooperation with medical experts. Thus, an important element in pastoral care framework for helping believers mourning the death of their spiritual leader to COVID-19, is removing the stigma carried by the disease. 6.5.2   Inform the Iconic View of the Spiritual Leaders with Human Mortality Another critical element that should be part of the pastoral care framework for NPCs who are grieving the death of their spiritual leader that is caused by the COVID-19, is an iconic view of spiritual leaders that is informed with human mortality. NPCs members struggle to come to terms with the death of their spiritual leaders because they view them as iconic figures who are invincible to diseases and even death.30 This iconic view of spiritual leaders must be reformed and shaped by the fact of human mortality. This is not to say that the spiritual leaders should not be respected, honoured, or celebrated, but that their human mortal status should be acknowledged. In other words, members of NPCs should realise that their iconic spiritual leaders are normal human beings who can suffer the same fate that can fall on other people. Thus, church members should be helped to understand that spiritual leaders can suffer death from COVID-19 and still remain iconic. All human beings, spiritual leaders included, bear the same image of God and all human beings are mortal, just as they are born into this world, they exit this world and life through death. Furthermore, followers of NPCs leaders must be helped to realise that iconic biblical figures all died and some of them died humiliating and inhumane deaths not fit for the people of God, but they remained respectable figures of the community of God’s people.31 For example, in the Bible’s Hall of fame of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, the writer says some of the heroes of faith faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and ­mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.32  Donald Gee, Trophimus I Left Sick, (London: Elim Publishing, 1952), 6.  2 Kings 13: 14, 20. 32  Hebrews 11:36–38, New International Version. 30 31

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This passage of scripture shows that some of God’s heroic faithful people also died horrific deaths as condemned criminals but remained honourable to God and the community of faith. Even Jesus the Son of God died a dishonourable death as a condemned criminal but still maintained his iconic status. These biblical facts should be used to comfort the followers of NPCs spiritual leaders to accept that these leaders can die from COVID-19 without losing their spiritual status among their followers. 6.5.3   Provide a Functional Stop-Gap Measure The death of an NPC spiritual leader can mean the end of life to many of their followers. In the initial stages of COVID-19 in the world, death from it often came suddenly and created gaps in people’s lives that they were not prepared to handle and deal with. What was needed was an urgent stop-gap measure that allowed people to recuperate and make new plans to face the future. One of the immediate needs of an NPC congregation is the closing of the ministry gap that their pastor’s death has left. The questions on what should happen with the regular worship services, who will be preaching, and who will be giving direction to the church are some of the problematic areas for NPCs after the death of a pastor. This is because most NPCs do not have an oversight structure that could intervene and give direction to the church after the death of their pastor.33 The pastor has always been the general overseer of the church, without any accountability to any oversight structure. Although some NPCs have internal accountability systems, operational orders are taken directly from the pastor. When the pastor dies, the congregation suffers not only relationally but also administratively.34 A lack of a succession plan in most NPCs35 is another reason why there must be an intervention to help the congregation to navigate the transition from the old order to the new, both emotionally and practically. The intervention must provide an interim plan that will guide the bereaved congregation until they are able to handle their own affairs. The plan may include a preaching roster of gifted pastors outside the congregation who are, preferably, friends of the congregation or 33   Mangaliso Matshobane and Maake Masango, 2020, “The Challenge of Pastoral Succession in African Independent Pentecostal Churches”, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 76 no. 2, a6265. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v76i2.6265. 34  Hamman, When Steeples Cry, 59. 35  Matshobane and Masango, “The Challenge of Pastoral Succession”, 3.

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related to it and conversant with its church tradition. There is also a need to assign counsellors who will be available to attend therapeutically to the emotional needs of the congregation, for those who need their services. An interim committee consisting of both internal and external leaders must be formed to implement this intervention and counsel. External leaders refer to leaders who are not part of the congregation but are in the same church tradition, so that there can be objectivity in the intervention strategy. It is also important to involve internal leaders for the purpose of mentorship, although this must be done gradually and not immediately, to give them time to recover from the loss. In addition to the intervention, which is administrative in nature, there is a need to give emotional support to the congregation in their mourning process. 6.5.4   Provide Emotional Support to the Bereaved Members The emotional support that must be given to NPCs is intended to create an atmosphere that is conducive to the work of mourning. This will take the form of conversations that will lead them through a process of unmasking so that they can experience catharsis. The process of unmasking involves expressing subconscious emotions in the presence of others who are similarly affected. This allows the group to be emotionally naked and to remove the pretentious masks that many faces portray.36 “Catharsis is the unburdening of the [emotional] heaviness that has accompanied holding onto a troubling or challenging experience or circumstance”.37 Catharsis happens in a conversation and it is used to facilitate the work of mourning among the grieving NPCs. This enables congregants to narrate the negative emotions that they have internalised following the death of their pastor. This narration and the sharing of their story happens in an environment where congregants can feel safe to express their deep-seated emotions. To facilitate the latter, the pastoral care team, which is part of the interim committee, must organise the congregants in small groups of men, women, and youth, gathering independently, to enable freedom of expression within a familiar group. The gathering of small groups is meant to ensure that all members of the congregation can participate in this process, while also observing the protocols set out by the World Health 36  Anne Wimberly and Edward Wimberly, The Winds of Promise: Building and Maintaining Strong Clergy Families (Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resource, 2007), 38. 37  Ibid., 46.

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Organization (WHO) on how to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.38 The most important aspect of supporting NPCs in their grief is to have a listening presence.39 A facilitator from the pastoral care team must be available to listen to congregants and to be present when they need to talk. Sometimes the pain of loss may be so intense that the bereaved choose to remain silent. The pastoral care team must learn to be comfortable with the silence and to understand that it is part of the mourning process that the bereaved must go through. The pastoral care team must simply ensure that they are present to listen whenever the bereaved are ready to talk. The other aspect of support is to show empathy towards the bereaved congregation and not just sympathy. Ideally, the care team must have among them those who can identify with the grief of the bereaved congregation because of having gone through the same experience. In most cases, however, the care team will have to imagine, objectively, the grief that the NPC congregations are going through and be able to empathise from that premise.40 When those grieving feel the empathy of others, it makes the work of mourning more manageable. Emotional support is not enough to facilitate the work of mourning that leads to healing, but it does go a long way in preparing the bereaved to let go of the past and take hold of the new status quo. To further facilitate the practice of letting go, there must be a creation of memories of the past; this will help the NPC to detach from the emotional baggage of the past. 6.5.5   Comfort the Members by Creating and Preserving the Memory of the Deceased Pastor One of the major objectives in doing the work of mourning is to help the bereaved detach emotionally from the deceased person or object by creating memories that will facilitate emotional distance from the past.41 The creation of memories of the deceased begins with the stories that are shared at the funeral through the obituary and the speakers who 38  World Health Organization, “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Advice for the Public,” available at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advicefor-public, accessed March 2021. 39  Mitchell and Anderson, All our Losses, All our Griefs, 118. 40  Mitchell and Anderson, All our Losses, All our Griefs, 120. 41  Ibid., 126.

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feature on the programme. After the funeral, when everyone has returned to their usual routines, creating memories can be very difficult for the bereaved congregation without the support of the pastoral caregivers. Therefore, the pastoral care team must gently prod the mourning congregation to intentionally create memories of their pastor by organising sessions where they can continue to share memories of their pastor. Those who are scheduled to conduct the worship service must intentionally mention the teachings that the deceased pastor taught as a way of creating memories for the congregation. Another way of creating memories is to create a magazine that depicts the teachings of their former pastor at different times in the history of the church, accompanied by photographs that were taken on each of those occasions. The magazine could be made available to each member of the congregation at a minimal fee that covers the costs of production. The latter will help the church gradually to be able to accept the reality of the death of their pastor and facilitate healing from their grief. One of the obstacles to letting go of the past is when members of the congregation speak about their pastor in the present tense, as though he were still with them. The pastoral care team must deliberately use the past tense when referring to the pastor to help the congregation accept the reality of his death. Another obstacle to emotional detachment is when congregants constantly replay in their minds the last episode that led to the death of their pastor. Most individuals tend to be stuck with this last memory, especially if the memory was tragic or traumatic. Repeatedly replaying this memory blocks all other memories and becomes a hindrance to detaching from the past. In the case of Pastor Ndifor, mentioned above, the congregation refused to leave the premises of the residence of their pastor and had to be forcefully removed by the police so that the body of the deceased could be taken to the mortuary. This painful memory may disable the congregation from reminiscing on other positive memories about their pastor, thus keeping them emotionally attached to the loss. Another way of creating memories is to use religious holidays such as Easter, Christmas, and other significant days in the church—where the pastor used to feature prominently—to celebrate his life and create favourable memories. Once the memories have been created, they open an opportunity to hope for a new future, one that will be lived without the deceased, while still cherishing his memories. This hope is intended to

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help the bereaved to the “new normal”—a phrase that was coined during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating a new way of living within the conditions of loss, yet with the hope of a better future. 6.5.6   Strengthen the Bereaved by Re-integrating Them into Essential Relationships Major losses have a way of reshaping people’s view of self, life, and God.42 So the objective of reintegration is to help NPC congregations to overcome the intrapsychic loss of identity that they have suffered owing to the death of their pastor from COVID-19. There are three areas where reintegration is needed among the bereaved. The first is with the self, the second is with their significant community and the last is with God. The reintegration with self is necessary in NPCs because their identity as a community of faith was sustained by the iconic perspective they had of their pastor; hence, when he died, their self-image also died. The pastoral care team will have to journey with the congregation—through preaching, teaching, and counselling—to help them to shift their source of identity from “the mighty man of God” to the mighty God, who works through man. The reintegration with their significant community poses a challenge to NPCs when there is no succession plan. The deceased pastor—as a common figure of interest—was the bond that held the community together. When this common figure dies, the sense of community also dies. The pastoral care team will have to develop an emergency strategy to retain the interest of the NPC congregation by inviting guest preachers who have a similar gift to that of the deceased pastor, while they work behind the scenes to find a permanent solution. Wesse and Crabtree attest to this strategy of a quick replacement of an iconic type of leader because of the dependency nature of the NPCs.43 The pastoral care team must reintegrate the NPCs with God after the death of their iconic leader. The “why” questions that usually arise at the start of the loss will resurface and will have to be answered in order for the bereaved congregations to be reintegrated into normal life. The importance of teaching the sovereign nature of God and his providence will assist in reintegrating the bereaved NPC congregations with God. This  Mitchell and Anderson, All our losses, All our griefs, 132.  Wesse and Crabtree, The Elephant in the Boardroom, 87–88.

42 43

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will enable the NPCs to shift their focus from a human-centred theology to a God-centred theology, thus helping them to be mindful of God’s intention and will. The pastoral care team must gently guide the bereaved NPCs in exploring the lessons that God wants them to learn through their experience of loss. 6.5.7   Preserving and Continuing the Spiritual Rhythm of the Church An important element in grieving a pastor who has died from a pandemic such as COVI-19 is the preservation and continuation of the spiritual rhythm of the church he or she started. One of the factors that plunge NPC Christians when their leader dies is the feeling of the end of the cycle of spiritual faith and life. That this happens even in cases where the leader has died a natural death, means that it can be worse when the death is due to a pandemic that has killed many ordinary people. That a prominent spiritual figure has died from a disease that has killed many ordinary people may reduce his or her iconic spiritual stature. However, this can be countered by continuing the rhythm of the NPCs’ spiritual faith and life of worship, preaching, and observing the unique spiritual disciplines of the church. This is not a one-moment occurrence but a long-term commitment that ensures what the NPC leader started continues into posterity. Preserving the legacy of their pastor or prophet who has died from COVID-19 by continuing the life cycle of the ministry he or she started, is therapeutic because when the members realise that what their leader started can survive beyond the leader’s lifetime, it means that they were not caught in a fad but into something that has lasting value. This means that a key element of a pastoral framework of caring for NPC Christians who have lost their leader to COVID-19 is challenging them to continue the unique practices of their church by preserving their unique worship, music, and preaching traditions. However, in this preservation of spiritual life and faith, the followers may demonstrate their own agency by critically engaging authenticity and meaningfulness of their practices and systems started by their departed spiritual leader. Some practices may be changed and even discarded as the followers continue into the future with their faith. Thus, a meaningful pastoral framework of ministering to NPC Christians who have lost their leader to COVID-19 should involve empowering them to think critically about a whole array of things including the very aspects of death and COVID-19.

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6.6  Conclusion The death of a pastor from COVID-19 in NPCs leaves them in a complicated state of grief because of the iconic status afforded the pastor by the congregation. We also considered the respect that a pastor in the NPCs commands and how his/her death from COVID-19 is devastating for the congregation. The latter is attributable to the view that NPCs have of COVID-19 as a demonic disease, implying that a spiritual icon such as a pastor was killed by a demon. NPCs are generally suspicious of death and perceive it as an attack from malevolent spirits especially if such death is unexpected, mysterious, and inexplicable. The many conspiracy theories around COVID-19 and its variant mutations reinforce this suspicion. This deepens the grief of congregants of NPCs when they imagine that their icon pastor, who has been heroically administering healing to many, has now been defeated by death due to a virus. A pastoral care framework based on the work of Mitchell and Anderson was proposed. This framework is intended to bring an intervention by a pastoral care team, that will support the grieving NPC congregation by creating healthy memories that will help to reintegrate them to self, to their community, and to God. In the process of reintegration, the pastoral care team must journey with the NPCs in an attempt to guide them towards a balanced perspective on their pastor, and his death to COVID-19. To consolidate this pastoral care framework there should be the preservation and continuation of the spiritual rhythm of the church started by the NPC leader.

References Anderson, Allan. “The newer Pentecostal and Charismatic churches: The shape of future Christianity in Africa?.” Pneuma 24, no. 2 (2002): 167–184. Anderson, Allan. Spirit-filled world: Religious Dis/Continuity in African Pentecostalism. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018 Anderson, Bernhard. Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today. Westminster: Westminster Press, 1974. Capps, Donald. Biblical Approaches to Pastoral Counselling. Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2003. Cox, Harvey. “Spirits of globalization: Pentecostalism and experiential spiritualities in a global era.” In Sturla Stålsett, Spirits of globalization: The growth of Pentecostalism and experiential spiritualities in a global age (2006): 11–22, London: SCM Press.

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Ellington, Scott. “Pentecostalism and Authority of Scripture,” in Pentecostal Hermeneutics, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004258259_011 Frahm-Arp, Maria. Professional Women in South African Pentecostal Charismatic Churches Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV, 2010. Gee, Donald. Trophimus I Left Sick, London: Elim Publishing Co. Ltd, 1952. Goge, Siphamandla. “Chief Justice Mogoeng Prays Against ‘Vaccine of The Devil’.” eNCA News, available at https://www.enca.com/news/chief-­justice-­ mogoeng-­prays-­against-­vaccines-­devil, accessed 10 December 2020. Hamman, Jaco. When Steeples Cry: Leading Congregations Through Loss and Change. Cleveland Ohio, The Pilgrim Press, 2005. Hocken, Peter. “A Charismatic View on the Distinctiveness of Pentecostalism.” Pentecostalism in Context, (1997): 96–106. Kanu, Macaulay. “The Indispensability of the Basic Social Values in African Tradition: A Philosophical Appraisal.” Ogirisi: A New Journal of African Studies, 2010. Kindzeka, Moki. “Cameroon Pastor Who Claimed He Could Cure Covid-19, Dies from Virus.” Africa News Agency, available at https://www.iol.co.za/ news/africa/cameroon-­pastor-­who-­claimed-­he-­could-­cure-­covid-­19-­dies-­ from-­virus-­48107319, accessed May 2020. Kübler-Ross, Elizabeth. Kessler, David. On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss. New York: Scribner, 2005. Land, Steven. Pentecostal Spirituality: A Passion for the Kingdom. London: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993. Matshobane, Mangaliso. & Maake, Masango. “The challenge of pastoral succession in African independent Pentecostal churches.” HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 76, no. 2 (2020): 10. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts. v76i2.6265 Mbiti, John. Introduction to African Religion, 2nd ed. Illinois, Waveland Press, 1991. McCall, Junietta. Bereavement Counselling: Pastoral Care for Complicated Grieving Binghamton: Haworth Press, 2004. Mitchell, Kenneth, & Anderson, Herbert. All our Losses, All our Griefs. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1983. Nel, Marius. “The African background of Pentecostal theology: A critical perspective.” In dieSkriflig 53, no. 4 (2019): 1–8. Onyinah, Opoku. “Deliverance as a Way of Confronting Witchcraft in Modern Africa: Ghana as a Case History.” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 5, no. 1, 2002. Pruyser, Paul. The Play of Imagination: Towards a Psychoanalysis of Culture. New York: International University Press, 1983. Thomas, John. The Devil Disease and Deliverance: Origins of illness in the New Testament thought. Cleveland, TN: CPT Press, 2010.

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Wagner, Peter. “America’s Pentecostals: See How They Grow.” Christianity Today 31 no. 15 (1987): 28. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1987/october-­ 16/americas-­pentecostals-­see-­how-­they-­grow.html. Warrington, Keith. Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter. London: T&T Clark, 2008. Webster College Dictionary, Random House Kernerman, 2010. Wesse, Carolyn & Crabtree, Russell. The Elephant in The Boardroom: Speaking the Unspoken About Pastoral Transitions. How to Think About and Create A Strategic Succession Plan for Your Church. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004. Westermann, Claus. The Psalms: Structure Content and Message, trans. Ralph D. Gehrke. Augsburg Publishing Company, 1980. Wimberly, Anne & Wimberly, Edward. The Winds of Promise: Building and Maintaining Strong Clergy Families. Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resource, 2007. World Health Organization. “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Advice for The Public”, available at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-­ coronavirus-­2019/advice-­for-­public accessed March 2021.

CHAPTER 7

The Benefits of and the Need for Social Gatherings During Lockdown Buti David Mulutsi

7.1   Introduction This study endeavours to show that Pentecostal pastors in South Africa were in the forefront of meeting the underlying spiritual and emotional needs created by the lockdown restrictions, implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19. South African government categorised lockdown into five different alert levels as it opened back the economy.1 The lockdown restrictions that mandated the complete shutdown of churches (including pubs and restaurants) had a damaging effect on the spiritual and emotional needs of people. The restrictions became both a religious 1  My Broadband, “Here are the 5 alert levels which kick in after lockdown”, accessed September 20, 2020, https://mybroadband.co.za/news/trending/349297-here-arethe-5-­alert-levels-which-kick-in-after-lockdown.html.

B. D. Mulutsi (*) North-West University, Potchestroom, South Africa e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_7

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and societal problem.2 A religious problem because Christians could not freely hold church services. A societal problem because gender-based violence, anxiety, and depression escalated. Religious leaders urged the government to be careful that in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, it does not create an emotional and spiritual pandemic. While the order of the service in other churches focuses on sacraments or listening to preaching, the Pentecostal movement involves the congregation in its services. Charles Peter Watt explain it as a “playing field” where “teamwork” is the dominant value.3 He further states that everyone in a Pentecostal congregation has a part to play in contributing to the liturgical content of a meeting. It is this inter-personal experience that was mostly missed when face-to-face church gathering was not allowed. Rafael Cazarin is of the view that religious experience is what binds and intergrades congregants together.4 “Pentecostal pneumatology deepens the importance of the gathering of believers because the individual member is empowered by his/her experience of the Holy Spirit to be an active participant in the liturgy of the church”.5 The importance of gathering among Pentecostals can be traced from the beginning of the Pentecostal movement in South Africa. Marius Nel, writing about the history of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa, tells of the early Pentecostals encouraged congregants to participate in their services, because the Holy Spirit could use anyone present to bring the message of the Lord.6 The participation of congregants in Pentecostal churches has always made face-­ to-­face gathering important. Methodologically, this chapter is based on literature and a questionnaire survey conducted with 15 Pentecostal pastors. The pastors are identified by numbers, thus Pastor 1 to Pastor 15.

2  Citizen “Major survey shows how South Africans are coping with lockdown”, accessed February 3, 2021, https://citizen.co.za/news/covid-19/2313619/major-survey-showshow-south-africans-are-coping-with-lockdown/. 3  Charles Peter Watt, “Some dangers in the globalisation of Pentecostalism: A South African perspective”, available at https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/EJC75986, accessed 6 October 2021. 4  Rafael Cazarin, “The Social Architecture of Belonging in the African Pentecostal Diaspora, available at https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/7/440, accessed 6 October 2021. 5  Watt, “Some dangers”, 388. 6  Marius Nel, “Pentecostals and the pulpit: A case study of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa”, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 74(2), 4664. Available at https:// doi.org/10.4102/hts.v74i2.4664, accessed 6 October 2021.

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7.2   Increase in Social Ills During Lockdown Although the initial lockdown from 26 March to 16 April 2020, was widely received by many South Africans because it was an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, the subsequent extensions brought much concern to people. Restriction of movement and association brought anxiety to people about their livelihood. Citizens became restless and felt restricted. They believed that the government was trampling on their freedoms and rights, such as freedom of religion and the right to a just livelihood. Over and above that, lockdown revealed underlying social problems. People were forced to spend time with family members they had problems with. This led to an intolerable environment in some families. Beside the fact that, during lockdown, people were concerned about the possible loss of income, a lack of food, and infection with COVID-19, “reports have indicated there has been a significant increase in crime and violence against women and children, which has been prioritized and has been stamped with a sense of urgency by the Presidency”.7 The number of reports about social ills increased when lockdown was extended. The extension of lockdown heightened the need for social connection even further. Social connection beyond immediate family, like in church structures, plays an important role in intervening to ease tension where there are family disputes. Ranjit Powar is of the view that “social distancing seems to be hitting people even more than the scare of the deadly virus. People are getting highly restive and agitated in spite of social media connectivity”.8 Lockdown has traumatised many people.9 This is asserted by both Police Minister Bheki Cele10 and, among other sources, one of UNICEF South Africa’s social workers, Livhuwani, who works in Orange Farm. Ask Africa Company conducted a survey about how South Africans were coping with the lockdown and what their fears were. According to the survey, the fear of gender-based violence ranked high.11  Citizen, “Major survey.”  Ranjit Powar, “Psycho-social impact of the Covid lockdown,” available at https://www. tribuneindia.com/news/comment/psycho-social-impact-of-the-covid-lockdown-69316, accessed 27 January 2021. 9  Citizen, “Major survey.” 10  IOL, “Cele welcomes drop in crime, but gender-based violence cases still high,” available at https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/cele-welcomes-drop-in-crime-butgender-­based-violence-cases-still-high-46262416, accessed 3 October 2020. 11  Ibid. 7 8

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Pastors responded differently according to the different alert levels. The South African government responded to COVID-19 by imposing a lockdown that had five alert levels.12 Alert level 5 entailed the most restrictions and alert level 1 the fewest. People experienced different challenges owing to lockdown. These included a lack of food, a loss of income, and confinement. Pentecostal churches organised their different Non-­ Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) to buy and distribute food to the needy.13 The priority was to their needy church members, then to the needy in the vicinity of their churches. When the country moved to alert level 3, many people went back to their jobs and started earning income. The need for the churches to provide food parcels to poor people and those who lost income because of company closures subsided. Pentecostal pastors focused then on the spiritual and emotional needs of members and their families.14 The first two months of hard lockdown, when people were confined to their homes, saw the highest number of gender-based violence reports. Face-to-face church gatherings would have been the occasion to seek counselling or emotional support from church leaders or fellow church members. Pastors were only limited to visual counselling since they were not allowed to have face-to-face contact with members.15 This means of communication, however, was very limiting to the pastors. Online church services had some disadvantages. The questionnaire survey that this study conducted, revealed that Pentecostal pastors of mostly rural churches had no means of broadcasting their services. Poor people in urban, semi-rural, and rural areas did not have access to church services online, because of a lack of smart phones, tablets, or internet. Pastor 1 responded that his livestreaming was limited because of loss of income 12  My broadband, “Here are the 5 alert levels which kick in after lockdown,” available at https://mybroadband.co.za/news/trending/349297-here-are-the-5-alert-levels-which-­ kick-in-after-lockdown.html, accessed 20 September 2020. 13  Tshegofatso Mathe, “Churches are struggling in  lockdown,” available at dhttps:// mg.co.za/business/2020-05-07-churches-are-struggling-in-lockdown/ accessed 3 July 2021. 14  Africa News, “Religious counselling now permitted in South Africa,” available at https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/africa/Religious-counselling-now-­ permitted-in-South-Africa-965653, accessed 3 July 2021. 15  Dominikus David Biondi Situmorang, “Online/Cyber Counselling Services in the COVID-19 Outbreak: Are They Really New?” Journal of Pastoral Care & Counselling 74, no. 3 (October 2020): 166–74, available at https://doi.org/10.1177/1542305020948170. Accessed 1 July 2021.

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during hard lockdown. Pastor 3 also mentioned the inability to livestream due to loss of income. Pastor 6 indicated that her members were not well schooled on technology. Pastor 14 saw no need to livestream because his members did not have access to internet. In addition, Christians in urban areas who had access to livestreaming, sometimes missed online church services because their data had depleted. For these reasons, religious communities pleaded with government to open churches. Church members needed counselling and appealed to their pastors to resume regular church services. According to survey responses, Pentecostal church members were missing their vibrant atmosphere of church service charged by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Church organisations pleaded with government to allow church services and/or recognise religious leaders as essential workers to have unlimited access to their members whenever they needed them. Emotional challenges were experienced also by the community at large. Psychologist Thokozani Sithole is of the view that COVID-19 has led to a great deal of anxiety and depression.16 The Minister of Health revealed that 1800 suicides were reported from 27 March to 27 July. Sithole attributes the increase in suicide to emotional stress because of the pandemic and lockdown.17 An increase in suicides is reported worldwide.18 The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) affirmed that “the main challenges people reported to be facing during lockdown included anxiety and panic, financial stress and pressure, depression, poor family relations, feelings of suicide, and substance abuse”.19 Loneliness and dysfunctional homes contributed immensely to these problems. Because pastors were not allowed to conduct regular face-to-face church services during alert levels 4 and 5, persons suffering from depression or any other mental disorder could not have physical contact with a pastor or counsellor. Against this background, this author argues that certain 16  SABC news, “Close to 1800 people have committed suicide since lockdown started: Mkhize,” available at https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/close-to-1-800-people-havecommitted-suicide-since-lockdown-started-mkhize/, accessed 4 December 2020. 17  ibid. 18  Wire, “67% Increase in Reports of Suicidal Behaviour During Lockdown: Study,” available at https://thewire.in/health/suicides-covid-19-lockdown, accessed 3 March 2021. 19  Health24, “Mental health effects of Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown—and concern over suicide risk,” available at https://www.health24.com/Medical/Infectious-diseases/ Coronavirus/mental-health-effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-lockdown-and-concern-over-­­ suicide-risk-20200608-2, accessed 14 November 2020.

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­ sychological challenges need the physical presence of a pastor or counselp lor. Accordingly, the author submits that the number of suicides increased because of the hard lockdown. Confinement to one location increases negative thoughts and emotions. The SADAG online survey discovered that anxiety, panic, depression, financial stress, and pressure are among the top mental health challenges experienced by South Africans during lockdown.20 SADAG further reports that there seems to be a link between social media and suicide, as people lose real contact with other people.21 This problem is not an isolated South African situation as it has happened in United Kingdom (UK) as well. Collinson reported a rise in suicidal thoughts among young people in the UK due to the lockdown.22 Although her survey was conducted only from 31 March to 11 May 2020, it shows the impact the lockdown had on young people. She attributes this to the anxiety young people had about their future. Because of COVID-19, they felt hopeless and uncertain about their social and economic standing. Face-to-­ face gatherings with all health protocols observed could help to alleviate church members’ anxiety and sense of hopelessness. The author, as a pastor, has heard from many bereaved family members that they have found comfort in not only the words but also the presence of people. A mother who lost her son went into depression and could not cooperate with family members in making funeral arrangements. After hearing my voice and speaking words of comfort and giving her counsel, she gained courage and changed her attitude, and cooperated with other family members in making the funeral arrangements for her late son. A church leader who lost his wife in the middle of the night pleaded that I come and be with his family before the undertaker removed the deceased from the house. My presence comforted the leader and his children until other family members arrived. The author is of the view that face-to-face contact has a soothing effect on a troubled soul. Pastors need to be available to families in need during COVID-19. It is also important that in 20  Sowetan Live. “Lockdown adding to mental health challenges in SA,” available at https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-04-21-lockdown-adding-tomental-health-challenges-in-sa/, accessed 9 October 2021. 21  Mail and Guardian. “The psychological impact of Covid-19 and lockdown,” available at https://mg.co.za/special-reports/2020-05-12-the-psychological-impact-of-covid-19-andlockdown/ accessed 9 October 2021. 22  Anna Collinson, “Covid: Lockdown had ‘major impact’ on mental health,” available at https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54616688 accessed 5 December 2021.

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doing so, they observe all health protocols so that they can assist in ensuring that the funerals do not become super spreaders.

7.3  Church Members Sought Physical Pastoral Care During Lockdown Pentecostal pastors saw a need where social and emotional challenges induced members of congregations to seek pastoral care. Jeanet Bentzen explains that more people turn to religion during times of crises.23 This increased social and emotional need is understood to be caused by being confined to a single space. The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) warned during the twenty-one days of the first lockdown that “stress, anxiety and a sense of isolation amid the global COVID-19 pandemic and South Africa’s current 21-day lockdown can add to psychological distress”.24 “Staying in a confined space with family is not all a rosy picture for everyone. It can be extremely oppressive and claustrophobic for large low-income families huddled together in small single-room houses”.25 Physical space and the environment contribute to the well-­ being of a person. Claustrophobia results in mental depression and also affects the physical health of a person. Many physical ailments have an emotional and psychological cause. For example, a common cold or flu can be attributed to a poor immune system weakened by depression.26 A study called “Stress-related diseases  – a potential role for nitric oxide” revealed that there is a connection between stress and various illnesses.27 A report by the Same Foundation which argues that 16.5% of South Africans suffer from common mental health problems.28 This phenomenon is 23  Jeanet Bentzen, “In Crisis, We Pray: Religiosity and the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 2020). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP14824,” available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/ abstract=3615587, accessed 1 July 2021. 24  Sasop, “Mental health care is vital during lockdown,” available at https://www.sasop. co.za/lockdown-mental-health, accessed 11 January 2021. 25  Powar, “Psycho-social impact.” 26  Healthline, “The Effects of Depression in Your Body,” available at https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/effects-on-body, accessed 2 February 2021. 27  News24, “Common illnesses caused by stress,” available at https://www.news24.com/ news24/SouthAfrica/Local/Coastal-Weekly/common-illnesses-caused-by-stress­20180125, accessed 9 October 2021. 28  Mental Health, “A Growing Condition In Healthcare For South Africa,” available at http://www.samefoundation.org.za/mental-health-a-growing-condition-in-healthcare-for-­ south-africa/, accessed 3 March 2021.

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­ niversal as it can be seen in other countries. The British Mental Health u Foundation reports that “one adult in eight (12.1%) receives mental health treatment, with 10.4% receiving medication and 3% receiving psychological therapy”.29 Similarly, “As many as one in six South Africans suffer from anxiety, depression or substance-use problems”.30 Furthermore, “Depression, also known as major depressive disorder, is a mood disorder that makes you feel constant sadness or lack of interest in life”.31 Sadness is a normal reaction to life’s challenges, but when it lasts for days or weeks, it causes a sense of hopelessness and futility. The mental state then becomes depressed.32 One of the contributing factors is a person’s environment.33 Confinement to a single space and little or no interaction with people could harm the well-being of any individual. Psychological well-being is pursued by most Christians who associate depression, a continual sense of despair and hopelessness, with a spiritual attack.34 They believe that depression is what the Bible calls “a spirit of heaviness”,35 as recorded in Isaiah 61:3. Pentecostals believe that to fight off a spiritual attack, one needs a spiritual leader.36 During lockdown, churches wanted their leaders to be given essential-­ worker status, but government feared that it would increase the movement of people and the spreading of the virus. Following that, Pentecostal church members were in the forefront to have religious face-to-face 29  Mental health, “statistics: people seeking help,” available at https://www.mentalhealth. org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-people-seeking-help, accessed 2 February 2021. 30  SACAP, “The shocking state of mental health in South Africa in 2019,” available at https://www.sacap.edu.za/blog/management-leadership/mental-health-south-africa/, accessed 6 October 2021. 31   WebMD, “Depression,” available at https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/ what-is-depression#1, accessed 2 February 2021. 32  Medical news today, “What is depression and what can I do about it?” available at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8933, accessed 2 February 2021. 33  Ibid 34  Conquer the devil, “signs of a Spiritual Attack: Depression,” available at https://www. conquerthedevil.com/signs-of-a-spiritual-attack-depression/#:~:text=But%20depression%20from%20a%20spiritual%20attack%20is%20a,of%20the%20world%20around%20 you,%20your%20senses%20deadened, accessed 3 February 2021. 35  Hope faith prayer, “Depression Is a Spirit—It Must Be Fought with the Word of God,” available at https://www.hopefaithprayer.com/depression-spirit-fought-word-god/, accessed 3 February 2021 cf. Robins, Roger G., ed. Current Trajectories in Global Pentecostalism: Culture, Social Engagement, and Change. (Basel: MDPI, 2019), 138. 36  Truls Akerlund, A Phenomenology of Pentecostal Leadership, (Eugene, OR: wipf and stock publishers, 2018) pp. 17–19

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gatherings allowed and churches reopened. In this way, they would have been able to consult their pastors or counsellors.

7.4   Pentecostal Church Members Desired to Attend Physical Gatherings During Lockdown The important role that fellowships plays in the well-being of Christians was apparent during lockdown. Many Pentecostal Christians declared on social media that they would hug everyone in church once churches have been allowed to reopen. Unfortunately, this was not to be since social distancing had to be maintained when face-to-face church gatherings resumed. At least their social needs were met to a large degree.37 Pastor 6 reported that church members begged their pastors to reopen their churches. A member of a church told this author that she was thinking of living her church because her pastor refused to open their church. This shows that members were desperate to attend church. Thembelani Jentile argues that the pressure to reopen churches was due to the theological understanding that a church is a place to be visited on Sundays.38 However, church leaders who approached government did not request that churches reopen only on Sundays. They requested, initially, that religious leaders be given essential-worker status and, consequently, that they could conduct church services again. President Ramaphosa acceded to their request and churches were allowed to reopen on alert level 3.39 Pentecostal Pastors noticed church members’ need for one-on-one contact. Congregating to pray, worship and celebrate the sacraments is an integral part of the Christian faith.40 Gibs states that the word “church” refers to a group of people rather than to a place and that the word “congregation” applies to not only a weekly gathering of people, but also a community to which church members actively belong, from which they receive support, and to which they contribute.41 Lockdown has had a negative  Powar, “Psycho-social impact.”  Jentile, Thembelani. “‘ICawa ivaliwe’: The Church during the Pandemic.” Pharos Journal of Theology 101, no.1 (2020): 1–15 39  South African Government, “President Cyril Ramaphosa: Call for a day of prayer on Coronavirus COVID-19,” available at https://www.gov.za/node/798061, accessed 15 October 2020. 40  Jerry Pillay, “COVID-19 shows the need to make church more flexible,” Transformation 37, no. 4 (2020): 266–275. 41  Ibid. 37 38

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impact on society. Daniel Louw affirms that “to become lock-downed, not to embrace and hug the other, not to touch the body of a loved one, not to go for a walk in the park, not to play tennis or rugby, not to go to school or church, not to have communion or to become engaged in close human encounters, creates the ‘nightmare’ of human existence (I fear for myself: dread)”.42 In this social-media survey, Pentecostal pastors were asked how they managed during lockdown, what method they would keep to even after lockdown, and what challenges they had during lockdown. All 15 respondents used social media, seven of them combined cell phone calls and social media, and only one visited the members of his church to stay connected. All respondents cited interaction as a major need. Even though social media connected the pastor and his congregation, it did not meet believers’ need to socialise. Online gatherings did not satisfy congregants’ need for physical gatherings. Many believed that they needed the physical touch. Seeing a fellow congregant on screen was not the same as hugging him or her. All respondents emphasised the importance of physical gatherings. Physical gatherings, which have always been taken for granted, turned out to be vital for church members’ well-being. Pentecostal Pastors missed their members and members missed their pastors. The lack of social intercourse between members left a social void. Pentecostal Pastors stayed in touch with their members by sending them short clips of their messages. Respondents to the survey contend that during the time when physical church gatherings were prohibited, most of their members were pleased to hear their voice. Hearing their pastor’s voice was indeed a soothing experience. This confirmed their emotional need. Pentecostal pastors were advocating that it is, therefore, important that physical church gatherings be allowed, and people be educated on health protocols to minimise the spread of COVID-19, instead of prohibiting physical church gathering.

42  Daniel Johannes Louw, “The aesthetics of Covid-19 within the pandemic of the corona crisis. From loss and grief to silence and simplicity-a philosophical and pastoral approach,” Acta Theologica 40, no. 2 (2020): 125–149.

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7.5  The Agony of Isolation Isolation is one of the harshest forms of punishment. Many studies have shown the damage caused by isolation. A surgeon, journalist, and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, Atul Gawande, describes the effects of solitary confinement and concludes that “all human beings experience isolation as torture”.43 He further states that “human beings are meant to spend time with people socializing in an elemental way. […] simply to exist as a normal human being requires interaction with other people”. Social interaction is indeed a “fundamental human need”. Studies demonstrate that isolation causes people to be more impulsive as a result of a change in their brain functionality.44 Bowers et al. refer to a report by a psychiatrist in various Californian prisons who asserts: “It’s a standard psychiatric concept, if you put people in isolation, they will go insane. Most people in isolation will fall apart. Even just a ‘short’ period in extreme isolation can make a prisoner feel as if the walls are closing in and can produce ongoing physiological and psychological harm”.45 Church gatherings, therefore, meet an important social need. It should be considered when drafting lockdown regulations. Musek is of the view that isolation and quarantine harm a person’s social well-being and are detrimental to his or her physical and mental health. He argues that even a short period of isolation can damage the mental health of a person.46 Powar argues that “humans have evolved to be social creatures and are wired to live in interactive groups. Being isolated from family, friends and colleagues can be unbalancing and traumatic for most people and can result in short or even long-term psychological and physical health problems”.47 The author of this chapter has heard many similar testimonies from people who have been quarantined after contracting COVID-19. They attest to the fact that the mental challenge is far greater than the physical challenge. One COVID-19 patient found it 43  Mark Bowers et  al., “solitary Confinement as Torture,” available at https://law.unc. edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/solitaryconfinementreport.pdf, accessed 20 December 2020. 44  Ibid. 45  Ibid. 46  Janek Musek, “Psychological effects of isolation and quarantine,” available at https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/344614674_Psychological_effects_of_isolation_and_ quarantine/citation/download, accessed 15 January 2021. 47  Powar. “Psycho-social impact.”

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quite distressing that his small children were too afraid to come near him. He felt the highest form of rejection. Even after he had recovered, it took some effort to convince them that it was safe to hug him. It is when families suffer that society should be there to support them. When churches are not allowed to meet, people fail to receive support. During counselling, many patients have confessed to this author that after testing positive for COVID-19, they did not follow the protocol of isolation and quarantine because they could not bear the prospect of being alone. They kept their test results secret and self-medicated. People who have been admitted to hospital because of COVID-19 shared the sorrows of isolation. Hospitals refused visitors because they might have been asymptomatic and might have infected the hospital.48 So family members were not allowed beyond a hospital entrance. With no friends or family members visiting them, patients were quite lonely. Many mentioned that isolation from their loved ones made recovery exceedingly difficult. The psychological pain was felt by both patients and family members. Musek distinguishes between the effects of immediate and prolonged isolation.49 The immediate consequences of isolation are cabin fever, poor sleep, lower immunity, worsened cardiovascular health, emotional distress, depression, and even the impairment of cognitive functioning. Prolonged isolation adds to uncertainty and stress. Musek is of the view that the loss of most precious features of normal life, like control, autonomy, connectedness, and competence, causes most distress. The isolation causes the loss of control, feelings to be cut off from the world and inability to perform usual duties”.50 Even though these effects are conspicuous in people in solitary confinement, they are less noticeable in a lockdown environment. Musek advises people to concentrate on the positive aspects of isolation, which include abundant time to re-evaluate your relationships, fix things at home, and foster your social network remotely.51 Although his advice might be of help during a short isolation, it might not be as effective during a prolonged isolation. 48   IOL, “Netcare suspends hospital visits amid coronavirus lockdown,” available at https://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/kwazulu-natal/netcare-suspends-hospital-visits-amid-­­ coronavirus-lockdown-45516937, accessed 15 November 2020. 49  Janek, “Psychological effects.” 50  Ibid. 51  Ibid.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has polarised Pentecostals with regard to how they should deal with it.52 Discussions on social media clearly show the division. There are those who believe that non-pharmaceutical measures must be fully observed. This includes wearing a mask, social distancing, and sanitising hands and surfaces. Then there are Pentecostals, who believe that the Christian faith puts them above these measures and that their faith in God should be used in addition to these measures to fight the pandemic. The reason for this polarisation is the various beliefs about the origin of COVID-19. Those who believe that it is a coincidence of scientific occurrence believe in medical intervention. Those who believe that the pandemic was planned, trust in God as a measure that supersedes all non-scientific measures. They therefore put the importance of physical church gatherings as the highest priority. The different viewpoints extend to whether churches should be reopened or not. It therefore remains important and necessary for Christians to always act responsibly being guided by scientific medical advice to avoid infecting other people and spread the virus. In the case of COVID-19 isolation is the right thing to do once a person has contracted the virus and is symptomatic. This entails recognising the value of science and evidence-based decision-making. However, believers must find ways of ministering and keeping in contact with those in isolation so that they do not get lonely and desperate and end up breaching the COVID-19 protocols and spread the virus. This means that people affected by COVID-19 should not be stigmatised but be loved and supported.

7.6   Pastoral Interventions Through a Demand for Gatherings During COVID-19 When government opened up different sectors in trying to revive the economy but leaving out the religious sector, Pentecostal churches were among the various churches that mounted pressure for the reopening of religious physical gatherings.53 Since religious gatherings did not 52  Brett Mccracken, “Church, don’t let coronavirus divide you,” available at https://www. thegospelcoalition.org/article/church-dont-let-coronavirus-divide/, accessed 20 January 2021. 53  Naledi Shange, “Doors might be open, but church council wants government stopped from ever shutting them again,” available at https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-­ africa/2021-02-02-doors-might-be-open-but-church-council-wants-government-stopped-­ from-­ever-shutting-them-again/viewed 02 February 2021.

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c­ ontribute much to the economy, Pentecostal churches demonstrated to government that churches are helpful to the emotional well-being of people. This researcher is of the view that, had the religious community not exerted pressure, churches would have remained closed for longer and that more social ills would have been reported. Government’s gradual re-opening of the economy and permission of religious physical gatherings was the best approach as it conscientized people of the presence of the pandemic. This approach also allowed religious communities to prepare so that places of worship could be safe for congregants. Pentecostal churches were among the first to reopen their churches in accordance to the attendance numbers that government allowed. Testimonies of spiritual and emotional relief showed the importance of face-to-face gatherings. The government, therefore, should allow religious gatherings for the sake of the spiritual and emotional support that believers get from it. People have valid reasons for attending religious gatherings. Elizabeth Taylor writes that “all people have spiritual needs”.54 These include the need to give and receive love; to have meaning, purpose, hope, values, and faith; and to experience transcendence and beauty.55 These needs are met by physical interaction with one another. She further writes that “the Institute of Medicine defined spiritual need as ‘the needs and expectations that humans have to find meaning, purpose, and value in their life’”.56 Pentecostal pastors realised that the ban on physical gatherings robbed people of finding meaning, purpose, and value in their lives. This causes despondence and apathy in some people. Some people, overwhelmed by the gloom of the lockdown, have taken their own lives. But those who are spiritually healthy and socially connected have found the strength to be resilient. Such people are active in society and contribute to the well-being of others. A mother told me how her son, who has a physical deformity, blossomed after he discovered that he could be of help in the media department of their church. Another young man, who has a mental handicap, found joy and excitement in operating the camera for recording church services. These two young men found fulfilment after 54  Elizabeth Johnston Taylor, “Prevalence and associated factors of spiritual needs among patients with cancer and family caregivers,” Oncology Nursing Forum, v 33, no. 4, (2006): 729. 55  Bloomberg, “South Africa to Allow Religious Groupings of Up to 50 People”, available at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-26/south-africa-to-allowreligious-­­gatherings-of-up-to-50-people, accessed 3 March 2021. 56  Taylor, “Prevalence and Associated Factors,” 729.

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they were welcomed and given roles to participate and contribute to the well-being of the church. Interaction with others and their recognition and acceptance met a spiritual need in their lives such as being recognised as valuable people and members of the church. As a result, they are now committed to their duties. Taylor states that “spirituality manifests in how a person relates to self, to others, and to that which is transcendent (i.e., that which is beyond, above, ultimate, or supreme)”.57 These needs cannot be fully met in a workplace or a business meeting. They can only be fully satisfied in a religious physical gathering. Therefore, religious gatherings play an important, unique role in society, that cannot be matched by the role any other gathering plays. Governments should recognise that even though religious gatherings might not contribute financially to the economy, they contribute immensely to the well-being of citizens. Physical health is not the only health a person should enjoy. Spiritual, emotional, and mental health are vital to a good society. Therefore, in their effort to promote physical health by fighting COVID, government should also pay attention to other spheres of health. South Africans are by and large spiritual people. They believe in a Supreme Being who is involved in their lives. Pentecostal pastors believe, therefore, that spirituality should not be neglected when taking national decisions. People have sneaked into churches to pray even though lockdown regulations forbid it.58 Pentecostal pastors have protested church closure.59 They have challenged the rationale for the ban on religious gatherings in court.60 This illustrates how rooted South Africans are in their faith. When the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) proposed to regulate religion, it was met with  Ibid., 730.  EWN, “3 arrested after violence at illegal sebokeng church gathering,” available at https://ewn.co.za/2021/01/11/3-arrested-after-violence-erupted-at-illegal-­sebokeng-­ church-gathering, accessed 3 February 2021. 59  MSN, “Pastors march to Union Buildings, want Ramaphosa to allow churches to reopen,” available at https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/pastors-march-to-unionbuildings-­want-ramaphosa-to-allow-churches-to-reopen/ar-BB1d0bLL, accessed 3 February 2021. 60  Citizen, “SA National Christian Forum to challenge lockdown church closures in court,” available at https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/general/2420994/sa-­ national-­christian-forum-to-challenge-lockdown-church-closures-in-court/, accessed 3 February 2021. 57 58

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r­ esistance from the religious community who demonstrated their commitment to their religion by protecting it from being regulated by the government.61 President Ramaphosa eased lockdown regulations on the first of February 2021 by allowing, among others, religious gatherings to resume.62 Government should respect the deep-rooted spirituality of citizens. Before the Department of Health issued an important statement about burials and funerals,63 the procedures for burying COVID-19 victims had robbed families of the opportunity to bury their dead with the dignity they deserved. The bodies of people who died of COVID-19 and their coffins were sealed in plastic. Family members were forbidden to look at their deceased’s faces for the last time. Coffins had “biohazard” stickers on them. Grave sites were sanitised and people who got close to the grave had to sanitise their hands and bodies. Mourners were kept away from coffins. Only undertakers dressed in full personal protective equipment (PPE) could carry coffins. These measures added to the sorrow of bereaved family members. Families felt as if they had abandoned their deceased. One Pentecostal pastor recalled that one family was deeply offended when a member of the COVID-19 Command Council turned up at the funeral of a family member. The official was rude, impatient, and shouted at them to display his authority. The family ultimately told the official that even if he arrested or fined all of them, they would still proceed to bury their family member with the respect that he deserved. This demonstrates the emotional and spiritual commitment of the people. Disregarding these spiritual and emotional needs causes the families immense grief. Government

61  IOL news, “CRL Commission’s proposals to control churches would make things worse, not better”, available at https://www.iol.co.za/sunday-tribune/news/crl-­ commissions-­p roposals-to-control-churches-would-make-things-worse-not-betterdce55ebd-81cb-4653-b97e-95740d14b280, accessed 3 February 2021. Cf NGKerk, “comments on the crl report regarding the commercialisation of religion,” available at https://ngkerk.net/comments-on-the-crl-report-regarding-the-commercialisation-of-­ religion/, accessed 3 February 2021. 62  Citizen, “Ramaphosa announces that small religious gatherings will be allowed again,” available at https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/2291706/ramaphosa-­ announces-­that-small-religious-gatherings-will-be-allowed-again/, accessed 3 February 2021. 63  IOL, “Government amends Covid-19 burial laws,” available at https://www.iol.co.za/ pretoria-news/news/government-amends-covid-19-burial-laws-06de8473-bcf5-48f5-­ a8b3-b3172bbcaa13, accessed 29 January 2021.

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will do well by recognising these needs and allowing church gatherings to continue so that spiritual leaders can help families to process their loss. Pentecostal pastors advocated for the lifting of the ban on physical religious gatherings during lockdown.64 But strict health protocols such as masks, sanitising, and the avoidance of health hazards, should be followed. A good hygiene environment should be maintained. Furthermore, Christians should also value basic scientific facts about health. This stand is supported by the Bible when it promotes good hygiene. According to Leviticus 15:11, “anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening”. This is evidence that God expects us to apply basic scientific knowledge and critical thinking to the exercise of our faith as Christians. Washing with water was not only for ceremonial purposes, but also for the purpose of good hygiene. Kenneth Barker and John Kohlenberger III argue that the emphasis on ablutions throughout chapter 15 shows that hygiene was important to God.65 People with bodily discharges were instructed to be cleansed together with everything they have touched. Tokunbo Adeyemo states that the person was required to stay at home unless he regularly washed his hands with water.66 This is a sign that God expected his people to be responsible by not spreading infections to other people. The requirement of isolation and ceremonial cleansing of people with transmittable infections shows that to be spiritual included taking responsibility not to infect others. However, Christians must not stigmatise the diseased but continue to love and support them. Pentecostal pastors encouraged Christians to continue practising their belief. Faith is what keeps them strong, both physically and emotionally. Rituals prescribed in the Bible, such as Holy Communion, water baptism, and the laying on of hands, should be allowed with precautionary measures. The honour of participating in them should be left to the conscience of each congregant. 64  Rapule Moatshe, “Pastors march to Union Buildings want Ramaphosa to allow churches to reopen under level 3 lockdown,” available at https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/ news/watch-pastors-march-to-union-buildings-want-ramaphosa-to-allow-churches-toreopen-­under-level-3-lockdown-517fc678-24be-41ad-951d-583c9f7a4435. 65   Kenneth L.  Barker and John R.  Kohlenberger III, 1994, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Abridged Edition—Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), 143. 66  Tokunboh Adeyemo, Africa Bible Commentary (Nairobi, Kenya: WordAlive Publishers), 153.

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When churches reopened in June 2020, they observed all health protocols to avoid spread of COVID-19. Pentecostal pastors showed themselves to be responsible when they conducted church services. Pentecostal pastors preached faith to their congregations to encourage them to stand strong amid a pandemic. A bone of contention in the Pentecostals’ response to COVID-19 is the role of science in making decision that affect people’s religious practices. The government shut down churches based on scientific evidence, while Pentecostals wanted churches opened based on their faith in God who can heal all diseases. Indeed, Pentecostals firmly believe that God can heal all diseases including COVID-19. John G.  Lake, a leading Pentecostal preacher at the turn of the twentieth century, testified that because of his faith, the bubonic plague, which killed people during his stay in South Africa, did not affect him.67 However, this belief in God’s power must be exercised in a responsible manner. For while Lake’s testimony shows that God can protects those who trust him, this should be applied in a responsible manner that does not promote the risk of infections. Pentecostal pastors, while encouraging Christians to believe God for the supernatural protection and healing, taught their congregations to avoid excesses. Excesses are practices and beliefs that go beyond what the Bible teaches. Every practice and belief must be put under scrutiny according to the Bible. No practice or belief that involves fellow believers should be subjective. All practices and beliefs that involve and affect other believers should be objective and in accordance with what the Bible teaches and expects all its readers to believe and practise. Subjective practices are personal convictions which do not apply to all. For example, someone might read in the Bible that Jesus woke up early in the morning to go and pray. That person might believe that he should also wake up early every morning to pray. Such a practice would be subjective because the Bible only states what Jesus did. It does not mean that all Christians should get up early in the morning to pray. What is applicable to all Christians, as confirmed by other Scriptures, is to pray. As to the time of day, how often, and in what form, is up to the individual. It becomes an excess when all Christians are required to rise early and pray at a particular time. Such excesses cause

67  God’s Kingdom realm, “The Testimony of John G Lake During the Bubonic Plague,” available at https://www.godskingdomrealm.com/john-g-lake-bubonic-plague-germsdied-on-hand-healing-coach-online-podcast/, accessed 2 February 2021.

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division among Christians. Christians should avoid excesses about COVD-19 by co-operating with evidence based scientific knowledge. They can avoid excesses by consulting fellow Christians about the novel situations they find themselves in. There is safety in subjecting oneself to the counsel of the collective. Proverbs 11:14 states that “where there is no guidance, a people fall, but in an abundance of counsellors there is safety”. The early church set the example for how we should handle issues that we are uncertain of. Once the church was confronted with the question of whether gentile believers should be circumcised according to the law of Moses. Paul and Barnabas, who were out in the mission field, submitted themselves to the counsel of the elders. The church leaders gathered to pray and seek the wisdom of God on the matter. The lesson they teach the contemporary church is that believers should work together and respond unanimously to the pandemic and also respect the scientific advice from experts.

7.7  Conclusion This study has shown that Pentecostal pastors were actively involved in their communities to show the significance of social gatherings. Pentecostal church members were missing the face-to-face gathering to a point that they urged their leaders to resume church services. This study has further shown the importance of face-to-face gathering by highlighting the general public’s violation of lockdown regulations to visit family and friends. Governments would do well to consider the psychological make-up of humans when dealing with a pandemic. Besides citizens’ physical health, governments should take into consideration their emotional and relational health. Isolation and loneliness have increased the level of anxiety. A lack of social support because of the lockdown has made it difficult for bereaved families to get a sense of closure after the loss of their loved ones. Social gatherings help people to manage their stress levels and avoid depression. Hence Pentecostal pastors have been propagating the safe reopening of churches. Depression affects a person’s physical health in many ways and a joyful environment such as one in which believers pray and praise the Almighty, can help alleviate sickness. The spiritual force that is released by faith creates a positive atmosphere that is conducive to good health. The church environment helps attendees to have a positive mindset despite the pandemic. A positive mindset is about focusing on the

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bright side of life irrespective of life’s challenges.68 It is easily acquired on condition that one has moral support. Church gatherings provide such moral support. Lockdown has in many ways revealed the benefits of social gatherings. It however remains important for Christians to also respect the advice of the scientific and medical experts. At the same time experts and government officials must impose the needed measures in a fair and considerate manner that does not make them appear like enemies of people’s religious beliefs and values.

References Adeyemo, Tokunboh. Africa Bible Commentary. Nairobi: Word Alive Publishers. Africa News, “Religious counselling now permitted in South Africa,” available at https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/africa/Religious-­ counselling-­now-­permitted-­in-­South-­Africa-­965653, accessed 3 July 2021. Akerlund, Truls. A Phenomenology of Pentecostal Leadership, Eugene. OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018. Barker, Kenneth L., and John R.  Kohlenberger III. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary-Abridged Edition: Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2017. Bentzen, Jeanet. “In Crisis, We Pray: Religiosity and the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 2020). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP14824,” available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3615587, accessed 1 July 2021. Bloomberg. “South Africa to Allow Religious Groupings of Up to 50 People.” available at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-­05-­26/south-­ africa-­to-­allow-­religious-­gatherings-­of-­up-­to-­50-­people, accessed 3 March 2021. Bowers, Mark. “Solitary Confinement as Torture.” available at https://law.unc. edu/wp-­content/uploads/2019/10/solitaryconfinementreport.pdf, accessed 20 December 2020. Cazarin, Rafael. “The Social Architecture of Belonging in the African Pentecostal Diaspora, available at https://www.mdpi.com/2077-­1444/10/7/440, accessed 6 October 2021. Citizen, “Major survey shows how South Africans are coping with lockdown,” available at https://citizen.co.za/news/covid-­19/2313619/major-­survey-­

68  Positive psychology, “What is Positive Mindset: 89 Ways to Achieve a Positive Mental Attitude,” available at https://positivepsychology.com/positive-mindset/, accessed 3 February 2021.

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Situmorang, Dominikus David Biondi. “Online/Cyber Counseling Services in the COVID-19 Outbreak: Are They Really New?” Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 74, no. 3 (October 2020): 166–74. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/1542305020948170, accessed 1 July 2021. South African Government, “President Cyril Ramaphosa: Call for a day of prayer on Coronavirus COVID-19,” available at https://www.gov.za/node/798061, accessed 15 October 2020. Sowetan Live. “Lockdown adding to mental health challenges in SA,” available at https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-­africa/2020-­04-­21-­lockdown-­ adding-­to-­mental-­health-­challenges-­in-­sa/, accessed 9 October 2021. Taylor, Elizabeth Johnston. “Prevalence and associated factors of spiritual needs among patients with cancer and family caregivers.” Oncology Nursing Forum, v33, no. 4, (2006): 729. Watt, Charles Peter. “Some dangers in the globalisation of Pentecostalism: A South African perspective”, available at https://journals.co.za/doi/ pdf/10.10520/EJC75986, accessed 6 October 2021. WebMD. “Depression.” available at https://www.webmd.com/depression/ guide/what-­is-­depression#1, accessed 2 February 2021. Wire. “67% Increase in Reports of Suicidal Behaviour During Lockdown: Study.” available at https://thewire.in/health/suicides-­covid-­19-­lockdown, accessed 3 March 2021.

CHAPTER 8

The Impact of Social Media on Black Pentecostalism During COVID-19 Mercy Pheladi Bvuma

8.1   Introduction The similarity between the Spanish flu of 1918 and the 2019/2020 Coronavirus is that they are both to be remembered as the most atrocious pandemics in modern history. The difference is that with Covid-19, people and churches in this context relied on technology to recommence daily activities. Social media, as one of the technological advances in contemporary world, was one of the many developments which assisted with the progression of the church during the pandemic. Throughout the world, the advent of the COVID-19 meant a dramatic change in the way people worshiped. First-World countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom were not spared the havoc wreaked by the pandemic, nor the attendant restrictions imposed on places of worship, but Africa was hit the hardest. Consequently, since all gatherings were prohibited, churches and places of worship took a hard knock. Not all churches could afford to use social media to disseminate

M. P. Bvuma (*) University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_8

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and deliver sermons to congregants, particularly the “Black church”,1 as defined by scholars such as Molobi and Pattillo-McCoy.2 This remains an issue in South Africa and many other developing countries. The chapter analyses and discusses the use/s of social media within the Black church with a particular reference to “Black Pentecostalism”, as well as the benefits and inadequacies thereof, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.3 It also outlines methods that could be used in combatting future pandemics. According to Mofokeng and Madise, the term “Black” stands in a “binary” relationship with “White” as signifiers of racial categories designating people of African and European ancestry respectively.4 Furthermore, the terms also draw from a “Bikoist” definition of “Black” and “Blackness” as emerging from the racially oppressive experience of Africans, also being a “political” definition of people “who are psychologically and socially oppressed and who also identify as a unit in the struggle towards realisation of their aspirations”.5 The reason for the use of the concept “Black” in this chapter is to emphasise the already existing challenges which this group of people face in the “church space” in conjunction with many others. Black Pentecostalism also includes African Independent Churches (AICs) based on their emphasis on Pentecostal characteristics such as miracles and the work of the Holy Spirit. Zionist AICs such as the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) can heal people, help them with demonic possession (exorcism), teach, and perform other miraculous doings. However, although some Classical and Prophetic Pentecostals do not perceive 1  As Masilo Molobi writes, “the ‘Black church’ is an expression of belief for black Christians belonging to Christian congregations” Masilo Molobi, “The Black Church and family empowerment in South Africa,” Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 40(2014): 195–211. 2  cf. “Encompassing any predominantly black congregation, even if it is part of a chiefly white denomination although some scholars focus on denominations that were primarily founded by African Americans (in the context of America),” Mary Pattillo-McCoy, “Church culture as a strategy of action in the black community,” American Sociological Review (1998): 767–784. https://doi.org/10.2307/2657500. 3  When referring to the ‘black Pentecostalism’ in this context and in a broader definition of Pentecostalism, the chapter typically includes African Initiated Churches (AIC) such as the Zion Christian Church (ZCC), as well New Prophetic Churches (NPC) such as the Enlightened Christian Gathering of Prophet Shepherd Bushiri. 4  Thabang Mofokeng and Mokhele,Madise, “The evangelicalisation of black Pentecostalism in the AFM of SA (1940–1975): A turning point,” Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 45, no. 1 (2019): 1–16. 5  Kenneth Mateesana Tafira, “Steve Biko returns: the persistence of black consciousness in Azania (South Africa),” (PhD diss., Johannesburg: wits university, 2013), 192.

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Zionist AICs as Pentecostals, this chapter treats them as Pentecostals because of their emphasis on spiritual/charismatic gifts and miracles, signs and wonders.

8.2  The Use of Social Media During COVID-19 The term “social media” is often misunderstood because typically there is nothing “social” about the media. However, there are various forms of the social element of media such as information, communication, collaboration, and community. “Social media” is a complex term because it comprises multiple layers of meaning. Therefore, when we talk about social media, we ought to be careful of which specific aspect of the term “social” we are referring to. According to Fuchs, when studying social media, we need to approach it using “social theory” and “social philosophy”, since these are tools of thought that allow us to grasp the basic meanings of terms such as “sociality, media, society, power, democracy, participation, culture, labour, communication, information, the public sphere and the private realm”, which are all frequently used when discussing social media, even though often misinterpreted.6 Fuchs points out that all computing systems or web applications, as well as all forms of media, are therefore considered “social” because of the ability to store and transmit “human knowledge” that originates in social interaction in society.7 This essentially means that computer systems “objectify” society and human social relations. Consider takealot.com, Amazon, and many other online providers of goods from which we can buy. These are not tools of “communication” but, rather, tools of “information”, as opposed to Facebook, which has “in-build” communication features, such as walls for comments, forums, and mail systems, which can be used regularly because of their rich content (information) and can also be employed as a tool of communication between individuals and within communities. There are several types of social media, such as image sharing sites (Instagram), video hosting sites (YouTube), and discussion sites (Quora), to name just a few. However, for the purposes of this chapter, the researcher will focus only on social networking sites or microblogging, such as Facebook and Twitter. Therefore, when the researcher refers to “social media” in the context of this chapter,

6 7

 Christian Fuchs, Social media: A critical introduction (United Kingdom: Sage, 2017).  Ibid.

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one will be referring to social networking sites with specific emphasis on, but not limited to Facebook. Alfred Lua conducted a study on the most frequently used social media sites in 2019. He found that the top three applications and their recorded monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide were Facebook: 2.23 billion MAUs; YouTube: 1.9 billion MAUs; and WhatsApp: 1.5 billion MAUs.8 When the COVID-19 pandemic started, life changed irrevocably, and technology became the order of the day. People depended and are still depending on technology, and platforms such as Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Teams) became the “new normal” owing to the restrictions on colleagues, friends, and congregants from meeting in person. Microsoft Teams is essentially a messaging application for teams where all “conversations, meetings, files, and notes can be accessed by everyone, all in one place”, according to Harrison.9 It is again a platform for participation just like in any workplace or at church but without any physical interaction. During the pandemic, many Pentecostal churches opted for video conferencing applications such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom and GoToMeeting, to contact congregants and to spread the gospel. Since the emergence of the coronavirus in 2020, applications such as WhatsApp have become more popular in South Africa, and subsequently, a great number of Pentecostal churches have depended on the use of technology to deliver church sermons. The popularity of WhatsApp is the result of its use of low bandwidth (meaning lower costs), its ease of use, and its diverse functions, such as delivering messages, videos, and pictures speedily, while supporting many different types of mobile phones (Android, iPhone, etc.). And while most Pentecostal pastors relied on Facebook to livestream their messages during hard lockdown, others depended on WhatsApp to share recordings of such messages. Evidently, as Zviadadze argued, the internet, computer technology, and new media have transformed modern society,10 giving it “rhythm” and a new persona.

8  Alfred Lua, “21 Top Social Media Sites to Consider for Your Brand,” available at buffer. com/library/social-media-sites accessed 26 January 2021. 9  Peter Harrison, “The future of Microsoft Teams, O365 Groups and Yammer#1,” available at https://www.clearpeople.com/blog/the-future-of-microsoft-teams-office365-groups-and-yammer accessed 26 January 2021. 10  Sophie Zviadadze, “I ‘like’ my Patriarch. Religion on Facebook. New Forms of Religiosity in Contemporary Georgia,” Online—Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet, 6 no.1 (2014): https://doi.org/10.11588/rel.2014.0.17365

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8.3  Statistics on Christian Affiliation and Social Media Subscription It is widely recognised that many “Black Pentecostal” churches, suffered immensely because of the pandemic. “American Blacks” are the most religious people in the world, according to Gallop and Castelli,11 but data supplied by Indexmundi shows that Black “Africans” are the most religious people in the world, regardless of their religious affiliation (Christianity, Islam, etc.). According to the Indexmundi database on the demographics of South African religions, 86% of the South African population subscribes to the Christian faith, with the majority being Black.12 These are mostly economically deprived, and technologically disadvantaged. A survey conducted by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) in 2020 concluded that South Africa has a population of over 59 million people and that over 46 million are of Black African descent.13 Furthermore, according to O’Dea, it is estimated that roughly 24 million people in South Africa will use a smartphone in 2021, which accounts for about one-third of the country’s population.14 Considering the statistics mentioned above, the researcher will now delve deeper into the issues of social media use. NapoleonCat has predicted that there will be roughly 24 million Facebook users in South Africa by the end of 2021. This equates to 40.6% of the population. According to NapoleonCat people who frequently used this application were between the ages of 25 and 34, accounting for about 8.4 million of the stipulated

11  George Gallup and Castelli Jim, The people’s religion: American faith in the 90’s, (Basel: Macmillan, 1989), 122. 12  Indexmundi, “South African Religions,” available at https://www.indexmundi.com/ south_africa/religions.html accessed 15 January 2021. 13  StatsSA, “StatsSA. 2020 Mid-year population estimates,” available at http://www. statssa.gov.za/?p=13453#:~:text=South%20Africa’s%20mid%20  year%20 population,released%20by%20Statistics%20South%20Africa accessed 18 January 2021; Statista, “Total population of South Africa in 2018, by ethnic groups,” available at https:// www.statista.com/statistics/1116076/total-population-of-south-africa-by-populationgroup/#:~:text=As%20of%202018%2C%20South%20Africas,46.5%20million)%20were%20 Black%20Africans accessed 26 January 2021. 14  Statista “Number of Smartphone users in South Africa from 2014 to 2023 (in millions),” available at https://www.statista.com/statistics/488376/forecast-of-smartphoneusers-in-south-africa/ accessed 15 January 2021.

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population.15 In another study conducted by Clement, it was recorded that the most popular application used in South Africa were WhatsApp Messenger (58%), Facebook (33%) and Skype and Telegram (5% respectively). These are applications that could potentially be employed within the church space, in addition to apps such as Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Google Meet, to name but a few.16 In view of the foregoing, it is not surprising that the Black church and Black Pentecostals in particular would survive the pandemic. With over 86% of the South African population subscribing to the Christian faith, as mentioned previously, and the majority being black and disadvantaged in many regards, the results were inevitable. The debatable relationship between religion and technology is now evident. Technology demeans religious practices because it breaks “communal bonds”. The communal bonds in this case would be the “collective” nature of the Black Christian communities, which usually involve mass gatherings or conventions. Vershoor-Kirss argues that internet social networking can both support and destroy religious techniques.17 Given that churches were considered high-risk COVID-19 areas through their attraction of their many members every Sunday, some churches opted to use social media networking applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Microsoft Teams to deliver sermons. However, in South Africa, the use of technology was not always welcomed by some religious organisations given the sometimes conflicting “ideo-theological” viewpoints on social issues. Some Christians and people from various religious faiths worldwide viewed the pandemic to be “apocalyptic”. Dein et al. submit that religious groups were at the forefront of spreading the virus.18 At first, there was a lot of resistance from churches, particularly Pentecostal churches throughout the African continent, classifying the virus as a “spiritual war”. In the 15  Napoleon, “Facebook users in South Africa,” available at https://napoleoncat.com/ stats/facebook-users-in-south_africa/2020/08 accessed 15 January 2021. 16  Statistics, “Most popular mobile apps used in South Africa as of February 2020, by reach,” available at https://www.statista.com/statistics/1103151/most-popularmobile-apps-south-africa/ accessed 26 January 2021. 17  Alex Verschoor-Kirss, “Even Satan gets likes on Facebook: The dynamic interplay of religion and technology in online social networks” Journal of Religion and Society 14 no. 1 (2012): 1–12. 18  Simon Dein et  al. “COVID-19, mental health and religion: An agenda for future research,” Mental Health, Religion and Culture 23 no. 1 (2020): 1–9. https://doi.org/1 0.1080/13674676.2020.1768725.

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KwaZulu-Natal province alone, thousands of people contracted the virus at various church gatherings in December 2020.19 This was such a problem that Premier Zikalala was quoted as saying: Another gathering was in KwaSizabantu in Umzinyathi district, which was attended by more than 2000 people. And I repeat 2000 people. It is unthinkable. It is hardly surprising that 48 of these attendees have now since tested positive. We once again wish to issue a warning to our fellow compatriots that we are now confronted by a dangerous outbreak of Covid-19 in Kwazulu Natal.20

In January 2021, congregants were dispersed with rubber bullets after some churches in Sebokeng in the Vaal (Gauteng province) flouted lockdown restrictions. According to Mokhoali, this was also due to a misunderstanding between church leaders and the government, with the former alleging non-consultation regarding the decision to “limit the number of people who attend services”.21 The use of technology has somewhat eroded the functioning of the church since churchgoers indicated that they preferred the traditional church to the virtual one. This was confirmed by pastors mainly from charismatic churches around Tshwane, who protested at the Union Buildings against the closure of churches under the adjusted level 3 lockdown in January 2021. Their reasons for protesting were, among others, that congregants needed “their services as many were suffering from grief” while others were living in fear and needed “pastoral intervention”.22 The South African Broadcasting Corporation conducted interviews across the country regarding the closure of churches in January 2021, and many congregants (particularly from charismatic and Pentecostal churches) expressed their concerns regarding the issue of affordability, and how “online church is not really church”. A church leader by the name Bishop Kelly Tsedu-Muntswu was one of those pastors who had the option of going online, however, a little over 250 members could participate. 19  Nombembe, “Church gatherings ignites 48 Covid-19 cases as virus spreads in KZN,” available at https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-12-20-church-gathering-ignites-48-covid-19-cases-as-virus-spreads-in-kzn/ accessed 18 January 2021. 20  ibid. 21  Veronica Mokhoali “Police Fire Rubber Bullets At Congregants In Sebokeng For Unlawfully Gathering,” available at https://ewn.co.za/2021/01/10/police-fire-rubberbullets-at-congregants-in-sebokeng-for-unlawfully-gathering accessed 27 January 2021. 22  eNCA, “SA Lockdown: Pastors protest church closures,” available at https://enca. com/news/sa-lockdown-pastors-protest-church-closures accessed 18 January 2021.

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This cost him offering and tithe which he uses to run the ministry, as well as to service his community, which is fully dependent on the church at no cost. Online church is not church. I can’t even cater for the quarter of this congregation because of affordability and obviously, because of the gadgets that are used to do a proper live service.23

This demonstrates the damage aggravated by the pandemic to an already distressed “Black church” in contrast to the affluent white churches. The Christian Revival Church (CRC), under the leadership of pastors At and Nyretta Boshoff, is situated in one of Tshwane’s opulent suburbs. CRC is located in one of the wealthiest areas in Tshwane, and has a younger congregant base, its Facebook page has a following of almost 92,000 people, who are evidently either rich or at least middle class. There is also active participation on its Facebook page, judging by the immense number of “likes” and commentary. During the first lockdown in 2020, this church became one of the first in South Africa to broadcast live on three national networks, namely One Gospel, TBN Africa, and MYFaith. TV, with a viewership of over 400,000 every Sunday.24 The church did not depend on only one type of media to disseminate its sermons, it used various other media (television, live streaming) as well. This clearly highlights the disparity in wealth exacerbated by the pandemic within the church space. It also indicates the efficiency or inefficiency of using social media in the functioning of the church.

8.4  Benefits and Limitations of Using Social Media for Black Churches During COVID-19 As researchers, we cannot talk about the Black church without including African Initiated Churches (AICs) and Pentecostal churches. In this chapter, the researcher will mention only a few of these to outline the imbalance aggravated by the pandemic in the functioning of the Black church in 23  Maageketla Mohlabe “Online church is not church—some church leaders demand reopening of Churches,” available at https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/online-churchis-not-church-some-church-leaders-demand-reopening-of-churches/accessed 1 February 2021. 24  Christian Revival Church, “Facebook page” available at https://m.facebook.com/crctheplacetobe/ accessed 18 January 2020.

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contrast to “White churches”. The Zion Christian Church (ZCC) is the largest AIC in Southern Africa, with a membership of roughly 12 million. In February 2020, it was estimated that about 9 million of these members were based in South Africa, of which about 6 million were adults.25 There are several other smaller Zionist churches, which together with the ZCC are a prominent form of “African Pentecostalism at least as far as its phenomena are concerned”.26 The Zionist churches are among the most “distinctive” religious movements and, together, account for the largest category of Christians in South Africa.27 Such churches would include the Nazareth Baptist Church, also called the Church of Shembe. The ZCC and Shembe churches blend African traditions and culture with specific components of both the Old and New Testaments.28 In terms of the use of social media, such churches have strict measures in place to protect the image of the church, among other unspecified reasons. For example, the use of smartphones is prohibited in the ZCC during church services. Worshippers who attend the ZCC might have their personal social media accounts, but the church itself does not subscribe to any social media applications, nor does it have an “official” and, legitimate social media page. This essentially means that ever since the implementation of the first lockdown in March 2020, the ZCC has not been operational (in terms of holding church services), virtually or otherwise, except for administrative issues, such as paying of funeral policies and so forth. Similarly, the Shembe church does not have an official social media page. Social media certainly has its advantages, but it also has many disadvantages. Given the level of uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the use of technology is clearly inescapable. The emergence of the coronavirus certainly resulted in some churches’ using social media, with the striking exception of the Zionist churches. Kgatle maintained that online social networks “appear to enhance notions of community” and that it is “inevitable that religious organisations and individuals will turn to them in ever-­ increasing numbers”, which could be true, but also quite problematic if Zionist churches, such as the ones mentioned above, do not embrace the 25  News24, “Motsepe’s TymeBank partners with Zion Christian Church,” available at https://www.news24.com/fin24/companies/financial-services/motsepes-tymebank-partners-with-zion-christian-church-20200202 accessed 27 January 2020. 26  Allan Anderson, “The Lekganyane and Prophecy in the Zion Christian Church,” Journal of Religion in Africa 29, no. 3 (1999): 285–312. 27  Greg Marinovich, “Shembe: a Zulu Church,” Transition 125 (2018): 34–41. 28  Ibid., 35.

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change that comes with the use of technology.29 The Zionist churches and other churches that are resistant to the use of new media and technology in diversifying church methods are not expected to adapt speedily, but they are likely to do so gradually, over time. Whether the church (all churches) will return to its former routine or not remains to be seen. Since religion manifests not only in its “traditional” form (i.e. attendance of church) and observance of church rituals, it is debatable whether the use of new media will surface in many AICs. The church bell, the church clothes, the singing and physically being at a church are still valued and highly regarded at many Black churches. Everton argues that social networks are central for the recruitment and retention of members of churches, to “diffuse religious ideas and practices, to motivate individuals to volunteer in church work and become politically active”, among other reasons.30 Irrefutably, however, many Black churches fail to see the need to use social media in possibly “recruiting and retaining” new members because their membership is “generational” or “re-productive”, for lack of a better word. If we were to trace the history of the membership of many AICs and/or many “Black Pentecostal churches”, we would understand that membership occurs spontaneously. We would find that the current generation in a church can be traced back several generations from the time the church was built. Therefore, the first advantage of using social media in these contexts would be used to deliver sermons, offer prayers, and so forth, rather than to recruit or retain members. The exception would be in the case of new prophetic churches, where pastors typically showcase their many hidden talents. The second advantage of social media is that it is often used as a platform for advertising products and services, although in the context of the church, this would mean church services, upcoming events (fundraising), and so forth. Faimu and Berhens assert that postings vary from “biblical verses, well-formulated religious messages, words from the prophet and prophetess” leading the ministry, posts of pictures, videos, and testimonies, as well as postings of others’ religious products (such as bracelets and

29  Mookgo Kgatle, “Social media and religion: Missiological perspective on the link between Facebook and the emergence of prophetic churches in southern Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 39 no. 1 (2018): 1–6.https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v39i1.1848. 30  Everton Sean, Networks and religion: Ties that bind, loose, build-up, and tear down, Vol. 45. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018), 1.

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praying oils) that the church may want to distribute to its congregants.31 A clear example of such a church is the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) of the controversial Prophet Shepherd Bushiri. This church was situated at the Tshwane Events Centre, formerly known as the Pretoria Showgrounds. Bushiri has or had (prior to fleeing South Africa amidst fraud charges), a “strong” social media presence on platforms such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. He sold many religious products, which made millions of rands for him. Furthermore, Bushiri also had a prophetic channel an official television channel of the ECG which was very active during the lockdown.32 Kgatle indicates that Bushiri also launched an online church called the “Major 1 connect app”, which could connect both local and international congregants via video conferencing, using “multiple screens”, for which subscribers would pay a fee of nearly R80 (per session presumably).33 Priscilla Mueni lists Prophet Bushiri among the top five richest pastors in South Africa, thus highlighting the advantage of being more technologically advanced than other churches.34 Thirdly, social media is ideal for social interaction. One of the most significant phenomena of new media is the way it has “created new forms of social interaction”.35 This essentially means that social networking sites such as Facebook or social media apps and platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams are ideal for forming social relationships. The internet specifically social networking sites such as Facebook gives users the opportunity to use “a new space for spiritual life”, as argued by Zviadadze.36 In the church context, these platforms are ideal for engaging and sharing sermons, as well as for creating a space for shared identity through posts 31  Gabriel Faimau, and Berhens, “Facebooking religion and the technologization of the religious discourse: A case study of a Botswana-based Prophetic Church,” Online— Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet 11 (2016): 69. https://doi.org/10.17885/ heiup.rel.2016.0.23628. 32  Mookgo Kgatle, “Religious live-streaming in response to coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in South Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 3 (2020): 6. https://doi.org/10.4102/ve.v41i1.2120. 33  Ibid., 3. 34  Priscilla Mueni, “Top 5 richest pastors in South Africa and some of their most expensive possessions,” https://briefly.co.za/32661-top-5-richest-pastors-south-africa-expensivepossessions.html accessed 18 January 2021. 35  Rubathee Nadaraja and Yazdanifard Rashad “Social media marketing: advantages and disadvantages,” Center of Southern New Hampshire University (2013):1 –10. 36  Zviadadze “I ‘like’my Patriarch” 176.

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and comments among Facebook users. Essentially, this means that Facebook users who commented on specific “testimonial narratives which were posted immediately aligned themselves with the autobiographical narrative of the one who shared the testimony”.37 In these times of COVID-19, Facebook among other social media applications serves as a platform for a “real” church. Church proceedings can be either live-­ streamed or recorded for future purposes, should a worshipper miss a service. Facebook users are made to feel like they are actual participants of a church service. This is evident in the statements below, where the term “now” is repeated several times to offer “discursive sense” to Facebook users, who would then engage with the content through “likes”, comments, or perhaps even sharing of the service with other Facebook users: “The man of God is now at the altar to deliver the message of God.” “It is now time for us to get [receive] God through His word and by His Spirit.” “It is now time for you to hear the voice of God through His servant Prophet Cedric.”38

Faimau and Behrens reiterate that the use of the word “now” also gives a sense of urgency, provides users with a practical guide to the Facebook proceedings and “allows them to actively participate in the service by following the live updates on Facebook”.39 Since Facebook is used as a “space for live-blogging or live-broadcasting and allows Facebook users to virtually participate in the service”, the posts might not necessarily have a specified time frame and, hence, the term “‘now’” is also used “metaphorically to allow a sense that the church service is continuous and on-going in a virtual world. Thus, when Facebook posts are viewed, the users feel that they are participating in a virtual religious event, even if the actual live event has ended. Finally, there is so much interactivity when it comes to new media technologies such as social media. In an online social networking context, “interactivity” refers to a “user centered interaction with machines, messages, or other users, focusing on the experiential aspect of networking

 Faimau and Behrens, “Facebooking religion”, 82.  Ibid., 83. 39  Ibid. 37 38

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process”.40 Users participate by adjusting the “form and content of a mediated environment”41 and they are able to call and interact with one another on platforms such as Facebook, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams in real time, making interactions and communication easier. Relationships are formed and maintained through interactions between the members using a platform. Thus, during COVID-19, the lack of personal contact in the church context can be overcome to some extent. Church services can resume, meetings can be held, and interaction is guaranteed. Using the above social networking sites is also more efficient than traditional face-to-­ face interactions because, through technology, communication becomes easier, and immediate feedback can be received systematically. During a Microsoft Teams meeting, for example, you would have to raise your hand before being allowed to speak, after receiving permission from the chair of the meeting. On Facebook, comments are well structured and the person reading them can reply to them methodically, which has an added advantage when dealing with many participants. Although social media has many other advantages, it also has its shortcomings. In an ideal world, all churches would have been able to afford such a luxury, while, many Black churches cannot afford the costs associated with using social media. Although using social media reduces costs and enhances reach, it is still very expensive to keep up with the many hi-­ tech gadgets and equipment required for a large organisation such as a church. High-resolution screens, routers, Wi-Fi, smartphones, and the like all demand a high level of maintenance. During the lockdown, the government instructed that all churches be closed, and while this made life easier for some, it made it very difficult for many, particularly those who are technologically challenged. Face-to-face interactions are now “endangered”, and the church is left with the challenge of having to deal with pseudonyms and fictitious characters that might not even be legitimate members/congregants. According to Badmos, social networking eradicates face-to-face socialisation and.

40  Yuping Liu and Shrum Lawrence, “What is interactivity and is it always such a good thing? Implications of definition, person, and situation for the influence of interactivity on advertising effectiveness,” Journal of Advertising 31, no. 4 (2002): 53–64. 41  Jonathan Steuer, “Defining virtual reality: Dimensions determining telepresence,” Journal of Communication 42, no. 4 (1992): 73–93.

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because of the autonomy afforded by the virtual world, individuals are free to create a fantasy persona and can pretend to be someone else. Such pretense is against the rule of the church.42

This clearly shows that social media accounts for a lot of misinformation and exploitation of church members. Since pseudonyms are used, it becomes extremely difficult to trace people who do atrocious things while pretending to be religious. Church members are often harassed and misled through social media and excessive use thereof can also expose church members to other forms of crime, such as cybercrime in the form of phishing and spoofing, which are relatively common in South Africa today. Badmos asserted that until church leaders filter the internet content to which their members are exposed, these members would be exposed to “pornography or other inappropriate content”.43 Other disadvantages of using social media include exposure to fraud, identity theft, and the invasion of privacy. Social networking sites such as Facebook are said to be “free” of charge, but this is arguable, since once the app has been downloaded, you would still need data to use it. Social networking sites make money through advertising, which targets the users and not so much the product. These sites run “algorithms that search for keywords, web browsing habits, and other data stored on your computer or social networking profile” and then supply you with advertisements clearly targeted at you. Simultaneously, you may also be giving the “site permission to share your information with outside sources”, unless you have disabled specific settings, thereby denying access to unauthorised people.44 Lastly, as mentioned earlier, using and keeping up with social media is expensive. Applications first need to be downloaded, which requires data. In South Africa, data is still extremely costly even after the supposed reduction of data tariffs in 2020. According to a survey on the state of ICT in South Africa, Chinembiri points out that, owing to a lack of regulation and an inherently imperfect market, prices remain “‘anti-poor”, even after the tariff reduction. The two major mobile communications companies in South Africa (MTN and Vodacom) that reduced their tariffs from R149 per GB to R99 per GB, with effect from 1 April 2020, did so in response 42  Kunle Badmos, Effect of social media on the church. In 2014 Annual Conference of Theological Friends and Fellows (Lagos: The Redeemed Christian Bible College, 2014). 43  Ibid., 6. 44  Ibid.

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to the Competition Commission’s threat of prosecution and not in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as they had led the public to believe.45 Hence, many worshippers are still struggling to participate in virtual services because of the prohibitive cost of data, which especially affects the Black church. It is for this reason that some black churches post on their Facebook page only a few times per week, in contrast to their white counterparts who do so recurrently.

8.5  Towards a Framework of Pastoral Interventions in Black Pentecostalism Through Social Media The Black church culture creates a “common language” that motivates social action. We thus speak of a culture that comprises “symbolic vehicles of meaning, including beliefs, ritual practices, art forms, and ceremonies, including informal cultural practices such as language, gossip stories and rituals of daily life”.46 The Black church does not only have one purpose, but also functions as a school, a bank, a political organisation, a party hall, a spiritual base and, mostly, a benevolent society,47 as in the case of many other “Black churches” that assume the role of providing “base camps” to accommodate those in need of asylum. Rev. Kenneth Meshoe, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), attested to the statements above by stating that churches should be allowed to remain open during COVID-19 because they provide aid to the destitute, and have been doing so for many years. Meshoe commented: Churches are stopped from doing what they have been doing for 30 years and more while people go hungry.48

45  Tapiwa Chinembiri, “Despite Reduction in Mobile Data Tariffs, Data Still Expensive in South Africa,” June 2020 https://researchictafrica.net/publication/despite-reductionin-mobile-data-tariffs-data-is-still-expensive-in-south-africa/. 46  Ann Swidler, “Culture in action: symbols and strategies,” American Sociological Review 51 no. 1 (1986): 273–286. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095521. 47  Pattillo-McCoy, “Church culture” 767. 48  Tshidi Madia, “Allow churches to open to help the destitute,” available at https://www. news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/allow-churches-to-open-to-help-the-destitutekenneth-meshoe-writes-to-ramaphosa-20200508 accessed 18 January 2021.

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This proves that we cannot completely discard the “traditional” face-­ to-­face church and that new models will have to be established to sustain the “Black church” amidst COVID-19 and any future pandemics. It is evident that many black Pentecostal churches cannot sustain themselves during COVID-19, therefore new models need to be constructed on “how to do church”. We could, in fact, call such a model The Black Church Paradigm of Needs. This paradigm should ideally formulate creative methods for how the “Black church” could continue to function and benefit despite the threat of future pandemics. The abovementioned model/s (see Fig.  8.1) should incorporate the following aspects/elements; Firstly, there should be adequate education on the use of technology and technological devices within the “Black church” space to enlighten pastors, church leaders, and congregants on the use and benefits thereof, as well as the disadvantages of not keeping up with global developments. It is evident that the traditional church cannot return to its past “normality”, therefore, what remains is to embrace change, no matter how difficult it may be. Secondly, attainable methods of data acquisition within the Black church space remains a concern that could perhaps be alleviated if

Black church

Inclusivitiy

Education

Data

Technology

Fig. 8.1  The Black Church Paradigm of Needs. Model by Mercy Pheladi Bvuma

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data costs are further reduced during future pandemics, and/or if businesses and the government could intervene to assist with such costs. A possible solution in this context could be for the position or status of the church to be re-classified from “non-profit” to “profit” organisation. Although this could be problematic for smaller churches, however, if churches were to produce monthly statements, then the probability of non-compliance and tax evasion would be avoided. One would ask, will not turning them into taxable profit organisation further impoverish them? The answer to this question would be that the process can be monitored and negotiated through the South African Council of Churches and then be regulated by the government whereby smaller churches are taxed comparatively to enjoy arguably “plausible” benefits from the government when epidemics occur. A 2017 report by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities on the commercialisation of churches in South Africa reported that religion was “big business” in the country. It then advised that South African Revenue Services (SARS), in partnership with the commission, “conduct a thorough investigation into tax evasion by religious leaders”.49 The commission subsequently recommended that religious leaders and organisations be registered with SARS and start paying taxes. This could facilitate the construction of the new models and ease the burden on the government. Lastly, how do we bridge the gap in using technology between younger and older generations? This should be an inclusive process that not only benefits a single generation but accommodates both the young and old through an all-inclusive process. This should ideally be a continuous and developing cycle that educates all, considering that technology is constantly evolving. Since other pandemics are likely to occur in the future, these kinds of interventions would ensure that many people, especially those born before technology (BBT) would have gradually acclimatised to the use of technology.

49  Bekezela Phakathi, “Net to close in on jet-set, tax-dodging churches: The South African Council of Churches has no issues with normal application of standard tax laws to bona fide church organisations,” available at https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/ national/2020-02-26-budget-net-to-close-in-on-jet-set-tax-dodging-churches/20 January 2021.

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8.6  Limitations of the Study/Chapter Every study has its limitations. In terms of this chapter, one such limitation was that a qualitative content analysis accounts for the data collection methodology. The focal point of a content analysis is the characteristics of language as communication, with attention being given to the content or even contextual meaning of the text. This text could be “verbal, in print, or in an electronic format, interviews, focus groups, observations, or in print media such as articles, books, or manuals”.50 For future research, a researcher could employ a quantitative methodology to acquire a more comprehensive data analysis of the Black church.

8.7  Conclusion Technology and social media have taken the world to another level, which potentially forces the Black church either to get on board or suffer the consequences. The impact that the pandemic has had on the church in general is extraordinary, but its effect on the Black church has been catastrophic. Worshippers are left “spiritually starved” because of the pandemic-­induced lockdown. Affordability plays a vital role in the use of social media, as many churches cannot even afford to sustain their pastors, let alone incur the additional cost of being online for services. Many of these Black churches are in previously disadvantaged communities, with many of the congregants being from the older generation. The use of applications such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Zoom form part of the new era of the church. Does this mean that the era of the traditional church has passed? This is still uncertain. Another question that remains to be seen concerns how the “Black church” will approach future pandemics. The church is undoubtedly evolving, but the inequality exacerbated by racial segregation remains a huge concern and should be carefully considered when making decisions regarding the future of churches. There are, however, “remedies” available in any situation, and this chapter outlines some of those through a paradigm, that could potentially be applied in the Black church space to help ease the burden of this COVID-19 pandemic, and any future pandemics. 50  Nancy Kondracki at al “Content analysis: Review of methods and their applications in nutrition education,” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 34, no. 4 (2002): 224–230.

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References Anderson, Allan H. “The Lekganyane and Prophecy in the Zion Christian Church.” Journal of Religion in Africa 29, no. 3 (1999): 285–312. Badmos, Kunle. “Effect of social media on the church.” In 2014 Annual Conference of Theological Friends and Fellows. Lagos: The Redeemed Christian Bible College, 2014. Centre for Development and Enterprise, South Africa. “Under the Radar: Pentecostalism in South Africa and its potential social and economic role.” Pentecostalism and prosperity: The socio-economics of the global charismatic movement (2012): 63–85. Chinembiri, Tapiwa. “Despite Reduction in Mobile Data Tariffs, Data Still Expensive in South Africa.” Available at https://researchictafrica.net/publication/despite-­reduction-­in-­mobile-­data-­tariffs-­data-­is-­still-­expensive-­in-­south-­ africa/ accessed June 2020 Christian Revival Church. “Facebook page”. available at https://m.facebook. com/crctheplacetobe/ accessed 18 January 2020 Dein, Simon, Loewenthal, Kate, Lewis, Christopher Alan L., and Pargament, Kenneth I. “COVID-19, mental health and religion: An agenda for future research.” Religion and Culture 23 no. 1 (2020): 1–9. https://doi.org/1 0.1080/13674676.2020.1768725 eNCA. “SA Lockdown: Pastors protest church closures.” available at https:// enca.com/news/sa-­lockdown-­pastors-­protest-­church-­closures accessed 18 January 2021 Everton, Sean F. Networks and religion: Ties that bind, loose, build-up, and tear down. Vol. 45. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Faimau, Gabriel, and Camden Behrens. “Facebooking religion and the technologization of thereligious discourse: A case study of a Botswana-based Prophetic Church.” Online—Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet 11 (2016). https://doi.org/10.17885/heiup.rel.2016.0.23628 Fuchs, Christian. Social media: A critical introduction. United Kingdom: Sage, 2017. Gallup, George, and Jim Castelli. The people's religion: American faith in the 90’s. Basel: Macmillan, 1989. Harrison, Peter. “The future of Microsoft Teams, O365 Groups and Yammer#1.” available at https://www.clearpeople.com/blog/the-­future-­of-­microsoft-­ teams-­office-­365-­groups-­and-­yammer accessed 26 January 2021. Indexmundi. “South African Religions.” available at https://www.indexmundi. com/south_africa/religions.html accessed 15 January 2021. Kgatle, Mookgo S. “Social media and religion: Missiological perspective on the link between Facebook and the emergence of prophetic churches in southern Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 39, no. 1 (2018): 1–6.

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Kgatle, Mookgo Solomon. “Religious live-streaming in response to coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in South Africa.” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020): 6. Kondracki, Nancy L., Nancy S.  Wellman, and Daniel R.  Amundson. “Content analysis: Review of methods and their applications in nutrition education.” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 34, no. 4 (2002): 224–230. Liu, Yuping, and Lawrence J. Shrum. “What is interactivity and is it always such a good thing? Implications of definition, person, and situation for the influence of interactivity on advertising effectiveness.” Journal of Advertising 31, no. 4 (2002): 53–64. Lua, Alfred. “21 Top Social Media Sites to Consider for Your Brand.” available at buffer.com/library/social-­media-­sites accessed 26 January 2021. Madia, Tshidi. “Allow churches to open to help the destitute.” available at https:// www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/allow-­churches-­to-­open-­to-­ help-­the-­destitute-­kenneth-­meshoe-­writes-­to-­ramaphosa-­20200508 accessed 18 January 2021. Marinovich, Greg. “Shembe: a Zulu Church.” Transition 125 (2018): 34–41. Mofokeng, Thabang, and Mokhele Madise. “The evangelicalisation of black Pentecostalism in the AFM of SA (1940–1975): A turning point.” Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 45, no. 1 (2019): 1–16. Maageketla Mohlabe. “Online church is not church—some church leaders demand reopening of Churches.” available at https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/ online-­c hurch-­i s-­n ot-­c hurch-­s ome-­c hurch-­l eaders-­d emand-­r eopening-­o f-­ churches/ accessed 1 February 2021. Mokhoali, Veronica. “Police Fire Rubber Bullets At Congregants In Sebokeng For Unlawfully Gathering.” available at https://ewn.co.za/2021/01/10/police-­ fire-­r ubber-­b ullets-­a t-­c ongregants-­i n-­s ebokeng-­f or-­u nlawfully-­g athering accessed 27 January 2021. Molobi, Masilo. “The Black Church and family empowerment in South Africa.” Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 40 (2014): 195–211. Mueni, Priscilla. “Top 5 richest pastors in South Africa and some of their most expensive Possessions.” https://briefly.co.za/32661-­top-­5-­richest-­pastors-­ south-­africa-­expensive-­possessions.html accessed 18 January 2021. Nadaraja, Rubathee, and Rashad Yazdanifard. “Social media marketing: advantages and disadvantages.” Center of Southern New Hampshire University (2013): 1–10. Napoleon. “Facebook users in South Africa.” available at https://napoleoncat. com/stats/facebook-­users-­in-­south_africa/2020/08 accessed 15 January 2021 News24. “Motsepe’s TymeBank partners with Zion Christian Church.” available at https://www.news24.com/fin24/companies/financial-­services/motsepes-­ tymebank-­partners-­with-­zion-­christian-­church-­20200202 accessed 27 January 2020.

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Nombembe, Philani. “Church gatherings ignites 48 Covid-19 cases as virus spreads in KZN.” available at https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-­ africa/2020-­1 2-­2 0-­c hurch-­g athering-­i gnites-­4 8-­c ovid-­1 9-­c ases-­a s-­v irus-­ spreads-­in-­kzn/ accessed 18 January 2021. Phakathi, Bekezela. “Net to close in on jet-set, tax-dodging churches: The South African Council of Churches has no issues with normal application of standard tax laws to bona fide church organisations.” available at https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2020-­02-­26-­budget-­net-­to-­close-­in-­on-­jet-­set-­ tax-­dodging-­churches/ 20 January 2021. Pattillo-McCoy, Mary. “Church culture as a strategy of action in the black community.” American Sociological Review (1998): 767–784. Pente costal/ Charismatic Movement available at, https://www.thearda.com/timeline/ movements/movement_42.asp accessed 04 October 2021. Statista. “Most popular mobile apps used in South Africa as of February 2020, by reach.” Available at https://www.statista.com/statistics/1103151/most-­ popular-­mobile-­apps-­south-­africa/ accessed 26 January 2021. Statista. “Number of Smartphone users in South Africa from 2014 to 2023 (in millions).” available at https://www.statista.com/statistics/488376/forecast-­ of-­smartphone-­users-­in-­south-­africa/ accessed 15 January 2021a. Statista. “Total population of South Africa in 2018, by ethnic groups.” available at https://www.statista.com/statistics/1116076/total-­population-­of-­south-­ africa-­b y-­p opulationgroup/#:~:text=As%20of%202018%2C%20South%20 Africa’s,46.5%20million)%20were%20Black%20Africans accessed 26 January 2021b. StatsSA. “StatsSA. 2020 Mid-year population estimates.” available at http:// www.statssa.gov.za/?p=13453#:~:text=South%20Africa’s%20mid%20year%20 population,released%20by%20Statistics%20South%20Africa accessed 18 January 2021. Steuer, Jonathan. “Defining virtual reality: Dimensions determining telepresence.” Journal of Communication 42, no. 4 (1992): 73–93. Swidler, A. “Culture in action: symbols and strategies.” American Sociological Review 51: 273–286.” (1986). Tafira, Kenneth Mateesanwa. “Steve Biko returns: the persistence of black consciousness in Azania (South Africa).” PhD diss., Johannesburg: Wits University, 2013. Verschoor-Kirss, Alex. “Even Satan gets likes on Facebook: The dynamic interplay of religion and technology in online social networks.” Journal of Religion and Society 14 no. 1 (2012): 1–12. Zviadadze, Sophie. “I ‘like’ my Patriarch. Religion on Facebook. New Forms of Religiosity in Contemporary Georgia.” Online—Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet, 6 no. 1 (2014): https://doi.org/10.11588/rel.2014.0.17365

CHAPTER 9

The Use of Social Media by Churches During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa Jonas Sello Thinane

9.1   Introduction This chapter discusses the use of social media by some classical South African Pentecostal churches to minister to their members during the government-­imposed lockdown1 to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. After the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, declared the national state of disaster on 15 March 2020 and introduced stringent measures that included banning all forms of gatherings and church meetings, churches were left with no other option but to rely on social media to conduct their services and minister to their members locked in their 1  Lockdown in South Africa was implemented in five levels from level 1 to level 5 as explained in the introductory chapter of this volume.

J. S. Thinane (*) Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology, University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0_9

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homes.2 The significance of social media is indicated by the recorded increase in the downloading of Bible applications and online Christian book purchases as many people installed them on their devices to seek solace in a time of crisis.3 This chapter will use Christ’s promise in Matthew 28:20b to abide with his disciples until the end of the age to discuss and analyse the churches’ reliance on social media to sustain both the spiritual and social bonds of their members. In a time of godforsakenness because of the strict lockdown and the deathly nature of COVID-19, social media became God’s sovereign providence to accompany the church through the dark period. The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis forced Pentecostal churches to depend greatly on social media more than ever before.4 In the words of Pillay: “the closure of churches turned this around with the plea to ‘please join us on YouTube or other electronic platforms.’”5 By social media it meant electronic communication or computer-based technologies such as WhatsApp, Zoom and Facebook that allow people to receive information, communicate with one another and share ideas through virtual networks and communities. The chapter pays particular attention to the South African Assemblies of God, the Full Gospel Church of God and the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa. These three churches are prominent classical and conservative Pentecostal churches in South Africa. Although not exclusive, these churches are well known in South Africa for being both cross-cultural and multi-ethnic.6 2  Justine Renus Galang, and Joseph Renus F.  Galang, “Social Media as Tool for the Church’s Mission and Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Journal of Public Health, Available at https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdab263 accessed 12 June 2021. 3  New Statesman, “How coronavirus is leading to a religious revival,” available at https:// www.newstatesman.com/politics/religion/2020/04/how-coronavirus-leading-religiousrevival accessed 30 May 2021. 4  Tinashe Chimbidzikai, “Virus, Curse or Prophecy? African Pentecostals Making Sense of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” available at https://www.ascleiden.nl/content/ascl-blogs/ virus-curse-or-prophecy-african-pentecostals-making-sense-covid-19-pandemic, accessed 1 July 2021. Cf. Levy Gilat, and Ronny Razin, “A Theory of Religion: Linking Individual Beliefs, Rituals, and Social Cohesion,” available at https://economicdynamics.org/meetpapers/2007/paper_19.pdf accessed 17 May 2006. 5   Jerry Pillay, “COVID-19 Shows the Need to Make Church More Flexible,” Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies 37, no. 4 (2021): 266–75. Available at https://doi.org/10.1177/0265378820963156. 6  Thomas Resane, “Moving against the Tide: Assemblies of God Polity at the Loggerhead with South African Socio and Theo-Cultural Reality,” Missionalia 46 no. 1 (2018): 36–55. Available at https://doi.org/10.7832/46-1-220; Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, “A Quarter

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9.2   Methodology Content analysis (CA) will be used as the method of analysis in this chapter. Gheyle and Jacobs described CA as the research methodology that can be used to make sense of the unstructured content of messages.7 Inferentially, this chapter will draw conclusions from COVID-19 experiences about the use of or reliance on social media by Pentecostal churches in South Africa. White and Marsh correctly highlighted the notion of inference to be extremely important in the content analysis method.8 According to Hsieh and Shannon, there are at least three approaches to content analysis: (1) conventional content analysis, (2) directed content analysis and (3) summative content analysis.9 This chapter will utilise all three approaches, to describe the social media phenomenon in the context of the church during COVID-19, to qualify its usefulness and even predict the reliance on the use of social media by churches and their congregants post-COVID-19 and, lastly, to understand or place the mission of the church in the context of social media post-COVID-19. Much like the approaches provided by Hsieh and Shannon, White et al.—in referring to Downe-Wamboldt13—listed the objectives of content analysis as follows: “To describe substance characteristics of message content, to describe from characteristics of message content, to make inferences to producers of content, to make inferences to audiences of content and to predict the effects of content on audiences.”10

Century of Structural Unity in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa: A Socio Historical Analysis,” Studia Historiae Ecclesiastica 47 no. 1 (2021): 1–13. Available at https://doi. org/10.25159/2412-4265/8088. 7  Gheyle Niels and Thomas Jacobs, “Content Analysis: a short overview, Centre for EU Studies,” Ghent University, (2017): 1–17. Available at https://doi.org/10.13140/ RG.2.2.33689.31841 8  Marilyn White and Emily Marsh, “Content Analysis: A Flexible Methodology,” Library Trends, 55 no. 1 (2006): 22–45. 9  Hsiu Hsieh and Sarah Shannon, “Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis,” Qualitative Health Research 15 no. 9 (2005): 1277–88. Available at https://doi. org/10.1177/1049732305276687 accessed September 17, 2020. 10  Peter White, Fortune Tella and Mishael Ampofo Mishael, “A missional study of the use of social media (Facebook) by some Ghanaian Pentecostal Pastors,” KOERS—Bulletin for Christian Scholarship, 81 no. 2 (2016): 1–8.

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9.3   Matthew 28:20b During COVID-19 Jesus’ assurance to his disciples at the end of his address known as the Great Commission (Matt 28:18–20)—wherein he declared: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20b)—can provide a meaningful way of looking at social media during a pandemic such as COVID-19 that threatens the church’s existence. From a perspective of Matthew 28:20b it can be argued that just as the sixteenth-century Reformation church looked at the development of the printing press as a divine provision for the liberation of the church from the clutches of the Roman Catholicism of the time, the timely development and availability of social media during the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 is testimony of Christ’s sovereign accompaniment of the church till the end of the age. The total closure of churches and the treatment of Christian ministers as non-essential services which hindered them from providing pastoral care and counselling to needy members left churches threatened with extinction. While it belongs to another research to factually analyse the extent of the damage caused by both the reality of COVID-19 and the measures imposed by the authorities to manage the spread of the virus, there is no doubt that some churches either completely collapsed or struggled to regroup when the measures were relaxed. Consequently, the lockdown can be categorised as a period of godforsakenness when believers felt abandoned by God because most systems essential to their spiritual survival and well-being were taken away from them. Such a situation leaves Christians asking themselves, where is God and why he is not acting to end the pandemic that is threatening to end the existence of the church. Some Christians interpreted COVID-19 and the restrictive measures taken by the authorities as Satan’s efforts to exterminate the Christian church. In this state of godforsakenness, social media became an essential tool in keeping Christian communities alive and functioning. Thus one can say in his sovereignty God caused or allowed social media to function at the optimum levels in which it did to provide the church with the resource to survive the onslaught of COVID-19. For when COVID-19 erupted in South Africa, social media was well-advanced, easily obtainable by many ordinary people and had gained wide acceptance and use within the church. Indeed, this point does not discount various problems such as expensive data and limited access to smartphones among poor South African. However, the state of information communication technologies is far more advanced than it was just a decade ago. From a perspective of

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God’s sovereign providential care, advancements and accessibility of social media are a fulfilment of Christ’s promise to his disciples, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20b). A detailed exegesis of Matthew 28:18–20 falls outside the focus of this chapter, but raises the importance of the church in time of godforsakenness to look at resources such as social media that are critical to its survival from a perspective of God’s sovereign providential care. New Testament scholar, R. T. France, points out that the words of Christ’s promise closely resemble the many cases in the Old Testament where God sent his reluctant and inadequate servants such as Moses and Joshua to his mission with the assurance of his empowering and protective presence to go with them.11 It is worth noting that Matthew introduces Jesus as Immanuel, “God with us” (1:23), and in the middle of the gospel presents Christ promising his disciples that he will be with them wherever they gather in his name (18:20), and concludes the gospel by assuring his followers that the Immanuel, “God with us,” will remain with his people “to the very end of the age.” This important biblical truth which can be explained from various theological tenets such as God’s omnipresence (1 Pet 1:5) and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:7; Rom 8:9) expresses a notion of divine providential care that should shape how Christians and the church interpret and respond to moments of crises, such as COVID-19. The promised divine presence, when contemplated or invoked in times of crisis such as COVID-19, not only offers comfort or salvation to the Church but also encourages it to continue the work of spreading the gospel without fear since Christ is always with the church. It was therefore not surprising that various churches were exploring multiple methods to continue the work of spreading the gospel even under the harsh lockdowns imposed by the COVID-19 crisis. Such a response was calculated or consistent with the theological framework underscored in Matthew 28:20b.

9.4   Pentecostal Churches and Social Media During COVID-19 By focusing on the three South African Pentecostal churches listed below, which are deeply rooted in the classic conservative Pentecostal tradition, the chapter analyses how some older and traditional Pentecostal churches 11  Richard. T.  France, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B.  Eerdmans Publishing, 2007), 1109.

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used social media during the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition, this can provide insight into how some traditional Pentecostal churches are responding to crises that may threaten their very existence. These congregations are just a few of many church denominations that have demonstrated the importance of believing in the presence of Jesus Christ, even in the face of a crisis, as He promised in Matthew 28:20. 9.4.1   South African Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AOG) is among the first churches that originated as a result of the outpouring of the Spirit in 1906, at Azusa Street, Los Angeles, California, USA.12 This revival began on the night of 9 April 1906 when those present at a prayer meeting, under the leadership of William J.  Seymour, had an encounter with the Holy Spirit. After this eventful night, Azusa Street became popular for its attraction of Christians from across the world.13 According to Resane, the Assemblies of God was first founded in 1914 in Arkansas, south of the USA with the expressed intention of establishing an indigenous church among the heathens.14 Elsewhere, he aligned the founding of this church in South Africa with the initiatives of 1914 whereby in 1917 (two years into the original founding of AOG) the name of Assemblies of God was registered with the South African Department of the Interior in Pretoria by Henry Turney despite the fact that the American AOG only recognised its existence in 1925.15 However, this church grew exponentially through the leadership of Nicolas Bhengu during the twentieth century after he joined it in 1932.16  Daniel Simon Billy Lephoko, “The Mission of Nicholas B H Bhengu in a Divided and Polarised Society: An Analysis of the Life, Work and Contribution to Mission in Southern Africa of an Important 20th Century Pioneer” (a PhD dissertation, University of Pretoria, 2008). 13  Edith Blumhofer, “Azusa Street Revival—Religion Online,” Available at: https://www. religion-online.org/article/azusa-street-revival/ accessed 20 June 2019. 14  Kelebogile Resane, “Missional and indigenization nexus-Assemblies of God and Grace Bible Church in South Africa.” Missionalia 49, no. 1 (2021): 60-74. 15  Kelebogile Resane, “The centenary of Assemblies of God in South Africa: Historical reflections on theological education and ministry formation,” HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 74, no. 1 (2018): 1-7. 16  Stephen Albert Motshetshane, “Culture and Conflict in Pentecostalism,” available https://ukzn-dspace.ukzn.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10413/13090/Motshetshane_Albert_ Stephen_2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y accessed 2 April 2015. 12

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Resane pointed out that currently this church consists of a number of splintered groups such as International Assemblies of God, Coastal Assemblies of God, Assembly of God Fellowship and Emmanuel Assemblies. However, in this chapter the Group system name: “Assemblies of God,” is used to refer generally to all these groups. The South African Assemblies of God in general, like other churches, was forced by the pandemic lockdown to change the way of their worship. The eNCA (2020) indicated that in order for members of the Assemblies of God in Sandton to comply with COVID-19 regulations as they changed from one level to another, and maintain the spiritual balance, members of this church had the option of whether to stay home and stream the church service online or book the seat ahead of time since few people could be accommodated physically in church. The chairman of this church, John Ngcebetsha was quoted saying: “we have had to adapt our methodology so we don’t go against the laws of the country, but also that we don’t fail in our mandate as a spiritual body.”17 This was the best strategy probably used by many other churches since not all members could have access to online platforms. At the time when the South African government decided to implement a risk-adjusted strategy aimed at easing the then level 5 to level 4, this church understood the importance of being cautious and not exposing members to the virus. The executive member of the Assemblies of God Association of Southern Africa, Apostle Neville Goldman advised that the church should be cautious and wise before reopening their doors and indicated that the Assemblies of God would take the first entire month after the easing of the complete shutdown in level 5 to observe the situation. He is quoted saying: “It would be very difficult to start church fully, especially one that usually has 3,000 people.”18 This is a clear indication that while other churches took risks with the health of their members by pressing for normal services, few other churches such as the Assemblies of God appreciated the danger of turning their buildings into super-spreader events and opted for saving lives by utilising social media platforms for church services. This is substantiated by Mbendeni who wrote: “Many 17  eNCA, “Coronavirus in SA: Churches still holding services,” available at https://www. enca.com/news/coronavirus-sa-churches-still-holding-services, accessed 26 May 2021. 18  Herald LIVE, “Leaders cautious on reopening places of worship,” available at https:// www.therep.co.za/2020/05/28/leaders-cautious-on-reopening-places-of-worship/, accessed 25 May 2021.

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churches have opted to have their sermons streamed online, including big ones such as Rhema Bible Chruch, Grace Bible Church and Assemblies of God to name a few.”19 9.4.2   Full Gospel Church of God According to Resane, the Full Gospel Church of God (FGC) similar to other Pentecostal churches that were formed from the inspiration of the Azusa Street Revival in 1906 started in South Africa in 1910 through the advocacy of a North American missionary, George Bowie who was sent by the Bethel Pentecostal Mission of Newark.20 According to Jacobs and Klaasen, Browie came to South Africa in 1909 with the expressed intention to “do evangelistic work amongst the indigenous people of South Africa” which resulted in the formation of the FGC in 1910 and further branched off to African countries such as Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.21 Like many other churches that existed during the apartheid dispensation in South Africa, the FGC too has a history of racial discrimination whereby church communities were formed based on race. In fact, to put this clearer, Jacobs and Klaasen wrote: “the church has had four associations under the larger organisation of the church which consisted of the black, coloured, Indian, and white community.” However, as early as October 1997, members of this church reunited to form one church making it a non-racial or racially integrated church. During the spike of COVID-19 in South Africa, this church too had to come up with measures that would ensure the spreading of the Gospel while members are restricted to their homes. On its official website,22 the FGC issued a directive to its member churches to put plans in place for regular communication with members, virtual worship, consistent pastoral 19  Alutho Mbendeni, “Police officer prays for pastor violating Covid-19 lockdown rules before arresting him,” available at https://www.news24.com/drum/News/police-officer-­ prays-for-pastor-violating-covid-19-lockdown-rules-before-arresting-him-20200420, accessed 26 May 2021. 20  Kelebogile Resane, “Pentecostals and apartheid: Has the wheel turned around since 1994?” In die Skriflig 52, no. 1 (2018): 1–8. 21  Jacobs Nigel, and John Klaasen, “A Critical Analysis of the Ordained Leadership in the Full Gospel Church of South Africa,” available at https://etd.uwc.ac.za/bitstream/handle/11394/7979/jacobs_m_arts_2020.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y accessed 17 July 2020. 22   Full Gospel Church of God website—available at https://fgcsa.co.za/images/ Covid_19_updates/Church_Corona_Virus.pdf accessed 15 February 2022.

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care, clerical leadership and constant community outreach. In terms of communication, the statement encouraged that church leaderships should send out emails and WhatsApp messages on a weekly basis to inform their fellowship about worship services and COVID-19 measures and even respond to prayer requests. The statement is abundantly clear that churches should take all their ministries and communication online saying: “it will be important for your church to be able to do ministry online. This can include your website, social media, and mobile apps.” Further, it emphasised the need for churches to increase their Facebook presence and regularly share worship services online. It then encouraged that to mitigate the spread of the virus, the pastoral ministry should be facilitated through phone calls, text messages and social media capabilities. 9.4.3   Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa According to Kgatle, similar to Pentecostal churches such as Assemblies of God (AOG), the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) came as the result of the influence of the Azusa Street Revival in 1906 since its founders (John G.  Lake and Thomas Hezmalhach) found their inspiration there.23 In the words of Anderson, Azusa Street “is where the Apostolic Faith Mission began in April 1906.”24 In April 1908 through John Alexander Dowie of Zion City and William Seymour25 (African-American Azusa Street revivalist) together with other companions, the American missionaries Lake and Hezmalhach made their way to South Africa, began to preach the Pentecostal message and ultimately found the AFM Church in 1910. Kgatle indicated that though this church started as a non-racial church since its founders stood firmly to resist racial segregation that was prevalent in South Africa under apartheid, after the departure of its founders, it suffered racial division which lasted for about 80 years 23  Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, “The influence of Azusa Street Revival in the early developments of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa,” Missionalia: Southern African Journal of Mission Studies 44, no. 3 (2016): 321–335. 24  Allan Anderson, “The Azusa Street Revival and the Emergence of Pentecostal Missions in the Early Twentieth Century,” Transformation 23 no 2 (2006): 107–18. available https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/43054199.pdf. 25  Cecil Robeck, “The Azusa Street Mission and Revival the AZUSA STREET MISSION and REVIVAL the Birth of the Global Pentecostal Movement,” available at http://library. mibckerala.org/lms_frame/eBook/The%20Azusa%20Street%20Mission%20and%20Re% 20-%20Cecil%20M.%20Robeck%20Jr.pdf accessed 12 March 2006.

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wherein congregations were divided into at least four unequal races: black congregation, Indian congregation, white congregation and mixed-race congregation.26 However, since 1996, these congregations were able to reunite and ensure that “the church has seen tremendous growth spiritually and numerically.” The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFMSA) during the hard lockdowns made use of technology and social media to continue the work of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As early as 24 March 2020 while South Africa was still under Alert Level 5 lockdown, the AFMSA issued a statement informing its members of the implications of national lockdown and further encouraging its pastors to be innovative, saying: “We encourage our pastors and our structures to explore innovative possibilities for continuous communication with our members, including but not limited to: WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media platforms, streaming of sermons and e-mail. We need to gather spiritually and even electronically, even though we cannot be together physically.”27 The official Facebook page of this church is flooded with presented sermons, messages of encouragement,28 special messages,29 COVID-19 government announcements/messages,30 pastoral letters,31 virtual meetings/conferences32 and various announcements made during and after the hard lockdowns.33 On 23 April 2020 on its Facebook page this church wrote: “We will continue to GLORIFY GOD during this pandemic. In response to the crisis, The AFM Shalom Lighthouse Ministries Empangeni used their social media 26  Mookgo Kgatle, “A socio-historical analysis of the sections in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa from 1908 to the present,” Verbum et Ecclesia 38, no. 1 (2017): 1–10. 27  AFMSA—Statement: Coronavirus & implications of National Lockdown available at https://afm-ags.org/afm-statement-coronavirus-implications-of-national-lockdown/ accessed 15 February 2022. 28   AFMSA—Message of encouragement—available at https://www.facebook.com/ AFMOFSA/posts/1387808191556668 accessed 15 February 2022. 29   AFMSA—Special message—available at https://www.facebook.com/AFMOFSA/ posts/1444018809268939 accessed 15 February 2022. 30  AFMSA—Ministry of health announcement available at https://www.facebook.com/ AFMOFSA/posts/afm-family-second-wave-of-covid-19the-minister-of-health-dr-zmkhize-­said-that-s/1340137809657040/ accessed 15 February 2022. 31  Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa—Pastoral letter available at https://afm-ags. org/category/publications/pastoral-letters/ accessed 15 February 2022. 32  AFMSA—Online Conference announcement—available https://www.facebook.com/ AFMOFSA/posts/1446952448975575 accessed 15 February 2022. 33  AFMSA—Facebook page available at https://www.facebook.com/AFMOFSA/.

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platforms.”34 The series of social media activities by the AFMSA church stands to confirm the way this church relied upon the use of social media during the hard lockdowns in South Africa. 9.4.4   An Analysis of the Churches’ Responses An analysis of how the three classical Pentecostal churches relied on social media during the COVID-19 lockdown reveals both an attitude of readiness to comply with government regulations to avoid exposing members to the virus and a concern about the spiritual welfare of church members. For example, the leaders from the Assemblies of God made statements such as “we have had to adapt our methodology so we don’t go against the laws of the country, but also that we don’t fail in our mandate as a spiritual body.”35 Likewise, the FGC compliantly directed its member churches to put in place plans for regular communication with members, virtual worship, consistent pastoral care, clerical leadership and constant community outreach.36 Compliance can also be seen in AFMSA’s position of encouraging its pastors and structures to explore innovative possibilities for continuous communication with church members and imploring the need to gather spiritually and even electronically, even though we cannot be together physically.37 It is noted that the cooperation exhibited by these classical Pentecostal churches is far from the militancy seen in some neo-­ Pentecostal churches some who categorically refused to close their churches and law enforcement had to be called to enforce the government gazetted regulations. The compliant and guarded responses towards government restrictive measures by the conservative churches demonstrate several things. Firstly, denominations protected their corporate image by complying with government regulations instead of resisting and fighting the government. This reflects the benefits of corporate decision making and presents the churches as responsible and considerate about the welfare of their members. Secondly, these denominations were genuinely concerned about the effects of COVID-19 and hence the executive member of the Assemblies of God Association of Southern Africa, Apostle Neville 34   AFMSA—message available at https://www.facebook.com/AFMOFSA/posts/ 1148925355444954 accessed 23 April 2020. 35  eNCA, “Coronavirus in SA: Churches still holding services,” available at https://www. enca.com/news/coronavirus-sa-churches-still-holding-services, accessed 26 May 2021. 36  Full Gospel Church of God website. 37  AFMSA—Statement: Coronavirus.

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Goldman advised that his church should be cautious and wise before reopening their doors and indicated that the Assemblies of God would take the first entire month after the easing of the complete shutdown in level 5 to observe the situation.38 Thirdly, the responses of these churches to both COVID-19 and the government regulations show confidence in God’s control and a firm belief that social media is a viable alternative that will keep the church alive and well during the lockdown. It can therefore be argued that social media played, and continues to play, a role in communicating Christ’s abiding presence with the church at all times until the end of the age which he promised in Matthew 28:20. The churches’ attitude towards social media should be similar to that of the church in the 16th Reformation where the invention of the printing press became a tool for overcoming the restrictive measures of Roman Catholic Church of that time. In the era of COVID-19, marked with godforsakenness because of both the deadly nature of the virus and the restrictions imposed on the church, social media can be welcomed as God’s providence to these people.

9.5  South African Pentecostal Churches and Social Media Guidelines The one lesson that churches in general or Pentecostal churches can take from the COVID-19 experience is to be prepared for the uncertainties of tomorrow. It is unlikely that the world will return to how it was before the crisis of COVID-19. However, the above analysis underlined Matthew 28:20b to reinforce Christ’s omnipresence or the continued presence of Jesus Christ even in times of crisis. On the other hand, the arrival of this pandemic has forced many structural changes and prompted the acceleration of the virtual world/social media, both in South Africa and around the globe. While it is true that churches in general have faced other pandemics in the past and recovered from them, it is hard to imagine that post-COVID-19 church life will return to the “old normal.” Beyond the crisis of COVID-19, it will be almost impossible for the church to leave the message of social distancing behind, despite efforts by scientists to develop and roll out a vaccine with the aim of achieving community/herd 38  Herald LIVE, “Leaders cautious on reopening places of worship,” available at https:// www.therep.co.za/2020/05/28/leaders-cautious-on-reopening-places-of-worship/, Accessed 25 May 2021.

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immunity. Sadly, COVID-19 has probably disrupted the central teachings of the gospel, which encourages Christians to “love thy neighbour as thyself,” with the result that even after the crisis has subsided, Christians will find it uncomfortable to sit too close to one another, as they used to do before the arrival of COVID-19. In addition, the practice of shaking hands as a sign of peace and singing and worshipping God physically next to each other will be regarded as too risky from a health perspective. In the face of these developments, it is important for Christian churches to press ahead with the preaching of the gospel against all odds while relying on the eternal presence of Christ as promised in Matthew 28:20. Especially in times like these, churches should hold fast to the enduring presence of Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is amidst crises like these that Christian believers need to be reminded that Jesus Christ promised His presence even at such moments in history. Sebothoma expresses the prevailing sentiments regarding the use of social media by the church post-COVID-19 as follows: “The pastoral strategies we have had to adopt very quickly as a result of the crisis (and) may stimulate new forms of pastoral in the future.”39 This sentiment is further echoed in Atemanke, after the Association for Catholic Information in Africa (ACI-Africa) virtual meeting that raised different views on the question of the church and social media during and after COVID-19. Paul-­Miki Roamba is quoted to have said: “Given the importance of social media in the church during this crisis, it will still be useful even after the COVID-19 pandemic because it will be difficult for the church and Christians to separate from this means of communication that brought them together.”40 This emphasises the notion that beyond the easing of lockdown restrictions, social media will remain necessary for church life, particularly for those who will be wary to return to the “old normal.” The COVID-19 crisis brought about the rapid and extraordinary usage of social media in a manner that no one could have predicted. During COVID-19, more and more people became digitally minded as they communicated with the world while being locked in their homes. Equally, the church of Christ tasted the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as 39  Mathibela Sebothoma, “Modern media brings the Church into the home,” available at https://spotlight.africa/2020/04/14/modern-media-brings-the-church-into-the-home/ accessed 17 September 2020. 40  Atemanke, “Social Media to Be an Essential Service for Church Post-COVID-19: African Panelists,” available at https://www.aciafrica.org/news/1621/social-media-to-bean-­essential-service-for-church-post-covid-19-african-panelists accessed 9 October 2021.

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its members had to rely on social media to continue participating in church services. During this crisis (COVID-19), the church of Christ witnessed a profound shift from its offline realities to the digital world, just to maintain its missional mandate of remaining the body of Christ. Both the acceptability and usability of social media by churches in general and by South African Pentecostal churches in particular will continue beyond the point of the pandemic since experiences of the pandemic have ushered in what some scholars will call the new normal.41 In the case of churches in general, experiences associated with this “new normal” increased church awareness of the need for social media in general to continue church services with or without physical attendance. However, this further means that various churches, including Pentecostals, have a responsibility to begin the process of embarking on activities aimed at embracing this new normal while remembering that the continued presence of Christ is essential even during such transitions. Such transitional activities include but not limited to developing new policies on social media to avoid misinformation or possible abuse, improving or strengthening social network infrastructure, ensuring that majority, if not all of their members, receive social media literacy training and many other responsibilities that will safeguard the usage of social media within church context.

9.6  Conclusion The chapter examined how the churches in general and Pentecostal churches in particular, like other sections of society, were subject to restrictions that came as a result of trying to flatten the curve of COVID-19. Secondly, it employed CA methodology to demonstrate how Pentecostal churches around the world—particularly Pentecostal churches in South Africa such as the South African Assemblies of God (AOG), Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) and Full Gospel Church of God (FGC), in particular—made use of and depended on social media to continue their services while under lockdown. At the same time, it invoked the message of Matthew 28:20b to underscore the principle of faith on 41  Shelby Carvalho, Jack Rossiter, Noam Angrist, Susannah Hares and Rachel Silverman. “An Evidence Kit for Policymakers Planning for School Reopening and Recovery after COVID-19,” available at https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/planning-school-­ reopening-and-recovery-after-covid-19.pdf accessed 20 May 2020.

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which the churches found courage to continue the task of spreading the gospel even in a time of uncomfortable circumstances. What has been dubbed the post-COVID-19 new normal has essentially challenged the church to embrace technology more than ever to reach more people with the gospel. In fact, perhaps the continued use of social media should be seen as a blessing in disguise as it will allow churches to reach those who previously could not make it to church. In other words, social media can now be used to spread the gospel of Christ among church members and those who are not of a specific denomination alike. In this way, social media is used as an important tool to continue the mandate of the Great Commission. A key conclusion of this chapter is that while social media has played and will continue to play an important role in assisting Pentecostal churches to continue their missionary work of reaching out to their congregations during the crisis and beyond, the omnipresence of Christ in such circumstances should not be taken for granted nor his promises of such a presence be forgotten.

References AFMSA—Statement: Coronavirus & implications of National Lockdown available at https://afm-­ags.org/afm-­statement-­coronavirus-­implications-­of-­national-­ lockdown/ accessed 15 February 2022a. AFMSA—Message of encouragement—available at https://www.facebook.com/ AFMOFSA/posts/1387808191556668 accessed 15 February 2022b. AFMSA—Special message—available at https://www.facebook.com/AFMOFSA/ posts/1444018809268939 accessed 15 February 2022c. AFMSA—Ministry of health announcement available at https://www.facebook. com/AFMOFSA/posts/afm-­family-­second-­wave-­of-­covid-­19the-­minister-­of-­ health-­dr-­z-­mkhize-­said-­that-­s/1340137809657040/ accessed 15 February 2022d. AFMSA—Pastoral letter available at https://afm-­ags.org/category/publications/ pastoral-­letters/ accessed 15 February 2022e. AFMSA—Online Conference announcement—available https://www.facebook. com/AFMOFSA/posts/1446952448975575 accessed 15 February 2022f. AFMSA—Facebook page available at https://www.facebook.com/AFMOFSA/ AFMSA—message available at https://www.facebook.com/AFMOFSA/posts/ 1148925355444954 accessed 23 April 2020. Anderson, Allan. “The Azusa Street Revival and the Emergence of Pentecostal Missions in the Early Twentieth Century.” Transformation 23 no. 2 (2006): 107–18. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/43054199.pdf.

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Angel, Andrew. “Inquiring into an inclusio-on judgement and love in Matthew.” The Journal of Theological Studies 60 no. 2 (2009): 527–30. https://www.jstor. org/stable/23971587. Arthur, Joel, and Chris Rensleigh. “The Use of Online Technologies in the Small Church.” SA Journal of Information Management 17 no. 1 (2015): 6. https:// doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v17i1.630. Atemanke, “Social Media to Be an Essential Service for Church Post-COVID-19: African Panelists.” Available at https://www.aciafrica.org/news/1621/social-­ media-­to-­be-­an-­essential-­service-­for-­church-­post-­covid-­19-­african-­panelists. Accessed 9 October 2021. Blumhofer, Edith. Azusa Street Revival—Religion Online. Available at https:// www.religion-­online.org/article/azusa-­street-­revival/ accessed 18 April 2019. Bolu, Christian, “The Church in the Contemporary World: Information and Communication Technology in Church Communication for Growth: A Case Study,” Journal of Media and Communication Studies 4, no. 4 (2012): 80–94. Carvalho, Shelby, Jack Rossiter, Noam Angrist, Susannah Hares, and Rachel Silverman. “An Evidence Kit for Policymakers Planning for School Reopening and Recovery after COVID-19.” Available at https://www.cgdev.org/sites/ default/files/planning-­school-­r eopening-­and-­r ecovery-­after-­covid-­19.pdf accessed 12 March 2020. Chimbidzikai, Tinashe. “Virus, Curse or Prophecy? African Pentecostals Making Sense of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Available at https://www.ascleiden.nl/ content/ascl-­blogs/virus-­curse-­or-­prophecy-­african-­pentecostals-­making-­ sense-­covid-­19-­pandemic. Accessed 1 July 2021. Cooke, Philip. “The Future is Already Here—It’s Just Not Very Evenly Distributed: Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.” https://www.gov.za/speeches/ president-­c yril-­r amaphosa-­s outh-­a fricas-­r esponse-­c oronavirus-­c ovid-­1 9-­ pandemic-­23-­apr-­2020 accessed September 18, 2020. Cronshaw, Darren, “A Commission ‘Great’ for Whom? Postcolonial Contrapuntal Readings of Matthew 28:18–20 and the Irony of William Carey.” Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies 33 no. 2 (2015): 110–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265378815595248. Edwards, Mark, Printing, Propaganda, and Martin Luther. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2004. eNCA, “Coronavirus in SA: Churches still holding services,” available at https:// www.enca.com/news/coronavirus-­sa-­churches-­still-­holding-­services, accessed 26 May 2021. France, Richard T., The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007. Full Gospel Church of God website—available https://fgcsa.co.za/images/ Covid_19_updates/Church_Corona_Virus.pdf accessed 15 February 2022.

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Galang, Justine Renus F., and Joseph Renus F. Galang. “Social Media as Tool for the Church’s Mission and Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Journal of Public Health, Available at https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdab263 accessed 12 June 2021. HeraldLIVE. “Leaders Cautious on Reopening Places of Worship.” The Rep. May 28, 2020. https://www.therep.co.za/2020/05/28/leaders-­cautious-­on-­ reopening-­places-­of-­worship/. Accessed May 22, 2021. Hsieh, Hsiu Fang, and Sarah E. Shannon. 2005. “Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis.” Qualitative Health Research 15 no. 9 (2020): 1277–88. Available https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687 accessed 17 September 2020. Kgatla, Mookgo Solomon. “The influence of Azusa Street Revival in the early developments of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa.” Missionalia: Southern African Journal of Mission Studies 44, no. 3 (2016): 321–335. Kgatle, Mookgo S. “Towards a balancing act between the emergence of prophetic churches and organisational culture in South African Pentecostalism.” Verbum et Ecclesia 41, no. 1 (2020): 1–7. Kgatle, Mookgo S. “A socio-historical analysis of the sections in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa from 1908 to the present.” Verbum et Ecclesia 38, no. 1 (2017): 1–10. Kgatle, Mookgo S. “Social media and religion: Missiological perspective on the link between Facebook and the emergence of prophetic churches in southern Africa,” Verbum et Ecclesia 39, no. 1 (2018): 1–6. Kgatle, Mookgo Solomon. “A Quarter Century of Structural Unity in the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa: A Socio Historical Analysis.” Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 47 no. 1 (2021): 1–13. Lephoko, Daniel Simon Billy. “The Mission of Nicholas B H Bhengu in a Divided and Polarised Society: An Analysis of the Life, Work and Contribution to Mission in Southern Africa of an Important 20th Century Pioneer.” PhD dissertation, University of Pretoria, 2008. Levy, Gilat, and Ronny Razin, “A Theory of Religion: Linking Individual Beliefs, Rituals, and Social Cohesion,” available at https://economicdynamics.org/ meetpapers/2007/paper_19.pdf accessed 17 May 2006. Mbendeni, Autho. “Police officer prays for pastor violating Covid-19 lockdown rules before arresting him.” Available at: https://www.news24.com/drum/ News/police-­o fficer-­p rays-­f or-­p astor-­v iolating-­c ovid-­1 9-­l ockdown-­r ules-­ before-­arresting-­him-­20200420 accessed 20 April 2020. Motshetshane Stephen, Albert. “Culture and Conflict in Pentecostalism.” available https://ukzndspace.ukzn.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10413/13090/ Motshetshane_Albert_Stephen_2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y accessed 2 April 2015.

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New Statesman. “How Coronavirus Is Leading to a Religious Revival.” available at https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/religion/2020/04/how-­ coronavirus-­leading-­religious-­revival accessed 30 May 2021. Niels, Gheyle and Thomas Jacobs. “Content Analysis: a short overview,” Journal of Public Health, Available at https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdab263 accessed 12 June 2021. Nigel, Jacobs and John Klaasen. “A Critical Analysis of the Ordained Leadership in the Full Gospel Church of South Africa.” available at https://etd.uwc.ac. za/bitstream/handle/11394/7979/jacobs_m_arts_2020.pdf?sequence=5& isAllowed=y accessed 17 July 2020. Pillay, Jerry. “COVID-19 Shows the Need to Make Church More Flexible.” Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies 37 no. 4 (2021): 266–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265378820963156. Resane, Kelebogile T. “Pentecostals and apartheid: Has the wheel turned around since 1994?” In die Skriflig 52, no. 1 (2018a): 1–8. Resane, Kelebogile T. “The centenary of Assemblies of God in South Africa: Historical reflections on theological education and ministry formation.” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 74, no. 1 (2018b): 1–7. Resane, Kelebogile Thomas. “Missional and indigenization nexus-Assemblies of God and Grace Bible Church in South Africa.” Missionalia 49, no. 1 (2021): 60–74. Resane, Kelebogile Thomas. “Moving against the tide: Assemblies of God Polity at the Loggerhead with South African Socio and Theo–Culturality.” Missionalia 46, no. 1 (2018c): 36–55. Robeck, Cecil. “The Azusa Street Mission and Revival the AZUSA STREET MISSION and REVIVAL the Birth of the Global Pentecostal Movement.” available at http://library.mibckerala.org/lms_frame/eBook/The%20Azusa% 20Street%20Mission%20and%20Re%20-­%20Cecil%20M.%20Robeck%20Jr.pdf accessed 12 March 2006. Sebothoma, Mathibela. “Modern media brings the Church into the home” Available at https://spotlight.africa/2020/04/14/modern-­media-­brings-­ the-­church-­into-­the-­home/ accessed 17 September 2020. Verschoor-Kirss, Alex. Even Satan gets likes on Facebook: The dynamic interplay of religion and technology in online social networks,” Journal of Religion & Society, 14 no. 1 (2012): 1–12. White, Marilyn Domas, and Emily E.  Marsh. “Content Analysis: A Flexible Methodology.” Library Trends 55, no. 1 (2006): 22–45. https://doi. org/10.1353/lib.2006.0053. White, Peter, Fortune Tella, and Mishael Donkor Ampofo. “A missional study of the use of social media (Facebook) by some Ghanaian Pentecostal Pastors.” koers 81, no. 2 (2016): 1–8.



Epilogue

Mookgo S. Kgatle and Collium Banda COVID-19 came with various challenges for Christian ministry such as liturgical, homiletical and ecclesiological. These challenges have been specifically studied in this volume within the context of various Pentecostal traditions in South Africa. The challenges have afforded churches within Pentecostal traditions an opportunity to create alternative ways of doing church in the twenty-first century. Some churches have for the first time actually explored the use of technology in homiletics, liturgy and ecclesiology in trying to reach out and minister to their followers and other people during the hard lockdown that completely shut down the churches. Hence the discussion on virtual ecclesiology is illustrative of the unique way of doing church using technological means. The new way has helped others to come to the realisation of who God is during the pandemic. However, these changes brought by the pandemic have had an effect on Christian ministry as the faith of some believers in South Africa and else in the world was put to test. This volume has been helpful in addressing the challenges in Christian ministry posed by COVID-19. Here follows some Pentecostal perspectives on how to deal with the challenges of the pandemic within the Christian ministry in South Africa: First, there is a need to redefine the concept of virtual ecclesiology in order to address the myths around virtual ecclesiology as some perceive it as unreal. When virtual ecclesiology is redefined, then we will realise that it is not a point of weakness but a point of strength in a positive sense. In © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0

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a way virtual ecclesiology can become a complementary ecclesiology to the existing ecclesiologies that existed before the pandemic as it offers a more innovative and encompassing ecclesiology. Hence, practitioners of faith in using virtual ecclesiology are reaching not only their followers but many other people. Although a large audience on virtual ecclesiology might present different complexities, the centre remains the Christian message that is able to unite all. Virtual ecclesiology permits diversified views without distorting the original message of Christ. Thus a virtual ecclesiology is able to present possible ways of reaching out to many people and different ways of being a church. In this way, church is not only defined as the four hall of the church building but being in the presence of Christ even through a virtual platform. Second, this volume suggests an efficient and responsible way of using social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom and others in order to mitigate the challenges of the pandemic. Sometimes pastors do not pay attention to the radical differences in the social networks which demand that one should preach differently than in a face-to-face context. An effective and responsible way of using social networks must bear in mind limitations of availability of appropriate technology, people’s access to electricity, prices of data of bundles and availability of spatial space to listen to the sermon without minimum interruptions and hindrances. Sometimes preachers rumple on without any due consideration to the challenges faced by their congregants leading to an ineffective ministry. Third, this volume proposes a proper pastoral care that will be able to help people who are going through a loss, grief and mourning. This time the ministry of conversation, communion and compassion is offered not only to the believer or a follower of a Pentecostal church but also to the family of a pastor who died due to the pandemic. This means that in the context of COVID-19 we talk about not only grieving families but also grieving congregations that have lost their pastors. Fourth, there is a need for interdisciplinary between Christian ministry and social work as the two cannot be separated during the pandemic. As governments around the world work out how to assist communities in need, a huge contribution can come from the Christian ministry specifically the Pentecostal tradition. In some cases, the government work can be done by the churches and the pastors. For those who do not have a home, church buildings can become temporary homes. Equally the social workers who constantly assist others need counselling and prayers coming from the Christian tradition.

 EPILOGUE 

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Fifth, when dealing with people, governments around the world should consider the spiritual, emotional and relational aspects of an individual, not just the physical body. This is informed by the level of anxiety created by measures such as isolation and loneliness during a hard lockdown. This in some instances has caused many families not to find closure when dealing with the loss of their loved ones. Thus bereavement should not be individualised but be understood in the context of collective ways that Africans have used in dealing with pain and sorrow. Lastly, these constant changes brought by the pandemic and other challenges in Africa require that a Pentecostal pastor becomes a lifelong learner in the context of Christian ministry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many pastors suffered greatly because of rigidity and unwillingness to learn new things and adapt to new situations. The COVID-19 shook, and even invalidated, the foundations of everything ministers knew and loved dearly—from homiletics to home visitations. However, the pastors who are flexible and willing to learn things and try them were able to meaningfully cope with their ministries during the pandemic.

Index1

A Abuse people, 61 substance, 139 Academia, 56, 56n29 Adversity, 72, 76, 77, 79–86, 88 Africa, 3, 4, 27, 28, 52, 57, 59–61, 77, 85, 88, 110n51, 111, 117, 159, 201 North, 46 African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), 123, 173 African Initiated Churches (AIC), 1n1, 58, 61, 62, 160, 160n3, 161, 166–168 African initiated/independent churches (AIC), 58 African Pentecostalism, 61, 100, 121, 167 African Union, 4

African worldviews, 3 Africa people, 58, 58n36, 85 All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), 57 Amazon, 161 Android, 162 Anger, 2, 106, 118 Anointed products, 35 Anointing of the sick, 10 Anti-organisational, 63 Anti-structural, 63 Anxiety, 2, 75n12, 99, 136, 137, 139–142, 153, 201 Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM), 10, 136, 182, 189–191, 194 Asian, 2 At and Nyretta Boshoff, 166 Attraction, 164, 186

 Note: Page numbers followed by ‘n’ refer to notes.

1

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022 M. S. Kgatle, C. Banda (eds.), Pastoral Interventions During the Pandemic, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08034-0

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INDEX

B Black, 2, 11, 19, 159–176, 188, 190 church, 160, 160n1, 164, 166–174, 176 people, 11, 19 The Black Church Paradigm of Needs, 174 Born before technology (BBT), 175 Botswana, 60, 188 Brother’s keeper, 99 Bushiri, Prophet, 169 C Care for the sick, 2 Catharsis, 127 Change, 9–11, 14, 16, 17, 25, 27, 46, 55, 56, 58, 62–64, 85n37, 100, 102–104, 117, 145, 159, 168, 174, 187, 192, 199, 201 Charismatic churches, 1n1, 34, 165 Charity, 56 Chief Justice, 2, 97, 122 Christian/s, 6, 25, 45, 71, 87–88, 95, 116, 136, 163–166, 182, 200 christianity, 17, 46, 52, 55–61, 55n28, 64, 65, 80, 85–87, 100, 103, 104, 163 discipleship, 101 faith, 49, 51, 59, 65, 100, 103, 104, 108, 117, 143, 147, 163, 164 liturgy, 9 message, 45, 63, 200 ministry, 7, 199–201 mission, 45, 46, 49, 56 religion, 46, 50 Christian Revival Church (CRC), 166 Christianity, 17, 46, 52, 55–61, 55n28, 64, 65, 80, 85–87, 100, 103, 104, 163 Church/es, 2, 25, 46, 53–54, 71–88, 93, 118, 120–123, 131, 135,

143–144, 159, 166–173, 181–195, 199 African Independent, 19, 60, 160 Anglican, 48 assets, 53, 54 bell, church clothes, 168 branches, 48 buildings, 2, 5, 30, 35, 38, 39, 48, 53, 84, 120, 200 campuses, 53 cyber, 51 digital, 39, 50, 51 facilities, 14, 51, 53 leaders, 2, 10, 15, 19, 62, 99, 101–103, 106, 108, 125, 132, 138–140, 142, 143, 151, 153, 165, 172, 174 model, 13, 17, 53–54, 57, 65, 66 nature, 8, 13, 17, 52, 64, 192 online, digital, 39, 50, 51 online, e-church, 50 programmes, 54 properties, 53 shutdown of church services, 71–88 structure, 48, 49, 54, 64, 126, 191 Churchism, 52 Church proceedings, 170 Citizen/s, 50, 55, 97, 107, 137, 149, 150, 153 Classical Pentecostalism, 1n1, 2, 75, 85, 88 Classical Pentecostals, 33, 61, 74, 75, 84, 85, 87–88, 122, 191 Clients, 72, 75–81, 83, 85–88 Pentecostal Christians, 72, 76–79, 83 Collaboration, 47, 53, 106, 107, 161 Commercialisation, 35, 175 Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL), 149, 175

 INDEX 

Communal bonds, 164 Communicating with the congregation, 6 Communication, 16, 50, 50n14, 56, 60, 64, 138, 161, 171, 172, 176, 182, 184, 188–191, 193 Communicative, 16 Communion, 10, 18, 26, 29, 33–34, 37, 39, 40, 48, 144, 200 Communities, 2, 11, 13, 15–17, 37, 39, 48, 50–52, 63, 66, 75, 77, 78, 86–88, 96, 106, 119, 124–126, 130, 132, 139, 143, 148, 150, 153, 160n2, 161, 164, 166, 167, 176, 182, 184, 188, 189, 191, 192, 200 Competence, 122, 146 Conducting burials, 6 Conducting funerals, 2 Confessions, 65, 108 Confinement, 138, 140, 142, 145, 146 Congregant/s, 8, 15, 32, 34, 35, 37, 60, 62, 63, 74, 84, 86, 94–97, 99, 104, 108, 109, 119, 120, 122, 123, 127–129, 132, 136, 144, 148, 151, 160, 162, 165, 166, 169, 171, 174, 176, 183, 200 Congregation, 2, 3, 7–10, 12, 13, 16–18, 38, 50, 56, 74, 74n8, 99, 115–132, 136, 141, 143, 144, 152, 160n2, 166, 186, 190, 195, 200 Congregational infrastructure, 7, 11, 12 Conspiracy theories, 4, 132 Content analysis (CA), 176, 183, 194 Contextualisation, 58 Contextualise, 99 Coronavirus, 10, 25, 33n22, 45, 93, 110n51, 115, 159, 162, 167, 169n32

205

Coronavirus disease, 1, 71, 93n1 Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 1–3, 5, 5n18, 7–19, 25–41, 45–66, 71–88, 93–111, 115–132, 135–141, 144–153, 159–176, 181–195, 199–201 strategic preparedness and response plan, 96 Counselling, 6, 95, 97, 97n13, 106, 130, 138, 139, 146, 184, 200 Creating memories, 128, 129 Creativity, 35, 64, 108 Creeds, 52, 65 Crucifixion, 104 Culture, 11, 48n7, 49, 52, 59, 60, 64, 75, 85, 122, 161, 167, 173 Cyber-attacks, 16 D Data, 94, 139, 163, 172–176, 184, 200 information, 172, 184 connectivity, 169 costs, acquisition, 174 Deformity, 148 Deliverance, 29, 35, 80, 95, 102, 103, 109, 123 Democracy, 161 Densely populated cities, 2 Depression, 53, 118, 136, 139–142, 146, 153 Development, 5, 26, 38, 41, 46, 47, 49, 51, 56, 59, 62–65, 99, 100, 102, 109, 159, 174, 184, 193 Devil, 4, 8, 123, 124 Diakonia, 102 Digital, 2, 39, 51, 55, 56, 64, 194 Disadvantages of social media, 172 Discernibility, 55–56, 66 Disciple/s, 182, 184, 185 Discussion sites, 161

206 

INDEX

Disease, 1, 4, 6, 13, 33n22, 46n1, 71, 73, 93n1, 95, 118, 119, 121, 122, 124, 125, 131, 132, 141, 152, 169n32 Disillusionment, 105 Distrust in medical services and science, 2 Diversity, 1, 49, 52, 61, 65, 100 Divine healing, 102, 109–111 Doctrine, 49, 55 Dogma, 49, 52, 65 Drive thru meetings, 5 E Ecclesiologist, 48 Ecclesialogy, 7, 8, 11, 14, 17, 26, 37, 41, 46–49, 51, 52, 58, 62, 65, 66, 199, 200 African, 58 concrete, 14, 53 denominational, 57 digital, 48 idealist, 53 liquid, 48 practical, 53 Ubuntu, 58 virtual, 14, 16–18, 26, 37–41, 45–66, 199, 200 Economic, 3, 4, 9, 17, 55n28, 98, 100, 102, 140 survival, 7 Economy, 74, 106, 135, 147–149 Ecumenical collaboration, 106 Ecumenism, 52, 94, 105–107, 111 ecumenical, 49, 57, 96, 106, 107 Education, 54, 55, 65, 87, 174 Emails, 189 Emotional support, 127–128, 138, 148 Enculturation, 65 Endangered, 3, 171

Environment, 46, 47, 51, 57, 61, 63, 127, 137, 141, 142, 146, 151, 153, 171 Epidemic, 175 Epistemology, 55 Eschatology, 8 Europe, 57, 60 Evangelise, 99 Evangelism, 17, 64, 102 Evil sources, 4 F Facebook, 32, 35, 38, 39, 161–164, 166, 168n29, 169–173, 176, 182, 189, 190, 200 Face-to-face, 9, 12, 136, 138–140, 142, 143, 148, 153, 171, 174, 200 interaction/socialisation, 171 Faith, 6, 17, 18, 27, 29, 45–51, 54, 54n25, 55, 59, 62–66, 72, 74, 82, 85, 100, 103, 104, 108, 109, 116–120, 125, 126, 130, 131, 143, 147–149, 151–153, 163, 164, 194, 199, 200 healing, 119 Family, 7, 11, 15, 19, 26, 30, 36, 39, 40, 61, 63, 78, 83, 97, 106, 107, 109, 119, 121, 122, 137–141, 145, 146, 150, 151, 153, 200, 201 Fellowship, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 35, 39, 60, 72, 74, 75, 86, 87, 97, 102, 108, 115, 143, 189 full-body prayer sessions, 72 spiritual leaders (Pastors), 15, 72, 75, 116 Financial constraints, 13 Financial needs, 2 Five Coronavirus levels, 5n18, 18, 36, 74, 135, 138, 181n1

 INDEX 

Five-fold ministry gifts, 101 Flatten the curve, 194 Foot washing, 10 Fourth industrial revolution (4IR), 49, 50n14, 55, 193 era, 50 world, 193 Friends, 11, 19, 83, 119, 126, 145, 146, 153, 162 Fundraising, 168 Funerals, 2, 11, 12, 26, 29, 36, 37, 40, 74, 128, 129, 140, 141, 150, 167 G Gathering, 5, 11, 18, 25, 48n7, 74, 88, 93, 124, 127, 135–154, 159, 164, 165, 181 face-to-face, 136, 138, 140, 143, 148, 153 Gauteng province, 165 Gender-based violence (GBV), 97, 106, 136–138 Generalisation, 100 Ghana, 58, 59 Gigabytes (GB), 172 Global Pentecostalism, 1, 41 Google Hangouts, 164 Gospel message, 56 Government, 5, 5n18, 7, 8, 10, 56n30, 57, 73, 93, 95, 97n13, 106, 107, 110, 111, 135–139, 142, 143, 147–150, 152–154, 165, 171, 175, 187, 190–192, 200, 201 Greece, 60 Grief, 2, 6, 15, 18, 117–119, 123, 128, 129, 132, 150, 165, 200 Grieving, 18, 115–132, 200 Growth, 12, 47, 59, 60, 64, 65, 102, 103, 190

207

H Harm physiological, 145 psychological, 145 Health, 2–4, 5n18, 36, 73, 74, 102, 111, 121, 123, 140, 141, 144, 146, 149, 151–153, 187, 193 care, 1, 2, 73, 109 mental, 140–142, 145, 149 physical, 141, 144, 145, 149, 151, 153 spiritual, 3, 123, 149, 153 Herd immunity, 192–193 Hidden talents, 168 Higher Education institution, 55 High-resolution screens, 171 Hi-tech gadgets and equipment, 171 Holiness, 47n5, 54n25, 101 Holy Spirit, 1n1, 27, 28, 30–33, 39, 41, 58, 75, 76, 80, 83, 86, 94, 95, 97–99, 102, 103, 105–108, 110, 111, 136, 139, 160, 185, 186 Homeless, 54, 107 Homelessness, 99 Home/s, 6, 7, 31, 36, 39, 54, 74, 99, 107, 138, 139, 146, 151, 182, 187, 188, 193, 200, 201 How to do church, 174 Human embodiment, 11 Human fellowship, 11 Humanity, 28, 45, 46, 55n28, 56, 96, 99, 101–104 Human knowledge, 161 Human welfare, 13, 17 I Iconic perspective, 116, 122–123, 130 Idolatry, 101

208 

INDEX

Ills, 18, 63, 79, 86, 87, 102, 137–141, 148 social, 18, 63, 79, 86, 102, 137–141, 148 Image sharing sites, 161 Inculturation, 60 Infections, 5, 36, 106, 137, 151, 152 Influenza pandemic, 3 Information, 39, 56, 72–75, 99, 101, 161, 172, 182, 184 Injustices, 58, 102, 105 Innovation, 17, 64, 108 Instagram, 161 Institutions, 16, 46, 52, 54, 56n30, 57, 60, 65n68, 88, 107 Interaction, 2, 12, 29, 49, 52, 53, 60, 64, 75, 142, 144, 145, 148, 149, 161, 162, 169–171 social, 2, 29, 145, 161, 169 Interim committee, 127 Internet, 6, 51, 74, 138, 139, 162, 164, 169, 172 Intervention, 7, 13, 26, 37–40, 72, 73, 75–79, 83–88, 103, 126, 127, 132, 147–153, 173–175 Intrapsychic loss, 18, 118, 119, 130 iPhone, 162 Islam, 163 Isolation, 54, 61n48, 97, 109, 141, 145–147, 151, 153, 201 J Jesus Christ, 8, 28, 30, 33, 39, 96, 103, 108, 186, 190, 192, 193 Job opportunities, 109 Julian the Apostate, 47 K Kingdom of God, 40, 41, 102 Kleptocracy, 109 Kwazulu-Natal (KZN), 96, 165

L Lack of services, 2 Lack of touch and relationships, 2 Language, 30, 52, 119, 173, 176 Latin America, 57 Leprosy, 124 Lifelong learning, 101 Lifestyle, 54, 61, 63, 100 Likes and commentary, 166 Livelihoods, 12, 101, 102, 106, 137 Live-streamed sermons, 19 Livestreaming/live-streaming, 14, 138, 139 Local topography, 3 Lockdown, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 17–19, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 35–36, 38, 47, 73–75, 93, 99, 106, 107, 135–154, 162, 165–167, 169, 171, 176, 181, 181n1, 182, 184–187, 190–194, 199, 201 national command council (NCC), 74 national lockdown, 5, 10, 74, 75, 97, 190 Loneliness, 2, 139, 153, 201 Loss, 6, 12, 15, 18, 36, 83, 98, 101, 117–120, 122, 123, 127–131, 137–139, 146, 151, 153, 200, 201 of church members and leaders, 2 Love, 6, 17, 38, 39, 41, 46, 47, 54n25, 66, 96, 108, 148, 151 Low living standards, 2 M Mainline churches, 101, 106 Maintaining empty buildings, 2 Managing absentee liturgies, 2 Man of God, 63, 100, 105, 170 Marriage, 10, 107, 121 Media, 14, 19, 37, 48, 51n19, 56, 60, 64, 65, 148, 161, 162, 166, 168–170, 176, 183

 INDEX 

Medical, 2, 3, 55n28, 80, 116, 124, 125, 147, 154 Members, 11, 12, 15, 18, 30, 33, 35, 36, 39, 40, 48, 49, 51, 51n19, 60, 61n48, 66, 74, 83, 93, 97–99, 101, 103, 106, 107, 109, 110, 116, 118, 120, 121, 124–125, 127–131, 136–141, 143, 144, 146, 149, 150, 164, 165, 167, 168, 171, 172, 181, 182, 184, 187, 188, 190, 191, 194 church, 11, 18, 26, 36, 39, 73, 80, 95, 96, 101, 106, 110, 111, 125, 138–144, 153, 172, 188, 191, 195 Methodology, 15, 17, 18, 117, 176, 183, 187, 191, 194 Microblogging, 161 Microsoft Teams, 37, 162, 164, 169, 171 Missiological, 16 Missiology, 52 Mission, 13, 17, 40, 45–47, 49, 51, 56, 59, 63, 65, 66, 99, 102, 153, 183, 185 Missional perspective, 41 Mkhize, Dr Zweli, 10, 106 Monthly active users (MAU’s), 162 Moral integrity, 101 Mourning, 18, 36, 117, 125, 127–129, 200 Music, 29, 32, 64, 108, 131 MYFaith.TV, 166 N National Department of Health, 74 National lockdown measures, 5 National state of disaster, 5, 181

209

Ndifor, Franklin, 115, 116 Ndifor, Pastor, 129 Neo-Pentecostalism, 59 Neo Prophetical Churches, 62, 63 Newer Pentecostal Churches (NPCs), 18, 115–132, 160n3 New normal, 30, 99, 130, 162, 194, 195 Nigeria, 58–60, 122 Nigerian, 59 Nipah virus, 46, 46n1 Non-compliance, 12, 107, 175 Non-denominational, 101 Non-government organization (NGO), 56, 138 Non-profit organisations (NPO’s), 175 Northern hemisphere, 2 O Old normal, 192, 193 One Gospel, 166 Online services, 5, 18, 19, 32, 37, 39, 40 Openness, 61 Orthodox, 49, 60, 122 Outcome, 7, 76, 81, 82 P Pandemic, 1–9, 11–18, 26, 32, 33n22, 34, 35, 36n36, 37, 39–41, 45, 47, 49, 52–55, 64, 71, 73, 74, 80, 93n1, 94–97, 99, 100, 104, 106–111, 116, 117, 120, 123, 128, 130, 131, 136, 139, 141, 147, 148, 152, 153, 159, 160, 162–164, 166, 167, 173–176, 181–195, 199–201 Paradigm, 88, 174, 176 Paradigmatic, 2

210 

INDEX

Paradigm shift, 25, 46, 63, 100 Parking lot churches, 5, 26 Participation, 9, 10, 55, 63, 136, 161, 162, 166 Pastoral care framework, 117, 123–132 Pastoral care team, 124, 127–132 Pastoral challenges, 6, 15 Pastoral interventions, 7, 13, 26, 37–40, 76, 147–153, 165, 173–175 Pastoral ministry, 5–17, 26, 29, 103, 108, 109, 189 Pastoral theology, 7, 13 Pastor/s, 6–13, 15–18, 26–30, 33, 34, 36–40, 60, 61n48, 72, 75–77, 80, 81, 83, 84, 86, 93–103, 106–108, 110, 111, 115–124, 126–132, 135, 136, 138–141, 143, 144, 148–153, 162, 165, 166, 168, 169, 169n34, 174, 176, 190, 191, 200, 201 Pathogenic approach, 78–79 Pentecostal Christians, 71, 72, 74–83, 85–88 Pentecostalism, 1–3, 1n1, 5, 17, 25, 28, 30, 36, 41, 58, 59, 61–64, 66, 72, 85, 94, 98, 100, 103, 110, 121, 159–176 full-body participatory engagement with God, 71 Pentecostalisation, 17, 52, 59 worship, 28 Pentecostal/s, 1–5, 1n1, 7–10, 14, 16, 18, 19, 25–34, 36–41, 49, 52, 57–65, 71–73, 79, 80, 83–88, 93–111, 115n1, 120, 122, 135, 136, 138, 139, 141–144, 147–153, 160–162, 164, 165, 174, 181–183, 185–195, 199–201

churches and ministries, 99, 100, 102, 108 cosmology, 8 ministry, 18, 93–111 practices, 10, 72, 87, 99 rituals, 10 sacraments, 28 Persecutions, 46, 65 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), 150 The perspective of NPCs, 116, 120–123, 132 Perspective on Covid-19, 121–122 Perspective on death, 120–121 Philosophy, 55, 60 Phone, 32, 50, 138, 144, 162, 189 Physical distancing, 11, 12, 35 Physical fellowship, 16 Physical healthcare, 2 Piety, 52 Pneumatocentric, 102 Pneumatological, 62 Political, 3, 4, 53, 54, 55n28, 57–61, 100, 102, 160, 173 Political theology, 8 Population, 2, 57, 72, 75, 76, 163, 164 Post-covid-19, 183, 192, 193, 195 Power, 4, 27, 41, 50, 54, 63n60, 72, 78, 80, 83, 84, 86, 93, 95, 101–103, 105, 108, 109, 131, 152, 161 Power of prophecy, 100, 102 Prayer, 36, 39, 40, 59, 72, 75, 76, 78, 80, 85, 95, 102, 109, 119, 122, 168, 186, 189, 200 Preaching, 26–28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 76, 95, 96, 98, 101, 126, 130, 131, 136, 193 Precautionary measures, 151 President Cyril Ramaphosa, 181

 INDEX 

The President: Mr MC Ramaphosa, 74, 143, 150, 181 Priesthood of all believers, 54, 100 Profiteering, 103 Prophethood of all believers, 65, 100–103, 108 Prophetic declarations, 101, 108 Prophetic evangelism, 102 Prophetic Pentecostal churches, 4 Prosperity, 3, 55n28, 62, 104, 121, 123 Protective factors, 76, 80, 82 Protestant, 1n1, 49, 60, 122 Protocol, 12, 74, 109, 124, 127, 146, 147 health, 140, 141, 144, 151, 152 Psychological distancing, 12 Public activities, 2 Public health, 2, 3 Q Quarantine, 97, 109, 145, 146 Questionnaires, 136, 138 Quora, 161 R Race, 52, 188, 190 Reckless ones, 46, 46n4 Reconceptualise, 99, 103 Recovery rate, 102 Redefine, 99, 199 Reflection, 26, 53, 64, 103, 107 Reformation, 184, 192 Protestant, 49 Regulations, 5, 26, 35, 74, 95, 98, 107, 110, 172, 187, 191, 192 lockdown, 19, 145, 149, 150, 153 Rehabilitate, 104 Reintegration, 130, 132 Rejection, 146

211

Relationship, 1n1, 2, 15, 27, 31, 53, 57, 63, 65, 80, 82, 83, 86, 88, 94, 117–119, 130–131, 146, 160, 164, 169, 171 Relationship loss, 18, 119 Resilience, 18, 76–78, 80–86, 94, 108 Resilience theory, 76–78, 80–82, 84 Resistance, 150, 164 Resource depletion, 46 Respondents, 144 Responsive, 102, 108 Restrictive ecclesiology, 8 Restructuring, 46 Rev. Thembelani Jentile, 143 Risk adjusted strategy level, 74, 187 Rituals, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 26, 28, 48n7, 75, 85 Rome, 60 Rudimentary homes and infrastructure, 6 S Sacramental dimensions, 14 Sacramental rites, 2 Sacraments, 10, 26, 28, 29, 33, 34, 49, 136, 143 Salutogenic approach, 78–80 Salvation, 28, 38, 47, 53, 54, 95, 185 Schism, 46, 52 Scripture authority, 52, 65 interpretation, 52, 54n25, 65 Second blessing, 102 Second Commandment, 99 Secularisation, 46 Seminaries, 55 Separation among different social classes, 2

212 

INDEX

Service/es, 2, 5, 7–9, 11, 14, 18, 19, 26–32, 34, 37–40, 50, 51, 60, 71–88, 96, 97, 97n13, 99, 101, 102, 106–109, 120, 126, 127, 129, 136, 138, 139, 143, 148, 152, 153, 165–168, 170, 171, 173, 176, 181, 184, 187, 189, 194 online, 5, 7, 9, 18, 19, 32, 37–40, 138, 139, 176, 187, 189 Shembe church, 167 Sickness/es, 2, 11, 15, 73, 95, 105, 153 Skype, 37, 162, 164 Smart phones, 138 Social, 2, 3, 8, 9, 14–19, 29, 38, 54, 56–58, 56n30, 58n36, 62, 63, 65n68, 71–88, 96, 98–107, 124, 135–154, 159–176, 181–195, 200 distancing, 2, 8, 14, 16, 74, 137, 143, 147, 192 distancing measures, 2 dynamics, 14 history, 3 interactions, 29, 145, 161, 169 justice, 17, 78, 86 networking sites, 161, 162, 169, 171, 172 problem, 72, 75, 78–81, 137 Social media, 16, 19, 38, 38n39, 62, 64n66, 137, 140, 143, 144, 147, 159–176, 181–195 Facebook, 32, 35, 38, 38n39, 39, 64n66, 161–164, 166, 168n29, 169–173, 176, 182, 189, 190, 200 Instagram, 161 Skype, 37, 162, 164 WhatsApp, 33, 37–39, 162, 164, 176, 182, 189, 190, 200

YouTube, 32, 38, 161, 162, 169, 182 benefits, 160, 166–173 Social work, 17, 18, 71–88, 200 social work education and training, 79, 87, 88 social work intervention, 72, 73, 75–79, 85–88 social work practice, 72, 75, 77n19, 78, 85, 87 Social workers, 15, 72, 75–88, 86n40, 137, 200 Society, 17, 46, 48, 48n7, 49, 52, 53, 55–57, 56n29, 60, 61n48, 62, 64, 78, 85, 86, 102, 107, 120, 144, 146, 148, 149, 161, 162, 173, 194 Socio-economic problems, 3 Sociology, 15 Socio-political, economic, 2, 102 South Africa, 1n1, 2, 4, 5, 5n18, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17–19, 25–41, 45–66, 71–88, 93–111, 115–132, 135–137, 141, 152, 160, 162–164, 166, 167, 169, 172, 181–195, 199 South African Council of Churches (SACC), 175, 175n49 South African government, 5n18, 135, 138, 187 Southern hemisphere, 1 Spanish flu, 3, 159 Spirit-led worship, 108 Spiritual, 2, 3, 10, 15, 17, 18, 30, 53, 54, 57–62, 63n60, 65, 66, 72, 74–80, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 95, 96, 98, 102, 103, 109, 110, 116, 117, 119–132, 135, 136, 138, 142, 148–151, 153, 161, 169, 173, 182, 184, 187, 191, 201 enemy, 4 individuation, 109 warfare, 2, 109, 110

 INDEX 

Spirituality, 10, 15, 18, 29, 30, 52, 55, 63, 65, 66, 72, 75, 76, 78, 79, 83–86, 88, 149, 150 Spiritualization, 4 Stages of grief, 118 Statistics, 57, 163–166 Stress, 2, 79, 141, 146, 153 emotional, 139 financial, 139, 140 Student movements, 59 Suffering/s, 7, 19, 33, 53, 123, 124, 139, 165 Support, 12, 36, 39, 40, 47n5, 72, 73, 77, 83, 96, 97, 109, 127–129, 132, 138, 143, 146, 148, 151, 153, 154, 164 Survivors, 109 Sustainable livelihoods, 102, 106 Syncretism, 63 Systemic loss, 18, 118–120 T Tablet, 138 Takealot.com, 161 TBN Africa, 166 Teaching, 3, 65, 82–84, 98, 101, 103, 129, 130, 193 Technological resources, 6 Technology, 2, 19, 37–39, 48, 50–53, 51n19, 56–57, 60, 61, 61n48, 64–66, 84, 139, 159, 162, 164, 165, 167, 168, 170, 171, 174–176, 182, 184, 190, 195, 199, 200 computer, 162 software technology-based, 50 Telegram, 164 Testing facilities, 1 Theodicy, 6, 104

213

Theological, 4–7, 11–13, 26, 49, 82, 104, 143, 185 challenges, 2, 5, 7–13, 16 concepts, 52 content, 38, 52 courses, 76 curricula, 55 education, 54, 55 interpretation, 3, 6, 11 training, 54–55, 66 Theology African Reconstruction, 57 Liberation, 58 systematic, 48 Traditional form, 99, 168 Traditions, 1, 14, 28, 30, 31, 49, 50, 52, 55, 62, 88, 95, 105, 122, 127, 131, 167, 185, 199, 200 Transactional giving, 162 Transformation institutional, 47 social, 56n30, 57, 58, 103 Transformational shift, 102 Trinity, 103 Tshwane, 165, 166 Twenty-first century, 46, 51, 199 Twitter, 161, 169 U Ubuntu, 58, 86 Uncertainties, 46, 106, 146, 167, 192 Unemployment, 2, 63, 81, 99, 101 Unfamiliarity with digital technology, 2 Union Buildings, 165 United Kingdom (UK), 140, 159 United States of America (USA), 159 Unity, 49, 52–53, 57, 65, 66, 75, 105, 106 University, 55, 59

214 

INDEX

V Vaccine, 2, 98, 110, 111, 192 Videos, 33, 38, 74, 162, 168, 169 Violence, 65n68, 137 gender-based, 81, 97, 106, 136–138 Virtual church, 9, 14 Virtual communication, 19 Virtual liturgy, 14 Virtual networks, 182 Virtual world, 170, 172, 192 Virtue, 51, 55, 65 Virtus, 49, 51, 52, 65 Visiting the sick, 6, 11 Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), 108 W Wars, 46 Water baptism, 10, 26, 33–34, 37, 40, 151 Weak public health systems, 2 WhatsApp, 33, 37–39, 162, 164, 176, 182, 189, 190, 200 Widely dispersed rural populations, 2

Widening generational gaps, 2 Wi-Fi, 171 Women organisations, 56 Word of Faith Christian Centre, 8 Workers, 106, 109, 120, 139 Work of mourning, 18, 127, 128 World Health Organizations (WHO), 46n1, 71, 124, 128 Worship, 5–7, 9, 26, 28–32, 28n9, 29n10, 37, 38, 50, 52, 60, 71, 74, 80, 87, 99, 108, 108n47, 109, 126, 129, 131, 143, 148, 159, 187–189, 191 Y YouTube, 32, 38, 161, 162, 169, 182 Z Zimbabwe, 60, 77n19, 105n38, 188 Zion Christian Church (ZCC), 9, 10, 160, 160n3, 167 Zionist churches, 167, 168 Zoom, 37, 74, 162, 164, 169, 171, 176, 182, 200