Move to vet all pastors

Now more than ever before is the time to have a concrete mechanism to vet and screen all people who come to the country to open churches.
The time has come for an effective multi-denominational ‘central committee’ whose duty is to test the doctrine and teachings of the churches in the country to ensure that they are spiritually sound and that the nation is not fed something that is not in line with the true ‘Word of God.’
This is the view of Chairman of the Swaziland Christian Churches United in Christ (SCCUC) Reverend Nicholas Nyawo who said every country has to test all doctrines and religious teachings that are given to the people.
“There is a strong need to ensure that our people are well protected from false religion. We need to come together as emabandla [denominations] to protect the integrity and value of the Word by subjecting all people who profess to be carriers of the message into a peer review or test of the things they are talking about. We need to ensure that the people are fed the correct gospel as advocated for by the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.
Reverend Nyawo said they were currently engaged in talks with the government to see to it that this becomes a reality.
“What happens now is that a person comes from wherever in the continent and applies for a permit to open a Church. They follow all the procedures that are laid down by the government and if they are found fitting they are granted that permit. What we need now is a mechanism, that will come from the church leadership itself to screen these people and make a contribution to the process that is used by government. There is also the need to conduct regular checks on the teachings in the churches to see to it that it always conforms to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Reverend Nyawo said such a move whould not be unique to Swaziland as it happens in other countries.
“Jesus Himself taught us that all gifts must be taken through a rigorous system of checks to screen if they are authentic. We would not be offside, but we would be in line with what the lord expects and demands of us,” he said.
Reverend Nyawo stressed though that it is not everyone who professes to be a preacher who  can be described as a ‘wolf in sheep skin’.
“But, as you know there are characters whose intentions are not noble, nor pure. So, that is why as the Church in Swaziland we have to come in, in a bid to save the flock. We shall be judged harshly by the Lord if we do not protect His people from people who want to prey on them,” Reverend Nyawo said.
He said it was important, now more than ever, to ensure that all people who profess to work for the Lord and to spread the Word of God, are genuine.
“This is a calling. You must have a calling and the Lord must give you a vision to pursue and tools to assist you as you go about doing the Lord’s work. This calls for self-denial and to be ready to lay down your life for the work of the Lord. This is not just a matter of making money or feeling important in society. Far from it. This is not easy and calls for prayers without ceasing,” Rev. Nyawo said.
“Yes, there are people who are not called of the Lord who are going about preaching. That is not right, which is why we have to screen everyone and what they teach. We cannot turn the Gospel of Jesus Christ into a business or to use it to serve our interests at the expense of the truth,” he said.

…calls for decentralisation of church services

The Church should ensure that its services are decentralised and that there is effective outreach to the poor and deprived.
These were the words of Reverend Nicholas Nyawo, the chairman of the SCCUC, when asked to articulate the role of the Church in society.
Commenting on the issue that ‘money seems to run the Church,’ Reverend Nyawo said money should only be used as the ‘facilitator’ of the activities of the Church as it tries to reach the poor and to assist communities to be the best they can be.
“The focus should not be on the central. No. It should be out there, with the people. Jesus taught the Gospel of caring and sacrifice for others. He did not preach self enrichment. It becomes a problem when the greater whole suffers whilst the central part of the Church lives in luxury. The resources of the Church should be used for community work and to spread the goodness of the Almighty,” Reverend Nyawo said.
He added that people should not be blinded by the promise of wealth and lush living at the expense of the truth and the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As reported last week, Reverend Nyawo is at all fours with John W. Whitehead, a constitutional lawyer and author in the United States of America who observed that with the promises of success and materialism, prosperity gospel tends to lure believers away from the real issues and message taught by Jesus Christ – that is, one that eschews riches and focuses on helping the poor.
“Instead, broad distorted ideas are substituted for a message that appeals to as many people as possible. And many prosperity gospel preachers eventually find themselves swimming in so-called ‘blessings’ of material success, which are derived from their ministry. Yet, materialism, pleasing the crowds and jet-setting have nothing to do with Christianity,” he observed. Reverend Nyawo said Christians should take joy and comfort about the good they do in society.
“As it is, we are not doing enough good. We can do more if we can concentrate on what  God sent us out to do. This is especially the case when we talk about the poor in our soci
ety. It is not hard to do something good for the poor. The little that you have can go a long way to assist,” Reverend Nyawo said.
International Tabernacle’s Reverend Absalom Muntu Dlamini also concurred with Reverend Nyawo, last week, when he said the time has come for a review mechanism within the church itself.  “The church itself will have to strengthen mechanisms to screen if the people who come up saying they want to preach have all the spiritual attributes and a calling. As church leaders we need clear guidelines and procedures to check if what the people are fed is spiritually sound.  “We need to come out with one collective voice and take a clear stand to protect the people and to preserve the integrity of the Word,” Rev. Dlamini said.