A Missiological Strategy to Address Witchcraft Allegations at Matingo Seventh-day Adventist Church in Central Malawi Conference

Abstract

This dissertation was an attempt to develop a missiological strategy as a response to the adverse impact of witchcraft allegations found among the members of the Matingo Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) in Central Malawi Conference. Since many members of this church were alleged to practice witchcraft, the doctrines of the church were no longer valued, church attendance had greatly dropped, and the mission of the church had been seriously obstructed. Furthermore, these witchcraft allegations had brought reproach upon the church. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop, implement, and evaluate a strategy to respond to the underlying reasons, reduce witchcraft allegations, and enhance member's church attendance. Towards this endeavor, the study tried to explore what precipitated these allegations. It deduced that witchcraft practices were almost a daily occurrence among the dwellers of Chimowa Village. The majority of members of the Matingo SDA Church hailed from this village. Witchcraft practices, including sorcery, magic, divinations, and ancestral worship were accepted as part and parcel of their culture. The villagers considered that witchcraft and ancestors were the main causes of diseases and unexplainable misfortunes. Although they accepted that nature, ecological factors, and environmental dangers could bring about calamities, the people still believed that someone was responsible for these. Witch-hunts and allegations then followed the day-to-day life of the villagers. Thus, the people lived in fear. They did not trust each other, even those who lived in the same household. This was the worldview of Chimowa villagers. Consequently, the people who joined the Matingo SDA Church, which is within their reach, continued to harness this mindset. So, whatever took place in the village spilled over into the church. This was understandable because some of the church members were heads of their clans. As such, they were traditional protectors of their clans. This was the hypothesis behind witchcraft allegations in the church. The qualitative approach which was used in this research revealed this hypothesis to be apparent. This research method used personal interviews and focus groups to collect data. Since witchcraft is a mystic phenomenon, a twenty-one evangelistic campaign was held in Chimowa Village to help both the villagers and the church members to banish away the fear of witchcraft practices and avail themselves of the power of the gospel as found in the Bible. Sermons on power encounters, Bible studies on God’s admonitions on witchcraft practices, a one-week seminar on the great controversy theme, and follow-up visits to the entire village augmented the evangelistic campaign. Through this intervention, it was hoped that witchcraft practices would be reduced in the church. Members would trust each other and experience the power of God which saves to the uttermost. The fear of evil spirits which hovered over the people as a thick cloud would vanish away. This would enhance church attendance which had dwindled downwards. Recommendations were suggested to the conference, and a working manual would be developed.