The role of Africans in the establishment and growth of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Zambia’s Luapula province from 1921 to 2021.
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Date
2025
Authors
Mwansa, George Chama
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Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
This qualitative study examined the contribution of Africans to the growth and development of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Luapula Province, Zambia, over the period 1921 2021. The study documented the church’s history, explored the role of local Adventists, identified challenges faced, and extracted valuable lessons for future church growth. The study targeted Adventist Church leaders and members in Luapula Province’s districts. It used purposive and snowball sampling to select 57 participants. Data collection methods included interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, and field observation. The study revealed that the SDA Church first established its presence in Luapula in September 1921 at Chimpempe near Kawambwa. In 1926, the Chimpempe mission station became the headquarters for the North-Eastern Rhodesia Mission Field, overseeing SDA churches in present day Luapula, Northern, Muchinga, and parts of Eastern Province (Mwami Mission and Chipata). This arrangement went on until 1943 when the Mission Field was absorbed into the Northern Rhodesia Field. In 1964, when Zambia gained independence, the Northern Rhodesia Field was renamed the Zambia Field. In July 1972, the Zambia Field was upgraded to a Union Mission, and divided into three mission fields: South, North, and West Zambia. The North Zambia Field, headquartered in Mansa, covered three provinces: Northern, Luapula, and Copperbelt. In 1988, the territory was reorganized, with Copperbelt Province being removed, leaving the North Zambia Field to cover only Northern and Luapula provinces. In 2006, the North Zambia Field was divided, with Luapula and Northern provinces becoming separate entities. Luapula was then renamed the Luapula Field. In 2016, the Luapula Field was upgraded to a Conference status, and became the Luapula Conference. Since 1972, the Conference has been managed by local Zambians except for a period (1972-1983) when White missionaries held the executive-secretary-treasurer position.
The study found that local converts played a crucial role in establishing and growing the SDA Church in five key areas (Chienge, Luapula Valley, Mansa, Loshi and Chifunabuli. They contributed as lay evangelists, pastors, teacher-evangelists, and literature evangelists, driving the church’s growth through various soul-winning activities. The study also found that local converts faced numerous challenges as they shared their faith in their communities. These challenges included administrative issues such as disputes over office locations, inadequate financial and personnel resources, and the emergence of splinter movements. The study highlighted a number of key positive lessons from the SDA Church’s history in Luapula: Local business leaders played a crucial role in establishing and growing the church. Emphasizing Adventism as God’s true movement was essential. Strict adherence to Christian standards was vital for the church’s growth and development. The study recommends that the SDA Church in Luapula finds a permanent solution to its long-standing issue of self-sustainability, a challenge it has faced since its establishment in 1921. The SDA Church’s three key pillars (self-governance, self-support, and self propagation) are unstable, with self-support being the weakest link. While churches have been growing numerically, the number of pastors to nurture and shepherd the growing numbers, one hundred years later, remains very small.
Description
Thesis of Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies