By SYLVESTER MWALE  and MWANGALA LISELI –

RECENT reports that a Kabwe-based pastor armed with an AK 47 rifle was arrested after a failed aggravated robbery at Lusaka’s Manda Hill Shopping Mall has sparked debate on how one qualifies to be a church pastor.
It must be stated from the onset that this was not the first time that a clergyman has been implicated in illegal, clandestine activities of that nature.
There have been reports of the ‘so called’ men of God getting involved in illicit activities such as robbery, murder, child defilement and rape to mention just a few.
For instance, a prominent televangelist from a named church in Lusaka made headlines for making an emotional apology after he admitted to have tried to rape a married woman of Lusaka.
Until that time, the Evangelist was said to have built his reputation through preaching and healing sessions on Prime Television but he is currently wallowing in shame after the incident.
The husband of the victim has since reported the matter to the police and the matter is soon coming up before the courts.
Memories have hardly vanished about reports of a bishop in Lusaka who allegedly impregnated more than 10 of his female church members within a space of months in 2012.
The situation is admittedly inconsistence with the mandate of a pastor or any other church leader who is expected to lead, feed, nurture, comfort, correct, and protects the flock.
The Sunday Times talked to various leaders in the church mother bodies as well as ordinary people and the Registrar of Societies to find out what could be the best way to retain genuine pastors in congregations.
Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) Secretary General Reverend Susan Matale said it was quite unfortunate for church leaders to associate themselves with such criminal actions.
Rev Matale said there was need for churches to work together with the Government and come up with proper guidelines that will scrutinize those who want to come up with churches.
“There are a lot of people of God who are genuine but others are using churches for their sinful actions,” she said.
“The Registrar of Societies should formulate some guidelines that will scrutinise people who want to form churches unlike the current situation where everyone can wake up and form a church.”
United Church of Zambia (UCZ) Copperbelt Presbyterian, Sydney Sichilima said it was ideal for upcoming church leaders to be regulated and approved by church motherbodies in the country.
“Zambia appreciates the freedom of worship which is stated in the constitution and some people are abusing this freedom thus the need for God’s servants to be regulated to minister to the public,” he said.
Bishop Sichilima noted that the solution to illegalities in churches could be addressed by involving church mother bodies in approving the formation of the church.
He also urged law enforcement agents to ensure that fake pastors are accountable for their actions.
Any right thinking member of society holds that the church is the light that offers hope and belief to the vulnerable and the hopeless in society.
Therefore, former Reformed Church of Zambia (RCZ) Secretary General Emmanuel Mwale believes the involvement of church leaders in such wrong acts casts a dark cloud on congregations.
Rev Mwale said there was need for already existing churches to come up with a regulatory framework to discuss and come up with strengthening and disciplinary measures in churches.
“There is also need for the Registrar of Societies to ascertain which churches should be formed,” he said.
Members of the public are equally concerned with unprecedented levels of illegalities involving church leaders.
“I have heard about a pastor who impregnated more than 10 girls in his church,” said Meynand Mbuzi, a member of the Catholic Church.
“Am wondering how such a person became a pastor.
“These are people that should be banned and sent to jail because it is clear that they are cheating people. Surely, how can a pastor start sleeping with his own members or worse still start robbing people with guns?”
Mr Mbuzi called for proper regulation of the church in order to clean up the messy that has associated with church leaders.
He accused the Registrar of Societies of promoting the mushrooming of churches, while at the same time failing to regulate their operations.
The Registrar of Societies is cognisant of the fact that the mushrooming of churches and pastors have come with its own challenges.
Registrar of Societies chief registrar Kakoma Kanganja said the Government through his office was holding consultative meetings with church mother bodies to find a solution to the bad actions of some of these leaders in society.
“The consultative meetings are aimed at coming up with a framework to spearhead and closely monitor churches in the country,” he said.
It is clear that the bad eggs in the church are eroding public confidence in congregations and unless something is done, the meaning of the pastor will become useless.
Besides teaching, pastors are expected to exercises an oversight of the flock by the example of their lives.
In this regard, it is apparently the duty of the Registrar of Societies to act now by ensuring that proper regulatory framework can monitor the operations of the church and act punitively on erring leaders.
Cases of clergymen getting involved in illegal activities including murder and defilement will not stop if disgruntled individuals are allowed to form their churches after breaking away from their churches after differing over offering or leadership.