A Brief, Critical History of Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa Among the AmaZioni of Southern Africa with Special Reference to Its Relationship with the Christian Catholic Church of Zion

Abstract

This thesis is a brief overview of the history of a missionary organization that specializes in ministering to the amaZioni of southern Africa. The word ‘amaZioni’ is taken from the Zulu word meaning ‘the people of Zion’. This Mission Organizationwas first known as the Mahon Mission and later became Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa (ZEMA). ZEMA has a close relationship with the Christian Catholic Church of Zion that was founded by John Alexander Dowie in 1896. Missionaries of ZEMA use this relationship that they enjoy with the church in Zion to gain acceptance by the amaZioni church leaders who themselves trace their history back to the Christian Catholic Church of Zion. The researcher attempts togive a brief history of the Christian Catholic Church of Zion in Illinois, USA that was founded by Dowie. It includes a history of the establishment of the Christian Catholic Church of Zion in South Africa and focuses on the most important characters whowere influenced by Dowie in South Africa. These were Johannes Buchler, Pieter le Roux and Edgar Mahon, the latter being the founder of the Mahon Mission.The thesis also investigates the ministry of the missionaries of ZEMA through the use of the instrument of a questionnaire. Theresults of this questionnaire revealsby way of testimony and personal experiences from both ZEMA missionaries and local amaZioni church leaders that the knowledge of ZEMA’s history and the unique relationship that ZEMA has withthe Christian Catholic Church of Zion has proven to be of great valueto both missionaries and the amaZioni churches.

This thesis is a brief overview of the history of a missionary organization that specializes in ministering to the amaZioni of southern Africa. The word ‘amaZioni’ is taken from the Zulu word meaning ‘the people of Zion’. This Mission Organizationwas first known as the Mahon Mission and later became Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa (ZEMA). ZEMA has a close relationship with the Christian Catholic Church of Zion that was founded by John Alexander Dowie in 1896. Missionaries of ZEMA use this relationship that they enjoy with the church in Zion to gain acceptance by the amaZioni church leaders who themselves trace their history back to the Christian Catholic Church of Zion. The researcher attempts togive a brief history of the Christian Catholic Church of Zion in Illinois, USA that was founded by Dowie. It includes a history of the establishment of the Christian Catholic Church of Zion in South Africa and focuses on the most important characters whowere influenced by Dowie in South Africa. These were Johannes Buchler, Pieter le Roux and Edgar Mahon, the latter being the founder of the Mahon Mission.The thesis also investigates the ministry of the missionaries of ZEMA through the use of the instrument of a questionnaire. Theresults of this questionnaire revealsby way of testimony and personal experiences from both ZEMA missionaries and local amaZioni church leaders that the knowledge of ZEMA’s history and the unique relationship that ZEMA has withthe Christian Catholic Church of Zion has proven to be of great valueto both missionaries and the amaZioni churches.