The struggles of imanyano yamadodana as a movement for evangelism: A case study of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa

Abstract

Imanyano yamadodana [fellowship of men {FOM}] was both an evangelistic movement and a sodality within the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA), established to evangelise and reach out to black people within their cultural context. This study aims to examine struggles that emerged within the FOM following the 1999 union between the black Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa and the predominantly white-dominated Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Drawing on primary sources from the UPCSA, a literature review, and academic articles, the study investigates these struggles as premised on former denominational lines. It argues that the incessant struggles within the FOM stem from the instability of the UPCSA union, a condition of spiritual acedia, and a crisis of black consciousness. Ultimately, the argument raised a challenge about the traditional values of the evangelistic movement and highlights the need to equip the contemporary generation of amadodana [men].
Contribution: This study contributes to the mission of the UPCSA by calling imanyano yamadodana to re-centre African ecclesial identity and to reconstruct the evangelistic movement. It advocates for revitalising the black church’s mission through black consciousness and spiritual revival [imvuselelo].