African Initiated Churches or AIC has widely flourished with a following of about thirty two million members to date.
AIC’s are churches that were founded and led by Africans themselves, who are usually coming Kenya, Nigeria, and some parts of Southern Africa.These associations have different roles and functions to the society and to the people they serve. AIC’s has become an outlet for the Africans do mostly what they can’t in regular churches or associations.For one, AIC’s had slowly integrated into their church several beliefs that were African in nature and not necessarily pure Christian beliefs. African traditions are evident in their church and those are part of their teachings and doctrines.There has been evidence of disparity between AIC teaching with Christian churches and other Western Missionary churches.
An illustration of this would be the issue of polygamy. There were several AIC’s that allow polygamy within their followers. They based this on Old Testament practices. But relatively no Christian church and very few Western Mission churches allow this.One more role of AIC’s for Africans is to be able to establish, rule, and develop a congregation of their own.
This role is more of self-preservation.The position of Africans in Christianity was never established. In the whole history of the religion, little has been said about them. With AIC, they now have the power to make their own mark as far as Christianity is concerned.
Africans lead the group, so apparently, the association can also serve an avenue where in Africans can exercise leadership and acquire a high status in the society. Africans, throughout the course of history, has been struggling with racial discrimination, education, and social status.AIC’s also has social functions to answer to their members. This function is mainly the reason of their propagation. These churches offer mutual support and assistance to their members.
People within the congregation are so tightly knit together they are helping one another to cope with life.They help each other in times of need such as illness, sorrow, unemployment, and other similar situations. At times, social programs and welfare are even offered to constituents.Early through the century, Africans or the blacks do not have equal rights. It is only recently that they have finally found their place in the sun. Even then, the painful memories of before is not easily forgotten.
With the establishment of AIC’s, Africans now have the chance to stay together to possibly combine their strength.They definitely would not like to go through the same sufferings as before. This is mainly why Africans now tend to stick together. The AIC’s has been their chance to unite together in one authority and spirituality.Of course, there are the obscure roles and functions of AIC’s.
Their main role in society is to spread the good news of salvation in their own ways, cultures, traditions, and beliefs. Africans are generally spiritual. Little do they have differentiation of what is materialistic and what is holy. All has to be felt and experienced spiritually.This signifies that AIC’s does not just preach what they want to preach. Everything has scriptural basis.
Their beliefs and traditions, although at times alienated, have solid grounds.These are but the evident and the obscure roles and functions of African Initiated Churches. Their proliferation towards the century must be because of what they have been doing right so far. Slowly, these associations have been acquiring their own identity in the society.
