Recovering the Voice and Agency of Enock Gwanzura in the Growth and Development of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe

This article explores the marginalisation of Black African church leaders in the early Apostolic Faith Mission ( AFM ) in Zimbabwe (1915–1962). The main focus is on Enock Gwanzura, a pivotal figure in the growth and expansion of the AFM in Zimbabwe, whose contributions have largely been erased from official church history. Using a qualitative historiographical methodology, the study draws on interviews and unpublished archival materials from the National Archives of Zimbabwe to interrogate factors behind this diminished recognition, leading to Gwanzura’s expulsion from the church. This study reveals that White missionaries viewed Gwanzura’s ability to perform miracles with skepticism, attributing such phenomena to African spiritism rather than to manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, this theological dispute, intensified by entrenched racial discrimination, produced a deep and lasting divide. The article contributes to the discourse on Africanising the study of African Pentecostalism and recognising the agency of Africans in the rapid growth of African Christianity

African american · African studies · Agency (philosophy) · Christianity · Church Growth · Faith · Historiography · White (mutation) · African cultural and philosophical studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Pentecostalism and Christianity Studies