Mukono, Uganda
The leadership of the Anglican Church of Uganda must work tirelessly to build a financially sustainable church or watch the institution die as others have in the wake of COVID-19, according to James Mwangi, CEO of Nairobi-based Equity Group Holdings.
Speaking as the guest of honour during the five day 26th Provincial Assembly of the Anglican Church of Uganda held at Uganda Christian University in Mukono last week, Mwangi said the church’s leaders needed focus on working to achieve financial sustainability for the institution.
“You have a 10-year development strategy [2015-2025] to reduce donor dependence, which stood at 80 per cent in 2015,” he said. “But have you executed that strategy? What have you done since 2015? Remember that if you are not growing, you are dying.”
James Mwangi, CEO of the Nairobi-based Equity Group Holdings, addressing the delegates at the Provincial Assembly. PICTURE: Supplied.
The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda, Dr Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, invited Mwangi to address bishops and other church leaders on how to build a financially sustainable church amidst financial challenges caused by COVID-19 and donor fatigue.
Since Christianity came to Uganda in the late 1880s, the church has mainly depended on donor support for survival, something that many believe has hampered the development of financial sustainability.
Prefacing his speech on Wednesday by asking delegates what would happen to the church in Uganda if “donors completely pulled out today”, Mwangi said that the church’s pursuit of sustainability was not optional, but “paramount”.
He presented church leaders with six tips to help achieve sustainable development with tip number one centred on providing quality leadership and management in the church.
“Leadership is not doing what benefits you but what should be done,” he said. “The world is changed by men and women who find a cause to die for so church leaders should be willing to pay a price for sustainable development to be realised.”
Mwangi added that sustainable financial development can’t be achieved unless leaders choose to provide that leadership.
“The level of sustainability is reflected in the level of commitment of leaders,” he said. “No organisation has ever been better than its leaders.”
Mwangi also advised the church to create a culture of executing its business strategies and urged them to change the church’s business model.
“Most of the business models of the church were built in the ‘donor era’ that is disappearing so we can’t keep the same business model for our institutions unless we are mad. We need to be bold and courageous men of God to confront these challenges…” he said. “The threats to the church will not disappear because you have refused to confront them.”
He said leadership accountability was also key – “The countries that have made significant progress in development are those with significant structures and where leaders are accountable” – as was building a broad based alliance with others in the country such as banks and academic institutions.
“The church must understand that it exists in a community with a lot of other people and that it needs to realign with them,” he said.
Delegates at the 26th Provincial Assembly of the Anglican Church of Uganda. PICTURE: Supplied.
Mwangi drew on an illustration of a jungle animal outracing a predator to show what the church should look like.
“An antelope runs faster everyday than the fastest lion in order to survive in the jungle,” he said. “The church should apply the same strategy when focusing on financial sustainability. You better take responsibility now to stop the death of the church.”
The 26th Provincial Assembly, which drew participants from all the dioceses of the Anglican Church of Uganda and partners and friends of the Anglican Church from within the country and abroad, was run on the theme ‘United for Service and Growth’ from 22nd to 26th August.
Responding to Mwangi’s remarks, Kaziimba said the next 60 years of the Anglican Church of Uganda will be refocused on building a financially sustainable church.
“We encourage each diocese to identify an income generating activity it can engage in to parish level…” Kaziimba said. “Every region is endowed differently in land, weather, soil and people, resources we can tap for the sustainability of the church.”
