The article “Do not trivialise the RFBO policy” written by Dr. Joseph Serwadda on 8th October 2019 and published in the New Vision Newspaper deserves a response to put the record right.
Dr. Serwadda begins by trivialising the President’s meeting with over thirty thousand Senior Pastors who traveled from every district in Uganda. He describes the meeting as “a casual visit”. This statement should be seen as contempt of the highest order, an insult to the person of the President and the entire Balokole in Uganda.
The said meeting took place 23rd September 2019 in Lugogo, and Pastor Robert Kayanja, Leader of Miracle Centre Churches (MCC) spoke on behalf of the other Balokole leaders, namely Bishop Joshua Lwere, leader of National Fellowship (NFBPC) and Bishop Simon Emaiu, leader of Evangelical Fellowship of Uganda (EFU), Dr. Serwadda’s team and the entire Balokole in Uganda. This was a score, having one person speaking for us, showed harmony and unity in the Balokole, instead of all the leaders speaking different things.
Serwadda trivialises the event by saying the president did not come with a prepared speech! This is insulting the intelligence of the President. Most of the powerful speeches that have changed the world have been off-the-cuff. The President has the capacity to give relevant and accurate off-the-cuff comments on anything. His word both verbal and written is binding to the person of the President and we can hold him accountable.
When the President talked about witchdoctors, he said many witchdoctors get sick and die from simple treatable diseases, because they interpret all things as witchcraft. Using the example of one of his NRM chairmen who almost died of “Ettalo” (cellulitis). The President said with the help of his doctors reached out to the witchdoctor in love, treated him and he was cured. The president used the analogy to encourage pastors and preachers to evangelise non-believers in love and show them Jesus Christ instead of being harsh to them. Dr. Serwadda misunderstood the analogy to mean we should open up to new ideas even poisoned ones.
Dr. Serwadda continues to trivialise meeting with the president by calling it a get together. He is shy to say that the meeting was very successful as the first of its kind in the history of our nation, when all Balokole gathered for a common cause, to openly reject the RFBO policy and plan how to benefit from Operation Wealth Creation. The President took this message very seriously and suggested a follow up meeting with key leaders to discuss the RFBO policy among other issues. This statement by the president was a rude awaking for Dr. Serwadda and his team, like a man waking up from a scarily dream.
Dr. Serwadda casts doubt on the effectiveness of the president’s sources and advisers by insinuating that they feed the president with wrong information. He says “a few of our pastors who have his ear or some of blue-eyed informers,..”. This description is unfair to his fellow pastors. Dr. Serwadda has also invited the President for his functions on several occasions. It would not be right to interpret that relationship as being a blue-eyed informer.
The training for Pastors is not a problem at all. We just advocate a more practical way of training called Competence Based Assessment as opposed to Knowledge Based Assessment. St Paul trained Timothy this way, 2 Timothy 2:2 “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” From this scripture we see four generations of trained ministers. It is very possible to develop a well-designed curriculum that will earn the accreditation of the relevant bodies in Uganda. Do we really need a government policy on our training?
The poisoned food called the RFBO policy, lacks a clear definition of what it means by transparency and accountability in the operations of the RFBOs, revisiting the registration process, strengthening the partnership between the State and RFBOs, promotion of unity in diversity, among others. These issues are not defined; it would be suicidal to eat this poisoned food prepared by Father Lokodo and his accomplices.
More poison in this policy is hidden in issues, such as the possibility of taxation of Balokole churches, the rumours of stifling the activities on evangelism and church planting, the possibility of arrest and subsequent imprisonment should one say anything that may offend another religion, the presence of Government officials’ on the local RFBO (Church or Mosque) Board, say an RDC, the in-equality of all RFBOs in the sight of Government and many others. One wonders, if Dr. Serwadda can correctly point out this poison why does he insist on supporting the policy?
In his article, he continually uses the word Born Again Churches, as though it is an organization of sorts that encompasses all born again churches. There is no such organization in Balokole or Pentecostal circles. One smells even more poisoned food. So for this article I will use Balokole or Pentecostal churches. He supports the policy on three grounds:
First, a statutory guarantee for the perpetuity of the Pentecostal churches: The final draft of the policy does not even talk about the statutory instrument to guarantee perpetuity of Balokole. Remember only seventy (70) Israelites went to Egypt, the Bible says God multiplied and increased them to a level they could not be ignored any more. We cannot compare 1977 when Idi Amin abolished churches to 2019. The president’s coming to Lugogo was recognition that this group cannot be ignored any more.
Secondly, the need for a one-stop centre of registration and licensing. All Pentecostal churches have a one-stop centre at URSB, churches are registered and get their marriages licensed there. The pastors are comfortable with this arrangement. Pastors who operate NGOs or businesses in addition to churches can register as an NGO, Company or Trustee. Having a variety of registration options to suit a particular need is better that being squeezed to register in a single place. Isolation brings victimization.
Thirdly, a statutory guarantee for the self-regulatory status of Pentecostal churches: For example NFBPC, EFU and MCC have existed for over 20 years. These organizations have self-regulation they elect, discipline, rebuke, reproof and correct their loyal and obedient members who are out of order. The disloyal and disobedient members usually seeking personal interests may break off, once in a while, prodigal children are part of life. What more self-regulation are you asking for?
The policy does not pronounce it’s self on the three issues, so the Balokole are not trivialising the RFBO policy, they have noticed poisoned food. That is why we say NO, the Basoga say MBEE.
joseph.magongo@gmail.com
The writer is a pastor and member of the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches of Uganda.
