Leadership divides Walvis Bay Lutheran parish

THE Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia’s (ELCRN) Hosianna parish at Walvis Bay has been rocked by leadership divisions among its more than 2 000 active members.

A demonstration will be held on Sunday to petition Johannes Gaoseb, the head of the church in the Erongo region. The protestors fall under the Hosianna parish’s ‘majority concerned group’ which consists of over 70% of members.

The concerned group’s leader, King Mandume Muatunga, a lifelong member of the parish and former Walvis Bay mayor, said they will protest to express dissatisfaction over the leadership’s treatment of the parish’s former pastor, Immanuel Mberira, and other church affairs.

They specifically mentioned bishop Ernst //Gamxamub and deputy bishop Paul Kisting.

Muatunga told on Thursday that the issues have been around since last year, while several attempts to resolve them have been brushed aside.

The biggest issue was when former Hosianna pastor Mberira’s five-year contract ended under a cloud following allegations of mismanagement involving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church.

Mberira, however, told yesterday that these were unsubstantiated claims, and that no charge was laid against him, no disciplinary action was taken, nor any investigations launched.

He said an attempt to reconcile with the church leadership for the sake of peace and unity turned ugly when a recording of the meeting between him and the leadership was made without his consent.

The recording was then allegedly shared with church members, to confirm Mberira’s guilt in causing disunity, and therefore not fit to lead.

He explained that when he met the bishops he apologised for the disunity – because it was happening, not because he was the cause of it. This was allegedly misconstrued in the recording to imply that he was sorry for being the cause of the division.

“All I want to know is what is happening to me. I still want to be called by God, but currently I am not useful because my application to serve at a parish is not being answered,” Mberira stated.

Muatunga said ELCRN’s top leadership has, without involving the congregation, compiled a shortlist for pastor, and Mberira was not on the list. The congregation, however, wanted Mberira back and the concerned group claimed that the shortlisted candidates were people who would support the current leadership when the election for a new bishop were held next year.

An elders’ committee has been leading the church since Mberira left office at the end of May.

“The leadership’s combined total failure, egocentrism, selfishness, stubbornness and unwillingness to handle our request with the urgency it deserves, has left us with no other option than to continue with our next step of action. They took our parish for granted and for a ride for too long, and this cannot be tolerated any more,” stressed Muatunga.

He said the congregation was also “disgusted” by the church leaders’ recording of a “man of the cloth”, and using it to sow disunity.

He said the parish believed Mberira was “one of the best pastors to have served the Hosianna parish, and a true servant of the people, who was always part of our lives”.

//Gamxamub informed in an emailed response that while it was not church policy to respond to media queries, he deemed it fit “to give clarity”.

He said ELCRN’s internal auditors had investigated the finances of the Hosianna parish and found “gross irregularities”.

Based on these findings, a meeting was held last year, during which Mberira allegedly admitted he had not executed his duties and responsibilities according to church guidelines.

“He also stated that he was not alone in this, but that others were part and parcel of the situation at the parish,” said //Gamxamub.

A discussion with stakeholders followed, and the leadership concluded that the administration of the parish was “tarnished and its unity in jeopardy”.

Various options were considered and shared with Mberira and the parish, according to //Gamxamub, and the result was that Mberira could only work until the end of his contract, which ended May this year.

//Gamxamub said those involved in the planned protest “should refrain from this divisive action, and respect the celebration of the holy communion on the day”.