Clericalism and the Problem of Leadership in Africa: Reimagination as Praxis

Abstract

The praxis of reimagination explores the dynamic relationship between imagination, story, and praxis. Colonialism has greatly impacted the African church’s imagination of clerical authority. The African church needs to reimagine church authority. This requires a greater attentiveness to the story of God’s redeeming love in the person and ministry of Jesus. It also requires we recognize the equal dignity and co-responsibility of laity and clergy in the church’s mission. While the story of Christ’s sacrificial love, the climax of God’s ongoing involvement in human history has priority in the Christian imagination, the ongoing Synod on Synodality is an opportunity to tell and listen to fresh stories of hope, development, and responsible leadership in contemporary Africa.