A history of the fellowship of youth (FOY) in Zambezi Evangelical Church in Malawi on socio-cultural perspective (1983-2018)

Abstract

The title of my thesis is “A History of the Fellowship of Youth in Zambezi Evangelical Church in Malawi on Socio-cultural Perspective (1983 to 2018).” The aim of the study was to trace the history of the Fellowship of Youth (FOY) from a socio-cultural perspective. The FOY was established in 1983 as a denominational movement within Zambezi Evangelical Church (ZEC) in Malawi. The FOY was founded under the influence of the Charismatic Revival of the 1980s in Malawi. The study employed phenomenological and narrative qualitative design. This involved interviews, observation and reading public documents. The findings have shown that the influence of the early revival movements was realised in the history of ZEC. The Evangelical Revivals of the 1970s in Malawi influenced the historical development of the FOY. The study has also revealed that the FOY adopted charismatic spirituality which in turn transformed theological praxis and order of worship in ZEC. Stories shared by some respondents shows that charismatic spirituality helped the FOY to respond to the fear of witchcraft. It was found that the activities of the FOY were meaningful and applicable to real situations, but there was inadequate interaction between faith and culture. Rising and falling of revivals had significant impact on the participation of women in the leadership of the FOY. The study has established that successes and challenges of the FOY had contributed both positively and negatively to socio-cultural changes in ZEC. Therefore, the findings validated the hypothesis that the original goals of the Foy were not successfully achieved due to some cultural barriers. Therefore, I recommend reviewing its strategies and leadership structures to accommodate practical involvement of the youth themselves into challenging leadership positions. History gives evidence that again and again God calls committed men and women to bring about revivals in their own context.