An exploration of the history of the Living Waters Church International, 1985-2020

Abstract

General scholarship on the Neo-Charismatic Movement in Malawi reveals that the Living Waters Church International (LWCI/LWC) is the most prominent of the Neo-Charismatic churches in the country. 2 Additionally, it shows that its founding clergy, Apostle Stanley Ndovie, was the most successful leader to emerge from the Charismatic fold in Blantyre in the late eighties and early nineties. Hence, the main aim of this study was to trace and explore the history and development of the Living Waters Church International from 1985 to 2020. I employed a qualitative research methodology because this approach is highly suitable for historical studies due to its descriptive nature. I employed a historical method in my approach as I looked at a string of seemingly random events within the LWC which were used to develop a rational explanation for the sequence and causes of the events and made inferences about the effects that the events had on individuals and the society. I mainly employed 105 personal interviews/snowballing, 66 questionnaires, 100 participant observation, 30 focus group discussions, documentary, textual and audio-visual analyses of 100 purposively sampled LWCs to come up with four key establishments or findings, among others. Firstly, I have established that the church has developed a local stronghold with comparatively a minimal international presence. Its general development in 35 years was influenced by multiple circumstances and factors. Secondly, I have established that the LWC has embarked on its revival in partial compliance with the generally accepted characteristics of revivals. The church has managed to reduce the difference between the clergy and laity as the latter are also given ministry opportunities. The LWC has attempted to reduce the differences between men and women since a revival gives more room for equal opportunities which results into a slight move towards more women liberation and participation. However, there are fewer women clergy in the church’s top leadership positions than men. The LWC revival has attempted to reduce social differences as classes, races and nationalities have been neutralized through its local and cross-cultural missions. Nevertheless, upper, medium and low social classes still manifest especially in urban churches that conduct their services in English or in any local language. This also applies to bilingual services. It has also attempted to blur denominational differences through its national, international and interdenominational programmes. Thirdly, I have found that the church has a hybrid understanding of revival which combines the traditional definition and integral mission. These two key developments manifested during two different historical dispensations of the LWC. The first dispensation covers its first 15 years from 1985 to around 2000 and during this period the church generally understood revival traditionally. The church understood revival as the work of the Holy Spirit in restoring and awakening the people of God from their spiritual slumber or deadness to repentance, a more vital spiritual life, witness and work by prayer and the word. However, in the second dispensation, which generally covers its last 20 years from 2000- 2020, shows that the church made a paradigm shift and embraced integral mission which accelerated its growth in various settings of Malawi and other countries. The LWC started to see a direct relationship between social action and evangelism which resulted into the launch of integral mission. This development has validated my hypothesis that "The history of Living Waters Church International hinges on the church’s self-understanding and interpretation of revival or religious renewal. The church’s history is completely shaped by its understanding of revival which partially deviates from the traditional definition." All the LWC programmes are seen to literally spearhead revival which provides lenses for the church’s historical heritage. Finally, I have comparatively found that the LWC puts more emphasis on revival than on reformation and this development has created a ministry imbalance. While revival is indispensable since it is the influenced by the Holy Spirit, it is inadequate without reformation. True reformation reshapes the programming, organizational, philosophical and theological structures of a church and this is partially applied in the LWC. The future of the LWC depends on this proper balance or at least a right management of both revival and reformation. These key findings have revealed both successes and gaps in the history and development of the LWC. The church’s attempt to “spearheading revival in Malawi and beyond” seems to be driven by the Holy Spirit by forming new churches and organisations both home and abroad as rightly observed by Kenneth Scott Latourette in his theoretical framework of Religious Renewal/Revival in which I placed my study. However, as it expands it faces missional challenges which demand a revival that truly reforms.3 My study is unique and important because it has added additional knowledge to the study of Church History in particular and to Theology and Religion in general. This is because this project is the first comprehensive one on the history and development of the LWC from 1985-2020. Its hybrid revival, self-understanding and interpretation of revival is a new contribution to the Neo-Charismatic scholarship.