Editing Zion Christian Church (section)

==History==
ZCC founder [[Engenas Lekganyane]] joined the [[Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa|Apostolic Faith Mission]] in [[Boksburg]] after being educated at two Anglican missions. He then joined the Zion Apostolic Church schism and eventually became a preacher of a congregation in his home village during late [[World War&nbsp;I]].<ref>Lukhaimane, The Zion Christian Church of Ignatius Engenas Lekganyane, 1910 to 1948: An African Experiment with Christianity (MA Dissertation, University of the North, 1980), 15–22.</ref> After falling out with the ZAC leadership, Lekganyane went to Basutoland to join Edward Lion's [[Zion Apostolic Faith Mission Church|Zion Apostolic Faith Mission]]<ref>"Who Was Engenas Lekganyane/" http://deanministries.page.tl/Who-Was-Engenas-Lekganyane.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521140357/http://deanministries.page.tl/Who-Was-Engenas-Lekganyane.htm |date=21 May 2016 }}</ref>

[[Engenas Lekganyane]] founded the ZCC after a revelation which Engenas Lekganyane is said to have received from God on the top of Mt Thabakgone in 1910.<ref>Allan Anderson, ''An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity'', Cambridge University Press, UK, 2013, p. 107</ref><ref>Lukhaimane, "Zion Christian Church," 23-4.</ref> After splitting from Lion, Engenas Lekganyane used his home village of Thabakgone, near [[Polokwane]] ([[Pietersburg]]), as the headquarters, with about twenty initial congregations in the Northern Transvaal, the Witwatersrand, and Rhodesia.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/14338013|title=Engenas Lekganyane and the Early ZCC: Oral Texts and Documents|first=Barry|last=Morton}}</ref> In 1930 Lekganyane began building a stone church there. After clashes with his chief, Engenas Lekganyane was expelled with his church still unfinished. Determined to obtain land, he eventually purchased three farms in the Polokwane area. Maclean Farm near Thabakgone would eventually be renamed "Moria," the ZCC's headquarters. The ZCC was officially registered in 1962 after the government's reluctance to recognize one of the continent's largest and most influential churches. The early church was strongly influenced by the doctrines of the [[Christian Catholic Apostolic Church|Christian Catholic Church]] of [[John Alexander Dowie]], based in Zion, Illinois, in the United States of America, and by the teachings of the [[Pentecostal]] missionary [[John G. Lake]], who began work in [[Johannesburg]] in 1908.

Due to [[Engenas Lekganyane]]'s attempts to appeal to migrant workers, the ZCC developed an international membership very early on, which went on to set up many congregations in neighboring countries like Zimbabwe. In the late 1930s, migrant workers from Botswana also started ZCC chapters, although they faced considerable opposition from the authorities.<ref>6.Jump up ^ https://www.academia.edu/14338013/Engenas_Lekganyane_and_the_Early_ZCC_Oral_Texts_and_Documents</ref>

Following [[Engenas Lekganyane]]'s death in 1948, a major split in the church occurred. The church's large section of male migrant workers generally backed [[Engenas Lekganyane]]'s oldest surviving son, the charismatic [[Edward Lekganyane]], to succeed his father as the ZCC Bishop. The church's rural base, meanwhile, backed a younger son, Joseph, to assume church leadership. Although events are highly disputed, [[Engenas Lekganyane]] himself appears to have favoured Joseph even though Edward was the chosen one— who served as his father's adviser and chauffeur during the 1940s. According to some traditions, during [[Engenas Lekganyane]]'s mourning period, Edward's supporters mobilized on the Witwatersrand and hired buses to take them to Moria. After arrival, this large, armed group was able to eject the pro-Joseph faction and take over the church's headquarters and infrastructure.<ref>Lukhaimane, "Zion Christian Church," 98–101.</ref> Contemporary records relating to the event show that Edward was installed peacefully in Easter 1949 in a large ceremony by his uncle, Reuben. Other written reports from the following year indicate that strong opposition to his leadership had arisen among "most of the preachers" in the ZCC who were "shocked" by Edward: "they denied the son of the great Lekganyane, saying he was not leader of the church."<ref>"Edward Lekganyane and the ZCC: Newspaper Articles in Naledi Ya Batswana," 3–5. https://www.academia.edu/35243058/Edward_Lekganyane_and_the_ZCC_Newspaper_Articles_in_Naledi_ya_Batswana_1946-60</ref> Initially, the two factions remained together, but Edward soon insisted that all members declare their loyalty in public, and this led to a permanent split. The ZCC continued under Edward's leadership, while Joseph seceded and formed the [[St. Engenas Zion Christian Church]] in 1949.

The ZCC changed fairly dramatically following his son Edward Lekganyane's assumption of control of the church in April 1949. Edward was a highly educated, flamboyant figure who eventually obtained a degree at an [[Afrikaans]] divinity school.<ref>Hanekom, C., 1975. Krisis en Kultus : Geloofsopvattinge en seremonies binne 'n Swart Kerk, Academica: Kaapstad en Pretoria</ref> Under his leadership, the all-male Mokhukhu organisation developed out of his core group of supporters. This group initially formed as a church choir. Wearing military-style khakis, police-style hats, and the Star badge, the Mokhukhu in each congregation engaged in dancing, singing, and praying three times a week according to a preset schedule.<ref>M. Ramogale and S. Galane, "Faith in Action: Mokhukhu of the Zion Christian Church." http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/festival1997/faithin.htm</ref> An additional feature of Edward's control of the ZCC was the rapid growth of Zion City Moria as a pilgrimage site. Using the Boyne farm that his father had purchased in the 1940s, Edward instituted annual pilgrimages that have gone on to become massive southern African-wide events. Each year during Easter Holidays, up to a million Church members bus en masse to Moria, Polokwane (Pietersburg), to meet the Bishop and to pray for blessings.<ref>R. Muller, African Pilgrimage: Ritual Travel in South Africa's Christianity of Zion. London: Ashgate Press, 2013. {{ISBN|978-1-4094-8164-5}}</ref>