Zambian bishop installed as sixth Archbishop of Central Africa Province

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Posted On : March 23, 2011 2:18 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO

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Zambian bishop installed as sixth Archbishop of Central Africa Province

From Bishop William Mchombo, the Bishop of Eastern Zambia

The installation of the sixth Archbishop of the
Church of the Province of Central Africa, Albert
Chama who is also Bishop of Northern Zambia, took
place on Sunday 20 March 2011.

The installation service which took place at the
Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka, Zambia was
taken by Bishop Ishmael Mukuwanda, Bishop of
Central Zimbabwe. Bishop Ishmael, being the
senior bishop in the Province, also gave a charge
to Archbishop Albert in his homily (attached below).

The Archbishop of Canterbury was represented by
the USPG General Secretary Bishop Michael Doe who
delivered greetings to the Province and to
Archbishop Albert. The Presiding Bishop of  The
Episcopal Church, Katherine Schori was
represented by Bishop Herbert Donovan who also
brought fraternal greetings from TEC and the
Presiding Bishop. The Diocese of Bath and Wells
which is linked to the Zambian dioceses was
represented by Mrs Jenny Humphreys who is the
World Mission Advisor. Other representatives came
from Trinity Church Wall Street represented by
Canon Benjamin Lubege-Musoke and Council of
Anglican Provinces in Africa which was
represented by its General Secretary Canon Grace Kaiso.

The republican President Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda,
the first Lady Thandiwe and some Cabinet
Ministers were also in attendance. Others were
ecumenical partners from the Roman Catholic
Church and the Council of Churches in Zambia.

Homily at the installation of the Archbishop of Central Africa
Today marks the beginning of a new era in the
life of the Church of the Province of Central
Africa.  Against all odds, an Archbishop was
elected and today he shall be installed according
to the laws of the Church.  The journey from
September 2007 has been long, rough, painful and
uncertain.  Prophets of doom never thought this
Province will be properly ordered again to enable
the complete structure to be in place but today
we meet together in triumph. Several Dioceses
were vacant and elections were contested in a
number of instances, resulting in long periods of
litigation.  Even though we still have serious
problems in two of our Dioceses in the Province
where parishioners are being persecuted, we
should pause and praise God for today?s
achievement. The focal point and the centre of
unity in the Province is being installed.  We
should only thank God for taking us this far.

Leadership is complex and leading leaders can be
very challenging.  It is not about titles - today
we have one of our bishops who shall be referred
to as the Archbishop and Primate, your Grace and
the Most Reverend and your name shall be prefixed
by two crosses instead of one.  How wonderful and
impressive but the real work is enveloped in
these titles. One theologian once said, ?Titles
are given but what is critically important is
one?s character.?  I shall refer to character
again a little later in my homily.
As far as we are concerned today is a result of
an election but to God this is a result of His
calling. ?Here I am, send me,? (Isaiah 6:8b) so
said the prophet Isaiah as he answered God?s
call. One wonders how many responses of ?Here I
am, send me?, God received from bishops on the
day of the election. However, it is crystal clear
today that it was Albert?s voice that was loud
and clear. It is therefore important to go back
to basics and explore why are called into these
positions of leadership.  We need to understand
our calling in order to understand who we are
leading.  The temptation of possessing what is
not ours is very real.  Leading God?s servants
who have also been called to lead God?s people in
their respective Dioceses.  This is not a
position of power but that of responsibility and
accountability.  It calls for humility;
remembering that ?Humility does not mean
considering ourselves of little worth, or
thinking less of ourselves but thinking of
ourselves less.  It is where you place the word
?less? which is important.  Not less about
yourself but thinking of yourself less. Remember
Paul?s advice to the Philippians (2:3), ?Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit
but in humility consider others better than yourselves.? (NIV)
An election happened and there were contestants,
and not adversaries.  Never think that those who
might have voted for other candidates thought of
you any less worthy.  It was a simple difference of opinion.
Always remember that it is not about those who
voted for you but about the Almighty God who
calls through Christ, the Head of the Church. The
major problem is that we have made ecclesiastical
elections to secular that God stands aside and
watches the drama from the sidelines. No wonder
we have numerous problems in the Church of God.
The mandate is to tend His sheep in the Church of
the Province of Central Africa. John 21:15-19
says, ?Feed/tend my lambs /sheep? (NIV) and this
is a weighty responsibility. Four distinct
nations, numerous cultures and languages in one
Province. Fifteen Bishops of varied persuasions!
It is always important to remember that
ecclesiastical elections are just a means to a
desired end.  It is a visible process through
which God appoints leaders for His Church But we
must always take heed to what Proverbs 19:21 ?...
It is only God?s plan that prevails.? (NIV) We
met and made our unanimous decision through an
election. Our hope is that God was involved in this process.

Secondly, you have been called to Christ: to take
the character of Christ ? the character of
Christ?s humility.  Take a cue from Paul?s letter
to the Philippians, particularly Chapter 2:7
which says in part, ? ... but made himself
nothing taking the very nature of a servant.?
(NIV). That nature (of Christ) is already in you
and it is up to you to use it for the greater glory of God?s Church.

Thirdly, you have been called to love. Take a
look at your Episcopal bench and see what you
have got.  You might even think that some of us
are not going to support your ministry, others
will be outright stubborn and a lot more are
going to be passive participants.  Still some
will continue to think they could have been
better Archbishops.  Pity you cannot change the
team!  What you see is what you have got, and you
have to make the team work!  But you are
commanded to love as Christ loved even when it is
impossible to love. Matthew 5:43 could help but
we do not expect you to have enemies. If that
fails use one of the ?Three C?s? effective team
leadership called Chemistry. The secular world
would say, ?the team must gel or must bond? and
you are now the glue that must make this
happen.  By your example, we shall love one
another. ?People do what they see not necessarily what they hear.

Fourth, you have been called to suffer. The

Christian journey is about suffering for the sake
of others.  You have to continue with
the responsibilities of your Diocese, Northern
Zambia and the Province too! In some of the
Dioceses there is no peace and now that they know
an Archbishop has been installed, they will
expect ?instant solutions to any problem.  That
is where leadership gets complicated and becomes
painful.  That is when one begins to understand
the emotions that enveloped Moses as he struggled
to lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land
when he said,  ?You have been telling me, ?Lead
these people? but you have not let me know whom
you will send with me.  You have said, ?I know
you by name and you have found favour with me.?
If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so
I may know you and continue to find favour with
you.  Remember that this nation is your people.?
(Exodus 33:12-13 NIV) On verse 16 Moses is so
bold as to challenge God?s authority. He was
simply demanding accompaniment from the sender,
God Himself. It will be important that you take
Moses? example seriously  -  in most instances
you will be well advised to demand God?s company.

Fifth you have been called to obey. Obedience is
the very basis of our faith.  It is the hallmark
of the love that makes Christ a cut above the
rest.  Christ triumphed and drew the whole world
to himself because he obeyed His father.  The
best leaders in this world have been the best
followers. Follow Christ and we will follow him
too. John 14:23 is one of many guides, ?If you
love me obey my command?? Obey Christ and we will
obey Him too. However, if you decide to follow
someone or something else, we are not going there with you!

Sixth, you have been called to serve.  ?The
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their high officials exercise authority over
them.  Not so with you.? What Jesus said is well
known to you ??.. must be a servant ?and worse
still, ?? slave of all.? (Mark 10:43) The double
crosses should always remind of double blessings,
double burdens or double portion (Isaiah 61:7).
Be warned that as your brother bishops we shall
be tempted to refer all the difficult problems to
you and get all the credit where we succeed!

Lastly and in conclusion, you have not been

called because you are qualified but because you
are suitable material to qualification? only if
you let Him. We do not deserve some of the titles
and honour that we carry; as lay ministers,
clergy, bishops and archbishops. It is only
through God?s grace that we are honoured this
way.  Remember that if you must succeed as God?s
appointed servant in this Province the three ?Cs? are important.

Character is important as lapses in character
create problems with far-reaching implications. A
breakdown in character tends to breed mistrust
and alienates team members and de-motivates the
leader. Remember that trust begets trust, love
begets love and the opposite is true.

Competence is important but unlike character it
is possible to learn to be competent. You have a
team of bishops with a variety of competences,
use them. You cannot possibly provide a solution to every problem. Nobody c an!
And as I mentioned earlier, Chemistry is
critically important. Through love, knit the team
into one to the glory of God. Jesus requested
this Chemistry from the Father, ??that they may
be one, even as we are one. (John17:12 RSV))
I might also add the fourth ?C? which is
Consistency. A leader with integrity is expected
to be consistent in his/her principles. What you
say today, repeat tomorrow, at night or in broad
daylight. Stick to it until it is proven wrong.
Your decisions should never be dependent on the
type of audience. Let your ?yes? be ?yes? and your ?no? be ?n o?.

May the Almighty God who has called you to serve
His people with love and long suffering give you
the power to obey as He qualifies you for this ministry.
Amen.
[Editor's note: Abp Chama is the first Zambian
Primate of the Church of the Province of Central Africa]