Toward Inculturating the Theology of Healing Ministry in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe

The relationship between theology and culture created serious tensions in the mission of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. Research has shown that most of the splits that happened in the church were premised on the differences between the missionaries and/or the locals and how the Methodist Church was theologising healing ministry, From the year 2008, most Methodist congregants sought healing from the newer religious movements, resulting in dual and/or total transfer of membership. The purpose of this paper was to discuss the ongoing debates about the theology underlying healing ministry in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. The paper used a missio-cultural conceptual framework to assess the inculturative challenges of healing ministry.The research was conducted between 2015 and 2016 in the Mabelreign, Epworth, and Mbare societies of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. The qualitative research used both purposive and snowball sampling to collect data from ninety-eight participants who took part in different interviews. The paper found out that the diverse understanding of healing ministry has caused conflictive relationships among the clergy themselves and the clergy and congregants, dual membership, and total transfer of members to newer religious movements. The paper recommended the church to advocate for the inculturation of healing ministry in the Methodist Church if the ecclesial space will remain relevant in a multireligious world. This research contributes significantly to knowledge as it brings to light a new dimension of creating a dialoguing space between the healing ministry and African culture. This inculturative space allows theology to be relevant in Africa. Keywords: Inculturation, Missio-cultural, Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, Healing Ministry