DIACONAL ECONOMY OF THE EARLY CHURCH: HISTORICAL ANALYSIS AND ECCLESIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP

Abstract Historical assessment of the diaconal economy of the early church is fundamental in the recent historical discourse. This so-called economy was neither utopian idealism nor primitive communism, but a contextually responsive expression of gospel identity. Its organizational and theological logic offers a durable framework for contemporary churches seeking to embody holistic mission. Fundamentally, the Nigerian church needs a re-appraisal in the light of welfare practices that characterised the early Christian church era. It is obvious in recent times that Nigeria is a nation filled with moral and ethical lapses such as individualism, self-centeredness, wealth acquisition by extortion and violation of fundamental human rights which is also apparent in church leadership. The existing scholarly works have focused on church emergence and the persecution in the early church era but an area which seems to have been largely eclipsed that requires academic engagement is the implications that the welfare and benevolence practices of the early church had on church leadership. Therefore, this study examines leadership effectiveness using welfare and benevolence practices in growing and expanding the church. It employed historical and analytical research approach; data were also gathered from secondary sources. The findings of the study established the lapses of the contemporary church leadership in the mis-management of church resources, living a flamboyant lifestyle, acquiring material wealth in excess, extorting church members things rendering them destitute than meeting their needs by fulfilling Christ’s mandate to take care of His fold. The paper recommends that, church leadership should be judicious in the right use of church resources to meet members need and that wealthy members of the mystical body should be encouraged to inculcate the habit of willful donations to the church to assist the indigent members without coercion or manipulation.