24/05/2026
HARARE — The Government of Zimbabwe has backed a church-led initiative aimed at strengthening governance, accountability and ethical leadership within religious institutions amid growing calls to curb abuse and misconduct in churches.
The support was announced on Thursday during the launch of the Ministry Foundership and Governance Programme and the proposed National Church Governance and Compliance Framework by the Zimbabwe Christian Ministers Association (ZCMA) in Harare.
The initiative mulled by the Zimbabwe Christian Ministers Association was endorsed by other church mother bodies including the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, Federation of Independent Churches, Apostolic Christian Churches of Zimbabwe, Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe Africa (UDACIZA), National Multi-Faith Economic Dialogue (NAMFED), Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, Patriotic Churches in Zimbabwe, Pastors4ED, Board of Christ United, Global Fellowship of Christian Chaplains, Bible League International, Working With People Trust, Working for All Trust, and Together for All, among others.
The churches and partner organisations committed themselves to ending abuse of authority and power by church leaders, while embracing training in ethical leadership, accountability and good governance within religious institutions. The move has been described as a major step towards restoring integrity, transparency and public trust in the church.
Government hailed the initiative and pledged full support, saying the church must continue serving its true purpose of promoting moral values, peace and social responsibility in communities.
President of the Zimbabwe Christian Ministers Association, Bishop Dr Christopher Choto, said the training of ministers was important to ensure church leaders operate in line with both the laws of Zimbabwe and the Word of God. He said freedom of worship was not an absolute right, but must be exercised within the boundaries of the law.
