He served the church for 15 years, that is to 1972. Again, this is clear evidence that the RMS was reluctant to hand over the church to black leadership. However, preparations for an effective leadership takeover by indigenous people were not made until 1967, when the church celebrated its 12S'h anniversary at Okahandja. In that year, a system of moderators, overseers was introduced by the synod in which five moderators assumed leadership on an alternating basis. This practice remained in operation until 1972, when the first black Namibian succeeded President Diehl as an elected head of the church. This new leader, Dr J.L. de Vries served from 1972 to 1979.10
The position of the pastors was not the same as that of the missionaries. There was a huge disparity in the wages of the black pastors and white missionaries. The black pastors were living far below the breadline, especially those without livestock who lived under severe constraints. According to the RMS, the salary scale of the workers was for the evangelist five British pounds, for head evangelist, 6 pounds and for the indigenous pastors 7 pounds. The salary scale of RMS was based on ethnicity and cheap labour. The greed of the RMS caused misery and suffering among the black pastors. In similar context, in an article of a Lutheran church publication the Rev. Dr. Manas Buthelezi of South Africa had reported on the great disparity between the wages of white and black pastors. The same rates were then also applied in Namibia. He stated:
The naked fact is that the present salary system in our church has made pastors victims of poverty even by the standards of the unhappy economic conditions in the communitues they serve ... This is a matter of deliberate policy rather than something that can be explained solely on the basis of economic factors. II
understood their plight. The AMEC had been expanding physically in the South of Namibia, and one could also observe the spiritual growth among the members and clergy. It is a common fact that the Witbooi revolt against the Gennans and the AMEC schism are sandwiched together. The 1946 AMEC schism among the Nama people could be traced back to the great rising of 1904-1907.
There was no support for the AMEC from the Ovambo-speaking people, because the Finnish Mission Society did remarkable work among them. The Roman Catholic Mission began to work at the beginning of the twentieth century in Namibia. The Roman Catholic Mission like all the mission societies in Namibia established schools, clinics, hospitals and mission stations all over the country. These institutions were useful for the extension of the Roman Catholic Mission. The Roman Catholic Church in Namibia ordained the first indigenous clergy in 1942, seven years before the Rhenish Mission Society. The first ordained priest was Gerard Molekwa and the second Edward Kangootui in 1946. The Roman Catholic Mission was in constant disagreement with the Imperial Gennan government and the racist South African government about the running of its institutions and development of locals along the lines of racial hannony.12
What may well be argued here, is that in the Finnish Mission Society and Roman Catholic Mission in Namibia, there was no schism recorded based on ecclesiastical superiority. Both these missions seem to be more focused with their mission work among the indigenous people. They want to empower the locals and witness in their life time the spiritual growth of the people. The Roman Catholic Church emphasized education in its mission work. Abraham states:
Education, however, was something more than means of gaining converts, more than mere book-learning and the acquiring of technical skills. Indeed, it occupied a vitally important position within the Catholic scheme of things. It was the means by which a child acquired a philosophy of life, a way of thinking about time and eternity, a code of values, a tradition of culture ... the aim or goal of Catholic education, therefore, was seen as being inextricably linked to the Catholic philosophy of life. 13
12 P. Ka~avivi. 1989. p. 6.
13 Garth, Abraham. The Catholic Church and Apartheid. Braamfontein: Ravan Press.
1989, p. 62-63.
Therefore, nowadays, the Roman Catholic Church numbers are large among the Ovambo- speaking people from Namibia. The Roman Catholic Church in Namibia has an indigenous Bishop, Bonifatius Haushiku. It is divided in two vicariates of Keetmanshoop and Windhoek.
Their membership is ± 128,566. This church ran several institutions, a press at Dobra, publisher of church literature and papers in several indigenous languages, fourteen creches and four advanced schools and a pastoral centre. They are well advanced on agricultural projects operating in the Okavango region. The Namibian Roman Catholic Church is a member of the Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops for Southern Africa, established in 1952.
I would argue that the membership of the AMEC could grow steadily in other parts of Namibia, due to the fact that they want to strive for independence and self-reliance. Quite clearly their membership has declined in the Central and Western parts of Namibia. This entire scenario must raise the questions: Why was the AMEC not appealing to other Namibians? And why was it so completely tied to the Southern part of Namibia? The pass- laws of the country at the time, under the colonial administration were an impediment for the free movement of the people, especially the Ovambo-speaking people. The homeland policy of the apartheid government was in full force. This policy was designed to keep Black Namibians separate under the so-called development programme of the whites.
Unfortunately, the second schism of 1955 occurred. Most of the Herero-speaking people who initially joined the AMEC seceded from the RMS and the AMEC and formed the Oruuano church in 1955.
The political climate of the time was very hostile. The RMS and the colonial government kept a watchful eye on the activities of AMEC. The young church was faced with financial challenges. The colonial government was pleased that the AMEC literature and writings were published in English. During that period English was not widely spoken in Namibia. They thought the AMEC literature could indoctrinate the indigenous people. Dr Gow who was residing in Worcester in the Cape inspected the work and development of AMEC in Namibia once or twice a year from 1949. The AMEC congregations were required to keep Dr Gow permanently informed about their organisational questions. The question the management of
the RMS asked was, how is it possible that the AMEC people who broke away from RMS allow themselves to be supervised from such a long distance? There might be some truth in this question. The AMEC in Namibia failed after 54 years of intensive church work to produce an indigenous bishop.
In 1955 the Herero formed their own 'Oruaano' (fellowship) church, a strength for the nationalistic movement oriented both to the Herero people's past and their future. The Oruaano movement wanted to restore their communal practices and rituals that were discouraged by the German missionaries of the RMS. Pastor Reinhardt Ruzo, a Rhenish Mission ordained pastor joined this body in 1955. It was very active in the central and Eastern part of Namibia, especially among the Herero speaking people.
I contend that the Oruaano schism of 1955 was not successful. It was not so much based on ecclesiastical autonomy for the followers, but concentrated more on the community issues of the Hereros. The Oruaano movement has not shown any growth since 1955 in Namibia.
Some of the Oruaano followers converted back to the Rhenish Mission Society. Nowadays most Herero speaking people belong to the mainline churches such as the Roman Catholic, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the AMEC, the Anglican and the Dutch Reformed Churches.