Original Research

Women empowerment in evangelism and socio-economic development in South Africa: Nicholas Bhengu’s vision

Daniel S.B. Lephoko

Received: 11 Nov. 2024; Accepted: 27 Mar. 2025; Published: 06 June 2025

Copyright: © 2025. The Author(s). Licensee: AOSIS.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The article is a historical analysis of Nicholas Bhengu’s vision of women’s empowerment for evangelism and socio-economic development. It was during one of Bhengu’s visits to the United States to raise funds for his Back to God Crusade, God appeared to him in a vision in Brooklyn, New York, in 1960; God asked him what he had come to do. Bhengu answered that he had gone there to raise funds for the Back to God Crusade. In a vision, God showed him an African woman wearing a doek (African headgear). God directed Bhengu to go back to South Africa and organise women like the one God showed him in the vision. It was from such women that he would raise funds for his ‘Back to God Crusade’ evangelistic campaigns. The organisation and empowerment of women, known as the Mothers’ Movement, has been a phenomenal success story of spiritual and socio-economic development in South Africa. Women in Bhengu’s churches continue to raise millions of rand for the evangelisation of South Africa and beyond, by creating entrepreneurs among themselves. They are taught to share expertise and skills in group meetings as well as in one-on-one situations - one teaches one.

Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The contribution of the study is to challenge church leaders to empower and create opportunities for women to be involved in missional activities through their expertise and skills sharing to become financially independent and self-sufficient in an unequal gender society.

Keywords: mobilisation; women; fundraising; evangelism; socio-economic development; financial independence.

Introduction

The story of the empowerment of women in Bhengu’s ministry is remarkable. It all began with a vision Bhengu received from God while on a fundraising trip in Brooklyn, New York, United States (US), for his Back to God Crusade evangelistic campaigns in South Africa in 1960. It happened after the Assemblies of God in America had barred him from raising funds from their churches (Mothers’ Organisation Manual [n.p, n.d:1]). After the encounter with God in Brooklyn, New York, US, Bhengu embarked on empowering women to become socio economically self-sufficient.

Oxford South African Concise Dictionary (1999:383) defines empowerment as follows, ‘an action of empowering someone or a policy of creating opportunities in employment or training’.

Bhengu’s goal in empowering women was to provide them with expertise and skills to build self-confidence and self-reliance in a male-dominated environment in the church, community and society. This was before the advent of democracy in South Africa which emphasises gender parity between men and women. However, gender discrimination continues to bedevil the social, economic and political status of women in South Africa.

Bill of rights

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 2 of Bill of Rights, in the Equality clause, 9 (1-5) protects citizens from unlawful discrimination (1996:5).

By empowering women, Bhengu was increasing awareness of men regarding women’s rights and a Christian religious conviction that women (all people) are created in God’s image. Agang, Forster and Hendriks (2020:28) affirm the theological basis that all men are created in the image of God (Gn 1:27). Although, the Bill of Rights is not a theological document, it nonetheless recognises equality in that all persons are equal before the law.

Resane (2020) stated on the topic of Women and Justice: The Lukan narrative as the object lesson for addressing poverty in the African Church:

Both men and women responded to Philip’s kerygma and were baptized (8:12). Men and women became victims of persecution (8:3; 9:2; 22:4). Luke underscores the ‘equality opportunity’ approach to persecution of believers. It looks like the idea of koinos (common) in the Luke-Acts narrative was the partnership of doing things together or experiencing things together for the good of the society or even for the revelation or incarnation of God and His works. It is clear then that ‘the concern for the role of women often noted in the gospel (Luke) continues in Acts’. (p. 2)

The Lukan narrative, referenced by Resane, supports Bhengu’s philosophy of empowering women as equal partners with men in God’s mission, including their persecution. For Bhengu, it was like swimming against the tide of a male-dominated society that relegated women to the periphery of society, before the Bill of Rights which gives equal rights to both men and women (McGee 1989):

The mobilization of women to raise funds for the Back to God Crusade followed from the withdrawal of USA missionaries from South Africa with their funds. The Assemblies of God in the United States of America withdrew funding of the Back to God Crusade citing the fact that Bhengu had assumed the role of an Apostle. (p. 110)

The doctrine of apostleship was spearheaded, taught and promoted by Bhengu and James Mullan, an Irish missionary working in South Africa. Bhengu and Mullan based their teaching of the five-fold philosophy of ministry in Ephesians 4:11-13. The apostolic ministry included establishing churches and providing leadership to them. The Assemblies of God in the US were opposed to the philosophy of ministry espoused by Bhengu.

Motshetshane decries the fact that it was the US Assemblies of God missionaries who sabotaged Bhengu’s efforts of fundraising in America. One of the ways to frustrate Bhengu’s fundraising mission was by making false promises. Motshetshane (2015), writes:

Bhengu was trying to rally international support around his vision for Africa. Perhaps he was successful; until AGUSA missionaries on the ground sabotaged the mission. Later we will see how Bhengu returned from the USA with pockets full of monetary promises, only to be left empty when the money arrived. (p. 191)

On the exit of American missionaries from South Africa Assemblies of God, Motshetshane (2015), says:

for the first time in the history of missionaries and their converts in South Africa, it was the missionaries who ceded from a work that they had been part as they stood challenged by resolute African leadership. In a traumatic display of financial power and rejection of African leadership the American missionaries withdrew from the AGSA and formed the International Assemblies of God. (p. 275)

According to Motshetshane, by withdrawing their missionaries, as well as their financial muscles from South Africa, the Americans hoped to cripple Bhengu’s evangelistic efforts. The mobilising of women to raise funds for Back to God Crusade for evangelistic campaigns continues with the funding provided by women.

Bhengu adopts Jesus’ method to select his core group of women for his mission

Coleman (1972:27) in his book The Master Plan of Evangelism writes that selection was Jesus’ strategy of establishing his core team of disciples who would carry his vision and mission to the world after he had gone back to the Father (Mt 28:18–20; Jn 15:16, 17:18). Before choosing his apostles, Jesus went to the mountain to pray (Mk 2:13–13). ‘And when the day came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also named as apostles’ (Lk 6:12–13). ‘it all started by Jesus calling a few men to follow him. This immediately revealed the direction his evangelistic strategy would take’ […] ‘There is no evidence of haste in the selection of these disciples, just determination’.

The vision God gave Bhengu in Brooklyn, New York, was clear and unambiguous. God created another source of funding through African women. However, God did not give him the names and addresses of the women who would raise the needed funds.

Bhengu was not in a hurry to assemble and appoint his team, but sought wisdom from God through prayer and fasting, ‘But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives all men generously and without reproach and it will be given to him’ (Ja 1:5). He appointed his first wife, Mylet to lead the team, others included: Mrs. Doreen Sikiti, Mrs. Virginia Buthelezi and Mrs. Emily Mngoma. In 1970, he added 11 other women, including, Mrs. Monica Tembe, Mrs. Dinah Mofokeng, Mrs. Beatrice Qina and eight others. After the death of Mylet, the team was led by his second wife, Nokwethemba, Mrs. Dinah Mofokeng who passed away in January 2023, leaving Mrs. Monica Tembe the only surviving member of the early leaders.

Mobilisation and training in fundraising and socio-economic development

To achieve his mission and goal of empowering women to fundraise for Back to God Crusade and socio-economic development, Bhengu mobilised women, trained them and developed strategies to equip them for the task that lay ahead. The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1999:914) defines mobilise to ‘organise people for a particular task’. For Bhengu, the task was clearly defined by God when he had directed him where he would find money for his work, ‘Do you see this African woman? Go back to your country, you will get the money that you need to do my work from people like this woman’ (Mothers and Girls Organisation Manual n.d., p.3).

The women selected by Bhengu were ordinary; many of them did not have adequate education to undertake the task of raising money to fund an ambitious project of taking the gospel from Cape to Cairo. However, they had caught the vision that Bhengu had received from God in Brooklyn, New York, US. They were also emboldened by the training he provided for them.

Team members needed to understand the vision and strategy of the mission of capturing Africa for Jesus. Bhengu organised training for a group of 15 members in Standerton, Mpumalanga in 1970. The training involved organising women, the curriculum and the strategic focus of the movement. Bhengu was gathering women to drive a movement that would last even after he was no more. These women were to bear fruit that would remain. Addressing his disciples on what he expected them to do after he had gone, Jesus, said, ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go, and bear fruit and your fruit should remain …’ (Jn 15:16). For any project to succeed, one must begin with the end in mind. Covey (1989) postulates,

To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you’re now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. (p. 98)

The women were to accept and be influenced by the qualities, ideas, and values of the vision. They were to catch it as interpreted to them in the manner Bhengu had received it from God and passed it on to successive generations of women. According to Shawchuck and Hauser (1993:142–143), ‘persons who have vision make great sacrifice, even to the point of death, to see that the vision becomes a reality. Vision is larger than life’.

Strategy and organisation

It is important for an organisation or church leader to craft a strategic pathway to help followers understand its missional goal and evangelistic strategies towards the vision of where the organisation is going and how to get there. Bhengu had to present his strategy to the women that would lead them to achieving the goal of funding for Back to God Crusade. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines strategy as ‘a planned series of actions for achieving something’ (2009:1743). For Bhengu, that something was bringing Africa back to God, from Cape (South Africa) to Cairo. Addressing the Assemblies of God General Conference in Witbank (eMalahleni) on Wednesday, 10 October 1955, Bhengu said:

‘This, nevertheless, proves conclusively the existence of Christianity in Africa in the past when we went deep into darkness and the glorious sun rose in Europe and God was pleased to deposit the gospel of His Son in the hands of the peoples of Europe after the East and Africa had rejected it. He sent us great delusion and we believed a lie (Bond 2000:321). Africa had to go back to the God they had before missionaries came to Africa.’ (n.p.)

Bhengu was convinced that Christianity existed in Africa before Europe. In the above statement, in essence, Bhengu dispels the notion that Africa was a dark continent before missionaries brought the gospel to African nations or that Christianity is a white religion. When Bhengu calls Africa to go back to God, he is calling them to go back to their God whom they knew before the advent of the European missionaries.

Strategic focus

Bhengu felt the need to establish a holistic model for the development of women, despite the fact that God had only spoken to him about raising money for the evangelisation of South Africa.

Bond (2000:324) quotes Bhengu in his National Church thesis delivered at the general conference of the Assemblies of God, on 10 October 1955:

We visualise therefore, a united church with autonomous Assemblies throughout the country. Assemblies well taught in the doctrines of the Bible, whose monies are kept in order by the elected officers of the Assemblies and books kept in order so that the African leaders will be debarred from becoming capitalists by taking all the money to themselves. Where the workers are supported by the Assemblies, and everything goes through the hands and books of the church. Where there will be scope for White South African students to minister but not to lead, and permanent scope for foreign missionaries as we shall always need them.

Bhengu’s focus was to develop financially well-run assemblies with financial accountability, that is, assemblies supporting their own ministers. This was also a training ground for women in how to conduct the personal and entrepreneurial financial management of their own businesses.

Socio-economic strategy

He created strategies to empower women in all aspects of their lives. Bhengu’s strategic focus as set out by Mylet Bhengu in the ‘Mothers’ Organization’ includes, among others, the following key factors of women ministry:

• Unity of women in the Assembly.
• Understanding of one another in the Assembly.
• How to help one another in the Assembly.

Women are taught to work with their hands to help themselves. Many women, though not beggars, often expressed the challenges of a lack of funds, saying that they cannot make ends meet with what their husbands give them. They can do handwork which, when sold, will help to augment the family budget. The Lord had bestowed us with wonderful blessings, namely, hands, intelligence and feet. We should therefore thank God and make use of these (Lephoko 2018).

Others include keeping homes clean, living peacefully with their husbands, helping educate their children, making money and managing their finances.

The love of God which is shed broadly in our hearts by the Holy Spirit shall be our uniform (Lephoko 2018).

Organising for effectiveness and success

Organising women for the work was paramount in Bhengu’s mind. This must be done in an orderly manner (1 Cor 14:40). Kerzner (1995) describes organisation:

as groups of people who must coordinate their activities to meet organizational objectives. The coordination function requires strong communications and a clear understanding of the relationships and interdependencies among people. Organizational structures are dictated by such factors as technology, its rate of change, resource availability, products and/or services, and competition. (p. 103)

For effectiveness, Bhengu developed the system of election of committees in local churches to lead the women. In this way, he patterned the structure of small group of women leaders in a similar fashion; Jesus selected a few men from the masses for development and vision impartation (Coleman 1993:36).

Not all positions are elected by voting; elections are only allowed at local and regional levels. Organisers and supervisors are raised or birthed. An organiser gives birth to another organiser, in the same manner a supervisor gives birth to a supervisor.

The strategy is based on Paul’s instruction to Timothy, ‘And the things which you have had from me in the presence of witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also’ (Tm 2 2:2). This is an in-depth, complex system of developing leaders. It seeks to deselect opportunists from occupying leadership positions by virtue of having been voted into leadership positions without commitment to the vision and mission of the organisation. Prospective candidates for appointment as organisers and supervisors are not elected but given birth to by those who already occupy positions in the structure. They must also show the following criteria: holiness of life, faithful giving, attendance of local church meetings, and involvement in district, regional and national strategic events.

Women fund Back to God Crusade

Women are the backbone and engine of Back to God Crusade. Women raise literally millions for the campaigns. The first ‘Mothers Easter Convention’ was held in Bloemfontein in 1969, at which a total of R2000 was collected, a substantial sum in those days. He never asked his African audiences to make financial contributions to his campaigns until they were formed into a church (Lephoko 2018). In 2017, for the first time, women collected R21 million for the ‘Back to God Crusade’ (Lephoko 2018). Mrs Emily Shabangu, the current Secretary of the Mothers’ Supervisors reports, ‘in 2019 women raised R30 million’, while in 2024 they raised R27 million. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there were no conventions held between 2021 and 2022.

Lephoko (2010) writes:

Mothers’ Easter Conventions, women were organised at Local, District, Regional and National levels as a strategy to raise crusade funds. Regions brought their bags [monies] raised during the year to national conventions in Thaba Nchu. There were also displays of handiwork [sewing, knitting, etc.] from regions and countries such as Swaziland and Lesotho and Namibia. A spirit of competition was engendered during the convention among regions vying to beat others with their donations and their handicrafts. Before the presentations of bags, financial audits were presented to the Convention attended by between 20 000–30 000 people annually. Winning regions were presented with trophies to encourage groups to perform even better the following year. (p. 137)

The money raised by women is used to purchase ‘Back to God’ trucks and tents, support evangelists’ accommodation for evangelistic teams, and for meals and travel and promotional materials.

Before financial bags are brought in, the audited financial report is tabled at the convention; converts who came to Christ during the past year are invited onto the stage as proof of the fruit of the evangelistic efforts. Converts give testimonies of salvation, healings, miracles and mended family relationships. This is performed to motivate women to give more to the ‘Back to God Crusade’ for the evangelisation of Africa from Cape (South Africa) to Cairo.

Socio-economic entrepreneurship strategy

Concerning Bhengu’s strategic socio-economic development, Watt (1992) writes:

In the black section of the movement there has always been a strong emphasis on social issues. This has its roots in Bhengu’s understanding of redemption. Dan Lephoko, a member of the executive of the Assemblies of God and ex-chairman of the Evangelical Fellowship of South Africa, said that he knows no other person who had such a clear grasp of the totality of the meaning of the Gospel than Nicholas Bhengu. Bhengu believed in the salvation of souls, but he also believed that black people would be brought to liberation from political and economic oppression through the Gospel. He believed that, by coming back to God, blacks would be prepared for nationhood and political power. (p. 112)

The goal of socio-economic empowerment strategy is to equip women with business and financial expertise and skills to earn a living for themselves and their families as stated elsewhere in this study. Business and financial skills are taught to mothers’ local, monthly and quarterly meetings through the sharing of skills, expertise and knowledge among themselves: baking, cooking, sewing, financial integrity and accountability through reporting, for example in iSizulu, ‘Imali yawomama ayilahleki, ayintshontshwa, Ayitshelekiswa’. [Mothers’ money cannot be reported missing, stolen or loaned out. In short, anyone entrusted with the funds is expected to diligently look after the funds or pay back the money.] (author’s free translation)

In his unpublished book, Spiritual Entrepreneurship: The Pursuit of Profit in Him, through Him and for His Kingdom – based on a true story of the ministry of Reverend Nicholas Bhengu and the women of the ‘Africa Back to God Crusade’. Modisane (n.d.) writes about a true story of his mother and women in Bhengu’s mothers’ ministry:

She [his mother] continued: The other thing I used to like more about their teachings was that they included the not know how to start your own business you would hear testimonies of other women on Thursdays, and you could figure out how to handle your own situation. The women who were experienced used to coach the new ones. That was helpful, and that is why Thursdays were so important. It gave us a chance to ask questions and to get the women who were matured explaining things in a relaxed environment. (n.p.)

Modisane attributes the success of his mother’s business to spirituality at the centre of their income-generating activities (Lephoko 2025):

Their spirituality was the reason for producing things and selling them. The Holy Spirit was their teacher, their spiritual community was their support base and the Bible, which is a spiritual book was used as their manual. (n.p.)

Preaching and teaching in all women’s meetings are based on the women of the Bible. The focus is on what they can learn from heroines in the Bible and to avoid mistakes committed by women in the Bible. Correlation with other scriptures in teaching and preaching forms part of their spiritual, intellectual, social, economic growth and emotionally balanced life.

Tagwirei addresses the importance of business development in the church (Van Niekerk & Niemandt 2019):

A business unit can come up and run investments that can generate income to enable the ongoing funding of the church’s mission. Interviewees agreed that the church should authorise, resource and empower a department that coordinates all aspects of business projects. The AOG BTG church has idle farms in Mashava and Bulawayo – so, instituting a business development unit can yield their utilisation, production and profitability. (p. 7)

Conclusion

Clark (n.d.) in The Contribution of Catholic Social Thought to Economic Policy writes, ‘the Catholic response to economic social concerns has never merely an intellectual one.’ Clark opines that in order to effectively tackle social issues, there must be a rigorous understanding of the world through the lenses of social sciences, evaluate them based on these insights, and take decisive actions.

The empowerment of women to occupy positions of leadership in church, business and society in general in South Africa and other African countries on the continent requires special consideration by those who occupy positions of influence in all areas of human endeavour. In the church, in South Africa, Bhengu took the lead through his mobilisation and empowerment of women in socio-economic development, self-help, self-reliance and financial freedom in a society dominated by male chauvinism.

The challenge is for leaders in the church and business to create space for women to play significant leadership roles in evangelism and socio-economic development. Many women in the rural areas and African townships still rely on handiwork such as sewing, knitting and baking to make a living, to support their families and to give to the mission of the church. It also shows how church leaders can adopt Bhengu’s strategies of empowering women with entrepreneurial skills to liberate themselves from financial dependency on government handouts or others.

Acknowledgement

The author declares that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

D.S.B.L. is the sole author of this research article.

This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

The author confirms that the data supporting this study and its findings are available within the article.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and are the product of professional research. It does not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated institution, funder, agency or that of the publisher. The author is responsible for this article’s results, findings and content.

References