Passing the Mantle in the Nazareth Baptist Church: Quests for Prophetic Authenticity in South Africa

J. G. Shembe’s death in 1976 divided the Nazareth Baptist Church between rival

contenders to succeed him as its leader. Based on recorded interviews with the claimants, this paper argues that prophecy, particularly those deriving from the church’s founder Isaiah Shembe, provided the key arena for this struggle between Londa Shembe and Amos Shembe. Amos ultimately prevailed because he was best able to claim the prophetic mantle of the church’s founder, Isaiah. Londa, the son of J. G. and grandson of Isaiah, based his claim to leadership on a series of dreams he had of his father. Londa argued that these dreams showed that his succession would fulfill the wishes of the recently deceased J. G.  However, Londa did not experience any prophetic revelations from the church’s founder. His dreams convinced some members that he had gained the legitimacy of J. G, but his lack of direct inspiration from the founder reduced his support. Amos, brother of J. G. and son of Isaiah, on the other hand, claimed to have experienced prophetic guidance from both J. G. and Isaiah. When neither claimant would recognize the paramountcy of the other, it led to a split in the church in which Amos attracted the majority of believers. The church’s past and future leadership decisions have been and will continue to be profoundly influenced by prophecy. While previous scholarship has remarked upon the role of prophecy in this struggle, the source of the prophecies has been neglected. The most successful claimants to central leadership, as was the case in the dispute between Londa and Amos, will continue to be those who receive prophetic inspiration from Isaiah.