Journal: Conspectus
Volume: CONSPECTUS 34:1 (Oct 2022)
Article: Book Review: "Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered: Millennials And Social Change In African Perspective."
Author: Desmond Henry

Conspectus 34:1 (October 2022) p. 65

Book Review: Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered: Millennials And Social Change In African Perspective.

Desmond Henry

Gitau, Wanjiru. 2017. Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered: Millennials and Social Change in African Perspective. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. Pp. 1–190. ISBN 978–0–8308–5103–4. Approx. 330 ZAR (21.99 USD). Paperback.

1. Introduction

While the title of the book may lead one to conclude that the content of the book defends the proliferation of megachurches in Africa, as seen globally, Wanjiru Gitau’s writing presents a contextual response to the changing needs of the urban middle class in Nairobi and how one church has led the way in changing the megachurch landscape in Nairobi. Although Gitau does deal with the cultural and social elements implicit in megachurches, this book’s scope goes beyond that of a mere defense of such phenomena in Africa and seeks to contribute to the overall understanding of movemental Christianity in Africa.

2. Overview

The book is divided into six chapters that build on the glocal (denoting the coalescence of local and global) influences, conditions, and innovations that led to the inception, growth, development, and multiplication of the Mavuno church within Kenya, as well as its influence regionally within Africa and globally. The book deals with topics of liminality and bold leadership (Chapter 1); the specific plight of Kenyan—and African—Millennials (Chapter 2); a contextual and missional response by a Kenyan church as presented in the Mavuno Marathon (Chapter 3); leadership in an era of change (Chapter 4); the impact of the Mavuno case study glocally (Chapter 5); and how African Christianity relates to modern concepts and concerns (Chapter 6).

3. A Contextual Approach To Global Trends In Africa

The book reminds readers of the important fact that modern denominations and churches are the by-product of historical movements, revivals, and revitalizations that are fuelled by the Holy Spirit. Set in Africa, Gitau’s work carefully details the unfolding narrative of movemental Christianity’s growthin Africa, where millennials are flooding into churches and embracing the Gospel, when their counterparts in the West are either indifferent (or opposed) to what has become known as the evangelical megachurch phenomenon. The author does not make a special case for the megachurch model specifically but showcases how this can play an important role in societal transformation.

What makes this work important is the way Gitau frames the liminality of the growth and development of Africa’s megachurches and how colonialism, post-colonial reality, and a sense of cultural or worldview dissonance shapes the current religio...