Exclusive interview with Rev. Sam Jato on imbroglio between Redeemer Baptist Church and Cameroon Baptist Convention

“RBC is not a CBC church”

Rev Jato

By Ngala Hansel

The Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) has recently been in the news as a result of a rift between one of its congregations and the leadership of the denomination.

Rev. Dr. Nditemeh Charlemagne, Executive President of the CBC was booed out of Redeemer Baptist Church (RBC) on June 10, 2022, after he tried to address the congregation but was not allowed to do so as the congregation became rowdy. In a social media post seen by CNA, Dr. Nditemeh holds that:

“Redeemer Baptist church was planted in partnership with the CBC by American Wes Pastor, NETS under the jurisdiction of the CBC. Its lead pastor since then has been Rev. Sam Jato. Sam Jato cooperated with the CBC to the extent of being the Bamenda Field Ministers Fellowship chair. Because of 27%, Rev. Sam Jato decamped with Redeemer Baptist church into open rebellion…”.

However, in an exclusive interview with CNA, Rev. Jato claims that NETS “neither knew Cameroon nor the CBC…”.

It is helpful to establish that Baptist churches all over the world practice a form of church governance where they are partially independent of hierarchical authority. Each congregation has the right to choose its style of worship in conformity with the doctrines of the Convention or Union, CNA understands.

Pastors are not appointed by a central body like is the case in some other churches but each congregation prayerfully considers who can be their pastor and each congregation that has agreed to be under a particular Convention then gives a little amount of its finances to the Convention while keeping the larger sum for its own financial and missions work.

We sent an email to Wes Pastor, the American missionary who founded NETS which planted RBC. At press time, we had not yet heard from Wes Pastor or his church named Christ Memorial Church (CMC) Vermont in the USA.

We also had a look at the NETS website and saw a list of churches that they collaborated in founding in Cameroon. The churches are all under the CBC but RBC is not on the list.

Our reporter Ngala Hansel spoke with Rev. Jato, the pastor of the embattled RBC congregation to get some more clarity on the unfortunate circumstances between his congregation and the CBC.

Below is a transcript of the interview:

Reverend Jato, greetings. Please what is causing the rift between you and the Executive President of the Cameroon Baptist Convention?

First of all, it is regrettable that someone would want to prove a point by punishing Christians who just want to worship. The church could still have stayed open while any procedure brought by the EP works its way through the Administration and Courts. But he decided to punish the Christians. This is not acceptable.

An article in the Guardian Post newspaper says that you challenged the EP to a fight, what do you respond to this? And what do you think is the best way to resolve the crisis as it stands now?

Here’s my story. After graduating from Bethel University in the US, in 2003, NETS pledged to support me plant a church in Cameroon. They neither knew Cameroon nor the CBC. After ordaining me, I returned home in 2004, bought land at Mile 3 Nkwen, and built the church, which I named Redeemer Baptist Church. When the church was launched, I sought affiliation with CBC just like credit unions affiliate with CAMCUL. It was after 6 years (in 2011) that CBC approved and registered the church after thoroughly reviewing our church constitution.

We have been building the church following our vision for 18 years now and the CBC has never supported us with a dime. During the year that churches closed because of Covid-19, the CBC never helped us to pay the bills but kept pressing us to pay 27% taxes before worshiping under an authorization that government gives free of charge. How can the CBC claim to be a nonprofit organization with such malpractices?

Am I right in saying that you were ordained in Bethel Seminary?

I was ordained at Christ Memorial Church in Vermont USA (headed by Wes Pastor of NETS).

There are claims that you registered the church (RBC) under your personal name. That’s what The Guardian Post reported. Any reaction to this?And that you were now under Congregation Baptiste du Cameroun and not Cameroon Baptist Convention.

The EP is the one taking me to court and he is not suing to challenge my ownership of the property per se. He’s filing criminal charges against me.

What crimes is he accusing you of?

I just told you a little bit of my story above. For strategic reasons I can’t disclose much, considering that the issue is in court. Basically, misappropriation and fraud. There are 6 counts

Rev Jato

Please detail your closeness with the CBC. I understand that you were once Bamenda Field Pastors Chair. Is that correct?

That’s correct. But it shouldn’t sound like proof of employment or nullification of affiliation. Being Bamenda Field Pastor’s chairman (from which I ended up resigning) meant coordinating the meetings of pastors which any affiliate had the right to.

Besides, when credit unions affiliate with CAMCCUL, for example, CAMCCUL doesn’t and cannot claim ownership of the unions.

Okay, so you have never pastored a CBC church in other words?

Never. Why would I suffer to plant a church when I am eligible to pastor any church? Redeemer Baptist Church is about my ministerial vision and passion for what I believe God has called me to do.

Besides, right from the onset, CBC Christians perceived my vision and have been acknowledging through these 18 years that RBC is not a CBC church.

(EP here means Executive President)