The CBC After Nditemeh: What Lessons Have We Learned as a Convention?
By Hans Ngala
As the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) navigates a new chapter after Rev. Dr. Nditemeh Charlemagne made the noble decision to step down, it is very important for the CBC to take a long, hard look at its current structure and ask if as the oldest church in Cameroon, it has really been leading.
Nditemeh’s tenure was marked by significant reforms which he sought to enforce but met with stiff resistance for hegemonic forces within the Convention who were comfortable with the status quo.
The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) announced that Nditemeh will be joining its Executive Committee and the Multifaith Commission on Dialogue and it is very important to note the significance of this nomination for the CBC:
– The CBC gets to have a voice in the world’s largest Baptist organization
– It speaks to Nditemeh’s impeccable and noble character and leadership skills
– The search committee confirmed through background checks that Nditemeh was fit both in experience, faith and qualifications to be part of the BWA Executive Committee
These points are very important to note because the Baptist World Alliance did not make this decision lightly and they would have been aware of the issues Nditemeh was embroiled in at the CBC. And if they knew that he was on the wrong, they would definitely not have nominated him for this position.
Therefore, CBC Christians who were vehemently in opposition to the reforms he sought to bring (and there could be an argument about some of his approaches) but when previous CBC leaders have continuously shown themselves to either be too soft or not knowledgeable about certain policy implementations, this makes things a little tough, requiring some of the tough approaches which Nditemeh adopted.
I am a CBC Christian myself, so let’s just get that straightened first and I love and respect the Convention but we cannot lie to ourselves: the truth is that the CBC needs serious reform and restructuring. While I understand the argument that we follow Baptist polity (structure of governance), we must be able to decolonize our approach to how the CBC is structured, in order to ensure that it takes into consideration our local Cameroonian realities. The Baptist structure works well in places like the UK and the US where individual earnings are high and individual congregations can survive under loose Conventions or Unions, without much reliance on the central office or headquarters. The reality for us is that this model is a bit problematic for Cameroon.
Given that the base of most CBC churches is in the NW and SW where an 8-year conflict has displaced thousands and impoverished the masses, how realistic is it for individual congregations to thrive? Why is it okay that churches like Etoug-Ebe or Trinity Baptist in Douala should have pastors who earn hundreds of thousands and live in relative comfort while their colleagues in Sabongari or Kwa-Kwa village cannot even raise 10,000 Frs on a Sunday?
Other issues persist in the CBC such as a lack of a coherent Communication Department. The Health Services runs its own communication unit, the Education Department runs its own communication unit separately while the radio station and printing press function as stand-alone entitites. All of these ought to be brought together under ONE single Communication Department for the CBC, headed by a Director of Communications with one single website, one single Facebook page and various communications officers under sub-units like Education, Health, Churches etc instead of the current disorder we have.
While this is not a condemnation of one person or support for another in the CBC, Rev. Nditemeh’s attempts at reforms were mostly resisted in some quarters in the CBC, not because he violated any laws, not because he hated anyone but because some people felt that they would lose money if he implemented those reforms.
Isn’t this telling and What Should Be Done?
This therefore requires that the CBC should be structured such that there is a centralized payment system for all staff be they pastors, doctors, nurses, teachers and all staff should be placed on a pay scale depending on qualifications and experience.
Pastors should be appointed by the Central Administration to avoid a scenario where any one person clings to a church for too long. It also avoids some pastors feeling threatened like they won’t be left with anything when they leave their current congregation. Pastors and other CBC staff will get a pension and health benefits too.
Other financially weaker Departments such as the Education Department, Youth and Students Department; Evangelism and Missions; Women’s Department – should have heads of this departments trained in grant writing and other income-generating acitivies so they too can generate resources and add significantly to the Convention’s overall budget as well.
On the whole, Rev. Dr. Nditemeh’s appointment to the BWA Executive Committee is a win for the CBC and for Cameroon. It is also a wake-up call for the CBC to fix the lapses that he pointed out during his term as Executive President before making the noble decision to step down even though he was still eligible for a second term.
