The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Rt. Rev. Dr. Steven Kaziimba Mugalu on Tuesday condemned the pursuit of leadership positions in the church with the intention of acquiring material wealth. He made the remarks while delivering his Christmas message to Ugandans from his residence in Namirembe.
Dr. Kaziimba emphasized that Christians should avoid mirroring the mindset of the secular world, where they believe electing a leader from their community will magically solve their problems. He clarified that church leadership is not a path to earthly gain, as some mistakenly believe, but a call to spiritual service.
“The Church has also suffered because of bad decisions by its leaders. I have lost count of the number of times I have been sued by a group of “concerned Christians” because their candidate for Bishop was not elected. Spiritual leadership is different from secular or political leadership. Spiritual leaders follow in the footsteps of Jesus,” Kaziimab advised.
The Archbishop urged both church leaders and believers to place their trust in God, not in human beings, for solutions to their difficulties.
The remarks follow a recent incident in Luwero Diocese, where members went to court to challenge the disqualification of Bishop-elect Kasana Semakula over alleged adultery.
“Too many people think if they get “their man” elected as Bishop, he will save them. That’s just not true. Only Jesus can save us. Christmas reminds us of that,” said Kaziimba.
