African Pentecostalism, Good Governance, and Nigerian Megachurches

One of the most dominant features of Africa’s religious landscape is Pentecostalism. African Pentecostalism is influential in socio-economic and political discourses in Africa as a whole, and so cannot be ignored in Nigeria. Most studies have focused on the theological and denominational allegiance of Pentecostal churches which emphasize beliefs, history, background, and differences, while neglecting the structural and organizational dynamics that characterize them. Nigeria’s Pentecostal megachurches are popular, rich, thriving, business-like entities, with congregations of several thousands of people, reflecting major current forms of complex structural and organizational arrangements. The Nigerian state suffers from inept leadership marked by unaccountability and mismanagement of public resources, but the public outcry and demand for accountability is growing louder by the day. As a fallout, the searchlight has also been on the Pentecostal megachurches that have often been accused of financially exploiting the masses through the ‘prosperity gospel’. These churches have also been accused of having inadequate structures that should guarantee good governance, measured in terms of accountability, transparency, and the rule of law due to the emphasis on the charismatic leadership of one individual. This chapter explores how African Pentecostalism has contributed to these challenges and how it has or has not shaped the leadership structures of Nigeria’s Pentecostal megachurches and their ability to model accountability, transparency, and the rule of law.