ABSTRACT
African Initiated Churches and movements have been part of Africa’s Christian landscape since the beginning of the twentieth century. There are quite a number of variations when we talk about African Initiated Churches today, but they share common emphases on the experience of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of his power. The ardent desire to reclaim the power of the Spirit and integrate charismatic experiences in worship meant that for many years these independent churches or pneumatic movements were seen as closed to anything to do with the developmental agenda of their societies. The historical neglect of existential matters in favour of an eschatological agenda, seems to have gradually changed. This chapter discusses the growing interest among the churches initiated in Africa – both classical and contemporary – in the issues of development that involves both social intervention programmes for communities and their engagement in such civil responsibilities as voting. Using the West African country of Ghana as a major hub for studies in the intersection between African Initiated Christianity and development, the chapter attempts to provide concrete examples of how these otherwise eschatological or other-worldly minded movements now pay considerable attention to this-world or existential concerns as well.
