ABSTRACT
Every established congregation has its own church building or prayer house in which it holds all its services, apart from parts of the baptismal service, held on the nearest river bank, and funerals. The services of the Protestant churches and sects, both those under African and those under European leadership, are characterized by the lack of ritual and symbolism, and by the extent to which the choice of passages of scripture, the subject of the sermon, and the content of the extempore prayers are left to the individual preacher. In the Faithful Church of Christ elders are entitled to celebrate and little ritual surrounds the service; it is regarded purely as a memorial service and neither officials nor members of the sect hold any doctrines of transubstantiation or consubstantiation. In all the sects baptism is by total immersion, in contrast to the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church, where a token sprinkling of water suffices.
