Zimbabwe Council of Churches

The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) is a fellowship of churches that seek to contribute towards the achievement of a united, peaceful, just and prosperous Zimbabwe. It was formed in June 1964 in the then colonial Rhodesia as a protest movement drawing on biblical theological resources to speak out and stand against the subjugation of one race by another. Although the Council of churches did not always live up to the ideals of its calling, it has remained a true Christian witness for over 50 years. As an example to the above mentioned, the Council: contributed to the early establishment of a robust health and education system; participated during the Lancaster House negotiations that paved the way for Independence after a protracted war; contributed to the post-war reconstruction processes after 1980; built leadership and other critical capacities of clergy and civic leaders; catalysed the development of key civic platforms such as the National Constitutional Assembly, Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, Zimbabwe Election Support Network among others. In so doing, the ZCC contributed to nation building in pre and post independent Zimbabwe. In the last 20 years, the ZCC has had to address numerous challenges such as: the fragmentation of society caused by unresolved violent conflicts and hurts from the past; the general sense of mistrust prevalent in society, divisions within the church; the breakdown of the family structure and the inability of the church to speak with one voice.