After spending more than a year under interim leadership, the Association of Pentecostal Churches of Rwanda (ADEPR) has instated new leaders on the national level, and says it has worked on the issues that often caused problems in the church. ADEPR is the umbrella of Pentecostal churches in Rwanda, and has a following of over two million people. In October 2020, the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) dissolved the leadership of the church, faulting them for bad governance, disunity, poor performance and poor cooperation. About a week later, the church established an interim leadership committee headed by Pastor Isaie Ndayizeye, deputised by Pastor Eugene Rutagarama, among other leaders. They were given a one-year period and tasked by RGB to make necessary changes in the church’s system of governance and administration. On Sunday, March 6, the church announced that it had maintained Ndayizeye and Rutagarama at its helm after the interim period, adding that it has made a number of changes in its leadership system to avoid issues that led to problems in the past. Among the changes made, the executive leadership of the church will not be involved in the management of its finances. Addressing the people that turned up for the consecration, Phanuel Sindayiheba, the Chairman of the ADEPR High Council said: “We have trained ourselves to be people that build peace instead of trying to resolve conflicts after they have already happened. He told the new leaders to try hard to live up to the expectations of God, Christians and the government of Rwanda. “We don’t have an excuse before God, before the leadership of the nation, and before the Christians who have placed their trust in us. We have to make sure we fulfil the responsibilities that we have been given,” he said. In an interview with the media, Ndayizeye promised that they will be building a church that has a good image among the believers and the whole Rwandan community. “We want to help people know that ADEPR is good and has a lot to do to bring good change in the country,” he said. He noted that they will be an accountable leadership, one that is characterized by transparency, love, integrity among other Christian principles. Jean-Marie Vianney Gatabazi, the Minister for Local Governments, appreciated the Christians of ADEPR for how they managed to go through the storms that hit their leadership in recent years. He asked the new leaders to work together, always seek advice, encourage each other, be united and showcase uniqueness in their work. He noted that the government will not be mingling in the church’s affairs.
