Some people posing as pastors are cashing in on unsuspecting believers after asking them to deposit large amounts of money before giving them prayers for welath creation, healing, deliverance and protection from evil spirits.
The pastors are charging between K3 milion and K5 million for their prayers to be answered but if they do not have the required amounts, they are turned away because God cannot entertain their prayers.
A woman from Lusaka told the Sunday Times of Zambia that she was asked to pay K3.7 million for the prayer service she needed to be conducted.
The woman, who requested that her identity be withheld said she heard from her friends that a named pastor was in the country conducting prayers for various needs, including healing, wealth creation and deliverance.
“I went there seeking to be prayed for and I was asked to pay K3.7 million. So I explained to this man that I did not have the money and could only afford to pay K500,000 but I was told that I am not serious and my prayers could not be answered with such a small amount. That is how I left,” she said.
The development has attracted criticism from church bodies, who have called for a scrutiny of all churches that are mushrooming in various communities.
In separate interviews, Bible Gospel Church of Africa (BIGOCA) presiding Bishop, Peter Ndhlovu denounced the act, describing it day-light robbery.
Bishop Ndhlovu warned people to be wary of fake pastors who were going around charging people for prayers and report such practices to the police to effect arrests.
Bishop Ndhlovu said he was also aware of the reports where people were swindled by the fake pastors on the pretext that their prayers would be answered if they paid some money.
He observed that there was growing desperation among people to accumulate riches and that this was dangerous.
“It is very disappointing that there is this growing desperation from people. It is wrong to commercialise the Word of God. Healing, deliverance and others can only be done by God and people should not be cheated by these fake pastors that they can perform such miracles,” Bishop Ndhlovu said.
He called on the three Church mother-bodies to take keen interest in the matter and make a thorough investigation.
Bishop Ndhlovu said people behind such acts were tarnishing the image of the Church in the country and should face the law.
“We need to scrutinise foreign elements coming in the country and preaching things that they know they cannot do but they are here to take advantage of the desperation by people,” he said.
Bishop Ndhlovu said he heard of an incident where a man from Mazabuka approached a pastor in Lusaka’s Chudleigh area for prayers but was turned back because he was not financially sound.
He said many of the victims of such events were women.
Worship Centre clergy, Max Nyirongo also condemned those masquerading as pastors stop the practice.
Reverend Nyirongo said he was shocked with the development, especially that people were using the gospel to swindle people.
“A genuine pastor will not charge anyone for prayers. Prayers are for free and not for a fee,” he said.
He said those perpetrating such prayers were taking advantage of the desire from people to want to gain wealth. He also called on people to be wary of such practices and report the incidences to the police.
We Christian nation ulawama! And very soon some religious police force will be flog-marching everyone to go to church on Sunday and ensure that all pubs are closed for the day. Just wait but unlike Lotti who turned into a block if salt, transgressors will be ending up at Chimbwakaela!
It was actually Lot’s wife who turned into a pillar of salt.
What do you expect from tuntemba churches or personnal churches? Their message is always give and God will bless you. There are fews messages about salvation of mankind. These so called pastors / bishops are becoming stinking rich by using the bible. God help us
Jesus did not ask us money to pay him and save us, he surrender himself and GOD gave us. imagine how painful was his death, watch passion of Christ. who is a pastor to be paid? too bad for those who are paying their money for rubbish prayers.we are all same ,
Why pay for prayers? Who said God only listens to pastors? These pastors are worse than Judas escariot
‘freely I have given freely give’ he He told his disciples Mathew 10:8
arrest them
Good for you! Only a primitive country can embrace a theocratic state. Christian nation, my foot! Too much id.io.cy in Zambia.
Oh i kno who she’s tokg about!de man spok publikly dt he felt led to pray fo only 50pipo who kd gv a seed of 500dolas!poor zambians thot of negotiatg dt mistry like on de street wd kaponyas!no wonder it ws returned!
It amazes me a lot to see people living in the 21st Century, believing in such things as pastors, prophets and the like. Thats why religion is an opium that oppresses the people. A ka pastor preaching on the bus at Intercity bus terminal, assholes.
One pastor came to me last year while I was on the bus to Kitwe saying, ‘Ngamuli namafya batata, kuti namipepela’, I looked at him and I had no kind words for him, but I asked him, ‘who needs help between the two of us? You or Me?’ Look at your jacket, it needs facelift, and I told him to disappear. Why don’t they first pray for themselves to get rich and then pray for others later. Shame on you religious thieves.
And you say you are a Christian nation. That is why those same religious leaders do not want to compete for congregants with other religions and want to be helped by the constitutional declarations made by thieves. That declaration sucks, I wish you could open your eyes and stop being blinded by these low lifes, ‘Pastors and or the Clergy’.
Country men and women,this is a very disgusting and ridiculous story.It is not new has been happening even this other fake pastor politician used to say so,mwe bantu bushe blessing from the creator who told them that they are the only ones who can receive them and give to other?? These cheeky monkey ka pastor kafwaye incito naiwe ulefola.Naimwe bene mwe bantu more especially women,they cheat you alot..awe ni ba man of God, ubuwelewele fye no bututu bweka baletwala no bwali ubotabepikila nabena mwamo kuli sakala nyongo pastor.Knee down and pray at your home come own…..
ZMK 3 million for a prayer????
How are adults honestly duped into this??
Exactly, that’s what puzzles me, giving away so much cash to another human being for a prayer, blinded by faith for sure.
It’s Stupidity!!!
THE DEVIL`S STATE CANDY COATED WITH JESUS
Because it`s a human creation, the Bible is fallible and open to various interpretations; as it suits
Matthew 13:12
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shallhave more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Matthew 25:29
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall betaken away even that which he hath.
Most of you bloggers I believe you are very educated by Zambian standards, but your arguments leave much too be desired. You may believe in the Holy Bible or not but the truth is that everything that is genuine the devil counterfeits. I am not a pastor, but in the country where am working I preach, and even talk about prosperity according to biblical principles, for instance the Holy Bible talks os “sowing a seed” I encourage people to give to the poor and also to “plant seed” they dont give this money to me. What is my point? – When one follows the biblical principles of prosperity they work except some people are using that for selfish reasons. But the word of God is real and some pastors are being prospered genuinely. I live that life. GOD BLESS ZAMBIA.
Oh, so by your very own admission you have made money out of what God gives freely? And you are proud of this and support it? I trust you know what Jesus did to the money changers outside the temple in Jerusalem.
just go to catholics, thers nothing like that
What a shame to associate God to theft. These pastors should be named and shamed in Public. Why withhold their names?? Publish them in Newspapers.
The thieving Pastors aint going into people’s homes with guns to rob them, its ifipuba taking money to them so its wash-out, palibe mulandu apa. Next!!
Hey br, where hv u bn? u`v bn too erratic in your postings, are u working on a PhD thesis or just a little let down by PF?
What unorthodox practices of surviving! Such malpractices are triggering God’s wrath. I have been in Zambia for the last 6 weeks now and can attest that I have seen this nonsense as our desperate sisters seeking husbands are the worst victims of these purveyors of devious practices as they are paying with their lives to be blessed with a husband. Nigerians and Congolese are riding on them like maggots on a decomposed stake so have Zambian counterfeit Pastors parroted the insanity at home and in the Diaspora. The church of Jesus Christ is under siege.
@Senior Citizen I concur with you. It is the women that are so easily duped. Most of these fake pastors are driven by pure greed and all those so called evangelists creaming poor people off. No one wants to know Jesus any more people believe these fortune tellers more than God and his word.
Especially Pentcostal pastor , most of them are just for money, they are not genueien, they rob in the name of God, which is not good. Self ordinad called pente. cub them, before they destroy the country.
Too many Zambians believe prayer to be a substitute for hard work. Time to wake up.
I am with you 100%! If there is anything God has promised, it is to bless the work of our hands.
Very true. I wish we, as Zambians, could work harder instead. Like the Bible says, there is a time for everything – so there is a time to work (very very hard indeed) and a time to pray.
It is a lie of the devil that you can buy answers from God with money. The Catholics tried it and it led to The Great Reformation. Run from such pastors and the Police should arrest them.
I conquer with the man of God
I feel so sad for the Church and for our people who are in need of shepherds to care for them, and not to scam them.
If there is a government department that has its eye on religious affairs in Zambia, I would like to sit on it for absolutely free, to give advice to GRZ for the protection of our people. Let me also say that the Registrar of societies needs to do it job by ensuring that those who break the norms of decorum are barred from registration and practice of their religions in Zambia.
This is very serious.
is TB Joshua swindling blind zambia fools now?
Yes he is. Those prophesies are from his father the devil and nearly all zambians are so obsessed with this man that they will do anything to believe in his tripe. Why is it that all his professies are of doom and gloom. Why is he not telling people that they need to go back to God and renew our relationship with God?
Matthew 24 v 4-5; 10-11; 24.. Its all there!!
No matter how people talk and debate on how the police force should throw these fake pastors muma cells, it has/will come to pass for the fulfilment of the Word. Even in my family its happening and it doesn’t really surprise me to say the least.
People should go back to their traditional churches which have always been there and where our parents raised us. These new churches are for profit making nothing else. Wake up people and stop spending money on these fame seeking pastors.
People should go back to their traditional churches which have always been there and where our parents raised us. These new churches are for profit making nothing else. Wake up people and stop spending money on these fame seeking pastors.*-:)
do not pay for prayers
The Church has been infiltrated by the word of faith movement.
Why lock me out?
This is just a tip of the Iceberg. There is a conman in Lusaka, who used to call himself a prophet before he was busted and arrested for money laundering, sexual perversion and child molestation.He was released with the help of a wife of a prominent man, who might be a victim of his sex con game. Upon being released, he changed his name to Apostle VM. His whole game is motivated by money and sex and he only targets well to do women who find themselves in a desperate situation as regards marriage, business or work related issues. His MO is this; a woman approaches him for prayers and he diagnoses her as having a demon in her womb and suggests that the only cure is for him to wash it away with his “Anointed semen.” He then f…. her and she gives him money or any gifts. He has f…. more
wake up! Pray for yourself and work hard! Then money will be yours! God gave you the power to pray for yoself sinner!! Not so obvious anyways because you are all too lazy! Wanting to make money Ubwikele sha!
I start hating Zambians, except my family.
I wonder why people are talking about this now. It has been going on for many years. Some people will even get a loan to give to these so called pastors! It is a shame. Taking money from the poor. People should go back to UCZ and Catholic church. What have these pentacostals done for Zambia since they came here. A number of pastors even see witchdoctors secretly so that they can perform ‘miracles’. Zambians must wake up
Fake ‘Miracle’ prayer = K3. mil
Good Luck Prayer = K 2.5 mil
Fertility prayer = K 10. mil
its beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeg business!!! Blind followers have to pay 5% of their wages every month to these money hungry pastors , its easy money made off poor desparate black people who think anotha human can ask an invicible god to help them out of their misery, poverty is a weapon used to keep africans in flock to worship a white god who might deliver them from hunger and misery only if they give their last penny to his ‘diciples’ the appointed money collectors … so called FAKE prophets n pastors.
i would never waste a dime on any prayer any god of any religon. there are all evil
This looks like a fair deal. If you really believe that only prayer, instead of hard work, will bring you wealth, then you should pay a lot for that prayer. Remember, to those that have even more shall be given. People who believe in this nonsense are the ones who get conned. Just work hard, eat well, be honest etc for more money in your pocket, for better health, and for promotions respectively. Anything else is just snake oil and charms.
The sooner people realise that things like god, heaven and hell are all a myth, the better your life will be.
Devil is cleaver indeed, look at the type of gospel songs on the market;they all ve have his mark. If the song is not with a rumba beat, it ll ve kabova language or mahule language. Some one should ban this satanist gospel music produced by poeple want quick cash. There message is hollow. Lets respect the amighty and not defame his name with rumba music and dances as his.