Reverend Amos Ndhlumbi, Presiding Bishop Methodist Church in Zimbabwe

The presiding bishop of Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, Rev Amos Ndhlumbi greatly lamented the neglect of the Bible by Christian churches.

He did this in his opening remarks at the consultation meeting of the heads of denominations and Bible colleges conducted by the Bible Society of Zimbabwe.

He stated that some church members in the Christian community are prepared to buy hymn books and uniforms first before they can buy a Bible. 

He pointed out that this attitude weakens the church. According to this Methodist prelate, it is better to have a copy of the Bible and have nothing else than to have everything else but the Bible. 

The chairperson of the board for The Bible Society of Zimbabwe, Reverend Guide Makore, pointed out that the neglect of the Bible is not only shown by not having a copy of the Bible but also by not spending quality time reading it when you have it.

He said, “We have come to the realisation that owning a Bible does not translate into reading it. Many Bibles get dusted on Saturday or Sunday for church. This is not supposed to be like that. 
As Bible Society, we have programmes that will ensure that a person does not just have a copy of the Bible but also is engaging with it on a day-to-day basis. So we are working with other para-church organisations like the Scripture Union to ensure that people are engaging with Scripture.”

Makore is of the opinion that Christian churches must put more emphasis on teaching the word of God. This can be achieved by including time for Bible study in every service.