We will all unequivocally agree that church has become good business in Africa as a whole. No expenses, no salaries, no forecasting or all the other mumbo jumbo nonsense that conventional business claim make business hard and so on.
That’s it, I am starting my own church. Especially now that I have a pink suit and pink croc shoes. I mean, surely, how hard can this be?
Below is my Check-list:

THE SHINY SUIT:


White one. Or Silver. Or the pink kit I’m wearing above. I look pastoral. Double vent, so it bobs around when I swing about on stage. Silver waistcoat inside.
Some 13 minutes into the sermon, remove jacket and hand it to sycophant helper. You know, the brother who wears a red shirt with his collar outside his jacket to church and is always following the pastor around? Yes, that one. This old tactic has been known to whip up the crowd. It says ‘look, the pastor has taken off his jacket; he’s about to make a real go at it now’. Even though you’re talking shit.

THE POINTY SHOES:


White in colour. Or beige. I’ve seen red. But even the weirdest nutjob pastors stay the fuck away from red shoes. Especially pointy, red shoes. White socks too.

THE CHURCH’S NAME:

Now, whatever you do, remember, this part is important. Under no circumstances must the name of your church not have a ‘Ministries’ or an ‘International’ in it. I mean, where the fuc_k is your ambition? ‘Anglican Church, Roman Catholic’? How boring is that name? Really? Try Soul Crying to Heaven Ministries International, you bastards! Or Holy Overflow Deliverance Ministries Global International. Christ Intersection Global. Heaven Embassy. Or something.

THE POSTERS:

Wear your suit. Stand next to a woman. She must be light skinned. All pastors’ wives are light skinned. Yes. Fact! Not one poster have I ever seen with a pastor next to a dark skinned woman. Print gazillions of posters. Paste them, by night, on street lamps, trees. On the walls. Outside seedy bars . On the toilets at the taxi ranks. Everywhere.

THE BAND:


Can’t form a church without a band, now, can we? Get a few sisters. You know the ones, right? The ones that can’t sing for shit but because they are “sisters in the Lord”, no one says a word and people suffer in silence every Sunday and they call themselves the Holy Sweet Melodious Voices of Heaven group and are always asking for offering money to record? Yah, those ones. Get a few guys who can hold a guitar. They don’t really need to know how to actually play. And, the most important one, the key board! Amplifier, speakers, even if you meet in a classroom so tiny that the brother in the back is so close he can smell your sweat.

THE LINGO:

Church people have their own language. Like, they don’t say, ‘Lets stand up and pray’. They say ‘Lets all rise with our feet and bow our heads in reverence and pray..” Tell people what they want to hear. Tell the poor they are poor because they aren’t praying hard enough. Or are not ‘giving’ enough. Tell them to believe for a Benz. Then make them buy one and tell them you’ll drive it on their behalf.

THE OFFERING BASKETS:


Do I need to spell out the importance of these things? Do I? No? Good.
Almost set. And now, another important part; Do you have a local language name? No. That won’t do. Remember, from now on, you shall be known by your first name. And it must be English. Always. Pastor John. Pastor Peter. Pastor Ron. Ever heard of Pastor Tsepho? No.
Now, go out there and perform miracles.