Tsara, LindahLindahTsara2025-02-132025-02-132025978-3-98989-042-8https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/106048The chapter builds up from an interview conducted on the history and origin of the apostolic churches under my PhD study on women, education, and sexual and reproductive health rights in African Apostolic Indigenous Churches (AAICs) of Tangwena area of Nyanga District (Manicaland province), Zimbabwe. During an interview, the general secretary of Topia Sungano Apostolic Church (TSAC), after narrating the history and origin of the church as founded by Bishop Chakonza as known by the whole church, he confidently revealed that the owner of the church was Mbuya Chakonza (the wife of Chakonza), but because of culture, “She could not lead the church because she was only a woman”. This statement became one of the leading factors that motivated this research although there are several factors, which include my previous experience as a member of TSAC where I observed that despite women being the majority in terms of TSAC membership, they are not included in church leadership. The thrust of this chapter is to analyze the leadership status of women in TSAC based on the general secretary’s words quoted above. This empirical study uses African feminist cultural hermeneutics to raise awareness of the oppressive tendencies of missionary and African cultural education. Although women are the majority members in TSAC they are mostly found where labour is needed and not where important decisions that affect them are made. This chapter envisages that gender awareness can be provided to this church to show the capability of women to hold leadership positions just like men do. The chapter concludes by noting that women are marginalized in the name of culture and the colonial education syndrome that does not seem to promote women in terms of education and leadership roles.engApostolic Indigenous churchleadershipstruggleswomenZimbabwe200bookpart