Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa
Encyclopedia
The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (Verenigende Gereformeerde Kerk in Suid-Afrika) was formed by the union of the black and coloured Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
mission churches.
and introduced slavery by whites.
Various foreign mission organisations started working in South Africa
, which led to the formation of a number of denominations amongst those people who otherwise would have been excluded from the main churches.
This process motivated the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
(NGK) in South Africa to start its own independent mission work.
In 1857 the NGK synod decided to have separate services for coloured members.
A separate church, the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) was formed in 1881.
For blacks, the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA) was formed in 1951.
In 1974 the synod of the DRCA decided in favour of church unity. In 1978 the DRMC decided likewise.
In 1986 the Belhar Confession
- with its strong emphasis on unity, reconciliation and justice - was formulated and adopted by the DRMC.
In 1994 the DRMC and the DRCA united to form the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA).
Shortly after the Dutch formed a halfway station at the Cape in 1652, they introduced slavery. They started a school for slaves, with the purpose of transferring the Dutch language and culture. To encourage slaves to learn the Dutch language and prayers, they were rewarded with tobacco and brandy.
The Dutch East India Company
, as a matter of policy, had all their slaves baptised. The Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) of the time had no organised mission activity, with the result that the baptism of slaves were left to the wilfulness of their masters. Baptised slaves also did not necessarily become members of the church.
In 1737 Georg Schmidt from the Moravian Church came to Cape Town to work amongst the Khoikhoi
of the Overberg
. Pressurised by the Cape church, he was forced to leave for Germany
again after seven years. In the course of time various mission organisations from overseas started working in South Africa, which led to the formation of a number of denominations amongst those people who else would have been excluded from the church.
This process motivated the DRC to start its own independent mission work. This new development started at the church's first synod of 1824, when it decided to allow missionaries within its own ranks. This was clearly a move to get control over the way in which mission work would be done in years to follow. "The Afrikaner abhorred the liberal views of equality, freedom and the social integration of many missionaries (from the foreign mission societies)". Although at its 1829 synod
the DRC formally rejected discrimination on the basis of skin colour, it did not mean that in practice people of colour were not discriminated against, particularly at worship services and holy communion.
The DRC synod's decision of 1857 about separate services for coloured members "because of the weakness of some", has become notorious. The next logical step was the formation of a separate church. In 1881 representatives of five mission congregations assembled in Wellington near Cape Town for the first meeting of the DRMC. The DRC reserved the right to veto all decisions by this newly formed church. Also all its buildings had to be transferred on the DRC's name. The DRC decided to divide its mission work into a "home" and "foreign" mission. The first covered the Cape region, the second all the other provinces of South Africa, including Namibia. In each province separate churches for blacks and coloureds were formed. The Free State had its own mission church already in 1910.
In the Cape a separate "Dutch Reformed Bantu Church" was formed in 1951. All the coloured congregations eventually joined the DRMC, and the black congregations the DRCA. In 1974 the synod of the DRCA decided in favour of church unity. In 1978 the DRMC decided likewise.It took another 16 years for that ideal to be fulfilled. In the process, the Belhar Confession
with its strong emphasis on unity, reconciliation and justice was formulated and adopted in 1986. This is still very much the motivating power by which the URCSA today lives. The Uniting Reformed Church consists of more than 500,000 confessing members (excluding all those who are only baptised) and 683 congregations. Its name (which is in the continuous tense) and its logo (which is an incomplete circle) reflects the Church's emphasis on unity, and its hope for an even greater church unification within the family of God.
The Church is divided into seven regional synods, namely Namibia
, Northern Transvaal
, Southern Transvaal, Phororo (Northern Cape), Cape, Kwazulu-Natal
, Free State
and Lesotho
. Each region has its own moderamen, and every congregation is represented at these synods. Congregations are grouped together in presbyteries. At the general synod level congregations are only represented through their presbyteries. The general synod determines the Church's policy, and the regional synods see to it that these policies are reflected in their various activities.
met at Achterbergh near Krugersdorp to discuss the reunification of the family of DRC churches and how this can be realized.
The Dutch Reformed Churches Union Act Repeal Bill [B69-2008] in the Parliament of South Africa
has one of its objectives as to ‘remove obstacles in the unification process of the Verenigde Gereformeerde Kerk, Reformed Church of Africa and the Dutch Reformed Churches without legislative intervention.’ This is now Dutch Reformed Churches Union Act Repeal Act 46 of 2008.
Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk is a Reformed Christian denomination in South Africa. It also has a presence in neighboring countries, such as Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe...
mission churches.
Main markers in the URCSA'S history
In 1652 the Dutch formed a halfway station at the CapeCape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and introduced slavery by whites.
Various foreign mission organisations started working in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, which led to the formation of a number of denominations amongst those people who otherwise would have been excluded from the main churches.
This process motivated the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk is a Reformed Christian denomination in South Africa. It also has a presence in neighboring countries, such as Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe...
(NGK) in South Africa to start its own independent mission work.
In 1857 the NGK synod decided to have separate services for coloured members.
A separate church, the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) was formed in 1881.
For blacks, the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA) was formed in 1951.
In 1974 the synod of the DRCA decided in favour of church unity. In 1978 the DRMC decided likewise.
In 1986 the Belhar Confession
Belhar Confession
The Belhar Confession is a Christian statement of belief originally written in Afrikaans in 1982. It was adopted as a confession of faith by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in South Africa in 1986....
- with its strong emphasis on unity, reconciliation and justice - was formulated and adopted by the DRMC.
In 1994 the DRMC and the DRCA united to form the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA).
Church's history and nature
The joy which marked the formal unification of the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA) and the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) in 1994 to form the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA), should be seen against the background of a very difficult road on which church unity often appeared as being an unattainable goal.Shortly after the Dutch formed a halfway station at the Cape in 1652, they introduced slavery. They started a school for slaves, with the purpose of transferring the Dutch language and culture. To encourage slaves to learn the Dutch language and prayers, they were rewarded with tobacco and brandy.
The Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
, as a matter of policy, had all their slaves baptised. The Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) of the time had no organised mission activity, with the result that the baptism of slaves were left to the wilfulness of their masters. Baptised slaves also did not necessarily become members of the church.
In 1737 Georg Schmidt from the Moravian Church came to Cape Town to work amongst the Khoikhoi
Khoikhoi
The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...
of the Overberg
Overberg
Overberg is a district in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the east...
. Pressurised by the Cape church, he was forced to leave for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
again after seven years. In the course of time various mission organisations from overseas started working in South Africa, which led to the formation of a number of denominations amongst those people who else would have been excluded from the church.
This process motivated the DRC to start its own independent mission work. This new development started at the church's first synod of 1824, when it decided to allow missionaries within its own ranks. This was clearly a move to get control over the way in which mission work would be done in years to follow. "The Afrikaner abhorred the liberal views of equality, freedom and the social integration of many missionaries (from the foreign mission societies)". Although at its 1829 synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
the DRC formally rejected discrimination on the basis of skin colour, it did not mean that in practice people of colour were not discriminated against, particularly at worship services and holy communion.
The DRC synod's decision of 1857 about separate services for coloured members "because of the weakness of some", has become notorious. The next logical step was the formation of a separate church. In 1881 representatives of five mission congregations assembled in Wellington near Cape Town for the first meeting of the DRMC. The DRC reserved the right to veto all decisions by this newly formed church. Also all its buildings had to be transferred on the DRC's name. The DRC decided to divide its mission work into a "home" and "foreign" mission. The first covered the Cape region, the second all the other provinces of South Africa, including Namibia. In each province separate churches for blacks and coloureds were formed. The Free State had its own mission church already in 1910.
In the Cape a separate "Dutch Reformed Bantu Church" was formed in 1951. All the coloured congregations eventually joined the DRMC, and the black congregations the DRCA. In 1974 the synod of the DRCA decided in favour of church unity. In 1978 the DRMC decided likewise.It took another 16 years for that ideal to be fulfilled. In the process, the Belhar Confession
Belhar Confession
The Belhar Confession is a Christian statement of belief originally written in Afrikaans in 1982. It was adopted as a confession of faith by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in South Africa in 1986....
with its strong emphasis on unity, reconciliation and justice was formulated and adopted in 1986. This is still very much the motivating power by which the URCSA today lives. The Uniting Reformed Church consists of more than 500,000 confessing members (excluding all those who are only baptised) and 683 congregations. Its name (which is in the continuous tense) and its logo (which is an incomplete circle) reflects the Church's emphasis on unity, and its hope for an even greater church unification within the family of God.
The Church is divided into seven regional synods, namely Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, Northern Transvaal
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
, Southern Transvaal, Phororo (Northern Cape), Cape, Kwazulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
, Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
and Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
. Each region has its own moderamen, and every congregation is represented at these synods. Congregations are grouped together in presbyteries. At the general synod level congregations are only represented through their presbyteries. The general synod determines the Church's policy, and the regional synods see to it that these policies are reflected in their various activities.
Achterbergh Declaration
2006-11-06/08, 127 representatives of the Reformed Church in Africa, The Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa and Nederduits Gereformeerde KerkNederduits Gereformeerde Kerk
The Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk is a Reformed Christian denomination in South Africa. It also has a presence in neighboring countries, such as Namibia, Swaziland, and parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe...
met at Achterbergh near Krugersdorp to discuss the reunification of the family of DRC churches and how this can be realized.
The Dutch Reformed Churches Union Act Repeal Bill [B69-2008] in the Parliament of South Africa
Parliament of South Africa
The Parliament of South Africa is South Africa's legislature and under the country's current Constitution is composed of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces....
has one of its objectives as to ‘remove obstacles in the unification process of the Verenigde Gereformeerde Kerk, Reformed Church of Africa and the Dutch Reformed Churches without legislative intervention.’ This is now Dutch Reformed Churches Union Act Repeal Act 46 of 2008.