Covenanting For The Reunification Of The Family

15 Januarie 2008 0 Comments

COVENANTING FOR THE REUNIFICATION OF THE FAMILY OF DR CHURCHES

The General Synodical Commission of the URCSA and the Moderamen of the General Synod of the DRC (extended Executive Committees) met the past three days to discuss the reunification process of the family of Dutch Reformed Churches. It was an historical gathering – the first time that such a representative group of the leadership of the two churches met together.

In the meeting we soon became aware of a new spirit of reconciliation and togetherness and a willingness to reach out to one another. We have experienced that all of us are humbler, more willing to listen to one another and to assist one another on the road to reunification. We also sensed a new urgency that we could no longer delay reunification.

In the opening session the DRC leadership apologised once more for the pain and hurt that they had caused the URCSA and its members in the past. This confession was movingly accepted by the URCSA leadership, an act that set the tone for the whole meeting. On the final day the URCSA leadership apologised in turn for the pain that the URCSA had caused the DRC. This experience of humility and heartfelt reconciliation was sealed in a celebration of the Lord’s Supper at the end of the meeting.

We are deeply grateful to the Lord for this new spirit among us. We know that this comes from God.

At the end of the meeting we as leadership group unanimously committed ourselves to guide our churches resolutely in the process of reunification – in agreement with the wish expressed by our churches on numerous occasions. It is our intention that this process will be completed within three years.

We use the term “covenanting” with hesitance – in the knowledge that “covenant” in Scripture is a key and loaded word. We use this term because we want to bring ourselves and the reunification process under the authority of the word of God and the will of Christ. We covenant together, not from our own will or under pressure from social and political processes, but because we believe that the Lord, who graciously committed himself to us, requires this of us.

We envisage a new organically united reformed church, organized according to synodical-presbyterial principles, which lives missionally and is committed to the biblical demands of love, reconciliation, justice and peace. At the same time we are committed to non-racialism, inclusiveness and the acceptance and celebration of our multicultural composition. The different languages in our churches will be treasured.

From within our common faith in the triune God we commit ourselves anew to Africa, the continent where the Lord has placed us, and particularly to Southern Africa. We wish to take up this calling together to make a difference to the life-threatening problems facing our countries. In the process of spreading the gospel, we covenant to work together in concrete ways to:

∙ combat poverty

∙ give assistance and support to the vulnerable and the sick (e.g. HIV and AIDS sufferers)

∙ follow and promote the moral values of Scripture

∙ promote justice for all

∙ achieve reconciliation, which is more than mere tolerance of one another

∙ oppose violence of all kinds in our society.

In the spirit of reconciliation and helping another on the way the GSC of URCSA declared that the handling of the Belhar Confession should not be a stumbling block in the process of reunification. Their full decision reads:

We accept the challenge to become one united church in three years time. In this regard the Confession of Belhar shall not function as a precondition for unity. Instead the message of Belhar shall continue to be the inspiration and guide of both the process towards and the formation of the new church. In accordance with the decisions of both churches the Confession of Belhar shall function as a confession in the new church and we shall work together to help the church as a whole grow towards its complete acceptance. We shall take this decision for full ratification to our next synod.

In their response to this initiative of the GSC of URCSA the DRC leadership expressed their deep appreciation and gratitude for this bold move and assured URCSA of their deep and firm commitment to the biblical imperatives of unity, justice and reconciliation, the three main themes of the Belhar Confession. The leadership expressed the opinion that this statement brings the positions of the two churches on Belhar virtually in line with one another.

In the process of reunification our churches covenant together to actively engage in:

∙ establishing combined/uniting ministries at the local level, where congregations are willing and ready for this;

∙ creating provisional structures of unity between congregations, presbyteries and synods that are ready for this;

∙ launching joint projects through which we express our common calling, as set out above;

∙ creating opportunities for our members to get to know each other better, to listen to each other’s fears and dreams, to discuss our differences, and to overcome prejudice;

∙ give urgent attention to the court cases in the Free State, Phororo and elsewhere and to do our utmost to reconcile the groups outside of court by way of a structured reconciliation process;

∙ to develop acceptable ways of dealing with issues related to the confessional basis, church order and administration of the new church;

∙ to work out a proper process that will inform congregations and members on the unity process and all its implications, and give them opportunities to respond to it;

The leadership commit themselves to meet regularly, to make joint decisions as far as possible, and to act together – as a concrete expression and symbol of our commitment to one another and to the reunification process.

This covenanting has grown out of bilateral meetings between the URCSA and DRC leadership. We wish and pray that the other two churches of the DRC family will become part of the reunification process as soon as possible. The family will not be complete without their presence. They will be contacted as soon as possible.

We also express the hope that our reunification will be a step towards the formation of an inclusive and united reformed-presbyterian church in Southern Africa.