Unity at cross-roads : a Southern African missiological case study

Abstract

This thesis is a missiological case study on organic unity in the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA). The purpose of this study is to revisit the subject of unity within the UPCSA consisting of three countries, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia in the period 1999-2009 and to assess how far the denomination has progressed with unity since the merger between the former Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (RPCSA), predominantly black church and a white dominated Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (PCSA) in September 1999. The study observes that the union was based on what is now considered to be inadequate preparation and as a result many unresolved problems have emerged to test the witness of the denomination and to hamper the consolidation of the union. Hence despite ten years of organic union unity seems to be at cross-roads. In this connection, this case study will examine some key challenges inherent in already achieved structural unity in the UPCSA. For the purpose of this study the challenges which came under discussion centred around ministerial formation, differentiation in stipends of ministers and conflicts which have dogged the process of amalgamation of church associations in the UPCSA. It appears that these challenges are a consequence of organic union which was rooted on secular rather than theological foundations which were supposed to guide and inform the merger. The study argues that these challenges demonstrate that a struggle continues for a genuinely unified UPCSA and therefore it would be naive to assume that the denomination is not plagued with its own difficulties in achieving unity. This study will argue that although it is fundamental that the church of Christ must be united, the unresolved challenges which have been highlighted in this study are a litmus test for the UPCSA to wait and assess whether it has already achieved tangible unity. Furthermore, these challenges indicate that structural union was ongoing process, the historic moment which took place in 1999 with the union of the two denominations was merely the beginning of wrestling with some of these realities. The concluding chapter will bring the subject of unity within the UPCSA to closure by drawing reflections and evaluating the model of union which guided and informed the merger as an important lead to understanding the intricacies relating to the challenges already highlighted and the implications thereof.