March 10, 2009

Senior leaders of the Reformed church movement, while lamenting the painful difficulties that have stalled unity talks among four Reformed churches in South Africa, hold out hope for reunification to become a reality.

A nine-member delegation headed by WARC's president, Clifton Kirkpatrick, had been invited to mediate the discussions between two of the four South African Reformed churches engaged in a process of Reformed reunification.

In a statement released after the discussions with the two churches – the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) and the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) -the WARC delegation said, "We lament the apparent breaking of once shining hopes. Nevertheless, we do not lose heart." The other two churches involved in the unity process are the Reformed Church in Africa (RCA) and the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa (DRCA).

Commenting on the discussions Kirkpatrick said, "While we deeply regret the difficulties in the church unity talks among churches in the Reformed family in South Africa, we give thanks to God that the leaders of both the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa and the Dutch Reformed Church share a common passion for the unity of Reformed Christians and for restorative justice in South Africa. Our conversations together last week moved us all closer to the goals of unity and justice. WARC has a long and continuing commitment to a post apartheid church and society in South Africa and we believe these agreements are a positive step in that direction."

WARC has been closely involved in the affairs of the Reformed churches of South Africa with respect to apartheid since 1964. In 1982, apartheid was declared a sin and its theological justification a heresy by WARC's 22nd General Council in Ottawa, Canada.

As a way forward, the delegation is urging the churches involved in the impasse to engage in a serious study of the Belhar Confession. Noting that the content of the Confession has been recognized by both churches as Biblical and that the problems with receiving it have to do with history, the delegation suggests that the study address questions of historical context and offers the services of WARC to convene a meeting to initiate the study process and to provide resources on the Confession from other churches. The full statement from the WARC delegation on the URCSA-DRC discussions is attached.

While in South Africa, the delegation also held meetings with leaders of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa (NRCA), still under suspension in WARC, as part of evaluating their readiness for re-admission. The church had prepared a document to indicate the NRCA's stance in relation to what it would take to become a member of WARC again. The delegation found the church's document reflects the divided feelings of member of the NRCA. It also came to the conclusion that while there are many who have made tremendous efforts to overcome the legacies of apartheid, the church has yet to demonstrate that it is ready for admission.

In commenting on the meeting with the NRCA, Nyomi said, "We appreciate the efforts that have been made so far and the real division of opinions and sentiments in the church on this issue but had to come to the conclusion that the proposed formulation did not go far enough."

"As Christians when we recognize something as sin, we are called to confession," says Nyomi. "So evidence that the church indeed has rejected apartheid will be stronger if guilt of the complicity in it is also confessed. This is more a matter of integrity of relationship with God rather than fulfilling the letter of conditions required by WARC."

World Alliance of Reformed Churches