The formation and ethos of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, 1967-1992
Master Thesis
1998
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
The commission to do post-graduate studies in Congregational Church history came from the Assembly of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa since the Church was in need of a church historian. The title and contents for this dissertation thus had to be a result of research done in the history of the UCCSA. The questions which came to mind when we chose the topic and which we are attempting to answer, are: How did the UCCSA come into being? What was the ethos of the UCCSA during the first twenty-five years of its existence? What role did Joseph Wing, the first general secretary play in the formation and ethos of the UCCSA? and What can be learnt from the history of the first twenty-five years of the UCCSA? Chapter 1 deals with th e formation of the UCCSA in 1967, but traces the history of Congregationalism back to its roots in England during the Reformation. The latter was necessary to show the links between early Congregationalism and the UCCSA which were very influential in the formation of the UCCSA and the shaping of its ethos during the period under review. Research on early Congregationalism, the LMS and ABM was done from secondary source material, but CUSA was also researched from primary sources, notably year books containing the minutes and reports of assemblies. Chapter 2, researched entirely from primary source material, deals with the ethos of the Church up to 1992. The habitual character of the UCCSA would most clearly be revealed in the decisions taken by its courts and the efforts made to implement such decisions. The intention in this chapter was to let the assembly minutes and reports speak with a minimum of critical comment, since this would be done more fully in the final chapter of the dissertation. The approach, then, was to document the historical events without too much interpretation and evaluative comment. The events are documented in a thematic way, rather than chronologically, since the former method is more suited to the purpose of the thesis. In Chapter 3 we look more closely at the role played by Joseph Wing, the first general secretary of the UCCSA in the formation of the Church and the shaping of its ethos. From documents studied it became apparent that he had played a very significant (if not the most significant) role in the uniting of the Church and the shaping of its ethos during the period under review. Most of the research for this chapter was done from primary source material located at the Kuruman Moffatt Mission where Wing spent the last days of his life. These documents included personal letters, sermons and talks, some of which were handwritten. The material is presented in such a way as to show the motivating forces behind Wing's strong belief and active involvement in church unity and social justice issues, the two issues which dominated the ethos of the UCCSA during the period under review. A critical evaluation of the formation and ethos of the UCCSA is done in Chapter 4. The formation is looked at from the decision of the uniting bodies to become a Church rather than a union of churches and how that decision influenced the ethos and witness of the UCCSA during the first twenty-five years. Though it is not specifically mentioned, an attempt has been made to also show the influence of early Congregationalism in the formation and ethos of the UCCSA, thus trying to link the first and fi n al chapters of the dissertation. The role played by Joseph Wing is also evaluated.
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Bibliography: leaves 166-174.
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Reference:
De Villiers, P. 1998. The formation and ethos of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, 1967-1992. University of Cape Town.