The Church Finding and Playing Its Part

Mpho Moloele

The first missionaries to sail to Southern Africa came soon after the arrival of white settlers in the sixteenth century. Although some were from different churches, they became members of the Dutch Reformed Church. When Black Africans and inter racial ethnicities did the same white members pushed for racially segregated congregations. That resulted in the establishment of a separate Black and Coloured Churches.

Now what occurred to the Church being one body with different parts?

With a clear segregation within the Dutch Reformed Church, they later gave their blessing to the system of apartheid by giving a biblical justification claiming that it was God’s Will. Other church communities recognised the system as being wrong and sinful resulting in action to challenge them. Masses of people joined in anti apartheid movements preaching and acting reconciliation in hope of the abolishment of the inhumane system.

The “Church” also known as the whole body of Christian believers, played a significant role in the liberation of South Africa and to its first democratic national elections. With a slight role change of the Church in the democratic South Africa, new and old challenges need to be combated in partnership with society and the government for genuine transformation.

Looking at the Church and State, the relationship between the two parties is always better when both parties claim counter-responsibility for what becomes of the relationship. In the first few years of post apartheid SA, the relationship appeared to have been that of government saying: “Churches must be the moral conscience”.  Meaning that churches must help stop crime, the spreading of HIV infections, as well as become a conduit for development/welfare funding to communities.

” Agreements were signed by the Church and State to that extent. This saw the formation of bodies such as the Moral Regeneration Movement, National Interfaith Council of South Africa and National Religious Leaders for Social Development” says The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa (TEASA), General Secretary, Reverend Moss Ntlha. These were mainly matters that would make government look good.

It is unfortunate that increasingly the relationship became strained as churches wanted to broaden the moral compass of prophetic witness by addressing the sins of government such as corruption, arms deal and governance issues. The relationship soured to the point that government then changed strategy to create its own framework.

But that did not stop the Church from simply being itself. The Human Sciences Research Council’s recent study on social issues like the single parent headed households point to South Africa as having the least marriages statistics in sub Saharan Africa, family instability, high rate of crime and people with HIV. All of these points to the fact that weak family units set people and nations on a trajectory of poverty and social dysfunction. These issues are to a lesser or greater extent addressed by churches in their discipleship and outreach programs.

The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba has spoken out about issues affecting society in the media. He has been a vocal instrument in matters affecting the nation. Those issues being the protection of information bill, the killings in Marikana, and sometimes not affirming President Jacob Zuma’s statements. One can simply say he is the Desmond Tutu of the democratic state.

The Churches role is now drifting more to its mission agenda being to evangelise, plant churches and discipleship. While Christian organisations focus in community development and in the advocacy of moral issues.

The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa (TEASA) which serves as a platform for collaboration, mission and advocacy demonstrate biblical integrity in faith and practice. They stand on connecting, capacitating and communicating evangelical concerns to government and other publics. “We are committed to proclaiming the gospel in a wholistic manner addressing inequalities, reconciliation and justice concerns” said Reverend Moss Ntlha. TEASA became involved in opposing e-tolls in Gauteng. The organization has established Micah South Africa, an initiative to help churches to recover a pro poor agenda. Here evangelicals will tackle issues such as justice for the poor. Micah SA attempts to connect evangelical witness with the Millennium Development Goals, a prophetic agenda adopted by the United Nations in 2000.

During the Triennal Conference in February 2014, the South African Council of Churches called upon churches to proclaim the biblical message of resources being a gift from God. Seeking to address the inequalities and economic discrepancies in the country.

African Enterprise is an interdenominational organisation whose mission statement is to evangelise the Cities of Africa in Word and Deed in partnership with the Church. AE has been change agents in society especially with their young evangelists called the Foxfire Youth Team. They go into cross cultural communities nationwide with the mandate to set the youth ablaze for Christ. Their ministry is done through preaching the Gospel, sharing of their life stories, creative arts, facilitating life skills, leadership development programmes and peer to peer counselling. Although they go into prisons, hospitals, churches and market places, these youngsters visit schools more. “If those who decide policies for our schools decide to take God out of the system, then we are headed for immense destruction. This is why we as the Foxfires consider it a matter of utmost importance to reach our youth in schools” says Foxfire Youth Team Director, Julian Yon.

As two decades of a democratic South Africa has progressed, the Church as one body is standing up in addressing social ills and implementing sustainable initiatives to better society. With the strengthening of the relationship between the Church, the government and all South African citizens, socio economic factors can be a thing of the past, while having no guilt and enjoying the fruits of real transformation.