1. Concerning our cities
We note with concern both the fact and the effects of rapid urbanization in South Africa, while at the same time recognizing it as a tremendous challenge and calling for our churches to respond with the truth and compassion of Christ.
We note with concern both the fact and the effects of rapid urbanization in South Africa, while at the same time recognizing it as a tremendous challenge and calling for our churches to respond with the truth and compassion of Christ.
We note with concern the coexistence of great extremes of wealth and poverty in our country, especially in our cities, as well as the general lack of concern for this situation among many of our people.
We note with concern the deprivation and lack of shalom suffered by many people in the inner cities, townships and informal settlements, especially the crippling effects of poverty and HIV/AIDS.
We note with great concern the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on marriage and family life in particular, especially as a result of stigmatization, rejection and discrimination.
We note with equal concern the destructive effects of wealth and comfort on the non-poor, who often lose their humanity by a life full of things but empty of meaning and Gods’s shalom.
We affirm the need to pay special attention to vulnerable women and children in our cities – including women (and increasingly young men) involved in prostitution, street children and orphans.
We confess the continuing presence of racism and prejudice in our urban communities, including our faith communities.
2. Concerning our churches
We understand the local church to be of prime importance in all missions, and especially in urban missions.
We confess that, due to our isolation during the preceding decades, the influence of the ideology of apartheid and our own brokenness in sin, our understanding and practical expression of reformed faith and life became deformed. We therefore commit to retracing and reclaiming the inherently missionary character of the faith we profess.
We understand our local churches to be witnessing covenant communities (Ex 19:4-6; Isa 43:10-13; 1 Pet 2:9-10), the new creation of God, indwelled by the Word and Spirit of Christ, bearing in our own communal life the presence of the kingdom as a sign of and witness to the redemptive purposes of God in Christ.
We believe that we are empowered for this calling by the Holy Spirit as missionary Spirit of God, who witnesses to Christ and his truth (Jn 15:26-27) and convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement (Jn 16:8). The person and work of the Holy Spirit is central to our faith and fundamental to our missionary work. We therefore commit to seeking only those strategies and methods that consciously follow behind the sovereign Spirit of God, who is also the Spirit of Christ.
As churches of Christ, we gratefully acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the King of kings, has called us to be his ambassadors in this world, and that the credentials we present to the world are the words of our mouths, the work of our hands and the compassion we show to those in need.
We believe that, as the body of Christ, we participate in his incarnational fellowship with all people, especially those on the fringes of society, and that the church as faith community is the vehicle of Christ’s real, personal and redemptive presence in the midst of mankind.
As the body of Christ, we are therefore called to clothe ourselves with compassion (Col 3:12) in a holistic ministry of word and deed, working towards the transformation of all aspects of life according to God’s original purposes for creation. We are called to seek his shalom for all of mankind, based on principles of compassionate care and healing, justice, stewardship, servant leadership and the dignity of man as image-bearer of God, among others.
We regard the social marginalization and disempowerment of our white churches during the last decade as sad, but not as a disaster. Rather, we regard their new situation as a unique and gracious opportunity to become the humble servants in God’s world they have been called to be.
As churches of Christ, we do not lay claim to power and high status, but participate in the apparent powerlessness of the crucified Christ, standing with the weak and powerless, being a companion to the lonely and a guide to the lost, speaking out on behalf of those whose voice is not heard and seeking justice for those who are wronged.
3. Concerning our urban calling
We understand poverty to be fundamentally relational – a lack, not in the first place of material resources, but of God’s shalom in the five basic relationships of man: with God, with ourselves, with our communities, with others (those outside of our communities) and with our environment. This implies:
We commit to the compassionate proclamation of the comprehensive gospel of Jesus Christ, the King of kings.
We commit to serious and prayerful research of all aspects of urban mission, in order to identify possibilities for kingdom service and transformational ministry. For this we submit to the Lordship of Christ and the guidance of his sovereign Spirit, who leads us through his Word.
We commit to seeking out possibilities for redemptive intervention in our urban communities, in order to bring about kingdom-directed transformation and islands of shalom in the midst of our broken world.
Amidst the devastation wrought by AIDS, we affirm the necessity of a theology of hope and accompaniment, which we understand to be
We affirm the importance of developing a strong civil society for the sake of transformation of our urban communities, especially in areas where central and local government structures fail to provide in the needs of people.
We accept our own limitations, both in terms of resources and our own imperfection and brokenness, and therefore affirm the value of appropriate partnerships with others involved in the transformation of urban communities, including other churches, NGO’s and structures of civil society.
We commit to continued reformation of churches in non-poor communities, in order to develop a kingdom centered lifestyle of responsible stewardship and compassionate sharing with the poor.
We affirm the importance of Christian education, informed by a comprehensive biblical worldview, for the long-term transformation of our urban communities.
We confess that even the best we can achieve in the name of Christ will still be weak, incomplete, filled with sin and sharing in the very brokenness we set out to overcome and heal. Therefore, we commit everything we do to the grace of Christ who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. To Him be the glory!
We note with concern the deprivation and lack of shalom suffered by many people in the inner cities, townships and informal settlements, especially the crippling effects of poverty and HIV/AIDS.
We note with great concern the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on marriage and family life in particular, especially as a result of stigmatization, rejection and discrimination.
We note with equal concern the destructive effects of wealth and comfort on the non-poor, who often lose their humanity by a life full of things but empty of meaning and Gods’s shalom.
We affirm the need to pay special attention to vulnerable women and children in our cities – including women (and increasingly young men) involved in prostitution, street children and orphans.
We confess the continuing presence of racism and prejudice in our urban communities, including our faith communities.
2. Concerning our churches
We understand the local church to be of prime importance in all missions, and especially in urban missions.
We confess that, due to our isolation during the preceding decades, the influence of the ideology of apartheid and our own brokenness in sin, our understanding and practical expression of reformed faith and life became deformed. We therefore commit to retracing and reclaiming the inherently missionary character of the faith we profess.
We understand our local churches to be witnessing covenant communities (Ex 19:4-6; Isa 43:10-13; 1 Pet 2:9-10), the new creation of God, indwelled by the Word and Spirit of Christ, bearing in our own communal life the presence of the kingdom as a sign of and witness to the redemptive purposes of God in Christ.
We believe that we are empowered for this calling by the Holy Spirit as missionary Spirit of God, who witnesses to Christ and his truth (Jn 15:26-27) and convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement (Jn 16:8). The person and work of the Holy Spirit is central to our faith and fundamental to our missionary work. We therefore commit to seeking only those strategies and methods that consciously follow behind the sovereign Spirit of God, who is also the Spirit of Christ.
As churches of Christ, we gratefully acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the King of kings, has called us to be his ambassadors in this world, and that the credentials we present to the world are the words of our mouths, the work of our hands and the compassion we show to those in need.
We believe that, as the body of Christ, we participate in his incarnational fellowship with all people, especially those on the fringes of society, and that the church as faith community is the vehicle of Christ’s real, personal and redemptive presence in the midst of mankind.
As the body of Christ, we are therefore called to clothe ourselves with compassion (Col 3:12) in a holistic ministry of word and deed, working towards the transformation of all aspects of life according to God’s original purposes for creation. We are called to seek his shalom for all of mankind, based on principles of compassionate care and healing, justice, stewardship, servant leadership and the dignity of man as image-bearer of God, among others.
We regard the social marginalization and disempowerment of our white churches during the last decade as sad, but not as a disaster. Rather, we regard their new situation as a unique and gracious opportunity to become the humble servants in God’s world they have been called to be.
As churches of Christ, we do not lay claim to power and high status, but participate in the apparent powerlessness of the crucified Christ, standing with the weak and powerless, being a companion to the lonely and a guide to the lost, speaking out on behalf of those whose voice is not heard and seeking justice for those who are wronged.
3. Concerning our urban calling
We understand poverty to be fundamentally relational – a lack, not in the first place of material resources, but of God’s shalom in the five basic relationships of man: with God, with ourselves, with our communities, with others (those outside of our communities) and with our environment. This implies:
- that sin is foundational to all the needs of people and
- that the non-poor can also be poor in this sense.
We commit to the compassionate proclamation of the comprehensive gospel of Jesus Christ, the King of kings.
We commit to serious and prayerful research of all aspects of urban mission, in order to identify possibilities for kingdom service and transformational ministry. For this we submit to the Lordship of Christ and the guidance of his sovereign Spirit, who leads us through his Word.
We commit to seeking out possibilities for redemptive intervention in our urban communities, in order to bring about kingdom-directed transformation and islands of shalom in the midst of our broken world.
Amidst the devastation wrought by AIDS, we affirm the necessity of a theology of hope and accompaniment, which we understand to be
- an affirmation of life for God’s people (both now, in this world, and in the world to come) in the midst of suffering and death, based on the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, and
- an accompaniment of people living with AIDS on their journey of pain and suffering, based on Christ’s self-emptying and compassionate ministry on earth.
We affirm the importance of developing a strong civil society for the sake of transformation of our urban communities, especially in areas where central and local government structures fail to provide in the needs of people.
We accept our own limitations, both in terms of resources and our own imperfection and brokenness, and therefore affirm the value of appropriate partnerships with others involved in the transformation of urban communities, including other churches, NGO’s and structures of civil society.
We commit to continued reformation of churches in non-poor communities, in order to develop a kingdom centered lifestyle of responsible stewardship and compassionate sharing with the poor.
We affirm the importance of Christian education, informed by a comprehensive biblical worldview, for the long-term transformation of our urban communities.
We confess that even the best we can achieve in the name of Christ will still be weak, incomplete, filled with sin and sharing in the very brokenness we set out to overcome and heal. Therefore, we commit everything we do to the grace of Christ who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. To Him be the glory!
RSS Feed
