| University of Stellenbosch THE DEVELOPMENT IN SELF-UNDERSTANDING OF THE CCAP NKHOMA SYNOD DURING THE FIRST FORTY YEARS OF AUTONOMY: AN ECCLESIOLOGICAL STUDY WALTER LAWRENCE BROWN Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Theology At the University of Stellenbosch Promoter: Professor Pieter Coertzen Co-Promoter: Professor C. Martin Pauw December 2004 |
| ABSTRACT The purpose of this dissertation is to trace the development of Malawi�s Nkhoma Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) from a mission church in 1962 to a mature church today. In so doing, it asks, �How has Nkhoma Synod developed its self-understanding of being a church?� It will study how the congregations and the presbyteries interact with the central synodical administration. It will take representative components and show the major events of their lives, and how these in turn contributed to the development of the synod as a whole. It will show how the educational programmes of the church made an essential addition to the synod�s concept of being a church. This portion of the study reveals that the society of Malawi�s Central Region was impacted. The study also shows how a changing political structure drastically impacted upon the educational role of the Synod. The departments of medicine and relief and development act together to give the necessary attention to the physical needs of Nkhoma Synod�s people. The now well-known scourge of AIDS receives an explanation as to how and why it has such a devastating effect upon the life of the Synod. Evangelism, in its various forms, is also described in detail, as it seeks to meet the most profound spiritual needs of humanity. The chapter on missions, focusing as it does upon the war-torn neighbouring country of Mozambique, shows how the Synod is carrying forward the same process that gave it birth at the end of the nineteenth century. The chapter on literature and printing renders an important story. Here we see a people who receive the Bible in their own language, and it shapes the direction that that language takes � much the same way that the Luther Bible shaped German and the King James Bible shaped English. Begun during the days of the Dutch Reformed Church Mission, these departments expanded, and sometimes contracted, but at all times continued to give their indelible impressions upon the life of the synod. Relations with the government, with other synods of the CCAP, and with other denominations will also offer important insights into the heart of the synod. This study shows how these relations changed over times. The chapter on personnel matters will show the human dimension of the story. Here there are two principle perspectives � one South African, the other Malawian. The chapter on Nkhoma Synod�s spiritual journey uncovers a fascinating look at a Christian body struggling to come to grips with traditional culture. The chapter on finances and how the DRC involved itself with these matters also gives an important aspect of how a former mission church achieves maturity. The development of a new constitution and the evolving relationships with sister synods and with other denomination warrant an extensive discussion. These developments do much to show how far the Synod has come from being merely a mission church. Finally, in the conclusion we shall see how and why a �younger� church stands confidently as a full equal and a partner with an �older� one. |