‘Christ, the Head of the Church?’ : authority, leadership and organisational structure within the Nkhoma Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian
Date
2012-03
Authors
Zeze, Willie Samuel Dalitso
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation has as its title: ‘Christ, the Head of the Church’: Authority, Leadership and
Organisational Structure within the Nkhoma Synod of the Church of Central Africa,
Presbyterian. This study affirms the statement that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, noting
that this statement of faith entails various assumptions: First, the church has only one Head,
that is, Jesus Christ. Secondly, only Jesus Christ must be exalted and have the pre-eminence
in the church. Thirdly, this prohibits anyone or any governing assembly to lord it over another
one or exercise authority other than the authority from Jesus Christ. Fourthly, Christ is more
than the head of the department or the head of any organization in whose absence the church
would still be able to function.
In line with these points, in this study the thought of Christ being the Head of the
church or the confession of the headship of Christ over the church refers to His leadership,
highest authority, and position of superiority and sovereignty. There are many references to
the concept of the Headship of Christ in the Bible, confessions of faith, catechisms, and
church orders. In light hereof, the question is asked whether the affirmation of the Headship
of Christ has found sufficient form in the church polity discourse and practice of the CCAP -
Nkhoma Synod. The answer to this question requires an ecclesiological study including the
critical examination and evaluation of the Church’s Confessions, Catechism, Church Order,
Constitution, Newsletter, and Minutes of its official meetings. Given this, the dissertation is
structured as follows:
Chapter 1: The topic and title are introduced, then the research questions and
hypothesis. At the heart of this chapter is the question of the understanding of the Nkhoma
Synod of Christ’s rule through office-bearers, whereas it omits in its Church Order that Christ
exercises his reign and dominion through his Word and Spirit. In the discourse on the
Church’s polity this discrepancy has resulted in a tendency of identifying the power and
authority of office-bearers with that of Christ. Consequently, the office-bearers can easily
claim to have unchallengeable possession of Christ’s power and authority. As a result the
authority of Christ’s direct rule through His Word and Spirit is excluded and transferred to the
office-bearers who constitute or represent the highest ecclesiastical authority.
Chapter 2: The social-political, economical, religious, and ecclesiastical contexts are
described, in which the Nkhoma Synod has found itself. Although church polity and church
government are subject to what God has revealed in his Word, which is systematically summarized in the confessions, we conclude that in the Nkhoma Synod church polity and
church government are sometimes dictated by the existing social-political, economic,
religious, and ecclesiastical milieus.
Chapter 3: Definitions of ‘Reformed church polity’ and ‘church government,’ are
offered and then the distinctiveness of Reformed church government is described together
with some suggestions for present-day Reformed church polity.
Chapter 4: This chapter studies the Church policy sources of the Nkhoma Synod, i.e.
the Belgic Confessions of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dordt. The
question is asked whether the Nkhoma Synod used these documents as sources from which it
developed its church polity.
Chapter 5: This chapter focuses on the sources for the practice of Church
government in the Nkhoma Synod. Special attention will be given to the concept of the
headship of Christ and how the Church’s understanding of this notion impacted on its church
polity discourse.
Chapter 6: Some important church-political developments within the Nkhoma
Synod from 1889 to 2007 are discussed, focusing on issues of authority, leadership, and
organizational structure. The question is discussed whether and how the concept of the
headship of Christ described in the Zolamulira negatively influenced the Church’s practice of
church government.
Chapter 7 draws conclusions from the rest of the chapters. A call is made for a
critical-theological examination and evaluation of the church polity discourse and practice of
the Nkhoma Synod in the light of remarks made on the preamble of the Zolamulira, as well
as in the light of the ideas of John Calvin, the Reformed Symbols of Unity, and other
important sources from the Reformed tradition.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming
Description
Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
Keywords
Dissertations -- Systematic Theology, Theses -- Systematic Theology, Church of Central Africa, Presbyterian -- Nkhoma Synod -- History, Jesus Christ -- Leadership