The Church Unity Commission : South African ecumenical perspectives on ministry (1968-1983)

Abstract

The Church Unity Commission (CUC) was established in 1968 by a group of mainline English-speaking churches and two black churches in order to participate in the search for union. They were the Church of the Province of Southern Africa the United Congregational Church of South Africa, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, the Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa and the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. These CUC churches have long since given up the prime goal of full organic unity. One constant difficulty, related to the polity issue of ministry, has overshadowed attempts at union. Five denominations had a conciliar system, while the other was episcopal. One of the five has subsequently adopted episcopacy. Despite this, significant advances have been made in attitudes towards ministry in recent years. The purpose of this article is to investigate the role of denominational differences in ministry practice during the first 15 years of the CUC’s existence, discuss how these have shaped current practice and assess how they can determine future developments.