The SACC

-WHAT IS THE SACC?

It is a facilitating body for a wide fellowship of churches committed to the
expression of witness of churches in the South-African context and debates.
It is the national ecumenical co-coordinator of inter church debate. The SACC
played a part in the struggle against apartheid. The SACC are even now playing
a part in the continual development and upliftment of the native and under
privileged South-Africans, in the new and fragile democracy.
The SACC represents the majority of Sa Christians and are situated in Khotso
house in Johannesburg.
The SACC and their aims are summarized in their mission statement.
"As a National Council of Churches and Institutions, the SACC, acting on behalf
of its member churches, is called by the Triune God to work for moral
reconstruction in South Africa, focussing on issues of justice, reconciliation, and
integrity of creation and the eradication of poverty and contributing towards the
empowerment of all who are spiritually, socially and economically marginalised."

In this assignment I will try and give a broad outline of the history of the SACC.

The South African Council of Churches

-A brief history of the events that led up to the formation of the SACC.
Since the SACC is an ecumenical organization, it’s only commonsense that it
had to start with many societies of different backgrounds. These were mostly
missionary societies that were stationed in South-Africa. There was a big
presence of mission societies in SA until then. Because of this presence they
inevitably crossed each others paths. This eventually caused such a menagerie
of different influences and denominations that it became a running joke in Europe
to say that in SA there are a representative of almost every country in Europe.
Such closed and close working environments lead to the eventual decision to
start a co-operative society.
In natal the first ecumenical co-operation was undertaken. Here the American
Board of Missions made the first move to contact the other societies. Their initial
purpose was just to straighten out what each others society’s responsibilities
were.
This process was indeed slow and painful. It took another twenty years to
establish a national organization. This was indeed the first ecumenical movement
in SA. This was the General Missionary Conference. The GMC.

In these early beginnings of the GMC it was mainly a meeting of white

missionaries about black indigenous people. Their aim was to strengthen the
bonds of mission as to then reach more natives. So it was their task to watch
over the interests of the native races and where necessary to influence
legislation on their behalf.
These were in the early non-legislature days of apartheid. In these early days
and in this environment of economical growth where gold and diamonds were
taken very seriously, the first signs of oppression began to surface.
Black townships and single sex hostels began to surface, giving rise to the idea
of native Africans to become a form of cheap labour.
The GMC became aware of this problem and began to take charge. David
Thomas quotes Rev. RH Dyke of the Paris evangelical mission, “Whether we will
it or not, and however much we may dislike the idea of being mixed up in what
may appear to be party politics, the purely social aspect of the Natives' case is so
prominent that we cannot escape the responsibility of taking our legitimate share
in the safe-guarding of the welfare of the people."
Because of the Land act of 1913 the GMC could no longer work side by side but
were now restricted to the designated areas of the townships. This made the
missionaries so much more outraged, because they themselves now lived side
by side with the natives in the townships. They also felt how it feels to be
oppressed.
In 1910 the Edinburgh conference was held, and a new movement of mission
followed. The international mission council came into existence.
In 1926 the GNC was succeeded by the Christian Council of Churches of SA.
The political situation had deteriorated much since 1913, and the ANC came into
play. They were seen as the moral and spiritual force behind the natives. By this
time the tensions even within the IMC was beginning to take its toll. They were so
busy trying to keep racism out of the IMC that they were busy forgetting to rebuild
the indigenous leadership.

In 1936 the CCSA was called into being at the Trinity Methodist Church in
Bloemfontein. It had an international parent organisation, the IMC. The Dutch
reformed church was part of this council, and this caused a bit of an uneasy
feeling among the delegates of the CCSA, especially with regards to the DRS`s
political standing.
In 19410 William Nicol took the DRC out of the CCSA and till today, some fifty
years later they are still not part of the CCSA.
The CCSA was however also slow in establishing indigenous churches and in
having more natives work on the CCSA board. They sometimes got so caught up
in their pursuit of speaking for the natives that they forgot to let the natives speak
for themselves.
By this time the DRC became the new governments’ new best friend. This meant
that the government didn’t like the CCSA so much.
In 1957 the infamous church clause came into effect and this brought even more
tension between the CCSA and the government.

Because of these tensions the ANC became stronger and this caused a call for
black involvement in the CCSA.

By this time there was an international outcry for a world council of churches.
This could then be an umbrella term for the main council of churches. The CCSA
was apart of this. The DRC was also part of the WCC but after Sharpeville they
withdrew because of political views. The shootings at Sharpeville and the
banning of both the ANC and the PAC were cause of the political unrest that had
an effect on the church. This was followed by the organisation of active
resistance to the apartheid Government, the Rivonia trial and the imprisonment
of Nelson Mandela and other political leaders. Harsh measures were being taken
against any resistance to Government policy. It may have succeeded in
quietening the public voice of opposition, but beneath the surface there was deep
discontent and anger ready to break out at any time.

The divisive plans of apartheid were now in full motion. The official names then
for black people, Bantu, laws were implemented one after the other. Group
areas, for instance, was strictly enforced. Whole societies were being moved
from traditional homes to new settlements and older black townships near many
towns were being relocated to new, and more out of the way, sites.

In 1962, after having been sidelined for a while by the WCC, the CCSA chose a
new secretary, Basil Brown. His successor, BB Burnett formed the SACC as it
stands today.

The SACC was politically more assertive and publicly protested the Apartheid
regime.

This then was the context into which the SACC was born: a heightening of
political tension throughout the country; the emergence of Black Consciousness;
the rigid enforcement of apartheid policy; and some members of the Church
community speaking out strongly against that same apartheid policy. These and
a history of a slow movement toward Church co-operation and the creation of
indigenous Church leadership. A slow movement but one that precipitated the
eventual formation of the South African Council of Churches.
What happened since 1962?
On 28 May 1968 on the 17th biennial meeting of the CCSA it was agreed that the
name of the Council should be changed to THE SOUTH AFRICAN COUNCIL OF
CHURCHES.”
This was the importance of the decision, to create a Council that belonged to the
Churches of South Africa. And since that day the story of the SACC has been a
story of indigenization and contextualization. The gospel remains the gospel, the
good news of salvation in Christ, but the way that gospel is expressed does
change according to times and situations. The story of the SACC is a story of
expressing the never changing gospel through the changing scene of South
Africa in an era of enforced apartheid and promised reform.

The Council has been at the centre of the development of local leadership and a
South African based understanding and exposition of the gospel.
Although the Chairman at the 1968 meeting was a black pastor, the Rev S.
Mokitimi of the Methodist Church, the vast majority of those present were white.
And one lone woman! A very different picture at recent National Conferences
where the vast majority are black and there are many women among the
delegates. This provides a much more representative picture of the South African
Church population.
Through the years the SACC has facilitated many theological statements and
made pronouncements in the name of the Church and the Church's Lord about
the state of the nation and the soul of the people.
In 1968 the message to the natives of SA was issued. It set a trend and tone of
message to place all that happened in South Africa under the judgement of the
word of God.
This message was the first of many. Most were published in co-operation with
other Church organisations. The SACC National Conference and Executive and
the SACC General Secretary also made statements on issues as they arose in
the society. In recent years the SACC, as well as making statements, has
facilitated Church Leader interventions into crisis situations during the period of
transition, challenging and assisting all who are engaged in the negotiations
toward a new society.
The prophets of old spoke "Thus said the Lord!" The SACC has tried to follow in
that tradition of prophetic ministry for the past twenty-five years.

The ministry of the SACC to the oppressed majority under apartheid is a

chronicle of godly service. The SACC became a channel of support and love to
the victims of apartheid, a conduit of the practical concern of the Christian
fellowship both local and international. Refugees, scholars needing bursaries,
families of those detained or imprisoned, the hungry, the displaced, and the
unjustly accused all received assistance through the years.
And now, in the days after the transition, the SACC emphasises development
projects to help a wounded society become whole and a deprived people
discover new dignity in creative ways. Practical assistance is also given to those
who suffer because of the severe drought and the continuing violence in our
land.

The SACC has suffered attack from many critics during the twenty-five years.
Some has been verbal, with government and others using the mass media as a
means of attack and others using the phones for verbal abuse and meetings for
heckling. Some has been physical with police raids and detention, attacks and
gun threats from other members of the public. The most violent event was the
destruction by bomb of the SACC headquarters, Khotso House, in August 1988.
In 1983 the government instituted the Eloff Commission to examine the work and
witness of the Council. The aim of silencing and being able to find legal cause to
close the SACC failed utterly.
The sadness is that you can reason in a Commission to show the justness of
your position, but you cannot reason with those who believe they and they alone
are right and the word of God is their property.
One of the departments of the SACC that is basic to the work, even if heard of so
little in the media is the Department of Faith and Mission The faith lies behind
and is intertwined with and ahead of all that is done by the SACC.

So the main aim of the SACC is to unite and try to help previously disadvantaged
persons. They also try to give a theologically more sound reasoning to the church
in SA.

HERE FOLLOWS A SMALL INSERT ON WHAT THE SACC MEANS TO THE

PEOPLE IN SA.
Poverty Eradication:
Illiteracy, unemployment and hunger are the outward manifestations of
widespread poverty in many parts of South Africa. The SACC promotes
community independence by developing programmes that meet the daily needs
of low-income families and stress leadership development.
Proclaiming Reconciliation:
South Africa is plagued by a history of alienation, which is manifested in
economic, gender, and race, ethnic, religious and political differences. This
ministry seeks to create a climate of acceptance and tolerance, truth, justice and
forgiveness throughout the nation.
Ensuring Justice:
Churches can have a greater impact when they work with other concerned
groups on social and civil rights issues such as human rights and world hunger.
This ministry facilitates this cooperation, which helps to educate local churches in
issues of peace, justice, democracy, human rights and economic policy.
Health:
In this ministry, the Council has targeted the scourge of HIV/AIDS as the most
critical component. All SACC's constituencies are encouraged to incorporate
HIV/AIDS Education in their activities. They are also encouraged to develop a
culture of acceptance and caring for people living with the virus. The church-
based women's organizations have increased their involvement in caring for
those dying of AIDS through hospice and home-based care.
Emergency & Relief:
With economic and political problems overwhelming many neighbouring African
countries, South Africa is receiving many refugees. The Council is often able to
come to the aid of these uprooted individuals and families--including victims of
disaster-- more rapidly than the government. There is only one full-time staff
member at the National Office who works directly with volunteers throughout the
country. This ministry helps people cope with trauma, find temporary shelter,
treatment for injuries, and also cares for the emotional needs of victims caught in
disaster.
Public Policy Liaison:
Located close to the national Parliament in Cape Town, the Public Policy Liaison
office demonstrates the SACC's commitment to strengthening the voices of poor
and marginalised groups in the public policy-making process. The office monitors
legislation and government policy, engages in advocacy around issues of
concern to the church, informs church bodies about current policy debates,
conducts advocacy training workshops, and offers pastoral support to members
of parliament.
LIST OF REFERENCES
Hofmeyer JW 2002. A history of Christianity in SA.HAUM Tertiary

Pillay GJ, Hofmeyer JW 2003. Perspectives on Church history. HAUM tertiary

www.sacc.org.za
Im not entirely sure of the internet addres, but I found it by putting in the search
engine, a search for “South-African council of Churches”
 Marna Venter
KGS 452
Ecumenism: An ouline of the history
of the SACC

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