SACLA Church Leaders Track

The church leadership track is currently addressing the ongoing action on two fronts.

From a macro perspective discussions are taking place about the possibility of a vision casting exercise. It is too premature to give more detail at this stage.

From a micro perspective links are being made with existing regional structures for them to consider how the three key issues that emerged at SACLA 11, Leadership, Unity and Youth, can be addressed at regional levels in the local context.

These initiatives are also at an early stage and will be reported on more fully as the process develops.

The Church Leadership Track is currently co-convened by Colin La Foy and Doug Howie.

Church Leaders

The theme of hope which undergirded Wednesday's discussions in the Church Leaders' Track elicited a number of realisations. Significantly, all of these were related to church unity. These included two main ideas.
(i) Because God is a Trinity and we are made in God's image, hope will always be found in community and mutuality.
(ii) Hope is given, not produced, and is found when the church works as one and speaks with one voice.

In this context of unity, the Church Leader's Track on Thursday began to write the new chapter of their famed 'story-wall'. This took place by shuffling themselves into new groups in order to create a list of good practices that would help church leaders to address current issues. These include the issues of reconciliation, church unity and networking, youth (the emergence of new leaders) and HIV/ AIDS.

After each of the groups had reported back on the new strategies that emerged during discussion, the track received an infusion of energy as those on the Youth Track 'toyi-toyied' into the hall to join their church leaders. Following a session of joint worship, the youth expressed their desire to be fully integrated into the church and to receive (in grace) responsibility from their leaders. Church leaders and young people then conversed with each other, each having to paraphrase the words of the other to ensure that there had been mutual understanding. There seemed to be a real recognition that, even as the leaders write the new chapter of the story-wall, this chapter belongs to the youth.

Church Leaders Move into a New Chapter
The Church Leader's track followed the theme of hope, which served as a continuation of the previous day. Day two was spent looking back at the past three decades from 1970 to 2000. Delegates were asked to relate their lives over that period of time and to think back on what was significant in terms of themselves, their church and their nation. As a result, a 20 metre story-wall was erected where people shared their lives with one another from that period.

On Day three, delegates were first asked to reflect on what was said in the plenary. This was followed by a very interesting case study of two previously opposing churches and how they have since been reconciled. They were the Anglican church and the Dutch Reformed church in Paarl. The Anglican church lost its property rights through the group Areas Act and the Dutch Reformed church bought the land. Then, on Freedom Day 2003, the Dutch Reformed church handed back the property to the original owners, the Anglican Church. "It was a very touching process that they went through," said track leader, Doug Howie. After lunch, the African Children's Choir performed for the delegates. "They themselves represent hope," added Howie. The church leaders were then asked the question, "what can we as churches do to create hope in South Africa?", which was discussed in their various groups. Once the question was answered, the delegates had to write on pieces of paper and paste them on the wall under the banner 'New Chapter - looking ahead'. “On Day two, we asked people to open their lives. This was a loose process, but today we are focusing on being more specific," concluded Howie.

Rebecca Swanepoel

The track sessions on Tuesday gave the church leaders an opportunity to listen to each other's stories in small groups representative of South Africa in terms of language, race, gender and province. A sense of community was created by relational sharing within the theme of repentance and, due to the intimacy and intensity of the process, the groups were encouraged to intersperse sharing with prayer.

Under sensitive facilitation, each group member was allowed to share their stories of the 1970s during the first session, while the latter sessions covered the period from the 1980s to the present. Summarising phrases of these stories were then written on separate pieces of paper which became 'bricks' of the greater story-wall. Some of the more compelling 'bricks' for the 70s read: "trusted no one" and "Soweto school pupils protest".

Common themes of repentance drawn out of the sharing process included the "complicity of silence" in the Church in the 1970s, as well as the fact that the armed struggle engendered a fatherless generation during this time. This had an impact on that generation's image of God. These two themes represent the rewarding connection of different people with each other, through story-telling.

Stephen Keggie

This track is set apart from the others as it is focused primarily on story-telling and listening, with no speakers at the track sessions.The organisers have recognised that those registering for the track (predominantly pastors, ministers and those in the ordained ministry) have very different needs from other groups of leaders. “We have deliberately avoided making the track a series of sermons or strategic planning sessions,” says track leader, Doug Howie. Instead, the delegates will be encouraged to tell the stories of their own nation, church and personal lives over the last few decades. The individual stories will be incorporated into a larger ‘story wall’ from which an overall story, God’s story, may be discerned.

Church Leadership track report -August 2004-08-06