Reviewing GKSA worldview from mission-diverted to mission-oriented history biblically

Abstract

This article reflects the mission history of the Reformed Church in South Africa (RCSA or GKSA) from mission-diverted to mission-oriented worldview biblically, with a special reference to Genesis 11:1–9 and Acts 2:1–13. The first and current readers of the mentioned text were and are still urged to see their God-given mission to fill the earth by multiplying the faith community not by dividing (or isolating) it. The mission field might be either rural or local (homogeneity) and urban or global (multi-cultural). This article came to the realisation that faith (not culture) is and should always help in determining and identifying the faith community. The main question is: What are the historical lessons drawn from the missional strategy of the RCSA, where the Reformed Church was basically rural in outlook, while their context of operation is quickly becoming urban? This article is set to discuss three aspects: firstly, the RCSA worldview; secondly, Genesis 11:1–9 and Acts 2:1–13 and related biblical texts that shed light on the RCSA worldview; and lastly, the historical lessons drawn from the RCSA missional strategy.

Contribution: This article adds value (a voice) to the debate on the present and future of RCSA’s missional worldview and strategy when the villages, towns and cities are still posing inevitable socio-economic and political challenges and opportunities for the church planting and growth to God’s glory. It became clear that multiplication of missional strategy in the multi-cultural context of South Africa and beyond is still a relevant missional mandate in light of Genesis 11:1–9 and Acts 2:1–13 – even today.