Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1970. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Robert A. Dentler. Dissertation Committee: C. Ellis Nelson, Philip H. Phenix, . Includes bibliographical references.

AFRIKAANS: As oudste kerk in Suid-Afrika is die Ned Geref Kerk in haar moeisame pad van kerkregtelike ontwikkeling andermaal gestrem toe ´n hofuitspraak tydens die Sinode van 1862 aanleiding gegee het tot die totstandkoming van afsonderlike sinodes. Hierdie ongelukkige gebeurtenis het lidmate diep teleurgestel maar terselfdertyd aangespoor om nie te rus voordat die breuk weer herstel is nie. Met die oog hierop is die Raad van Kerke gestig en sou hierdie raad op sy talle vergaderings onvermoeid ywer om die kerk weer te verenig. Intussen het ´n jong boorling van die geharde Stormberge in die Oos-Kaap, Jacobus Daniël Vorster, in 1935 predikant geword in die Ned Geref Kerk Tafelberg. Hy was lief vir die vak kerkreg en het ook daarin ´n M Div verwerf met die titel: “Kerk en Kerkregering van die Voortrekkers” terwyl sy Th D-proefskrif gehandel het oor: “Die Kerkregtelike Ontwikkeling van die Kaapse Kerk onder die Kompanjie 1652 tot 1795" As jong predikant moes Koot Vorster talle operasies ondergaan en daar is dikwels gevrees vir sy lewe, maar hy was bestem vir groter dinge want as Gereformeerde kerkregkundige sou hy algaande in statuur groei tot een van die grootste en kleurrykste kerkleiers wat die kerkverband nog opgelewer het. Hy dien vir dekades as skriba van die Ring van Kaapstad en as aktuarius van die Kaapse Kerk, maar waarvoor hy altyd onthou sal word is sy bydrae tot die totstandkoming van die Algemene Sinode in 1962. Na die Algemene Sinode het Vorster sy diepe insig in die Gereformeerde Kerkreg verder geopenbaar in die talle publikasies, artikels, adviese en optredes in sinodale vergaderings. Hy was meester van sy vak. Hy het telkens sy vermoë om duidelik te onderskei tussen die beginsels van die verskillende Kerkregstelsels getoon deur die Kerk en vergaderings terug te lei na die Gereformeerde kerkregtelike beginsels. So het hy ´n groot bydrae gelewer om die Ned Geref Kerk op die Gereformeerde spoor te hou of soms selfs te bring. Met sy agtergrond, sy akademiese onderlegdheid, sy deeglikheid en sterk standpuntinname rondom belangrike kerkregtelike sake was hy die regte persoon om die kerk kerkregtelik te begelei om die lang gekoesterde ideaal van kerkhereniging te bereik. In die Raad van Kerke en in Sinodes het hy die saak op ´n wyse gestel wat vertroue by afgevaardigdes en die gewone lidmate ingeboesem het. Hy het hom daarvoor beywer dat die Ordonnansie no 7 van 1843 geskrap word en dat ´n Kerkorde vir die verenigde kerk op die voetspoor van die Kerkorde van Dordrecht opgestel word. Daarom was dr Vorster dan ook die aangewese kerkregkundige om vir die Kerk, weliswaar gegrond op die Dordtse Kerkorde van 1618-1619, in 1962 ´n Gereformeerde Kerkorde voor te berei. In die finale voorbereiding van ´n Kerkorde vir die eerste Algemene Sinode is hy aangewys as voorsitter van die kommissie van Aktuarii wat die taak moes verrig. In hierdie belangrike voorbereidingswerk het hy, volgens die ander lede van die kommissie, die meeste van die werk vir eie rekening geneem. Hy is ook gevra om die voorgestelde Kerkorde by die onderskeie Sinodes voor te dra in afwagting vir vrae en kommentaar. Op die wyse het hy die voorreg gehad om binne ´n jaar of twee al die Sinodes by te woon. Die voorgestelde Kerkorde was so deeglik voorberei dat dit met min wysigings aanvaar is. Met hierdie Kerkorde het hy veral ´n groot bydrae gelewer om die Kerk te suiwer van die stille insypeling van Kollegialistiese denke, begrippe en taalgebruik, wat via die “Algemeen Reglement” van 1816 die Kaapse Kerk se Kerkwet ingedring het en later ook weerklank gevind het in die Kerkwette van die noordelike Ned Geref Kerke. Dit was ´n moeilike taak, aangesien veel Kollegialisties na jare vir selfs teoloë in die Ned Geref Kerk Gereformeerd voorgekom het, ten spyte van pogings om dit uit die Kerkwette te suiwer. Die Kerkorde van 1962, wat al die Kerkwette vervang het, was, as die breinwerk van dr Vorster, die finale sif. Met die totstandkoming van die Algemene Sinode van die Ned Geref Kerk in 1962 is die honderdjaar-oue droom van die kerkverband bewaarheid. Dr Koot Vorster het nie alleen die Sinode se nuwe naam gegee nie, maar ook die Algemene Sinode se eerste Aktuarius geword. Dit het hy vir baie jare gebly totdat hy binne die kerkverband tot Moderator van die Algemene Sinode verkies is. Dr Koot Vorster was índerdaad ´n merkwaardige kerkleier wie se groot bydrae tot die Ned Geref Kerk se kerkregtelike ontwikkeling verdere navorsing en optekening verdien. ENGLISH: The development of the Church Order of the Dutch Reformed Church was obstructed by a court order during its 1862 Synod which provocated the formation of seperate synods. Church members were prompted to restore church unity and therefore the Council of Churches was established. Dr Jacobus Daniel Vorster, as minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, Tafelberg in Cape Town, loved the subject on Church Law and obtained a MDiv degree with the title: Church and church rule of the Voortrekkers while the title of his Th D reads: The canonical development of the Cape Church under the VOC from 1653 to 1795. Allthough the young Koot Vorster was very ill, he was destined for greater things. He became one of the greatest and most distinguished leaders of the D R C denomination. For decades he ministered as secretary of the Circuit of Cape Town and as Actuary of the Cape Synod but he will always be remembered for his contribution to the establishing of the 1962 General Synod. He was a master in his field. He had the ability to distinguish between the principles of the different church law systems and to take them back to the Reformed canonical principles. Vorster led the church in church law to reach the longstanding ideal of church unity. He did his best to remove the Ordonance nr 7 of 1843 from the lawbook and to bring about a Church Order based on the Order of Dordt of 1618- 1619. Vorster was chosen as Chairman of the Commission of Actuaries during the final preparation of the Order for the first General Synod. He was also asked to submit the proposed Order at the various Synods and it was accepted with very little change. vii With this Order, he made a large contribution towards purification of the quiet infiltration of Collegialistic thinking, expressions and use of language which entered the church law of the Cape Church through the “General Reglement” of 1816 and also affected the church law of the Northern churches. The Church Order of 1962 was to supersede all previous orders and is in its final form the brainchild of dr Vorster. With the establishing of the 1962 General Synod, a hundred year old dream of the church denomination, became a reality. Dr Koot Vorster became the first actuary of the General Synod and filled this post for many years until he was elected as Moderator of the General Synod. Dr Vorster was a remarkable church leader whose contribution to the D R C’s canonical development deserve further research and recording. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Church History and Church Policy / unrestricted

The decision to investigate the relations between the Church of Sweden and the Swedish state was taken in 1956 and the decision was built on the law of religious freedom from 1951. The historical close relation needs to be revised. That affects the vicar’s duty and tasks in three areas: Education, leadership and administration and also pastoral care and church discipline.  The purpose of the essay is to investigate how the vicar's leadership and duties have changed in relation to the change in the community, with a focus on the relationship between the Church of Sweden and the Swedish state. It is examined in records of the Swedish General Synod and the social changes is the following problem definition defined in relation to the three areas that Tegborg has formulated in his book: Kyrkoherden – ämbetsmannen 1809-1930. Ett drama i tre akter, according to the vicar’s duty.  ●       In what way has the vicar´s duty been affected in the area of education during the period between 1956-2021? ●       In what way has the vicar´s duty been affected in the area of leadership and administration during the period between 1956-2021? ●       In what way has the vicar´s duty been affected in the area of pastoral care and church discipline during the period between 1956-2021? These areas are analysed by four indicators to point out the changing process: The official position of the religion in the society, the development within the Church of Sweden, the religious activity and also religion and culture. The method that is used is content analysis, where records of the Swedish General Synod are analysed as primary sources during the period of 1956-2021. Also secondary sources are used to analyse the vicars duty and tasks during the period when the relation between the church of Sweden church and the Swedish state was examined and also what has happened to the vicar´s duty after the relation has changed.  From the reformation the Swedish church and the Swedish state were nearly connected but it changed successively during the 19´th century and the first step is Kommunallagsreformen 1862. During the period 1956-2021, by studying records of the Swedish General Synod and the decision taken haven resulted in a development in which it is obvious that the vicar’s duties are more less the teacher of the congregation and official. Instead, the vicar is a leader that have responsibility for goalkeeping, questions about the organisations and the responsibility of the employees. The vicar´s duty in relation to the society, the Swedish National Church, the internal activity and the culture is rejected more and more during the period to build relations with different partners. The relation to the society builds on a dialogue where the vicar is not the obvious authority neither external or internal as in the middle of the 20´s century. But at the same time their expectations of the Swedish church are to be a part of the civil society. / Beslutet om att utreda relationerna mellan Svenska kyrkan och staten kom 1956 och byggde på Lagen om religionsfrihet från 1951. Den historiskt nära relationen som funnits mellan Svenska kyrkan och staten behövde ses över. Detta påverkar även kyrkoherdens funktion och dennes ledarskap inom tre områden som länge varit självklart för Svenska kyrkan att agera inom. Dessa områden är undervisning, ledning och förvaltning samt själavård och kyrkotukt.  Uppsatsens syfte är att och är att undersöka hur kyrkoherdens ledningsfunktion förändrats i relation till samhällets förändring med ett fokus på relationen mellan Svenska kyrkan och svenska staten. För att undersöka kyrkoherdens ledningsfunktion utifrån primärkällor i Kyrkomötesprotokoll och de förändringar som skett ställs följande frågor utifrån en modell anlagd i Tegborgs bok: Kyrkoherden – ämbetsmannen 1809–1930. Ett drama i tre akter: ·       På vilket sätt har kyrkoherdens ledningsfunktion påverkats när det gäller undervisning under perioden 1956–2021? ·       På vilket sätt har kyrkoherdens ledningsfunktion påverkats när det gäller förvaltning och ledning under perioden 1956–2021? ·       På vilket sätt har kyrkoherdens ledningsfunktion påverkats när det gäller själavård och kyrkotukt under perioden 1956–2021? Dessa områden analyseras med hjälp av fyra indikatorer för att belysa förändringsprocessen: Religionens officiella ställning i samhället, Folkkyrkans utveckling, Den religiösa verksamhetens betydelse samt Religion och kultur. Metoden som används är innehållsanalys där kyrkomötesprotokoll analyseras under perioden 1956–2021. Dessa är uppsatsens primärkällor. Även sekundärkällor används för att belysa kyrkoherdens funktion under perioden då relationsfrågan mellan Svenska kyrkan och staten utreddes samt under de 21 år som relationsförändringen hade skett. Från reformation är Svenska kyrkan och svenska staten nära sammankopplad men det luckras successivt upp under 1800-talet genom 1862 års kommunallagsreform. Under perioden 1956–2021 går det att se genom studiet av kyrkomötesprotokoll från motsvarande tid och forskning inom området att kyrkoherdens funktion blir mindre av församlingens lärare och ämbetsman till att bli en ledare som arbetar mot mål och har ansvar för en organisation med flera anställda.  Kyrkoherden funktion i relation till samhället, folkkyrkan, den interna verksamheten och kulturen förskjuts mer och mer under perioden till att bli en relationsbyggare. Relationen till samhället bygger på en dialog och kyrkoherden har inte den självklara auktoriteten vare sig externt eller internt som i mitten på 1900-talet. Samtidigt som det finns förväntningar på Svenska kyrkan att fortfarande vara en del av civilsamhället.

Christian life today has been influenced by countless influences from the external world. Although these external factors have a significant bearing on the church of Christ, the greatest challenge however manifests itself from within the latter. Where the core doctrine of the church constitutes issues of theological and Christian importance, they seem to slowly dissipate and the practices of the secular world seem to take ownership of the church of Christ. The Reformed church has within its confines the three marks of the church whose sole purpose is to ensure that the church of God remains and continues to be the true church of Christ. These Three Marks are: (a) the proclamation of the Word; (b) the correct administration of the sacraments, and (c) the correct exercise of discipline. Among the three marks, discipline acts as a catalyst that enables the survival and proper continuance of the other two marks and thus the true church of Christ. These Three Marks prescribe the basic fundamentals of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) as a Reformed Church and thereby serve as a primary tool for this church. Discipline, therefore, forms an intrinsic part of this church. However, as a controlling mechanism, its influence and/or instillation appears to be neglected. This quagmire may very well be attested to the overemphasis of democracy (of/or relating to majority rule doctrine) in preference to theocracy (God as the ultimate authority in our lives), where even matters of high religious stature are being compacted to human decision-making processes. These influences needless to say are key in the regression and/or progression of Christian life and life in general. However, their inclusion within the Christian doctrine should not be cumbersome to the latter. The Christian way of life and doctrines should be holistically adhered to without fear or favour. The main purpose behind the formation of these marks by the Reformed church was to sustain the true church of Christ and the only way to ensure this sustainability, was to be consistent in exercising these marks. The church therefore has an obligation towards God and its members to be consistent in carrying out its mandate from God through the scriptures as the creator and father of the church and the world at large. The premonition that forms the basis of this research is that within the three prevalent marks of the church, there appears to be certain discrepancies in that they are not all carried out in unison and are not consistent with each other. With the over-emphasis of one above the other, the church of God could be heading towards vanity, and all its efforts could be fruitless. It is also my conviction that the starting point for rolling out these three marks lie with the leadership of the church by the General Synod, Regional Synods, Presbyteries, Ministers and their church councils. If found that any of these key adherents are not protagonists of these marks, then they would have neglected their God-entrusted responsibilities and their accountability towards the entire community of believers. It is in this regard that this research seeks to implement a litmus test of where the URCSA stands in terms of executing its mandate with relation to the three marks of the church viz; proclaiming the word, administering the sacraments and more importantly, exercising exercising discipline as these marks form the sinew that binds the entire church together. The church of Christ as an entity is engaged in service, which is not to be haphazard in nature, but must be structured. This service begins with serving God, serving one another and finally serving the world at large. This will ensure that the church of God maintains its holiness. For this holiness to be ensured, the church of God has to be open to discernment and allow God take charge of His church. Such uncertainties can be verified only by looking into discipline as the sinew that brings these three marks together. The reason for this approach is that, the first two marks are prescriptive with more parameters than discipline has, whereas discipline can be easily influenced. It is to the benefit of this task that much attention be given to discipline as the last mark of the three, as it is prone to abuse, because it relies mainly on human behaviour, attitude and/or approach to the Christian life. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to outline the possible disintegration of discipline as the sinew that binds the three marks of the Reformed Church in general and URCSA in particular within the Southern Synod. important to note that discipline in the lower strata of the church is carried out religiously without question. The notion that prompted this topic is that contrarily, those who occupy the highest echelons of the church (leadership in the church, ministers and evangelists) do not appear to be enjoying the same reception regarding discipline. The challenge that faces the URCSA is how to maintain equal treatment of the three marks of the true church in a democratic society in the light of the service of God, one another and the world. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th.(Systematic Theology)

Christian life today has been influenced by countless influences from the external world. Although these external factors have a significant bearing on the church of Christ, the greatest challenge however manifests itself from within the latter. Where the core doctrine of the church constitutes issues of theological and Christian importance, they seem to slowly dissipate and the practices of the secular world seem to take ownership of the church of Christ. The Reformed church has within its confines the three marks of the church whose sole purpose is to ensure that the church of God remains and continues to be the true church of Christ. These Three Marks are: (a) the proclamation of the Word; (b) the correct administration of the sacraments, and (c) the correct exercise of discipline. Among the three marks, discipline acts as a catalyst that enables the survival and proper continuance of the other two marks and thus the true church of Christ. These Three Marks prescribe the basic fundamentals of the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) as a Reformed Church and thereby serve as a primary tool for this church. Discipline, therefore, forms an intrinsic part of this church. However, as a controlling mechanism, its influence and/or instillation appears to be neglected. This quagmire may very well be attested to the overemphasis of democracy (of/or relating to majority rule doctrine) in preference to theocracy (God as the ultimate authority in our lives), where even matters of high religious stature are being compacted to human decision-making processes. These influences needless to say are key in the regression and/or progression of Christian life and life in general. However, their inclusion within the Christian doctrine should not be cumbersome to the latter. The Christian way of life and doctrines should be holistically adhered to without fear or favour. The main purpose behind the formation of these marks by the Reformed church was to sustain the true church of Christ and the only way to ensure this sustainability, was to be consistent in exercising these marks. The church therefore has an obligation towards God and its members to be consistent in carrying out its mandate from God through the scriptures as the creator and father of the church and the world at large. The premonition that forms the basis of this research is that within the three prevalent marks of the church, there appears to be certain discrepancies in that they are not all carried out in unison and are not consistent with each other. With the over-emphasis of one above the other, the church of God could be heading towards vanity, and all its efforts could be fruitless. It is also my conviction that the starting point for rolling out these three marks lie with the leadership of the church by the General Synod, Regional Synods, Presbyteries, Ministers and their church councils. If found that any of these key adherents are not protagonists of these marks, then they would have neglected their God-entrusted responsibilities and their accountability towards the entire community of believers. It is in this regard that this research seeks to implement a litmus test of where the URCSA stands in terms of executing its mandate with relation to the three marks of the church viz; proclaiming the word, administering the sacraments and more importantly, exercising exercising discipline as these marks form the sinew that binds the entire church together. The church of Christ as an entity is engaged in service, which is not to be haphazard in nature, but must be structured. This service begins with serving God, serving one another and finally serving the world at large. This will ensure that the church of God maintains its holiness. For this holiness to be ensured, the church of God has to be open to discernment and allow God take charge of His church. Such uncertainties can be verified only by looking into discipline as the sinew that brings these three marks together. The reason for this approach is that, the first two marks are prescriptive with more parameters than discipline has, whereas discipline can be easily influenced. It is to the benefit of this task that much attention be given to discipline as the last mark of the three, as it is prone to abuse, because it relies mainly on human behaviour, attitude and/or approach to the Christian life. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to outline the possible disintegration of discipline as the sinew that binds the three marks of the Reformed Church in general and URCSA in particular within the Southern Synod. important to note that discipline in the lower strata of the church is carried out religiously without question. The notion that prompted this topic is that contrarily, those who occupy the highest echelons of the church (leadership in the church, ministers and evangelists) do not appear to be enjoying the same reception regarding discipline. The challenge that faces the URCSA is how to maintain equal treatment of the three marks of the true church in a democratic society in the light of the service of God, one another and the world. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)