Verslag - NG Kerk in Oos-Kaapland

MODERAMEN BYLAAG 1
ALL AFRICA CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES
THE ALL AFRICA CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES (AACC) is a fellowship of Christian churches in Africa
which confess Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures. This fellowship accounts for over 120
million Christians across the continent. AACC is the largest association of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox
and Indigenous churches in Africa and is a member of the worldwide ecumenical network.
History
The decision to create a regional organization was taken at a widely representative meeting at Ibadan,
Nigeria, in 1958. The work of the Provisional and Continuation Committees appointed following the Ibadan
Conference led to the birth of the AACC at its first Assembly on 20th April 1963 in Kampala, Uganda. The
establishment of the AACC marked the end of the missionary era and the beginning of the autonomy of
African Churches. The theme of the Kampala Assembly was Freedom and Unity in Christ. The delegates
addressed the colonial situation in the spirit of nationalism that permeated the political scene of the
continent at the time.
The message of Kampala to the churches in Africa asked a vital question that needs to be asked again
today: Why, in Cape Town Dakar, in Douala and Nairobi, on the plains and by the rivers of this land, must
we continue in those divisions, which crucify the Lord until He returns? The delegates identified
themselves with the aspirations of the peoples of the continent towards development of dignity and a
mature personality in Christ and exhorted the churches to participate wholeheartedly in the building of the
African nation.
Since its establishment the AACC has accompanied the churches in their engagement in the decolonisation
and nation building processes. It played a significant role in the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa.
The journey towards unity and freedom initiated at Kampala has continued through seven other Assemblies
with different themes:
YEAR LOCATION THEME
1969 Abidjan Working with Christ in Africa Today
1974 Lusaka Living No Longer for Ourselves but for Christ
1981 Nairobi Following in the Light of Jesus Christ
1987 Lomé You shall be my Witnesses
1992 Harare Abundant Life in Jesus Christ
1997 Addis Ababa Troubled but not Destroyed
2003 Yaounde Come Let Us Rebuild
The themes of AACC's General Assemblies manifest the effective prophetic witness of the Church in Africa
as the people of the continent struggle with the issues that confront them in their daily lives. The theme of
the Eighth Assembly, Come Let us Rebuild, was a call to the churches to continue where they left off at
Kampala. The impulse for the theme is the Nehemiah motif of rebuilding Jerusalem devastated by the
Babylonian exile. Like Jerusalem of the time, the continent of Africa has gone through devastation of many
sorts.
The euphoria that characterised the period of independence has been lost and the continent has
experienced conflicts and wars, resulting from disappointingly bad governance, corruption, global economic
injustice. Increased poverty has characterised the independent nations and has been further compounded
with the emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic that continues to devastate the populations. The Eighth
Assembly in Yaounde re-issued the call of Kampala «to participate wholeheartedly in the building of the
African nation».
The AACC continues to stand with the churches in addressing relevant issues that confront the continent,
and to provide a platform of collective voices and collective action.
Who belongs to AACC?
AACC has 169 members in 40 African countries. The membership comprises Churches, National Christian
Councils, Theological and Lay Training Institutions, and other Christian organisations.
For operational and administrative reasons AACC has divided the continent into five sub-regions:
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