Charles Flaendorp
ABSTRACT
This article is an overview of the life and times
of Professor Mary-Anne Plaatjies Van Huffel, an ordained minister in the
Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA). She is currently professor
in Systematic Theology and Church Polity at the University of Stellenbosch and
co-minister of URCSA in Scottsdene, Kraaifontein, in the Western Cape. She is
the current moderator of the General Synod of URCSA, and the vice-president of
the World Council of Churches. This article is an appraisal of a remarkable
church leader and theologian in recent times. This appraisal focuses on her
pioneering work in URCSA, the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University,
and her work as a feminist theologian in South Africa, the African continent
and the ecumenical world at large. The significance of Professor Plaatjies Van
Huffel is not only rooted in her leadership positions, her numerous theological
publications, or her lecturing status, but can be found in her active
participation in processes to transform society. The information in this
article is based on interviews, published articles, books and media sources.
Background
Mary Anne Plaatjies was born in Prieska in 1959. She
is the second of seven daughters of Johannes Jacobus Plaatjies, a headmaster at
several primary schools in the Northern Cape, and Jacoba Johanna Plaatjies, a
housewife. She matriculated in 1977 at Bergrivier Senior Secondary School in
Wellington in the Boland. She first embarked on a teaching career after
completing her teacher's diploma at the University of the Western Cape in 1978.
In 1986, she enrolled at the University of the Western Cape in order to be
trained as a minister in the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC). After
further studies she was licensed by the curatorium of the Dutch Reformed
Mission Church.1
After her legitimisation, she was ordained as Minister of the Word in the
combined congregation of Robertson-Robertson East in the Boland region of the
Western Cape. She served the congregation and the community with distinction
from November 1992 until March 2010 – a period of more than 17 years. In November 1992, she became the first woman to be ordained as
a minister in the Dutch Reformed family of churches in South Africa. She is
married to Rev Dawid Van Huffel, a full-time minister of URCSA Scottsdene Congregation
in Kraaifontein near Cape Town. Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel became the
co-minister in this congregation in 2011. In 2010, she was appointed lecturer
in Church History and Church Polity at the University of Stellenbosch. She is
currently heading the discipline group of Church History and Church Polity.
Apart from her lecturing duties and pastoral care,
she also serves in other capacities on numerous national and international
structures.2 In
2002 she was elected as the first woman to serve as Actuarius of the Cape synod
of URCSA. She served for two terms (2002-2010) in this position before she was
elected as the Assessor (Vice-Moderator) of the General Synod of URCSA in 2008.
In 2012, she was elected as Moderator of the General Synod, thus becoming the
first woman to be elected to the highest church position in the Reformed family
of churches. In 20133 she
was also elected as one of the vice-presidents of the World Council of
Churches, thus becoming the president for Africa.
A Distinguished Church Leader in the URCSA
Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel received a calling
as minister in 1992 to the combined congregation of Robertson-Robertson East in
the Boland region of the Western Cape. She co-pastored with Rev Jimmy De Wet
until November 1993. On this calling, she received worldwide recognition. In a
letter from the Princeton Theological Seminary, dated 18th March
1993, she was congratulated by the president of the World Alliance of Reformed
Churches, Jane Dempsey Douglass, who wrote:
We
want you to know how important it is to all of the churches of the World
Alliance of Churches that your church has now opened its ministry to women. We
realise that it is not easy for you as the first ordained woman pastor, but it
is an exciting opportunity to which the Holy Spirit has led you. We know that
God will continue to strengthen you for the tasks which lie ahead. I was
particularly interested to notice the text from the Bible on which Dr A. Boesak
preached the ordination sermon. The story from the Book of Numbers about the
inheritance of the daughters is a favourite one for women at Princeton
Theological Seminary.
She also received a letter from the Nederlandse
Zendingsraad (Rev D. Spee):
The
Netherlands Missionary Council wishes to congratulate you for the ordination.
We hope that the ordination of Rev Plaatjies is a start for more congregations
to call women as ministers. Our second joy is that it is especially Mary-Anne
who is then first female minister at the end of the Lesotho meeting. She gave
an outstanding example of her professional theological knowledge and of her
ability for pastoral sympathy with a sermon about Ruth. Be convinced that we
are happy about this event as much as you are.
Her ordination as the first woman minister in a
Reformed church was not without controversy. The newly constituted congregation
in Robertson East was a socially deprived and economically poor Coloured
community, consisted of farm labourers, seasonal workers and mostly illiterate
people. Shortly after commencing her duties in the Robertson East congregation
as a female minister, a schism occurred. Approximately 120 members, mostly
women, left the congregation to join the Robertson congregation. The reason: To
be led by a women minister was problematic to them. It was then that she
realised that she would have to deal with stereotypes, especially with regard
to women in the ministry. Van Huffel started to systematically break down these
stereotypes in this very conservative, newly-constituted congregation.4 This
incident sparked many media stories in 1994. One such story appeared in a
regional newspaper, Die Burger, on the 23rd April 1994.
However, she continued to serve the congregation for the next 17 years. The
legacy she left behind in the congregation and the presbytery of Zuurbraak is
immense. There are physical beacons in Robertson that bear testimony to the
legacy of this formidable former URCSA Robertson East Congregation minister.
She restored not only the dignity of her congregants, but also those of the
community. She established a community service centre with the aim to empower
previously disadvantaged groups. She negotiated buildings, designed programmes
and managed the community centre with a small staff on very limited funds. She
also transcended racial boundaries when she reached out to help black communities
in what became one of the largest welfare institutions in the region. She
established the Nikithemba aftercare centre, a shelter for the homeless as well
as the Phumlani Adult Association in the Nqubela Township near Robertson. Her
involvement in community upliftment programmes is rooted in her firm belief
that the church must act as the hands of God in the world, especially for those
in need. The roots of this belief are in the Belhar Confession (1982).
As a result, she became a legendary figure in the
Robertson region. On her experience in Robertson as a minister she commented in
an Afrikaans (RSG) radio station interview years later, in 2012: "I
realised soon after my arrival that I would not only bring the gospel to these
people, but that I also would have to deal with stereotyping and conservatism
in an environment of poverty."
It is from her position as minister of Robertson East
that she started to move up in the church hierarchy and make major
contributions. She became the first female to be elected in a synodical
position as the Actuarius of a Reformed church in Southern Africa in 2002 at
the Cape regional synod of URCSA. Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel ensured that major
shifts in church polity occurred while she served in this position. She challenged
some of the century old church stipulations.5 Where
she felt that they were outdated or impractical, she proposed amendments to the
synod. One of her biggest contributions was to ensure that the Church Order more
gender sensitive. She became a strong voice in the church on church matters as
well as on social and economic issues. She developed a sound knowledge of
church history and church polity.
This led to her being elected Assessor (Vice-Moderator)
of the General Synod in 2008 in Hammanskraal.6 Thereafter,
in October 2012, she was elected as the Moderator of the General Synod of URCSA
in Okahandja, Namibia. Her election to this office signifies a historical
moment in the South African church discourse as she was the first woman in
Southern Africa to be elected to the highest office in the family of Reformed
churches. The unanimous election to the position of moderator was neither a
sympathetic or an emotional choice, or even a sign of tokenism, but based on
merit. URCSA needed the leadership of Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel at this
time, hence her election was a sine qua non. Many believe that her election to
the Moderator position was a divine appointment. Nico Koopman commented on her
appointment: "She has profound theological knowledge in the field of
church history and church polity, and years of experience in the church and
church leadership. Her election is a very significant moment in the discourse
of gender justice in South Africa." (Prof Nico Koopman, Dean of the
Faculty of Theology University Stellenbosch, 2013).
She became the voice of the church in South Africa
on many issues. Her leadership stretched beyond the church borders as she
became a respected South African public persona. She was also given the opportunity
to minister to the close family members of the late President Nelson Mandela at
his private residence in Houghton after his death, following her election to
the position as Moderator of URCSA. In 2013, she was elected as one of the
vice-presidents of the World Council of Churches, thus becoming the president
for Africa. This made her the most influential church leader on the African
continent. Her election gave Africa a bigger voice to represent it on church
issues internationally.
A Transformative Theological Voice
In 2010 Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel was
appointed lecturer in Church History and Church Polity in the Faculty of
Theology at the University of Stellenbosch. Her appointment came after numerous
unsuccessful applications for academic positions at different places of higher
education in South Africa. Her appointment was again a cairos moment for URCSA
specifically. Her appointment as senior lecturer in Church History and Church
Polity was more than merely a numerical presence for URCSA in the Faculty of
Theology, but it also signified a major historical moment in the relationship
between the Dutch Reformed Church and URCSA and strengthened the ties between
the two organisations.
She contributed to the transformation of the
faculty by bringing the present and the past together. She succeeded in
building relationships between staff members from the different churches. This
was a major challenge because of the mistrust that had evolved over the years.
Although other lecturers from URCSA had joined the Faculty of Theology ever
since 2000, her appointment in 2010 was seen by URCSA as highly significant.
She came not only as a female theologian, but also as a URCSA church leader.
She was uniquely suited for this position in terms of her qualifications,
experience and stature.
Her theological framework was founded on three
pillars:
(i)
a theology of dignity especially
towards the vulnerable groups;
(ii)
the theological disciplines of Church
History and Church Polity; and
(iii)
a theology of ecology and justice.
A Theology of Dignity Especially Towards the Vulnerable
Groups
Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel started off by
operating in an apartheid ideology context, but also in a context where women
were still marginalised in South Africa. She herself was part of this
vulnerable marginalised group. She challenged the status quo when she enrolled
for a theology degree at the University of the Western Cape, without a
guarantee that she would be ordained as a minister in the church. After many struggles,
she was eventually ordained as the first woman minister in the family of Dutch
Reformed churches.7 Naturally
the media widely reported on this paradigm shift in the church. Professor
Plaatjies Van Huffel became the public face of a transformative church. This
transformation was, however, a very slow process. In an article in URCSA's
official newspaper, she wrote about her experience as part of a marginalised,
vulnerable group, a year after her ordination: "Thus far nothing has
changed in the church. The theological training could not assist women to
transcend centuries of ecclesiastical undertones. Through the centuries,
perceptions were created that a minister must be a strong male leader.
Children, congregants and colleagues have reduced women ministers to
second-hand theologians." (Die Ligdraer 1993).
In an interview in "Rapport" on the 10th
October 2010, she commented on her election as a female church leader to the
highest decision-making structures: "I hope that I am a vision of hope for
women in and outside of the church for their own careers. My success story must
be the success story of all women." In a published article in Studia
Historicae Ecclesiasticae, (2011:105-119) entitled "From docile
recipients to agents of change", she writes about the institutionalisation
of Christian women organisations. She argues in this article that the
institutionalisation of Christian women organisations in URCSA played a pivotal
role in describing women as docile objects in theological discourse. Christian
women's organisations, she argues later, were developed as sites for change.
This she says, was due to the influence of ecumenism. She points out that women
were generally absent in URCSA during the first part of the 20th century,
only started participating in the later part of the 20th century.
It is only then that they started to claim their freedom and to resist
domination.
In a published article in March 2010 ("From
our side - emerging perspectives on development and ethics"), she argued
that in spite of the impressive policies for women's empowerment,
discrimination still existed in South African society. She started to address
the marginalisation of women in her doctoral thesis in 2003. The topic of her
thesis was "Women in the theological anthropology in the Afrikaans
Reformed churches." In her thesis, she proposed a paradigm shift by the
church towards women. She took the struggle for marginalised people a step
further when she became instrumental in the legitimisation of the first deaf
(woman) person to be licensed in URCSA, with full ministerial powers. Under her
leadership, Bettie Wanza, a deaf woman at the school for the deaf in Worcester,
completed her theological studies. Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel also
structured a course in Church History and Church Polity for deaf students in
URCSA. She guided the students and also acted as promoter for Wanza's trial
sermon in 2013. The trial sermon by the first deaf student of URCSA to a deaf
congregation of the Dutch Reformed church in Worcester was a momentous and
joyous occasion for URCSA. This pivotal process was a tremendous achievement by
URCSA and can be attributed to the hard work of Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel.
Once again it was because of her visionary
leadership and a strong church judicial motivation at the general synodical
commission of URCSA that the application was approved, prior to the amendment
of the church stipulations. This application meant that URCSA had to change the
oath of licensing, as well as church stipulations with regard to the status of
the ministers of the Word in order to make provision for the ministering to the
deaf.
Church History and Church Polity
When Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel was appointed
lecturer in Church History and Church Polity in 2010, she started publishing in
accredited journals and made important research inputs. She quickly progressed
from lecturer to senior lecturer, to head of the discipline group and to
co-professor – all within four years of being at the University of
Stellenbosch. This is an illustration of her sharp intellect and general
giftedness. She is a lecturer par excellence, and is held in high esteem by her
fellow lecturers and students.
She made major academic contributions to the URCSA
and DRC Theological Seminary in the Faculty of Theology. The DRC and URCSA
started a new model for spiritual formation as a joint venture at the Faculty
of Theology in 2012. It was Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel who designed the
programme (practical training) for theological formation at the seminary and it
is in full operation after having been approved by the General Synod in 2012.
She has proven to be a very strong voice on issues of transformation at the
faculty and at the University of Stellenbosch in general. She currently serves
on various structures in an advisory capacity. Her contributions in the fields
of Church History and Church Polity go far beyond the confines of the
University of Stellenbosch. She often addresses contextual issues in the South
African discourse at conferences and other public platforms.
Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel is interested in the
importance of using hermeneutical keys to understand church judicial matters
with regard to church unification. One of her key interests at present is the
unification process between the DRC and URCSA. She regards this issue as her
biggest challenge as a theologian and a church leader. She believes that this
is a Biblical command. In a recent publication on the church struggle for
justice, she addressed this very issue. She was the co-editor of this
publication which was dedicated to "students of theology born after 1990
who have to do theology in a faithful and creative way in the aftermath of apartheid."
In 2008 she obtained a PhD in Church History at the
University of Pretoria. Her thesis was entitled: "Die Doleansie Kerkreg en
Kerkregering van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Sendingkerk en die Verenigende
Gereformeerde kerk in Suider Afrika." This contribution is a further
addition to the Church Polity discipline at universities. In an article in her
recent publication: "Reformed churches in South Africa and the struggle
for justice", she discussed the Belhar Confession from a historical point
of view. She concluded that the Belhar Confession originated in a specific
historical context, like all the other classical Reformed confessions. The
socio-political realities in pre-democratic South Africa compelled the DRMC to
accept Belhar as a confession in 1982. It was a Christian view on racism and
suffering. In the article, she traces the origin of this racism and suffering
back to 1857 when the Dutch Reformed church decided to separate Holy Communion
services for the different race groups, thus supporting the policy of
segregation. According to Professor Plaatjies van Huffel, due to the
infringements on human dignity through apartheid laws, the DRMC was led to a
confession like Belhar. She concludes that the confession was brought about and
accepted at the height of apartheid in South Africa, thus placing it in a
historical context.
Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel takes a keen
interest in the difficulties that female theological students often have to
face at Stellenbosch University. She provides them with advice in her capacity
as lecturer and woman minister. She firmly believes that the struggle of women
in the ministry is far from over. The Curatorium of the Western Cape Synod
frequently refers female students to her for consultation when they struggle
with their calling. She is able to help these students by sharing her
experiences as a woman pastor in active ministry with them.
A Theology of Ecology and Justice
Professor Plaatjies van Huffel's involvement also
stretches beyond the historically defined beacons of the church borders. She
believes that the church should not only preach the gospel, but should be
actively involved in matters in the world with regard to ecology and justice.
In an article entitled "A search for
a common understanding with regard to ecology and justice in URCSA",
she outlines what the church's viewpoint should be in this regard. She urges
URCSA to become advocates in the ecology issues of the day in partnership with
other ecumenical structures. She strongly believes that ecology and justice are
interrelated concepts. She is concerned about the impact of climate change on
the earth, fracking, and the economic policies that are disadvantaging the
poor. Under her leadership URCSA has formulated a response to hydraulic fracturing.
At the General Synod in 2012 a motion on hydraulic fracturing was passed. The
synod, mindful of who the owner of the earth is, and mindful of what might be
the possible impact on our health, animals and the whole environment as a
result of hydraulic fracturing in the area of the Karoo, resolved to actively
take up the issue of hydraulic fracturing and other environmental issues on the
basis of their Biblical understanding of their responsibility for the earth.
The synod has called on every member of URCSA and its institutions to witness
constantly and boldly for environmental justice in southern Africa and the
world. Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel was instrumental in this response by the
synod.
In an interview in "Rapport" on the 10th
October 2010 she pleads for a paradigm shift on economic injustices. It is her
belief that after 18 years of democracy, economic and political justice is but
a dream for the poor and oppressed. She would like the church to be the
prophetic voice in these matters. The church needs to change from being
inward-centred to being more outward-focused. Only then, according to Plaatjies
Van Huffel, will the church be a true church. In the interview she urged the
church to play a more meaningful role in the South African public discourse.
Conclusion
Professor Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel was never
elected into any leadership positions merely because of the fact that she was a
woman, but rather because of her rare leadership qualities. These qualities
have enabled her to empower other women too. She has made important
contributions in the church, locally and internationally, and in the Faculty of
Theology at Stellenbosch University. She has been, and still ís, a pioneer in
many spheres of society. She was among the first to address the position of
women in the church. This journey started a few years after the Catholic leader
Pope John II spoke on the feast of the Assumption in 1988 on the issue of
women. The Pope declared: "The hour has come in which women are acquiring
in the world an influence, an effect, and a power never hitherto achieved. That
is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation,
women imbued with the Spirit of the Gospel can do so much to prevent humanity
from falling" (Lang 1988:7-8).
Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel single-handedly
brought about two major paradigm shifts in the church. Firstly, she addressed
the position of women in the church through the spoken word. When she enrolled
for theological studies at a time when it was still a closed avenue for women,
she paved the way for other women to follow. She challenged the church
hierarchy to make provision for women in the ministry. Secondly, she made a major
contribution to changing the church stipulation in the Church Order when she
became part of that very leadership that she challenged. She has proven to be a
selfless church leader and theologian whose influence and legacy will continue
for generations to come. She is the right church leader in these times of
change and continues to contribute to healthy debates regarding church life and
society. Thus, fulfilling her role as a transformative church leader, not only
in sub-Sahara Africa, but also in the world at large.
Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel attributes her
strength and insight to the grace of God. She sees herself as a humble servant
of God, and is always aware of the urgency of the hour. She is the first to
point out that her successes can be attributed to the efforts of the
commissions she works with. She is one of the most transformative church
leaders we have seen in recent times in sub-Saharan Africa and is indeed a
gifted spiritual leader par excellence of whom we can say, O feminea
forma, quam gloriosa es! (O woman, so wondrously fashioned).
1 Prof.Mary
Anne Plaatjies Van Huffel obtained the following qualifications: BTh (Hons),
UWC, MTh (Is die kerk middeleeus? 'n kritiesc studie oor die geloofs-en
kerklike praksis m.b.t. prostitusie in die NGK familie in die Kaapse
Skiereiland.) 1998. UWC. DTh-Vroue in die leologiese antropologie in die
Afrikaanse Gereformeerde tradisie. 2003. Unisa http://uir.unisaac.za/handle/10500/1190.
PhD. Die Doleansie Kerkreg en kerkregeling van die Nederduits Gereformeerde
sendingkerke en die VGKSA. 2008. Universiteit van Pretoria, http://upedt.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-04022009-l90218/.
Plaatjies Van Huffel was appointed co-professor at the Faculty of Theology
Stellenbosch University in May 2014.
2 External
examiner at the University of the Western Cape and the North West University,
as well as the Heidelberg College. Member of the "Suid Afrikaanse Akademie
vir Wetenskap en Kuns" Member of the International Consortium for Law and
Religious studies, CHSSA, serves on the council for the protection and
promotion of religious rights and freedom. Member of the Circle of Concerned
Women.
3 The
World Council of Churches is an ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in
1948. By the end of 2013 the WCC had 345 member churches, representing more
than 500 million Christians from Protestants, Orthodox, Anglican and other
traditions in over 140 countries. She became the first South African to fill
this position after Rev. Alpheus. Η. Zulu, of the Church of the Province
of South Africa, who had been elected in 1968 as one of the vice-presidents of
the WCC. Before 1961, Africa was not represented on the WCC presidency.
4 On
Saturday 23 April 1994, the Afrikaans newspaper, "Die Burger"
reported as follows: "die hele probleem word veroorsaak deur lidmate van
die Verenigende Gereformeerde kerk wat blykbaar nie onder die gesag van 'n
vroue predikant wil staan nie. Die meeste van die afvalliges is vroue.
Plaatjies van Huffel is quoted in the report: "Hoewel niemand dit sê nie,
glo ek die verskuilde rede is dat hierdie mense, die meeste is vroue, nie die
gesag van 'n vrou kan aanvaar nie. Hieraan kan ek niks doen nie, behalwe om in
liefde en vrede met my werk voort te gaan."
5 Regional
synod Western Cape: Agenda 2002: p280, p287, 288,289,293,294,289-298 with
regard to editorial revision of CO 299, 301, 302.
6 The
general synod took place in Namibia as the member churches in Namibia as one of
the regional synods of URCSA.
7 "Die
Burger" reported on this significant event in 1993 with the heading
"Eerste vrou bevestig in NG kerkfamilie" (first woman ordained in the
DR family) "'n Luide "hoera" aan die Kerkraad van Robertson wat
die baanbrekers was om eerste 'n vroue predikant te beroep." (a loud cheer
for the Church Council of Robertson who became the pioneers in calling the
first woman minister).
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