Financially resourcing the ministry in the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa in the 21st century

From 1994 the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa has increasingly encounteredtremendous challenges in financing its ministry on a just and equitable basis across allcommunities. This issue peaked when the Presbyterian Church of South Africa and theReformed Presbyterian Church united to form the Uniting Presbyterian Church in SouthernAfrica (UPCSA) in 1999. The union produced tensions concerning the financial support of theministry. These centred on as yet unresolved proposals for the centralisation and equalisationof ministerial stipends, which have been discussed at every biennial General Assembly of theUPCSA from 2006. This article has briefly analysed the theological, ecclesiological, missional,economic, sociological and practical administrative issues that it believes should inform thefinal decision and may help to establish a new ministerial, missional and congregationalsupport paradigm for many other churches in the new South Africa.