Henk de Waard

TROWEL & SWORD

Henk de Waard

Steve Voorwinde

At the end of the year Henk will officially retire as Principal of the RTC, a position he has filled with commitment and vision since 1997. This does not mean that Henk’s duties at the College will cease. He has agreed to continue in a part-time position for the foreseeable future. This will involve some lecturing. Henk will also be able to provide much appreciated administrative assistance while Murray Capill takes up the reins as his successor.

So even though this year won’t be a final farewell to Henk, this is a good opportunity to reflect on his long, fruitful and adventurous ministry. By the time he retires Henk will have served our churches for 42 years. During this period he has been on the RTC faculty for 27 years. This makes Henk the longest serving faculty member ever. His length of service to the CRCA in various capacities has set a record as well.

Henk began his theological studies at the RTC back in 1961, the year the College moved to the old Maud Street campus. He was a diligent student and graduated with honours at the end of 1965. The following year Henk served a vicariate in Perth, married Ria on 14 May, and was ordained on 4 June. His first congregation was the Reformed Church of Devonport in Tasmania. He became their pastor at just 23 years of age. The church quickly fell in love with their young minister and his new wife. Over the years they have been back many times to visit old friends and attend special occasions.

It was not long, however, before wider horizons beckoned. After three years in Devonport Henk answered the call of the RCA Synod for a minister to go to Indonesia as a student chaplain. With his wife and young family Henk first went to the Netherlands to do missionary training and language studies. They then headed to Salatiga in Java where he was officially inducted as a minister of the Javanese church. Thus he became the RCA’s first missionary.

Henk’s years on the mission field proved to be very fruitful indeed. At the Christian University of Salatiga he taught some university classes, but mainly worked within the local churches, conducting Bible and catechism classes, student camps, house meetings, village evangelism and the care of the sick and needy. The Lord richly blessed his work. Henk often had the joy of officiating at adult baptisms. On this period he commented: “The years in Indonesia were among the most enriching in my life. I forged bonds that will endure for a lifetime and beyond. I am ever grateful to the Lord that He allowed us and our churches to be involved in Indonesia.” Even to this very day Henk has maintained close contact with Indonesian churches in Melbourne and Sydney. He still regularly conducts Indonesian services.

While in Indonesia Henk was also able to engage in further study. Majoring in the History of Religions he earned his Master of Theology degree at the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology in Singapore. After his decade of work in Indonesia Henk was able to fulfill his residency requirement at Fuller Theological Seminary in California. It was there that he was awarded the Doctor of Missions degree in 1980.

With his academic qualifications as well as missionary and pastoral experiences, Henk was well placed to join the teaching staff at the RTC. In 1981 he was installed as the lecturer in Church History and Missions. With his rich background in ministry both at home and overseas Henk clearly had much to offer students aspiring to various forms of ministry. Over more than a quarter of a century of teaching Henk’s lectures have been informed with a global perspective and a deep understanding of other cultures. He has always approached his work at the RTC with a scholar’s mind and a pastor’s heart.

Henk’s global perspective was also to become increasingly appreciated by the assemblies of the church. In 1988 he was appointed as one of the RCA’s delegates to the Reformed Ecumenical Council meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe. His abilities were soon recognised by the REC leadership. He was to serve as the Council’s presiding chairman from 1992 to 2000. The REC’s General Secretary, Dr Richard van Houten, has written warmly of Henk’s contribution:

“He brought some wonderful skills to his work. For one, he knew Dutch and Indonesian well, and in our visits to Indonesia together he was invaluable. It is pretty rare for a person to recall a language as quickly as I saw Henk recall Indonesian . . . Henk also brought a graciousness to his speech that I have rarely seen matched. Presidents are often called on to deliver impromptu words of thanks or greetings and Henk always did this with such elegance.”

During Henk’s years of leadership the REC was faced with some huge challenges. Race relations in South Africa were a burning issue. Another pressing problem was the membership of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (GKN). When Henk was elected chairman at Athens in 1992, he had to moderate the debates which were often lengthy and difficult. At the same time Henk was a natural leader when it came to the REC’s approach to missions. He helped draft the 1992 Statement on Mission and later contributed to work on religious pluralism. During his twelve years on the REC executive committee Henk was able to give our denomination a clear voice within the world family of Reformed churches. Perhaps few of our members realise just how well represented our churches were because of Henk. We enjoyed an influence well beyond our sise.

Back in Geelong new responsibilities continued to come Henk’s way. He was appointed the RTC Vice-Principal in 1990. He briefly edited the College’s academic journal Vox Reformata. For the years 1991-1994 he served as the editor of Trowel & Sword. In 1995 he was finally able to take some study leave. He attended a summer school at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. This was followed by five months at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids where Henk was also able to do some guest lecturing.

In 1997 Henk took over from Keith Warren as the RTC’s new Principal. A few years earlier, still under Keith’s leadership, the RTC had become a member college of the Australian College of Theology. Degree courses were first taught in 1992 and the diploma had been introduced in 1994. After Henk became Principal the RTC’s involvement with the ACT continued to flourish as more courses became accredited. The ACT connection also brought with it a fair share of meetings and administrative work. Several times a year Henk was known to rise at 4.00am to take an early flight to Sydney for an ACT principals’ meeting. Although not a natural with technology (“a modern form of idolatry” he sometimes called it), Henk handled the new administrative challenges with remarkable skill. Within the ACT context, he also gave the RTC a new stature and prominence. Faculty members were involved in the setting and marking of national exams. With growing proficiency students were gaining qualifications that were widely recognised and highly regarded. The days of the RTC’s “splendid isolation” were long past.

Henk’s organisational skills were also very timely when the RTC moved to its new location in 1999. The logistics involved in the move were enormous. With Henk at the helm many again saw God’s provision for the College at this exciting time of both blessing and challenge. Capable help was recruited. Wise purchases were made. This Principal even had a sense of colour co-ordination! It was a period of huge transition and Henk was able to provide just the kind of steady and mature leadership that was needed.

As a colleague of Henk’s for the past 23 years I look back with fondness and gratitude for his ministry at the RTC. In a remarkable way his leadership combined compassion with efficiency. Administrative skills and love for people do not always go hand in hand. One of our graduates described the RTC as “the college where things are done well.” Not all may echo that praise exactly, but that has certainly been Henk’s aim. As Principal he has also ruled lightly, always encouraging his colleagues to develop their own gifts and ministries.

Over more than four decades of ministry Henk has represented what is best about the churches he has served. His faithfulness to the gospel, his desire to be used by the Lord and his concern for the wider world is also what our churches aspire to. We are grateful that he has often been our voice in places where most of us could never go. We thank Henk for his willingness and his inspiration. We take this opportunity to wish him and Ria a well-deserved retirement. But knowing them, it will be a very active retirement!

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