"Crosslink" Mar 2000

"Finding the Symbol of Church"

By Yvonne Wilkie, Archivist

It was not until 1916 that the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand had an official symbol. The General Assembly wished to reflect not only its link to the Scottish churches but ‘it must indicate a church of the Southern Hemisphere yet not of Australia'.  The Wanganui Presbytery became the constituted Committee who for three years worked towards a symbol of national significance.
The Theological Committee had the honour of being the first General Assembly Committee to adopt the new symbol. St. Paul's, Wanganui, made the first practical use of the symbol when it was carved in the keystone of the arch above the main entrance.   This symbol was promulgated on publications, medals, certificates, pulpit falls, vestments and even cuff links.

 
  ‘The principles of design - clarity, distribution, balance, meaning and suitability, must be given due weight.'
 
 

The two branches of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand before Union in 1901 had not formalised the use of a symbol but symbols are evident among the archives.  The Church Board of Property in Otago created a seal in 1875 for legal purposes based on the Burning Bush. It was also used on the covers of the first Books of Order for both the Northern Church and the Synod of Otago and Southland in 1886 and 1887 but placed in a shaded shield.

Other symbols in use before 1916 can be found among the documents and publications in the Archives. The rather ornate symbol on the cover of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church News  (Northern Church) published from 1872 until 1882, does not appear to have been picked up by any General Assembly Committee.

Popular with the Dunedin printers the old Scottish woodcut below appears on a number of  publications.  In particular on the inside cover of the two first official Church histories, John Dickson's "History of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand", 1900 and James Chisholm's "Fifty Years Syne", 1898.  This symbol, the Archives uses on its letterhead and web page.

No Reproduction Without Written Permission

© PCANZ Archives.

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