A theological reflection on garden weddings: Interrogating the Reformed liturgy within the African context

Abstract

This study analyses the tension between the Reformed churches’ traditional emphasis on formal liturgical worship in church buildings and the increasing inclination towards outdoor or garden weddings in African Reformed contexts. The central question is whether outdoor settings may uphold Reformed theological tenets while authentically incorporating African cultural expressions. A contextual theological framework was developed to evaluate garden marriages in Reformed churches, analyse the suitability of outdoor environments with Reformed liturgical norms and provide guidelines that honour both traditions. The employed methodology, hermeneutical analysis, integrates Reformed interpretative traditions with African perspectives. Research was conducted using resources such as Journal Storage (JSTOR), EBSCOhost, Google Scholar and American Theological Library Association Serials (ATLAS), incorporating search terms relevant to Reformed liturgy, African worship, garden weddings, contextual theology and related subjects. Of the 47 identified sources, 38 met the inclusion criteria, prioritising peer-reviewed articles and academic monographs published between 2010 and 2025, with pre-2010 sources included only when foundational. The findings indicate that outdoor settings are not inherently theologically problematic when appropriate procedures enable genuine worship expression. Garden environments can elevate traditional African communal celebrations while preserving essential elements of Reformed covenant theology.
Contribution: The study recommends that African Reformed churches establish denominational standards for evaluating garden wedding venues, develop minimum liturgical prerequisites for outdoor ceremonies and engage in ongoing contextual theological exploration. This ensures that venue choices honour both Reformed confessional principles and authentic African cultural expressions, thereby enriching discussions on liturgical inculturation and postcolonial African Christianity.