• 2nd QUARTER 2017 • THE APOSTOLIC FAITH MISSION OF SOUTH AFRICA NATIONAL OFFICE Building no. 14, Central Office Park, 257 Jean Avenue, Centurion, Gauteng, Suid-Afrika P.O. Box 9450, Centurion 0046 Tel: 27 12 644-0490 | Faks: 27 12 644-0732/4 www.afm-ags.org https://issuu.com/afm_ags Dear Colleague,
CONTENTS • Dear Colleague - 1 • Pentecost: The Foundation of the AFM 2 • The Gideons International: An Introduction - 3-4 • Promoting Quality Relationships in Ministry Through Coaching - 5-6 • AFM Conference 2017: Unpacking the Theme of the Conference - 7-8 • Conclusion - 8
Greetings in Jesus’ Name. It is always a privilege for me to be in touch with you Brothers and Sisters through Pastoral Letters. In this letter four issues are addressed. These are Pentecost and the role of the Holy Spirit in the AFM, the ministry of the Gideons International, promotion of quality relationships through coaching and the coming 2017 AFM National Conference.
PENTECOST: THE FOUNDATION OF THE AFM The "coming of the Holy Spirit" was meant to empower believers to fulfill the Great Commission. In fact, the main reason for the baptism in the Holy Spirit was so that the “Missio Dei” – the Mission of God, could be accomplished. This was why Jesus did not allow his disciples to begin their ministry, before they were endued with “power from on high” - the baptism in the Holy Spirit. “I am going to send you what my father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)
“We fail in our ministry if we fail to minister the baptism of the Holy Spirit to our members.”
The ultimate, goal of the One AFM Game Plan is the fulfillment of the Great Commission by pastors and members of our church. It is for this reason that I would like to emphasize the importance of the baptism in the Spirit. While it was emphasized in the past in our congregations and at our Conferences it does not receive the same emphasis today. The purpose of the baptism in the Spirit is primarily to increase our effectiveness as witnesses and as the church of Jesus. The Holy Spirit makes an immeasurable difference. No modern teaching, technique or method can make up for the absence of the Spirit. Our pastors must be the first to realize this. We fail in our ministry if we fail to minister the baptism of the Holy Spirit to our members. Only then will our missional calling come into its own. The main reason for the Pentecostal experience is obedience to Jesus’ commission in Math 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, John 20:21 and in Acts 1:8 This is the reason for our existence and this is what lies at the root of our One AFM Game Plan. During the first forty years of the AFM’s existence, every assembly held a “tarrying” (waiting) service apart from the weekly prayer meeting. This was where they prayed for new converts to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. There were very few AFM members who were not baptized in the Holy Spirit. Yes, they spoke in other tongues, but more importantly, during the first forty years of its existence the AFM was the fastest growing church in South Africa – doubling every ten years. Maybe there was a link between the baptism in the Spirit and the high growth/conversion rate? Somewhere, somehow every pastor and every member of our church must once again see the value of this timeless truth. I am calling upon all pastors to seriously consider focusing on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit throughout the year, especially during the Pentecostal Week which is ten days from the Ascension Day. Of course, it ends on the Pentecostal Sunday. In 2018 the Ascension Day will be on 10 May. We will have Pentecostal week services from 11 May 2018 to 20 May 2018 which will be the Pentecostal Sunday. -2-
THE GIDEONS INTERNATIONAL: AN INTRODUCTION
The Gideons International (www.gideons.co.za) is an interdenominational association of Christian business and professional men together with their wives, who are members of Protestant and Evangelical churches. Our members are dedicated to saving the lost through personal witnessing and the distribution of God’s Word in 200 countries around the world. We place the word of God in busy traffic lanes of life such as hospitals, prisons, schools, universities, colleges, jail cells, doctor’s rooms etc. We believe by sharing our personal testimonies to others on how the Lord has done wonders in our lives, others might want to know and choose Jesus as their personal Saviour. We also place the word of God in the hands of the lost by faith and trusting that God will do the rest to bring them to salvation as it is written in Isaiah 55:11. The members of the Gideons ministry live by these Seven Spiritual Objectives: Men and Women of the Book – the Holy Bible Men and Women of Faith Men and Women of Prayer Men and Women of Separated Walk Men and Women of Compassionate Heart Men and Women who Witness Men and Women who Give.
“We have so far gained a lot of ground in being a ministry that serves the broader South African population.” The Gideons International in South Africa has intentionally gone through changes in the way we have operated including the process of acquiring of our members. We have so far gained a lot of ground in being a ministry that serves the broader South African population. We have come to understand the power of including every Christian man and woman in running the race with endurance in spreading the Word of God as far and wide as possible. As part of our mission we have been blessed to be able to partner with AFM which is a Christian organisation that is both reputable and making an impact for Jesus Christ. Our top priority is to be a ministry that is striving to reach and influence every male and female by placing the Word of God in their hands.
“... growing in areas where The Gideons International were not previously established in South Africa.”
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THE GIDEONS INTERNATIONAL: AN INTRODUCTION cont. With over 3200 members in 146 groups, which consist of Gideons and Auxiliary members, are organising, managing and distributing Bibles in their own geographical locations across the country. The Lord has blessed us with over 200 men and women from multicultural backgrounds to whom God has called to do His special work of giving hope to the lost. We foresee this ministry growing in areas where The Gideons International were not previously established in South Africa.
“The Gideons International, since its inception in 1899, has always stood for one thing only and that is to help win souls for Christ.� Our ministry is an extended arm of the Church and we place focus on supporting the Church in communities. One of the requirements for a Christian man and his wife to join the ministry is that he must be an active member of a church and to be in good standing with the Church. Furthermore, the application must be endorsed by the Pastor. The Gideons International, since its inception in 1899, has always stood for one thing only and that is to help win souls for Christ. The Church has always been our stakeholder and remains to be our life-line. Over the years, this ministry has become an educational hub in empowering men and women who are members to do more in personal witnessing and Bible placements.
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PROMOTING QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS IN MINISTRY THROUGH COACHING One of the core values of the AFM is Relationships. We encourage genuine and edifying (enriching) relationships between believers, pastors, leaders and assemblies. It is no longer possible in today’s context to keep others at an arms-length away from us, trying to avoid an in-depth meaningful relationship. Resisting opportunities to actively become involve in each other’s lives, will only be to our own detriment. We cannot ignore the fact that Jesus had a 24/7 relationship with His disciples. In the early church everything was built upon relationships. True leaders and disciples are produced when individuals are led to spiritual and emotional maturity through relationship. The fact is that most of our problems as a church and country can be resolved once genuine, quality relationships are in place. During the recent National Leadership Forum (NLF) meeting in March, hosted in Cape Town, we used the opportunity to challenge our national leaders to think about how they are going to intentionally grow quality relationships in their local regions, networks and departments. Two full days were dedicated to presenting the issue of coaching and how it can benefit the AFM. Dr. Henri Weideman (General Secretary) acted as facilitator of these sessions and gave clear definitions of what is meant by coaching.
National Leadership Forum, March 2017 (Cape Town) -5-
PROMOTING QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS IN MINISTRY THROUGH COACHING cont. Coaching is a form of development in which a person, called a coach, supports a coachee in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing guidance, training and advice. Coaching helps a person to find their own solutions, rather than prescribing a solution. Coaching looks forward significantly more than an analysis of the past. Just imagine if we could have a situation where each and every Pastor in the AFM is presented with the prospect to stand in a quality coaching relationship with another AFM leader or colleague. Intentionally establishing these types of relationships will assist us as a church to make an impact in multiple leadership areas!
“Just imagine if we could have a situation where each and every Pastor in the AFM is presented with the prospect to stand in a quality coaching relationship with another AFM leader or colleague.” It will lead to continuous leadership development in our church (Ecclesiastes 10:10 - A dull axe requires great strength; be wise and sharpen the blade). It will give leaders a direct view into the issue of pastoral wellness and the opportunity to identify challenges proactively. It speaks strongly into the AFM’s values of relationships, integrity and accountability. It promotes continuous discipleship between leaders. And it will assist greatly with the practical implementation of the One AFM Game Plan – our missional calling and its five strategic drivers. It seems that coaching, with its focus on establishing genuine and developing relationships, can add great value to the current leadership landscape in the AFM. With our Regional, Network and Departmental Leaders on board we are looking forward to engage with each one of them regarding their coaching plan for their specific local contexts. In the meantime, we are sure that our national leaders will start to slowly introduce the idea of coaching to their Local Pastors/Leaders. In addition to all the benefits that coaching can offer the church, we should also acknowledge our unique history and precious unity, that should receive ongoing care and attention. God has placed the story of unity specifically in the history of the AFM in order to be His active witness today and evidence to the world that true unity, through Christ our Lord, is a reality.
“With our Regional, Network and Departmental Leaders on board we are looking forward to engage with each one of them regarding their coaching plan for their specific local contexts.” -6-
AFM CONFERENCE 2017: UNPACKING THE THEME OF THE CONFERENCE We are looking forward to this year’s annual conference hosted in Past. Ronnie Naidoo’s assembly in KwaZulu-Natal. If you have not completed your registration yet, please do so before the 31st of July to avoid a late registration fee being charged. I would like to use this opportunity to share more about the theme of the conference with you. I will do so not in a traditional article format, but in an interview format where I will respond to questions posed by our Communication Manager, Mrs. Chantalle Schutte. I trust that this interview will give you more insight into the most important messages we want to bring to you as Pastor and leader of the AFM.
“I would like to use this opportunity to share more about the theme of the conference with you.” Past. George what is the theme of this year’s conference? To shed light on the theme I am going to first start by quoting the prayer of Jesus in Joh. 17:20-21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” In this prayer Jesus prayed for the unity of all people who believe in Him. He knew that when believers are unified (or cohesive) in this world, that it would send out a powerful message or witness. The world will believe that Jesus is the sent one. The power of salvation lies within this concept of unity (or cohesion) of believers in Christ. And that brings me to the theme: COHESION Living as people of the Spirit in a secularizing society. Joh. 17:20-21 Looking at our world or society from a spiritual viewpoint, what do we see? We see an opportunity for the church to be “light” and “salt” in extremely challenging times. Apart from global developments, our own country South Africa are showing trends and acceptable behaviours that are far removed from the truth of the Bible. We are witnessing the formation of a “secularizing” society which is systematically moving further away from God’s principles and values. In times like these we need to remind ourselves again of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ as in Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son -7-
AFM CONFERENCE 2017: UNPACKING THE THEME OF THE CONFERENCE cont. and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” How did God position The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa for a time like this? I believe that God intentionally brought specific challenges across the AFM’s journey to prepare this church to make a significant impact in South Africa today. I am referring specifically to our precious story of unity. What other church in South Africa can say that through God’s grace, a racially divided church became one? Not only can we say we are unified, but we can also confirm that through Christ diverse people are able to accept and love each other as sisters and brothers in God’s family. Further we are blessed to have invested our hearts in the One AFM Game Plan – a platform that we continue to use to refocus our leaders on all levels of the church with our missional calling. Given the AFM’s unity and focus on missionality, I believe that God has a special season planned for the AFM. Past. George how do you see the AFM making an impact in South Africa? First and foremost our dependence on the work of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The Holy Spirit empowers the AFM to fulfil its original missional calling – during the conference we will be spending time on this matter. More than ever it has become important to express our love for Christ in our relationships with others. We will be looking at three ways in which I think our church can actively witness: (i) through caring for and spending time with each other within the AFM family, (ii) taking hands with other Christian organisations (known as Ecumenical Involvement in our One AFM Game Plan) and (iii) encouraging our members to be active witnesses in their local communities – seeing themselves as full-time workers of the Kingdom, missionaries in their local communities or modern-day Apostolic agents. Can you explain the symbolism on the conference logo Past. George? Yes, there are three. Diverse believers are unified (or cohesive) in their love for Christ – Christ represented by the white cross in the background. In the middle is our “secularizing” world – a world that is moving further away from Biblical truth. I believe that the AFM is uniquely positioned to be a powerful witness in South Africa today.
CONCLUSION I trust that you will find the issues, in this Pastoral Letter, challenging and insightful. I will appreciate your feedback on matters raised in this Pastoral Letter. Blessings! M.G. Mahlobo