Serving the Lord in South Africa
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the May 2021 edition of The Mustang Connection, TMU’s alumni magazine.
Churches are a dominant force in South Africa, including in the metropolis of Johannesburg. But as in the United States, some of these churches teach a Christianity far removed from biblical truth.
Some South African churches preach a prosperity gospel, and others teach a syncretistic blend of Old Testament law and animism. Churches with sound doctrine can be hard to find.
Tim Cantrell, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Johannesburg, wants to change that.
Tim experienced firsthand the transformative power of a faithfully biblical education at The Master’s University and The Master’s Seminary, and he believes that an important part of strengthening the church in Africa is providing similar opportunities for local Christian leaders. To do this, Tim and his wife, Michelle, who is also a TMU grad, have helped establish a seminary in Johannesburg.
The Cantrells’ journey to this moment began more than 10,000 miles northwest of South Africa.
Tim came to TMU as a Bible major with a passion for God’s Word and a growing interest in global missions. While here, his desire to serve God overseas came into clearer focus. It was also here that he met Michelle Somerville, who shared that passion.
“Our friendship was very much about missions and about the work of the gospel overseas,” Tim says.
That friendship eventually blossomed into a marriage, and together the Cantrells wanted to take what they’d learned at TMU to a place desperately in need of the truth. But where?
That question was answered during a trip to Kenya, where Tim’s parents served as missionaries.
“I saw the church in Africa being a mile wide and an inch deep,” Tim says. “There were a lot of planters, but not many waterers. Some good Pauls, but not many Timothys strengthening the church and providing depth to follow the breadth. There weren’t many people training leaders.”
Tim and Michelle have spent the past 23 years striving to meet that need in South Africa. They have trained local leaders who stand on Scripture; they have helped plant churches (including Antioch Bible Church); and they’ve been involved in founding Shepherds’ Seminary Africa, where Tim serves as president.
The seminary — a trusted ministry partner of The Master’s Academy International — offers a four-year program that allows church leaders to receive a Bible-saturated education without traveling far from home.
Tim says, “We are trying to offer graduate-level training to produce pastor-shepherds who are trained in faithful expository preaching, while keeping them in the greenhouse of their own local churches who send and mentor them. And when they graduate, they can either return to or be sent out by those churches.”
The Cantrells saw the fruits of their labor in December 2020, when the first cohort graduated from the seminary. Join us in praying for Tim and Michelle as they continue to faithfully serve in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Tim Cantrell is a product of the family of ministries connected to the John MacArthur Charitable Trust. As a graduate of The Master’s University and Seminary, and a partner with The Master’s Academy International, Tim’s ministry is theologically grounded in God’s Word and focused on proclaiming the good news of salvation throughout South Africa. Pray for Tim as he works to bring Christian education to South Africa. And thank you for your partnership with the Trust. You help make it possible for visionary leaders like Tim to receive training, then have the support that’s needed to bring truth to a lost and dying world.
