Pray the News

Every person in our metro is important to God.

He loves our metro deeply and wants to bless every corner of our metro with His love and care.

To do this, He has called people to share His love and His purposes for their lives. Their heart is to see our community changed, cared for, and transformed by His love.

These people have a name: disciples of Jesus.

God has also given people to equip us for this calling – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

The titles are less important than the purpose: building our metro into a place that glorifies Jesus.

We often get it wrong. All of us are still learning what it means to follow Jesus and do His work.

When we see residents through God’s eyes, we see His desire for a metro where people have meaningful employment; where streets are clean and safe; where education, healthcare and infrastructure function effectively; and where businesses want to invest, employ our people and grow our economy, bringing hope to families.

All the people of our metro belong to God, and we are called to help lead our metro towards this better future that glorifies God.

As Jesus’ disciples, we therefore have a responsibility to speak on behalf of the Kingdom of God for our metro. Like ambassadors, but with humility, because we too are accountable.

The Church is called to be community change agents in practical ways – in families, businesses, schools and governance – demonstrating the culture of “on earth as it is in heaven”.

We are also called to be a conscience of the metro. We must stand up and challenge abuse, corruption and dysfunctional governance.

Our current national government hates the church for doing this, as much as the apartheid government hated the church for calling it to account.

This government has instituted a Section 22 Committee, and the Section 9 Institution called the CRL, to bring the church under its control and regulate what the church may or may not preach.

This column is the type of thing they want to stop. Teaching the community that we are all accountable to a higher Person than political parties is ultimately what they seek to prevent.

To have a functional, well-governed metro, we need competent leaders with integrity and good character – people with the skills and expertise to make our metro excellent, so that our community can prosper.

Church leaders have a duty to call out corruption, incompetence and self-serving behaviour among public servants who do not honour the high calling to serve their communities.

As pastors, we do not advocate for political parties, nor allow ourselves to be captured by political personalities.

We support Godly governance and anything that contributes towards it. Archbishop Desmond Tutu once spoke of the possibility that the time might come when it would be necessary to pray for the downfall of certain corrupt leaders, just as people had prayed for the downfall of apartheid.

Perhaps that time has come. We cannot allow poverty caused or worsened by nepotism, corruption, incompetence, and a lack of integrity to continue damaging our metro.

If any elected political party does its work with integrity, character and competence, we will be the first to cheer them on. We will celebrate their success.

Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit.”

Voters in November need to look carefully at the fruit on display. For every follower of Jesus, it is a divine responsibility to pray for peaceful and fair elections and for those who have the capacity and character to govern rightly.

Each of us must examine our consciences as we approach the elections and then fulfil our civic responsibility at the voting station.

The Church does have a voice and is speaking out across our metro.

It can be better than this! My family and I serve our broader community and the calling of the Lord Jesus in Westering. I have served my local ward for the past eight years as a Ward Committee member and am particularly invested in marriage enrichment and social cohesion.

We also serve the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa, which has a strong presence throughout our Metro with churches and members across cultural groups. We love Nelson Mandela Bay and seek to build strong, united relationships with all Churches in our metro that proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ according to the Bible.

By Pastor Patrick Douglas Henry

How can the Church be that Change Agent? A Reflection

Adopt a Kingdom vision for the metro

View every resident and every corner of Nelson Mandela Bay through God’s eyes.

Equip and release disciples (members) as practical change agents

Recognise that God has given the five-fold ministries (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) to equip believers for the work of ministry. In addition, every follower of Christ should be commissioned every week to be change agents in their families, workplaces, the marketplace, and in their communities.

Engage actively in the key spheres of society

Serve on ward committees, community forums and other structures while modelling integrity and competence.

Function as the conscience of the metro

Speak prophetically—with humility and accountability—against abuse, corruption, nepotism, incompetence and self-serving behaviour among public servants. Call leaders to the high calling of serving the community.

Practise non-partisan support for Godly governance

Cheer on and celebrate any administration or official that demonstrates integrity, character, skill, and genuine service. Evaluate leaders by their fruit. Where necessary, intercede for the removal of leaders whose corruption and failure actively harm the poor and the metro—following the precedent of earlier church resistance to unjust systems.

Exercise responsible civic and electoral discipleship

Encourage every believer to examine their conscience, pray for peaceful and fair elections, and vote for candidates and parties that show the capacity and character to govern well. After the elections, continue to hold office-bearers accountable while remaining ready to partner with those who govern justly.

Build unity across the Body of Christ

Cultivate strong, cooperative relationships among churches that confess the Lordship of Jesus according to Scripture, across cultural and denominational lines.

Combine prayer, presence and practical action

Intercede consistently for the city, its leaders and its people. At the same time, put feet to prayer through sustained local involvement. Demonstrate the culture of the Kingdom in everyday life so that the Church is known as a blessing rather than merely a critic.

A Short Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We lift Nelson Mandela Bay before You. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in every street, home, school, business, and place of governance, on earth as it is in heaven.

Equip and release Your disciples as salt and light. Give us courage to speak for justice, to challenge corruption and to stand as a faithful conscience in our metro. Raise up leaders of integrity, character and competence, and guide us to support only what is righteous.

Unite Your Church across every culture and congregation. Teach us to pray without ceasing and to act with steadfast love. Purify our own hearts so that our lives bear good fruit and bring glory to the name of Jesus.

In His mighty name we pray,

Amen.