Our Story

We are a Gospel-centred church, seeking to live and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. 

We aim to call people to a committed relationship with Jesus Christ, which is only achieved through genuine faith in Christ and his death upon the cross for our sin (Romans 3: 21-25; 5: 1-8). Only here can a real relationship with God begin. 

Jesus calls us to be more than just professing Christians, he calls us to be active followers (Matthew 16:24). Following Jesus means a changed life, no longer for selfish sin but living in obedient daily faith in Christ. We place a strong focus on teaching that facilitates Christian growth in knowledge and application of God's Word. 

The mission call of Christ is the very reason for our continued life on earth as Christians. Jesus urges us to proclaim salvation in his name to all the peoples of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20). We therefore aim to live out this Gospel-centred mission, as it shapes how we live and serve within the local community, in our homes and workplaces, and also as we go out to the nations.

In short, we aim to be COMMITTED to CHRIST, GROWING in CHRIST, and CALLING OTHERS to CHRIST both locally and further afield.

Some Back Story:

On October 13 1985, Emmanuel Church started its first Sunday service in a double garage. Under its founding pastor, Ernie du Plooy, the church grew to such an extent, that by 1989 they were already outgrowing a school hall and were looking toward building their own church complex. By 1991, thanks to the generous giving of its members, an extensive property had been acquired and a spacious church building erected.

The growth of Emmanuel church has been solely due to the faithfulness of the Lord in blessing the preaching of his Word. Emmanuel reached out to the surrounding community with solid Bible teaching, creative Christian productions and many one off “visitor friendly” events. There are hundreds of people who can now testify to having come to know the Lord through Emmanuel Church. In 2000, Ernie Du Plooy stood down for health reasons and Glenn Lyons took over as the minister. Under Glenn the church continued to grow in staff and membership and currently employs several ministry workers. 

Towards the end of 2015 Glenn Lyons was elected Presiding Bishop of REACH-SA (our denomination) and today the dynamic ministry team is led by Andre Kruger. 

Over the years Emmanuel has been the launch church for a large student ministry on the PE campus (Word of Life Student Church) as well as planting a daughter church in Summerstrand in 2000. We have seen a number of our members go on to serve on the mission field and in a full time ministry capacity. Most recently, Emmanuel started Ezra Preparatory School in 2020 on the church property, with the goal of this school developing into a full fledged Christian Primary and eventually, High School. Ezra currently consists of Pre-school to Grade 2 classes, with a new grade being added each year.

Our Beliefs

Our Mission

To be a people COMMITTED to CHRIST, GROWING in CHRIST who CALL OTHERS to CHRIST

We aim to live out our mission through the following convictions:

1. We teach God’s Word

2. We aim to be God’s loving family

3. We encourage every believer to have a ministry

4. We aim to be innovative in our ministry and relevant in our community

5. We aim to be contagious in sharing Jesus Christ

This Affirmation of Faith is a summary of our foundational beliefs. (See the REACH-SA (http://reachsa.org.za/) website for a more detailed statement of our foundational beliefs.)

• The Bible is the Word of God.

• There is one true and living God. He exists in three Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• God created all things for His glory.

• God created men and women in His image.

• All have sinned and rebelled against God.

• God alone is the author of salvation.

• Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died an atoning death, conquering sin, Satan, and death in His resurrection. He appeared to the disciples and many others before He ascended to Heaven.

• The Holy Spirit gives gifts to those who are in Christ.

• The church consists of all who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation.

• Heaven and hell are real places.

• Jesus Christ will one day return to establish His kingdom.

While we are an autonomous (self-supporting) local church, we are a member of REACH-SA, the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Please see the REACH-SA website for more details.

Our Team

While we believe that every Christian is called to a ministry often in a number of different ways, shapes or forms, we are fortunate to have a committed ministry team who lead the church, with the goal of maturing and preparing everyone to actively live out their commitment to Christ.