Shepherds' Seminary Africa

13/03/2026

You may not be captive to these lies, but millions of others are - so please spread the word to warn the lost & rescue the sheep, to "expose the deeds of darkness" (Eph. 5:11).

"When pastors fall into scandal, the damage goes far beyond one man—it wounds the church and dishonours the gospel. In this episode, we examine the biblical qualifications for church leaders and the responsibility congregations carry in holding them accountable. Recent controversies surrounding prominent African pastors raise urgent questions: What disqualifies a pastor?

"Should leaders who violate Scripture remain in ministry? And what responsibility do believers have when they continue to support compromised ministries? Scripture is clear that both life and doctrine matter. This discussion calls Christians back to biblical discernment, reminding us that the church must protect the pulpit and uphold truth in both message and character...."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB3om5VBuWk
(Or read here: https://betweentwocultures.com/2026/03/12/divorce-disqualifies-boshoff-co/)

When pastors fall into scandal, the damage goes far beyond one man—it wounds the church and dishonours the gospel. In this episode, we examine the biblical q...

03/07/2025

*What Makes Shepherds’ Seminary Unique And Necessary* - by Tim Cantrell

Praise God for great seminaries and academic institutions that have been bastions of biblical orthodoxy. But in many fields of service, such institutions are unavailable (or have gone liberal), so local churches are having to rediscover their God-given role in pastoral training. From passing the buck to parachurch schools, the local church must return to passing the baton, “entrusting these things to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). But this will require strong theological unity and in-depth cooperation amongst one or more churches and their leaders.

Patterned after good models and mentors [1], our seminary is the fruit of twenty-plus years of church planting and church-strengthening, until we had a coalition of five likeminded churches ready to take on such a large project. Each church donates their pastor’s time, as part of his biblical calling to raise up the next generation of pastors (1 Tim. 5:22). Christ has ordained that churches produce pastors; other institutions may assist but cannot replace the church’s role.

Our students should be biblically qualified, gifted men whom God has clearly called into pastoral ministry through their local church identifying them. Too often a man ‘went’ to seminary instead of being sent by his local church who can verify and vouch for his godly character and gifting (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). At our seminary we tell applicants, “You need to smell like sheep to study at Shepherds’ (Seminary).” We take it very seriously when a local church sends us one of their best treasures – a proven and tested man, to undergo our rigorous, four-year program.

While in seminary, our job is not to expose students to a smorgasbord of views, but to impart a definite body of sound doctrine and biblical truth so that we produce pastor-theologians ready to love and lead a flock (1 Tim. 4:6-16; Acts 20:17-35).[2] To do that we must have a faculty of teachers who are united not only in doctrine but also in ministry practice, and who can model pastoral ministry outside the classroom in healthy local churches and in mentoring our men. This is the accreditation that matters most in God’s eyes.

Today’s typical seminary graduates leave with more questions than answers, more doubts than convictions. How then will they ever lead a flock with confidence and feed them with sound doctrine? May God use our cooperation as local churches to train up faithful shepherd-expositors who will show their love for the Chief Shepherd by feeding His sheep (Jn. 20:15-19; 1 Pet. 5:1-4).

The Apostle Paul’s mandate to young Pastor Timothy is clear, “Retain the standard of sound words…. Guard the good deposit….” (2 Tim. 1:13-14). J.C. Ryle summons every preacher:

"Dare to make up your mind what you believe. Dare to have distinct views of truth and error. Never, never be afraid to hold decided doctrinal opinions. Never…rest contented with a bloodless, boneless, tasteless, colourless, lukewarm un-dogmatic Christianity. …Take up a distinct, sharply cut, doctrinal religion!

"…Christianity without distinct doctrine is a powerless thing. …The men who have done the most for the Church, and made the deepest mark on their day and generation, have always been men of most decided and distinct doctrinal views.

"…It is doctrine, clear, ringing doctrine, which, like the ram’s horn at Jericho, casts down the opposition of the devil and sin!"[3]

APPLY NOW for our January 2026 cohort! (we only do a new cohort every other year). https://www.shepherdsafrica.co.za/admissions/how-to-apply/
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[1] https://expositors.org/; https://www.9marks.org/.../church-classroom-history.../; https://www.9marks.org/article/raising-pastors-churchs-work/; https://www.9marks.org/article/how-do-pastors-raise-pastors/
[2] That doesn’t mean we don’t teach students to understand opposing positions thoroughly, to represent that position accurately and refute it biblically, logically, and precisely.
[3] pp. 416-19, Holiness (1889).

https://www.shepherdsafrica.co.za/admissions/how-to-apply/

13/06/2025

03/02/2025

Spread the word!

29/01/2025

Spread the word - a great opportunity to roll up our sleeves and get very practical with our theology, to see the doctrine of the church applied in real life!

24/01/2025

I still remember as a 17 year-old young man, in 1991, hearing this anonymous quote from Dr. MacArthur when he came to preach at a nearby church in Houston, Texas, where I grew up. That was nearly 35 years ago, yet I vividly recall how God used it to intensify my call to the ministry, convincing me that God’s Word was truly a “fire in my bones” that had to be let out (Jer. 20:9), and bracing me for what was ahead.

I had this quote hanging on my wall for many years after that. This morning I was expounding 1 Timothy 6:11-16 on the man of God to our men at church, and I came across it and was deeply moved by it again. How I praise God for the faithful men of God who have imparted His Word and sound doctrine to me. How I pray that God would keep sending our church and seminary His choice men to train up as faithful expositors – the most urgent need of the hour!

“Fling him into his office. Tear the “Office” sign from the door and nail on the sign, “Study.” Take him off the mailing list. Lock him up with his books and his typewriter and his Bible. Slam him down on his knees before texts and broken hearts and the flock of lives of a superficial flock and a holy God...." (see rest of quote below)

https://www.shepherdsafrica.co.za/2025/01/24/the-making-of-a-man-of-god-by-tim-cantrell/

23/10/2024

Can't wait for Saturday - see you there! Great chance to do Heb. 13:7 together in celebrating the rich Protestant & Reformation legacy passed down to us: "Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith." And to practice Psalm 77 in letting church history drive us to greater worship: "I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old" (v. 11).

10/10/2024

Free lunch for all who register on-line - see you there!

https://www.antiochbiblechurch.org.za/reformation-conference-2024/

"The Reformation is more than a historical event; it’s a spiritual revolution that continues to shape our understanding of the Christian life, worship, and the church. Its emphasis on the authority of Scripture and the glory of God must never be forgotten." (Joel Beeke)

"The Protestant Reformation is still relevant today because the core issue at stake—the authority of Scripture—is always under assault. In every generation, the sufficiency and authority of Scripture must be defended, and the gospel that the Reformation brought back into the light must be upheld." (John MacArthur)

"The Reformation’s relevance is clear when you realize that the issues it addressed—like the sufficiency of Scripture, the clarity of the gospel, and the need for doctrinal purity—are just as pressing today in a culture that is hostile to truth. We cannot afford to forget the lessons of the Reformation." (Voddie Baucham)

"The Reformation was fundamentally a rediscovery of the gospel, and that is not something we can move beyond. The issues that sparked the Reformation—salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone—are just as vital today as they were in the sixteenth century." (Michael Reeves)

"The truths recovered during the Reformation are just as essential today because the gospel is always under threat. Every generation must fight for the purity of the gospel—just as the Reformers did—so that Christ’s name is exalted and His work is not distorted." (Paul Washer)

"The Reformation is not over because the issues of authority, justification, and the gospel itself are still at stake. The battle over sola scriptura and sola fide is not simply a historical relic; it is a present and continuing battle that affects the very essence of our faith." (R.C. Sproul)

08/10/2024

"The Bible is not a work on Systematic Theology, but only the quarry out of which the stone for such a temple can be obtained. Instead of giving us a formal statement of a theological systems it gives us a mass of raw materials which must be organized and systematized and worked up into their organic relations...classified and arranged in a logical system and thus transformed into theology.
..We believe that the Scriptures contain one harmonious and sufficiently complete system of doctrine; and that it is our duty to trace out this consistency by a careful investigation of the meaning of particular passages. .
..Would that we had more people with that noble character of the Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily to see whether or not these things were so (Acts 17:11). ...Where Scripture leads, we may safely follow.” (Lorraine Boettner)

08/10/2024

"The question of which of these [theological] systems is true is not to be decided by ascertaining which is the more agreeable to our feelings or the more plausible to our understanding, but which is consistent with the doctrines of the Bible and the facts of experience.
..It is the duty of every theologian to subordinate his theories to the Bible, and teach not what seems to him to be true or reasonable, but simply what the Bible teaches.
..There would be no end of controversy, and no securing for any truth whatsoever, if the strong personal convictions of individual minds be allowed to determine what is, or what is not true, what the Bible may and may not be allowed to teach." (Charles Hodge)

01/10/2024

Spread the word & see you there - all welcome!