Shofar S Logo In White

The Shofar Story

ABOUT US  |  VISION & VALUES  |  LEADERSHIP  |  AFFILIATIONS

The Shofar Story

Fred and Lucille May started Shofar Christian Church in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 1992. Since then, we’ve grown from a student fellowship to an international, multi-generational, multi-cultural church family with congregations in South Africa, Namibia, the United Kingdom, Burundi, and the Netherlands.

We have more than 50 churches, with everything from lively young congregations in cities to family-orientated churches in farming towns. We also have a growing number of new church plants, as well as fellowship groups and streaming locations.

Shofar Christian Church is registered as a voluntary association of persons NPO with the Department of Social Development, RSA.

Shofar (pronounced ‘show far’), is the Hebrew word for the ceremonial ram’s horn. In Biblical times, the shofar had several uses (all of which are significant to who we are). It was used to announce the advent of times and seasons. It was a pitcher for the oil used for anointing and inducting kings and priests. It also signalled a summons to war. The shofar is a metaphor for prophetic urgency, authority and mobilisation.

Our Vision

To reach nations & generations through

Disciple-making, leadership development

And church planting

Our Core Values

PASSION for Jesus

Passion speaks of love for Jesus – the Father’s emphatic, blazing love to and through us. This love lends legitimacy to who we are and what we do.

POWER of Belief

Power is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Profound belief sustains this inspiration and makes for change, growth and accomplishment.

PEOPLE to Serve

People are our core business. To serve them flows naturally from this passion. Leadership happens when we commit to serve and grow others.

PURPOSE to Pursue

Purpose is an inheritance everyone has from God. It is a uniquely crafted, person-specific progression of assignments. Finding and engaging it brings the reward of ultimate affirmation.

International Leader

Heinrich Titus

Heinrich Titus spent his childhood as a pastor’s kid, growing up to follow in his parents’ footsteps, first as a teacher and now as a pastor himself. After pastoring congregations in Pretoria and Johannesburg, and serving as Regional Leader of Shofar Gauteng, he is now pastoring Shofar Somerset West and serves on the International Apostolic Team as International Leader. Having experienced the highs and lows of ministry life for the last forty years, he is a firm believer that God has chosen the local church to bring healing to this broken world. He lives to see the vulnerable children of the world safely nurtured in the house of God. Heinrich is married to Nikki and together they have three children.

Hercules Opperman
Hercules Opperman

After completing an internship year with Shofar, Hercules and his wife Melanie went on to support Shofar Franschhoek and later pastor Shofar Worcester.

Together with his wife, and their three daughters, he is passionate about seeing God’s Word established and encouraging others to grow in their calling. After serving at the Shofar Support Centre for several years as General Manager, the Opperman family emigrated to the UK where Hercules is the Regional Leader for the UK and Netherlands congregations, as well as the pastor at Shofar London.
Phillip Boshoff
Phillip Boshoff

Phillip pastors Shofar Pretoria and serves as Regional Leader for our Gauteng 2 region.

The region includes our congregations in Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Polokwane and Tzaneen. He is married to Janetta and they have three daughters.
Andries van der Merwe
Andries van der Merwe

Andries and his wife Lize spent several years heading up Shofar London, before returning to South Africa in 2009 to pastor Shofar Stellenbosch.

They are now leading the Shofar congregation in Hermanus, where they live with their two daughters. Andries originally started his journey with us as an intern and went on to head up the Tartrek cycling mission around South Africa before leaving for London.
André Kruger
André Kruger

André has been involved in the planting of different churches and pastors Shofar East London.

He is passionate about raising up leaders and equipping people to become what God has destined them to be. He is married to Sonika, and they have a son. André has also authored a book titled ‘Increasing Heaven’s Flow’ which is available on our online store.
Amo O’Kennedy

Amo O’Kennedy spent 5 years in Shofar Stellenbosch pastoring students, before moving to George with his wife Cornel in 2013 to pastor Shofar George. According to Amo, his greatest achievement is his four kids Iva, Nikolas, Amo, and Julia.

He is deeply thankful for the spiritual inheritance he has received from the 7 generations before him who followed Jesus into full-time ministry. His heart burns to see revival and reformation break out in South Africa and the nations of the world. He loves seeing people delivered and healed so they can become co-workers in the Great Commission, and his life motto is based on 2 Chron 20:12 – “Lord we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
Hercules Opperman
Hercules Opperman

After completing an internship year with Shofar, Hercules and his wife Melanie went on to support Shofar Franschhoek and later pastor Shofar Worcester.

Together with his wife, and their three daughters, he is passionate about seeing God’s Word established and encouraging others to grow in their calling. After serving at the Shofar Support Centre for several years as General Manager, the Opperman family emigrated to the UK where Hercules is the Regional Leader for the UK and Netherlands congregations, as well as the pastor at Shofar London.
Jan-Cor Brink
Jan-Cor Brink

Jan-Cor helped pastor the Shofar Namibian congregations for several years, and served as the Namibian Regional Leader before moving back to South Africa.

He is married to Sandra, and in addition to being a fully-fledged “IronMan”, has four children. Jan-Cor is the Operations Manager of the Support Centre as well as the General Manager of Shofar.
Andries van der Merwe
Andries van der Merwe

Andries and his wife Lize spent several years heading up Shofar London, before returning to South Africa in 2009 to pastor Shofar Stellenbosch.

They are now leading the Shofar congregation in Hermanus, where they live with their two daughters. Andries originally started his journey with us as an intern and went on to head up the Tartrek cycling mission around South Africa before leaving for London.
Phillip Boshoff
Phillip Boshoff

Phillip pastors Shofar Pretoria and serves as Regional Leader for our Gauteng 2 region.

The region includes our congregations in Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Polokwane and Tzaneen. He is married to Janetta and they have three daughters.
André Kruger
André Kruger

André has been involved in the planting of different churches and pastors Shofar East London.

He is passionate about raising up leaders and equipping people to become what God has destined them to be. He is married to Sonika, and they have a son. André has also authored a book titled ‘Increasing Heaven’s Flow’ which is available on our online store.

Affiliations

We believe that it’s vital to be part of the greater global church and play an active role in encouraging healthy relationships between local churches. That’s why we’re not only working to build a strong network of churches but are also part of national and international Christian bodies and groups.

letsgo

Through the Shofar Network, more than 1000 churches have access to our discipleship training and materials and our Letsgo mission teams assist them with evangelism and training.

Empowered21

Empowered21 is the largest interdenominational movement uniting Spirit-filled churches and ministries across the globe. As Shofar, we form part of Empowered21 Africa, with Anton Myburgh fulfilling leadership roles on the African Cabinet.