Written by Louis F Prinsloo (Boet Prinsloo)

The History of the Apostolic Faith Mission of Namibia (AFM of Namibia) may be traced back as far as 1919. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ was not brought to our country through a singular and organized effort by one church or missionary organisation but came in different waves and at different times. God raised up ordinary people to do His work. Even though most were unordained, they were passionate and thus the Good News reached Namibia.

1928 The Dorsland Trekkers

The second wave of converts to the A.F.M. came in 1928 when the Dorsland Trekkers arrived from Angola. The phrase Dorsland Trekkers literally means: ‘Those who travelled through a land of thirst.’ The Dorsland Trek began on May 15, 1875 and was a migration of Afrikaners who travelled North-West from the towns of Pretoria, Heidelberg and Rustenburg in South Africa. The reasons for their trek have been noted as Wanderlust and also the search for a better land. They travelled through the barren Kalahari Desert, braving the desert sun, long periods without water, and finally, as they neared the Lake Ngami and Okavango River, Tsetse Flies. About 75 members of the trek died of Malaria. They held course and finally reach the town Humpata in Angola on January, 1881, where they settled down. After a period of fifty years the South African government assisted them in relocating to Namibia. For the first few years they were stationed in the Gobabis district and on the farm Kamkarap in the Outjo District. In the Outjo district they first heard the message of Pentecost as preached by the above mentioned brother A.J. Venter. As with many of the other Angola Farmers, the Word of the Lord found entrance into the hearts of Koos Alberts and his wife and they were baptised on 22 September 1929. In 1936 brother Alberts was ordained as evangelist at the A.F.M. Conference in Johannesburg. One of the Angola Farmers who had come to Christ in those days, was Paul Potgieter, who lived on the farm Bitterwater in the District Gobabis. This was the gathering place of the first A.F.M. Congregation among the Angola Farmers. They were frequently ministered to by pastors from South Africa, such as Pastor Brits from Upington, Pastor Brady, a Messianic Jew and Pastor Stoffel du Toit. Among those who came to Christ on the farm Bitterwater were Hermaans Grobler and his wife Martie. They were baptised on June 26, 1940. He visited Angola from time to time and preached both to the Dorsland Trekkers who were still in Angola, as well as to Portuguese government officials. Many of them accepted Christ and some now live in South Africa. Paul Potgieter of Bitterwater witnessed to his family in the Grootfontein District and shared his faith with them. Petrus Gerhardus Breedt and his wife Anna Elizabeth were the first from that area to be baptised.

1943 Missionary work among the African Community

In 1943 P.J. van der Walt and his wife arrived in Namibia. They started their work among the African people who lived in a part of Windhoek known as The Old Location. They were the first permanent missionaries to the indigenous peoples of Namibia.

The Move Among the Colored People

A.F.M. fishermen from the coloured community of the South African West coast worked on contract in Walvis Bay and they started a mission in Walvis Bay which spread to Windhoek. In 1965, pastor Hennie van der Colf arrived in Windhoek. He was the first A.F.M. pastor from the Coloured branch in Namibia and started the A.F.M. congregation in Khomasdal. From there the work amongst the Coloured community spread to Rehoboth, Walvis Bay and Tamariskia in the coastal town of Swakopmund.

Today the church has reached every corner of Namibia. The AFM has now exceeded the number of 161 congregations and branch congregations exist in cities as well as in rural areas. The type of church buildings ranges from adequate well-built brick places to pole structures with a tin roof.

Training of pastors in the AFM of Namibia

In addition to the 40 pastors (some of which who are retired, but still active) quite a number of elders leading the congregations have been trained. For many years pastors of the AFM of Namibia were trained at the various institutions in South Africa. They did this either by contact – or distance education. In 1996 the AFM church in Grootfontein, under pastor Louis Prinsloo, started a Bible School. He trained local people in courses that would lead up to further studies recognized for admission to legitimization. The number of students over the past years grew to about 200 in total. The AFM of Namibia took over the Bible School in 2003 and it became the official Training Centre of the church.

The AFM Family

The AFM Church was established in South Africa in 1908 through the ministry of John G Lake and Thomas Hessmallach from the USA. The AFM family of churches have congregations in 23 countries of the world, mostly in Africa, but also in Europe. The Apostolic Faith Mission of Namibia is the oldest and largest Pentecostal Church in Namibia. Currently we have 110 congregations in Namibia, of which 60% are in the North.