Bethel Music artist running for Congress inspires South Africans in new way

Bethel Music musician and founder of Burn 247 worship movement Sean Feucht who announced last week that he will run for Congress in California’s third district is a familiar figure in worship music circles in South Africa which he has visited regularly over the past decade to inspire local worshipers to burn for Jesus.

“Family values are being eroded, the unborn are sacrificed, morals are low, and taxes are high,” he says on his website, giving an indication of what is behind his political aspirations. “Families face unimaginable challenges to make ends meet. We need a new generation of leaders. Leaders with a vision, leaders who don’t seek a career, but are willing to sacrifice to fight for what is right,” he says.

Feucht believes Congress has failed the country and needs a leader to “stand up and speak up,” CBN News reports.

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Pete Gooch, who heads up Burn 247 in SA, and has collaborated extensively with Feucht over the years, was as surprised as anyone by Feucht’s announcement of his entry into the political arena.

“As much as it came as a shock, or should I say was unexpected, my heart resonates with Sean’s in wanting to see the unshakable Kingdom of our King invade and with that, shake a nation. And as our nation is suffering under poor leadership and mismanaged cities, my response is Yes Lord, where are the Gideons, Daniels, Deborahs and Josheps of today? Are they leaders undercover, or are there new ones taking the step. Often it takes one person to stand up, speak out.

“In hindsight, looking at Sean’s background and character — He’s the man! And I believe he is an answer to the prayers of many Americans.

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I sought for a man among them to build the wall and stand in the breach in my presence on behalf of the land so that it won’t be destroyed, but I found no one. — Ezekiel 22:30

Gooch recalls that he first met Sean in Port Elizabeth in 2009 on the day that believers in the city formed a human chain around the new Nelson Mandela Stadium to dedicate it to God in prayer.

“Sean was overwhelmed at the unity and initiative. His only question was: ‘Why only for 15minutes?’

“As we were leaving he said: “The stadium was not only built to gather people around soccer but to unite a city around His presence.’

“Sean is a man of huge faith, unafraid of impossibilities and a great candidate to boldly turn a nation that’s forgotten its roots and shine light on truth.

“He’s going to run hard and will be a voice of reason and with a clear mandate to raise values and laws that raise the Kingdoms’ values.

“He has many times sacrificed many comforts to take the Gospel to literally the hardest, deadliest places on the planet.

Feucht often travels to Iraq and India to work alongside nonprofits to help families and children in underprivileged areas and has seen God move supernaturally in response to worshipping Him in the face of the enemy.

South African marketplace Christian leader Dr Mike Louis, who has been campaigning for over two years for the right of independents to contest parliamentary and provincial elections in SA said the real prospect of a brand new non-partisan electoral era opened the door for Christian millennials and Generation Zs in SA, to draw inspiration from Feucht’s example and enter the political arena.

“This [electoral change] is new, innovative and attractive to the millennials and an opportunity for them to start entering the political leadership race without going through a ‘corporate ladder'”, he said.

He said judgment on an application for the right for independents to contest elections, which was reserved in the Constitutional Court in August, was expected in the next three months.

“We remain very expectant that judgment will be in favour of the applicants and already a bill is being prepared for the Speaker of Parliament’s office to amend the Electoral Act to include the right for independents to stand. Even if the court application is not successful, this amendment bill could still be considered by the constitutional standing committee of parliament,” said Louis.

“The momentum to relook and amend the Electoral Act is widely growing and widely supported — the reason being that individualism is seen to give more rights and dignity to the marginalised of our society. It has opened new ways of thinking and inspiring self-belief. They find it to be more authentic, with identifiable representatives who understand their cultures and traditions. A good example of this is the Khoi tribe who have played a significant role in this pioneering application,” he said.

Louis said that he was pleased to announce that programmes for a new, ground-breaking school of governance were being finalised to start in January next year to prepare for the rise of new leaders and to equip them with political knowledge.

“Some of the best programmes have been included from America’s leading political reformers including the Statesman Project of Dennis Peacocke and the Leadership Institute of Morton C Blackwell which has been training leaders and activists since 1979.

“No doubt the focus will be our millennials and Generation Z who feel called to a nation who is preparing itself to be led by principles that have stood the test of time,“ he said.

In an article in Charisma News this week, David Lane, founder of American Renewal Project salutes Feucht’s decision to run for political office in California’s third district against Democratic Congressman John Garamendi.

“While Mr Feucht may not fit the politician’s mould, he may very well fit Congressional District No 3 of Redding, California. The point will be whether he can transition from leading worship and ministering on a large stage to becoming adept and efficient in grassroots, precinct-level organizing. Because in electoral campaigning it really comes down to two things: 1) How many votes can you bring to the table, and 2) How much money can you bring in that brings votes to the table.

“For spiritual resurrection in America to become possible, Sean and Millennials and Generation Z’s like him will have no other choice than to return American Christendom to the ekklesia model specified by Jesus in Matthew 16:18. The light cannot be hidden under a bushel, or behind the four walls of the church building.

“Salt and light, as well as the leaven of heaven, will have to be reinserted into the culture, and, needless to say, by other means than those employed over the last 75 years,” he writes.

In the days before announcing his political campaign, Feucht shared his heart on Instagram, reports Christian Headlines.

“Kate and I are moving into a season where we are about to find out who our true friends, family, and support systems are,” he wrote. “As sobering as that may sound, I actually believe it’s a gift from God, at least I keep telling myself that. We rarely get these seasons in our lives, at least living in the safe zones of the West, where we must make a choice between the fear of God and fear of men. I know Heaven records our response.”

At the end of a video [see below] narrated by his wife Kate, he announced his decision to run for Congress, saying:  “This is our time to stand up and speak up, this is our moment to be the change. I’m not going to sit back, watch and wait!”

What about Burn 247, the international movement he started with a vision to spark 24/7 worship around the world?

Pete Gooch responds: “My understanding is Burn 247 (which is based in over 150 cities worldwide) will communicate a non-political viewpoint. But our key values are for city transformation, seeing the church walking together to impact society. Here in our metro [Nelson Mandela Bay] we have taken worship and prayer into gang areas, townships, police stations, community centres, cafes and schools, city hall, the university, streets, beachfronts, public  squares and even the council chambers, believing His Presence changes things,

“So to see Sean as the Burn 247 Visionary taking this primary value and standing up like a Caleb or Joshua to take on the giants of Canaan is what he was born for. He has a history of trusting God and seeing His hand breaking through the darkest situations. From slums in India and Amsterdam, refugee camps in Iraq to Northern Korea. God is with Him and as the Ameican slogan — which is on their money — ‘In God we trust’, will be the very value he will remind people of.

“Burn as a movement is not run by Sean. He has handed over many aspects over the last four to five years. It’s never been about one man. His Church will continue to burn brightly across the nations. Jesus is our prize. He will return for a radiant, united, on-fire Bride.”