Bill Johnson returning to SA to build on momentum of inaugural visit

Influential revivalist, author and church leader Bill Johnson will be back in South Africa in April for the Kingdom Come SA conference in April — and he will be accompanied by his son, Eric who is a senior leader at Bethel Church in Redding, California.

After Bill Johnson’s participation in the highly successful Kingdom Come SA Conference in February this year, it was decided to invite him to return in 2018 to build on the momentum of his inaugural visit to this country, said John Crumpton, leader of Breakthru Life Church which organises the conference.

“Just under 3 000 delegates from across the country were strengthened in their faith through the insightful ministry of Johnson with many church leaders asking for further access to his teachings,” he said.

In his final session to the sold-out event in February, Johnson spoke prophetically of the need to raise up spiritual fathers in South Africa to create a legacy for the next generation. In response to this urgent call to the Body of Christ through the Holy Spirit, Crumpton  said he felt a strong impress of the Lord to do two things,

Firstly he urged Johnson to return and continue to build on the message by bringing his son Eric Johnson to minister alongside him. Eric is a sixth-generation minister and the local church pastor at Bethel, where he is modelling a pattern of leadership succession where two generations run together to ensure the baton of revival is not dropped. One of the shortcomings of the church in Africa is the inter-generational struggles and mistrust, and the lack of leadership mentoring between spiritual fathers and sons, said Crumpton.

The second thing he was stirred to do was to respond towards a growing appreciation for the historically divided church in South Africa and a recognition of a need to come together to find each other in new ways for the sake of the Kingdom. To this end Crumpton said he has been working with Moss Ntlha, general secretary of The Evangelical Alliance of South Africa and a respected figure in both the charismatic and evangelical church, to engage with church leaders to help create a place at the table for everyone.

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With this in mind, John and Lisa Crumpton together with Moss and Khumo Ntlha will be leading a tour group next month, consisting of 39 South African leaders to visit Bethel Church in Redding to see firsthand what God is doing with a local church in sustained revival.

The Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) attracts over 2 500 students annually from across the globe to be trained to become future revivalists. The South African tour group will be looking to increase revival fires in South Africa through gleaning from what the Holy Spirit is doing in other parts of the world, said Crumpton.

Commenting on the Bethel trip, Ntlha said: “I think the local church is an engine for mission and social change Unfortunately, not all is well at the local level in most communities. Studying different models of local churches that impact their environment positively is a worthy Kingdom effort.”

Crumpton said a focus point of Kingdom Come SA 2018 will be the equipping of church leaders and ordinary believers to operate in the power of the Spirit to see the greater works of the Kingdom being released across Southern Africa.

“Sean Feucht, a member of Bethel Music and who has ministered into South Africa over several years, will join us again to lead worship alongside other local worship leaders,” said Crumpton.

Kingdom Come SA 2018 will be held from April 11 to April 13 in Johannesburg at a venue to be announced. Tickets will go on sale on October 31, which just happens to be the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

There will also be an additional day for leadership development presented by Eric Johnson on Saturday April 14.

Further updates can be obtained by following the event on Facebook.com/kingdomcomesa

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He said South Africa will be known as a place of great revival.