{"id":870,"date":"2026-09-06T01:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T05:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/?p=870"},"modified":"2026-09-06T01:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T05:33:16","slug":"calling-inclusive-christian-leaders-in-south-africa-join-us-as-an-elder-founding-partner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/?p=870","title":{"rendered":"Calling Inclusive Christian Leaders in South Africa: Join Us as an Elder-Founding Partner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Eric Michel Ministries International<\/strong><br>222 Smit Street<br>Braamfontein<br>Johannesburg<br>2000<br>South Africa<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Eric Michel Ministries International<\/strong> is expanding into South Africa, and we are seeking four mature, dedicated <strong>Elder-Founding Partners<\/strong> to help plant our sacramental, Independent Catholic movement in Johannesburg and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are an autocephalous, inclusive movement grounded in the Catholic Tradition and affirming the Apostles&#8217; and Nicene Creeds. We fully embrace the ordination of women, affirm the LGBTQ+ community, and welcome those who have experienced divorce or exclusion from mainstream liturgical churches due to gender, sexuality, race, or theology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Role Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an <strong>Elder-Founding Partner<\/strong>, you will serve as a fiduciary founding member and spiritual leader under the direction of the Archbishop, playing a central role in governing, shepherding, and growing the local congregation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position Status:<\/strong> Full-Time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong> Johannesburg, South Africa <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Governance:<\/strong> Voluntary Association (Common-Law Constitution)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reports To:<\/strong> The Archbishop<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key Requirements &amp; Investment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Community Grounding:<\/strong> You must have a baseline of at least <strong>20 supportive followers<\/strong> to ensure active engagement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Documentation:<\/strong> Certified copy of South African ID (must be independent office-bearers not closely related to other founders).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Financial Contribution:<\/strong> Elders contribute to the operational startup capital. A full launch budget is estimated at R20,000 (divided into 5 equal shares of R3,992.66 \/ ~$346 CAD per partner). <em>Note: Security deposits for leases\/equipment are held separately in trust as collateral and do not count as capital contributions.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Spiritual Commitment:<\/strong> Active Christian walk, commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and demonstrated leadership skills in past congregational life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because a security deposit is a separate amount held in trust\/escrow as performance collateral rather than a partner capital contribution, its exact cost depends entirely on the commercial terms you negotiate with landlords and equipment suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Typical Security Deposit Estimates in South Africa (ZAR)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Venue Rental Deposit:<\/strong> Landlords typically require <strong>1 to 2 months&#8217; rent<\/strong> upfront as a refundable deposit. For a modest community hall or venue in Johannesburg, the cost usually ranges from <strong>R2,000 to R10,000<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AV \/ Equipment Rental Deposit:<\/strong> Rental companies generally charge a flat, refundable damage deposit ranging from\u00a0R1,000 to<strong> R3,000<\/strong> (or a small percentage of the total equipment replacement value).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Estimated Total Range:<\/strong> Expect to hold approximately <strong>R3,000 to R13,000<\/strong> in trust or escrow to cover venue and equipment security deposits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because this money serves as collateral for damages or a default, it remains the property of the ministry or its partners until it is returned at the end of the partnership contract, provided all contract terms are fulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Core Responsibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pastoral &amp; Shepherding:<\/strong> Oversee an assigned &#8220;flock&#8221; of members, provide spiritual support, visit the homebound to bring communion, and monitor congregational care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sacramental Leadership:<\/strong> Prepare communion meditations, offer prayers, preside at the communion table as congregation representative, and assist or lead services in the Pastor\u2019s absence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Governance &amp; Education:<\/strong> Attend monthly Elders&#8217; meetings, participate in retreats\/workshops, lead Christian education classes, and counsel leadership on spiritual growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How to Apply<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have been searching for an inclusive, sacramental home where you can serve the poorest of the poor and lead a vibrant community, we want to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udce9 <strong>Contact Us:<\/strong> Reach out via direct message at <a href=\"mailto:emmi@ericmichelministries.org\">emmi@ericmichelministries.org<\/a> or at <a href=\"mailto:african.harvestime@gmail.com\">african.harvestime@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eric Michel Ministries International222 Smit StreetBraamfonteinJohannesburg2000South Africa Eric Michel Ministries International is expanding into South Africa, and we are seeking four mature, dedicated Elder-Founding Partners to help plant our sacramental, Independent Catholic movement in Johannesburg and beyond. We are an &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/?p=870\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-emmi"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=870"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":871,"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions\/871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bibleacademy.africa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}