In 2022, Christ Church Stellenbosch was a church booming with potential but lacking oversight and direction. Today, its growth serves as a powerful reminder that church rejuvenation begins and ends with the Gospel.

A church in need of renewal 

When Rector Rev. Grant Retief arrived in 2022, he explained, “The ministry was rundown, staff were discouraged, facilities neglected.”

At the time, the church was running two services with 110 people attending in the morning and 80 students in the evening. 

“The church was broken and in need of rejuvenation. There had been 10 years of leadership gone bad. We came into a low-trust environment. Three rectors left under a cloud over a 10-year period.”

“There was division in the church. They were inward-looking.”

Though the church had been through an extended period of difficulty, Retief reflected that there were wonderfully faithful people who had persevered through thick and thin, held the line and continued to believe the Gospel and love Jesus.

“There was an air of discouragement, and yet fortitude in the stubborn belief that the Gospel is true. I wish to salute those who stuck it out and continued to embody the values of Gospel-mindedness and Bible teaching.”

Preaching the Gospel without assumption 

Retief began by preaching with the unbeliever in mind from Day 1. 

“I realised I needed to turn up the missions heat,” recalled Retief. 

When asked how to revitalise a church, Retief’s response was clear:

“Don’t assume the Gospel. Preach the Gospel as though lives depend on it. Preach it every week. Preach for people to make a response to Christ.”

“I believe the unforgivable sin is to assume the Gospel.”

Retief said he and his team made several changes to services, but the most impactful of the changes was a prioritisation of the Gospel. 

“We preached evangelistically, tightened services, kept to time, upgraded the Sunday experience. We trained those who served (for example, readers, prayers, etc). We introduced liturgy.”

“We worked hard on Sundays to remove the obstacles for outsiders and make the service an orderly, edifying time.”

There were overnight changes. 

“I tried to listen a lot to staff and congregants, and much of it happened intuitively.”

Building pathways for discipleship

The team worked to resource and support growth group leaders. 

“We lowered the bar for a growth group. Growth groups followed the sermon with practical application. Growth groups focused on prayer, application, and community,” said Retief. 

“We were more intentional about connecting with new people.”

Recognising that growth required intentional follow-up, the staff implemented a simple pathway to help newcomers become connected and discipled:

1. Visitors complete a newcomer information form.
2. A staff member contacts them by phone and invites them for coffee.
3. They are invited to attend a six-week course—three weeks focused on the Gospel and three weeks introducing them to the church and its expectations of members
4. Those who choose to become members are connected to a growth group and encouraged to join a serving team.

The fruit of faithful Gospel proclamation

Over time, these deliberate changes began to transform the life of the church in measurable ways. 

“We now have over 300 volunteers.”

In 2026, the church has grown to see an average of 1 200 people every Sunday during term time across five services. They now have two morning family services and three student services. 

Christ Church Stellenbosch now has a staff of 18 people, including 7 apprentices. 

Retief credited student minister Sean de Kock for his exceptional work in creating an infrastructure to fast-track student maturity.

“We train students to preach the Gospel. We spend 8 hours a week with 40 students, having intentional conversations that lead to the Gospel.”

The church’s greatest obstacle to further growth is its heritage building. 

“Our venue is a 300-seater. Running 5 services is exhausting.”

Prayer for the future 

Retief encourages people to pray for the following ministry needs: 

• God’s continued provision through fundraising to sustain the student ministry.
• Wisdom and provision for a long-term solution to the church’s limited space.
• Grace and wisdom in managing the continued growth of the congregation and staff team.
• Ongoing fruitfulness in campus evangelism.
• The flourishing of ministry at church plant Christ Church Kayamandi, which is supported by Christ Church Stellenbosch.

The church conducted a survey to determine their reasons for growth. 

When asked, ‘Why did you stay?’, 80% of respondents said, ‘Because the Gospel was preached every week. It was urgent and bold.’

 

*This blog was edited on 20 August, 2026, to add some further reflections by Rev. Grant Retief.