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KNOWING US
(What is ENTRUST?)

Our core committment

The Evangelical Network Trust (ENTRUST) – is a non-profit, umbrella organization that seeks to: RAISE UP AND TRAIN A NEW GENERATION OF GOSPEL WORKERS in KwaZulu-Natal and beyond, who will share our core commitment and ministry strategy. This desire (and our name) springs from Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2...

Watch the following videos:

• an overview of ENTRUST (5 minutes).
• "The key obstacles to the Gospel advancing in South Africa" by Grant Retief (Chairman of ENTRUST) (6 minutes)
  

What does ENTRUST believe?

The short answer is that The Evangelical Netork Trust is committed to developing and equipping gospel workers who are Christian, Evangelical and Reformed. The ENTRUST Statement of Faith (adapted from those of the Geneva Push and Acts29) can be viewed or downloaded here.

Our ministry strategy

ENTRUST aims to achieve this through a 4-pronged strategy:

1. RECRUITMENT. Through partnership with local churches and university ministries, we aim to recruit godly, gifted, already-serving people into full-time ministry by bringing them onto staff teams as apprentices.
   
   
2. APPRENTICESHIP. Those recruited onto staff teams will be taken through a Ministry Apprenticeship Programme in their local church, as well as being trained regionally on the ENTRUST Training Course, over a two year period.
   
   
3. THEOLOGICAL TRAINING. Those apprentices who have shown themselves to be suitable for paid Christian ministry are encouraged to set aside three years for further theological training, at George Whitefield College.
   
   
4. MULTIPLYING MINISTRIES. Once trained, our desire is to start new ministries as we place our students as children’s, youth and student workers, or preachers, or church planters, so that the Gospel will be taught more and more widely.

Our History

Since 1999 various churches in Kwa-Zulu Natal have been sharing together in ministries such as conferencing, apprenticeship, student work and training. 

The ENTRUST Training Course
The partnership between KwaZulu-Natal churches resulted in entire staff teams coming together from 2003-2005 for regional training on Tuesday afternoons in Hillcrest, under the name MAP (the Ministry Apprenticeship Programme).  In 2006 MAP began to meet in Pinetown and started to focus solely on the training of apprentices.  In 2007, MAP was replaced with the ENTRUST Training Course, after visits by Michael Schäfer to various training centres in Australia and England.  Since its inception, ETC has shown its committed to regional partnership by inviting local pastors to be involved in teaching on the course.

The Bible Talks – Student Ministry
The partnership of local churches also resulted in the regional initiative of student work on various campuses,  under the name “The Bible Talks”.  Workers from various churches have partnered one another in this strategic ministry.

Conferences
ENTRUST has also organised numerous conferences through the years to which local churches, apprentices and partners are invited.   These have included the Easter Convention, the Mid Year Conference and numerous ENTRUST Partner Conferences.

The Governing Board
After the original partnership of Grant Retief and Michael Schäfer, and the critical support of Wayne Barkhuizen, Deane Baker, Ray Brown, Sam Groves, Geoff Gertzen, David Ng, Sihle Mooi, Duane Olivier and many others, the first ever Governing Board was established on 19 March 2009 with Grant Retief as the Chairman and Wayne Barkhuizen (Holy Tinity Church, Pietermaritzburg), Sam Groves (Church on the Ridge, Pietermaritzburg) and Ray Brown(Christ Church Glenwood) on the Board.  The first employees of ENTRUST were Michael Schäfer (Director of Training), Goodenough Mthembu (Director of Student Work), Andy Pike (Course Lecturer) and Nicky Kidgell (Administrator).  Various unpaid workers were recognised along with the team: Nerena Nethercoat and Kim Carr (Student and Women’s Work), Scott Seivewright (Student Work) and Paul Passaro (Strategic Planning).

Take a look at this mindmap for a better understanding of the structure of ENTRUST.