This year, 2025, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Derek Prince Ministries in Southern Africa. I am deeply grateful to see God’s faithfulness. At a time when Derek Prince himself was facing financial challenges, God called him and his wife Ruth to begin distributing free Bible resources to pastors who had no means of obtaining them. This single step of faith has grown into a ministry that still touches thousands of lives across the beautiful African continent.
A Vision for the Harvest
In 1983, while on a sabbatical, Derek and Ruth Prince felt called to refocus their ministry. Derek reflected on the ripeness of the spiritual harvest, a call grounded in Revelation 14:14-16, urging him to act swiftly before the harvest would be lost. Derek shared,
“I believe the reaping is going to be tremendously intense, very swift… I have this sense of urgency.”
Derek’s response to this calling became the foundation for what we now call the Global Leaders Outreach Program (GOLP). Although the ministry experienced a season of financial difficulty, Derek decided to reach pastors and leaders in areas with limited access to Christian resources and offer them his Bible teachings for free.
In Southern Africa, the ministry took root following Derek and Ruth’s visit to Pretoria at the end of 1984, where Derek had been teaching at the University of Pretoria for a week-long seminar.
Carry the light of Christ
The DPM Southern-Africa office was launched in a private home in a small study room, as the GOLP started with a network of 120 pastors, leaders and Bible Colleges. Thousands and thousands of cassettes and books were distributed freely across 13 countries in Southern, Central and East Africa from the small office in Pretoria. The ministry continued to expand and relocated to larger premises.
For over 20 years, a DVD evening was held once a month in Pretoria. The owner of a hotel in the inner city had invited Derek Prince Ministries to run these evenings free of charge, as he himself was deeply blessed by the teaching.
Over the years, the ministry in South Africa has evolved, embracing new methods and technologies to meet the unique challenges of the region, including:
- Graduate Gift Packs to Bible School Graduates
- Voice Dubbing of the Foundations Series
Reflecting on these activities, I came across this historic video in which I'm sharing about our outreach work.
As we look to the future, our mission remains the same: to equip and empower pastors and believers to carry the light of Christ to those who need it most. The harvest truly is ripe, and we are honored to be part of God’s work in Southern Africa.
And so are you! Thank you for standing with us, praying with us, and sowing into this ministry. Together, we can continue reaching the unreached and teaching the untaught.
