Prop. Randow Jantjies is a child of the beautiful Karoo who was born in Aberdeen on the 28th of August 1993.
But who is this young man who enjoys playing golf, hiking, cycling and has a special interest in politics when he is not busy with theology?
“The first 13 years of my childhood I grew up at Aberdeen with my grandmother, Maggie Jantjies, who was very instrumental in my spiritual development,” says Prop. Jantjies. He completed his primary school education at Aberdeen Primary School where his leadership qualities were formed when he was chosen as the head boy.
“I had two people in my life who played a crucial role in my formation and development. Firstly, my late grandmother introduced the church to me and in a sense created a love for ministry within me. From a very young age, I had to accompany her to almost every church activity that she was involved with,” Prop. Jantjies explains. “I became a Christian because of her. She was very active in the church and as a result of that, I also followed in her footsteps. But more so, because she taught me to always put God first in my life and to make sure that my relationship with him become the most important one to have.
“Secondly, my mother, as a single parent, has inspired me to always stretch myself beyond my immediate circumstances. Her ambition to reach her goals in life while raising two teenage boys was my biggest inspiration. It was this that motivated me to never give up on what I want to achieve.”
In 2007 Prop. Jantjies relocated to George to live with his mother, Marjorie Erasmus, where he completed his high school education at Parkdene Secondary School. During these years he further expanded his leadership abilities when he became the chairperson of the UCSA (Uniting Christian Student Association) of the school.
“It was also here where I was challenged with my calling to become a minister,” Prop. Jantjies says. “Since a young age there was an urge to become a minister in URCSA. This may be because the church was all I knew. The desire further grew when I worked as an Ambulance Assistant at ER24. It was in this job that I realized that God has placed a greater calling on my life and that the church is the place where I want to commit my time, gifts and energy.”
In 2018 Prop. Jantjies completed his BTh at the Cape Town Baptist Seminary. His mini-thesis focussed on The Church’s Response to the phenomenon of Absent Fathers: A Practical Theological Approach. In 2021 he obtained his MDiv at the Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University where his thesis focussed on The Church’s Theological Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in the South African Context. It was done under the supervision of Dr Sipho Mahokoto from the Department of Systematic Theology.
“My dream for the church that God will call me to, is to join God in his Missio Dei. I believe that the congregation where I will be called to is already at work and my aspiration is to partner with that congregation in what they believe God is busy doing with them. Furthermore, I want to see that the church becomes the salt and light for the world as we confess in Belhar. Lastly, my dream is that the church will become an inclusive community that can accommodate every human being who I believe is created in God’s image,” says Prop. Jantjies.
He is engaged to Naydene who is a teacher at a secondary school.
Contact Prop. Jantjies at [email protected] or [email protected] or call him on 060 868 0345.