South African church planters Sihle Xulu and Shayne Filander came from from a Pentecostal background, only later coming to appreciate the truth of Reformed theology. They came from a churches where the church was led primarily by the pastor, an environment where there was often abuse and little accountability. They were drawn to the sense of accountability that comes with a structured church government. The idea of a church led by a team of elders, and where churches are connected under a presbytery was new to them. They had seen this in Scripture, specifically in Acts. It was new to ask, “What do we all think?” and “How do we serve the wider Church?”

There is a history of Reformed Presbyterians in South Africa, but over time they have skewed liberal. Through relationships with MTW missionaries, a group of Reformed pastors have come together to establish the Southern African Reformed Mission, with a purpose of resourcing Reformed Presbyterian church planting across Malawi, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. The partnership has encouraged both MTW leadership and southern Africans as they see they Lord advancing Presbyterian witness in southern Africa. “Our one desire is that the gospel is going to be proclaimed all over the world.”