OUR LEADERS

OUR LEADERS

“Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.”

Matthew 20:25-27

MCSA Garden Route Circuit

St Thomas Methodist Church is a member of the Garden Route Circuit. The Superintendent Minister of Garden Route Circuit is the Reverend Siya Mandla from the Knysna Society. The Garden Route Circuit in turn is a member of the Camdeboo District managed by Bishop Thembeka Mkabeni who is based in George. The Garden Route Circuit has four elected lay people called Circuit Stewards who assist the Superintendent with Circuit management. The St. Thomas society in Plettenberg Bay is managed by the resident Minister, who is assisted by the Church Council (representatives from the congregation) and the Church Executive (Society Stewards) elected by the congregation.

Rev Timothy Rist

Starting his ministry as a full-time youth pastor in Kwa Zulu Natal, Tim’s education and training culminated in his Ordination in 1992. Tim holds a Master of Theology degree from Rhodes University. He has ministered to congregations in Mandini (Zululand), Lorne Street and Mayville (Durban), Trinity Methodist (Bloemfontein) as well as being stationed as Chaplain to Kingswood College (Grahamstown) – a position he occupied for nine years before moving to the rural setting of the Salem Circuit near Kenton-on-sea. Tim joined St. Thomas Methodist in December 2015. He has a heart for preaching and teaching and believes emphatically that the health of a church should not simply be measured by worship attendance on a Sunday, but more importantly, by the nature of the projects the church is involved in with the local community. Mission work is central to his understanding of his calling. Tim is married to Jaine and is the father of 3 sons, 1 grandson and 1 granddaughter.

Pastor Troy Rist

Troy comes to us with an undergraduate degree from Rhodes University in Instrumental Musical Studies and Philosophy, an Honours Degree in Theology from the Shofar Christian Institute and a Masters in Systematic Theology. He is currently working on his doctorate. Troy has always had a heart for serving God, and a deep thirst for God’s word. Music is central to his life, and he enjoys working with others in music ministry. In 2016, Troy volunteered a ‘year his life’ to Every Nation Church in Grahamstown, working deeply with Rhodes university students, and learning the ropes of Church administration. While on a Mission trip to Zimbabwe he felt within his Spirit the strong pull of God calling him into full time Ministry. Troy has also benefited from the leadership of Rev Tim Marshall at Kingswood College in working with high school students. He has great interest in Christian Apologetics and is an avid follower of Dr. John Lennox, and Prof William Lain Craig. Troy and his wife Tayla are the happy parents of their daughter Piper.

Every Member in Ministry

At STMC we are blessed to have so many willing servants who are called to lead in the many and varied areas of ministry. We firmly believe in “every member in ministry” for a growing and dynamic congregation and community. Should you be interested in learning more about any of our areas of ministry please fill in the “Contact Us” form and we will put you in touch with the relevant people,