Who We Are
Living Word’s services are characterized by a friendly and relaxed atmosphere of tender worship that brings you closer to God’s heart.
With each service, we offer practical instruction from the Word of God that will equip you to be a doer of the Word. Personal ministry is provided after each service, including prayer for healing and any other needs as well as general counseling.
Dienstye
CHURCH SERVICES
Sunday Morning: 11:15
Sunday Evening: 18:00
Founders
Nevil & Rina Norden
CHILDREN'S CHURCH SERVICES (Kruis-Kidz)
Sunday Morning
Afrikaans: 09:00
English: 11:15
Bilingual: 18:00 (Not during school holidays)
Shepherds Couple: Children
Leon & Jackie Kotze
Dienstye
TEEN'S CHURCH SERVICES (Plantasie)
Sunday Morning
Afrikaans: 09:00
English: 11:15
FOUNDERS
Nevil & Rina Norden
“Can a nation come back to God?” Your answer determines your involvement! Since the birth of Living Word in 1986, it has been Nevil and Rina’s desire that Living Word will be and will remain a true renewal congregation.
This means that we will be one of the congregations where Christianity will again be experienced as dynamic in the book of Acts (Acts 3:19; Acts 2: 42-46) – dynamically, liberating, and lovingly convincing society for Jesus! The Bride of Christ must begin to rule everywhere with Jesus, the Bridegroom, from heavenly places.
It was not possible before, because the ministry of apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher was not fully restored (Eph. 4: 11-14). Also, the process of discipleship was not thoroughly in place. We believe that we are part of God’s answer for Pretoria / Tshwane, South Africa and internationally.
Our ministry is aimed at raising your spirit, soul and body (1 Thess. 5:23) so that you will live up to your creative purpose. It is my desire to truly make people hungry for the Living Word of God and to see that the Word grows with power. (Acts 19:20)
– Nevil Norden
MANDATE STATEMENT
“Can a nation come back to God? Your answer determines your involvement.”
The strategic alignment of LW in the body of Christ is based upon our mandate and vision. We achieve our mandate through the process of discipleship: win, establish, equip and send.
VISION STATEMENT
“The establishing of a loving, Word-based Kingdom community.”
The vision of Living Word defines its purpose and describes the purpose and function that God sees for Living Word within the body of Christ.
(Matt. 6:10; Matt. 28:19-20; Matt. 6:33; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 Joh. 3:11; 1 Joh. 4:7, 11-12; Luk. 17:21; Joh. 13:34-35, 15:12; Heb. 4:12; Isa. 55:11; 1 Joh. 2:5; 2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 10:24-25; Acts 2:1; Col. 3:14)
MISION STATEMENT
“To become a passionate doer of God’s Word.”
Jesus calls us to become fishers of men (Matt. 4:19; Mark 1:17) and to follow in his footsteps (Luke 9:23; Matt. 16:24-26). These fish need to be caught (‘win’), cleaned (‘establish’), prepared (‘equip’) and made available as food (‘send’).
(Matt. 7:24-27; Luk. 6:46-49; Jam. 1:23-25; Ps. 119:103, 105; Joh. 14:15, 21-24; Joh. 15:10-14; 1 Joh. 2:3-5; 1 Joh. 4:20-21; 1 Joh. 5:2-3; Isa. 55:10-11)
CREED
We believe in one God who exists forever as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the sixty-six canonical books of the Bible, in their original writing as fully inspired of God, and accept them as the supreme and final authority for faith and life.
(2 Tim. 3:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Heb. 1:1-2; Joh. 8:31-32; 1 Thess. 2:13; Ps. 119:9-11, 89, 105, 2 Pet. 3:15-17)
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
(Gen. 1:1, 26; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Joh. 14:16)
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of the Father, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary and is true God and true man. He lived a sinless life.
(Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18, 23; 1 Pet. 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; Phil 2:6-11; John 1:14, 16:28; 17:4-5; Heb. 2:17-18)
We believe that man was created in God's image, but by man's transgression, he became separated from God. All who reach the age of accountability are responsible for their sinful deeds.
(Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 3:10, 12, 23; Joh. 3:3)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins a substitutionary sacrifice, according to the Scriptures, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood.
(Joh. 3:16-19; Rom. 4:25; Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:18-19)
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus, His ascension into Heaven, and His present life as our High Priest and Advocate.
(Matt. 28; Mark. 16:9-11; Luk. 9:22; Luk. 24:36-40; Joh. 20 & 21; Mark 16:19-20; Luk. 24:36-53; Acts 1:6-12; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:3-8; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 10:10-12; 1 Joh. 2:1; Heb. 8:6; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 5:1-10)
We believe in the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ
Acts 1:11; Rev. 1:7; Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26; Joh. 14:3; 1 Thess. 1:10; 4:16-17; 2 Thess. 1:7; Joh. 14:18; 2 Pet. 3:3-10)
We believe that all who repent of their sin and receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.
(Joh. 1:12; Joh. 3:16; Rom. 3:20-24; 5:8-10; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 3:26; 1 Joh. 5:12-13; Acts 2:38; 1 Joh. 1:9; Acts 16:3-31)
We believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit, empowering and equipping believers for service, with the accompanying supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit; and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. We believe in the divinely ordained ministries of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher.
(Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 12:7-13; Gal. 4:6; Joh. 15:26; Joh. 16:7; Rom. 5:5; Rom. 8:9; 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1; Eph. 4:11-13)
We believe in the resurrection of both the just and the unjust, the eternal blessedness of the redeemed and the eternal banishment of those who have rejected the offer of salvation.
(Joh. 5:28-29; Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:51-54; Phil. 3:20-21; 2 Cor. 4:14; Matt. 25:40-46; Mark 9:44, 46, 48-49; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 20:12-17)
We believe in the principle of the visionary leader of a congregation/ministry as the appointed leader by God functioning together with a plurality of leadership. The visionary leader is the primus inter parus ("first among equals"). Plurality of leadership, consisting of the visionary leader together with appointed elders, provides for the necessary checks and balances for healthy leadership.
(Eph. 4:11; 1 Thess. 5:12-13; Acts 11:30; Acts 14:23; Acts 15:28; Tit. 1:5; Jam. 5:14; 1 Pet. 5:1-5; 1 Cor. 16:15-16; Prov. 15:22; Heb. 13:17)
We believe that church leadership carries the responsibility for oversight and care of members. Where necessary, church leadership must carry out biblical discipline for the protection of the local church.
(Heb. 13:17; Gal. 6:1; Heb. 12:10-11; Jam. 5:20; 2 Tim. 2:24-25; Matt. 18:15-17; Tit. 3:10-11; 1 Cor. 5)
We believe that the one true Church is the whole company of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit; that the local church on earth should take its character from this conception of the Church and therefore, that the new birth and personal confession of Christ are essentials of church membership.
(1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Pet. 2:4-9; Eph. 1:23; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; 1 Tim. 3:15; Eph. 2:20-21; Joh. 3:3; Rom. 10:9-11, Acts 2.42)
We believe in the principle of heterosexual relationships between a natural man and a natural woman within the confines of lawful matrimony.
(Gen. 1:26-27; Matt. 19:4‑6; Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:24‑27; 1 Cor. 6:9‑11; 1 Cor. 7:2; Heb. 13:4, Gen. 2:21-25)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ appointed two ordinances – baptism in water and the Lord's Supper – to be observed as acts of obedience and as perpetual witnesses to the cardinal facts of the Christian faith; that Baptism is the immersion of the believer in water as a confession of identification with Christ in His burial and resurrection and that the Lord's Supper is the partaking of the emblems symbolic of the Saviour's broken body and shed blood, in remembrance of His sacrificial death, till He comes.
(Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 6:3-4;
Acts 2:38, 41-42, 8:12, 26-39, 22:16; Matt. 26:26-28; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)
We believe that divine healing was provided for in the Old Testament and is an integral part of the Gospel.
(Isa. 53:4-5; Matt. 8:16-17; Mark 16:18; Acts 10:38, 28:8; 1 Cor. 12:4; Jam. 5:14-15; 1 Pet. 2:24; Ps. 103:3; Heb. 13:8)
We believe the Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in the doctrine of sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of the new birth and continuing until the consummation of salvation.
(Heb. 12:14; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Pet.3:18; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:12-14; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 5:26; Joh. 17:17)
The church is open to any truth, which the Holy Spirit may illuminate from the Scriptures. We believe the Holy Spirit’s revelation will not contradict established Biblical truth and values and will be in line with the character of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
(2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 13:8; 1 Cor. 2:9, 4:6; Joh. 14:6, 26; 16:12-14; Mal. 3:6)
CORE VALUES OF
LIVING WORD
LOVE AND GRACE
We will at all times reveal God's attitude of love and mercy to all people.
UNITY
We are constantly committed to maintaining mutual Divine unity and avoiding and resisting anything that promotes discord and division.
COMMITMENT
We give our complete dedication and faithfulness to the vision, mission and core values of Living Word.
RESPECT
We regard every person as created in the image of God and believe that unconditional love and respect should be shown to them, regardless of their gender and cultural or social status.
SERVICE FITNESS
In everything we do, we display an attitude of humility and service.
INTEGRITY
We will at all times walk in honesty, sincerity and integrity with regard to our relationships, finances, time, resources and responsibilities.
In 1986 Nevil Norden distributed posters across Pretoria to invite people to services in the old Cinerama Theater in Church Street. The first service was held on February 2, 1986. The congregation that emerged from these meetings was called Living Word. The vision of the congregation was to serve biblical truths to the community so that they could experience a living and intimate relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The congregation moved to the Transvalia Theater and returned to the Cinerama Theater a year later. Membership numbers continued to grow and the need for their own church building became increasingly urgent.
1990In July 1990, the property was purchased at 72 Brummeria Road, Brummeria (near the CSIR).
1992In February 1992, the congregation moved to the new site and a 1400-seat tent was erected as a temporary place of worship. More than 150 new members were added within a year.
The services were attended by up to 1500 people on Sundays. Despite cold winters, hot summers, leaking roofs, neighbors’ complaints about noise, lack of space, poor acoustics, etc., many congregational activities have come in place and are a solid foundation for Living Word’s ongoing growth.
1995During 1995 a modern church building and offices were started on the premises. The dedication of the church building was on Friday, June 7, 1996.
Since then there have been Living Word congregations in the greater Pretoria / Tshwane area and planted throughout the country: LW Centurion, LW Westerlig, LW Montana, LW Moot, LW Mamelodi, LW Bronkhorstspruit etc. There are currently about 20 affiliated Living Word congregations (congregations that carry the Living Word name and emblem) and another 20 affiliated congregations and ministries that are in brotherhood with Living Word.
LIVING WORD'S
LOGO EXPLAIN
The emblem symbolizes the Word and the cross, with the words separated from the graphic forms to establish a stronger recognizable emblem.
The “embrace” speaks of the “life” in “Living Word”, it speaks of dynamics and movement. The cross is never static – it invites us to meet with the Way, the Truth and the Life – Jesus Christ. The cross is red – Jesus was fully human; His body was torn to the cross – His blood penetrated red into the cross.
Red speaks of passion (Song 8: 6-7), love (John 3:16) and life (John 15:13). Furthermore, the “embrace” also speaks of Living Word’s core values, especially oneness, love and grace.
The Word is blue, the color of royalty. The Word portrays the Lord’s merciful Kingship in our lives (Rom. 2: 4). Jesus is the Living Word (1 John 1: 1 and John 1: 1-3). Jesus is our King! Finally, the text: “Lewende Woord” (Afrikaans) printed in shallow, bold letters creates a more modern look, with “Living Word” (English) in dark gray capital letters, so that an international or English-speaking audience will immediately understand what “Living Word” means.
The cross, as an internationally known symbol, speaks of the person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The cross thus personifies Jesus and with the Word, our Jesus, the Living Word.