My Life and Ministerial Story as Told by Busi Khumalo

The General Conference has a new Youth director: Busi Khumalo. Before his election as the new GC Youth director, Pastor Khumalo was serving as the Youth director and chaplain for the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. SID Communication director, Noel Sibanda, had a one-on-one with Pastor Busi Khumalo.

Noel Sibanda: Pastor Busi Khumalo, you have just been elected as the new GC Youth director. Tell us more about your life story in the ministry.

Busi Khumalo: The story of my life and ministry is best demonstrated in how God has led me from infancy to this point. When I was a small boy, I used to be fond of preaching. This passion was executed in the form of preaching to the chickens that we reared at home. Later, my mother told me that when she was pregnant with me, she pleaded with God that if the child she is carrying is a boy, she would like to dedicate him to the service of God. As they say, the rest is history.

NS: Pastor Khumalo, just as all other human beings, we tend to make promises to God in our lives, and sometimes we promise Him heaven and earth and forget it all belongs to Him. Did you also make such promises? If so, what vows did you make with God?

BK: A few years ago, as a young pastor, I vowed to God and my wife that I would never accept an invitation by the church to serve as youth director. The rationale for this stance is that I did not consider myself worthy of such a calling because I did not think that I have the skills and capabilities inherent in such a position. As if God was trying to prove me wrong, in 2004, I was asked to serve as the Youth director for the Southern Africa Union Conference. When I was elected, I was serving as a district pastor in Durban, South Africa. It was a daunting task because of my lack of experience. Subsequently, the church asked me to serve as the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division (SID) [Youth director] from 2010 until now.

NS: Looking back into your ministry life on how God has used you, what is your feeling like right now?

BK: I can simply say that today I stand in awe of God’s dealings in my human fallibility and insufficiency. My story serves as a clear indication that God can use anybody. I hope and pray my life story will encourage and inspire our youths to believe in God’s wisdom; [He] knows what He is doing when He points His finger at them.

NS: And finally, Pastor Khumalo, what special message would you like to share with our young people today?

BK: My message, especially to the young people reading this article, is to challenge them to remember the story of Samuel, who was chosen by God during the time of the judges to serve God during an era of spiritual dearth. The times we live in require young people who are attuned to the voice of God that calls us to go on God’s errands as we all embark on our strategic plan of “I Will Go!”

You can read the original story on the Adventist Echo website.