During 1980 Rev. J.F. Landmann was invited to AFM Alberton Congregation to address the Johannesburg District Conference as a motivational speaker. At the time Rev. Landmann was extremely busy with his congregation as well as implementation of EEIII in South Africa.

During the ensemble singing he stood on the side and prayed quietly by himself: “Father I am so tired, it feels as though I am busy with the things of the Lord instead of being busy with you, won’t you please talk to me?” He had just scarcely finished praying when the local pastor – J.G. Henning – laid his hand on him and started prophesying over Rev. Landmann: “Look, says the Lord, I ordain you into apostolic authority. You have to resign your congregation, then you have to resign your church, I am going to raise and use you nationally and internationally”.

After the prophecy, pastor Henning stopped the singing and called Pastor J.M. Strassen, Vice-president of the AFM, who was also in the audience to the front. Pastor Henning shared with the audience that God spoke to Rev. Landmann and that they were going to lay their hands on him to ordain him to this new direction in ministry that God called him to. The reverent was asked to sit on a chair and they laid their hands on him and separated him for this ministry.

“I did not understand it because the financial implications would be far reaching. We prayed together as a family. Everyone fetched a rock – the biggest that everyone could handle – and together we built an altar. The Saturday evening, I walked with my hands in the air in Eeufees Street, across the AFM church complex in Pretoria-North, the floodlights switched on at 18h00. Everything was lit up so prettily and looked so peaceful. There was so much order. It was one of the prettiest church complexes in Pretoria. Koen Liebenberg, government gardener of the Presidents and Union Building Gardens assisted me to make a pleasance of the church garden with its 54 rose bushes. Everything felt so unreal for me. I had thirteen people on the pay roll, as full-time personnel. Also, I was responsible for the many, many congregations of seventeen denominations that implemented EEIII. I asked myself over and over, “How could I resign?” God used me then to birth EEIII South Africa. I was very unsure and with a terrible conflict. Two years passed without me being obedient to God’s command. My desert time eventually lasted for fifteen years. This was an indescribable time of testing. Also, a time through which I experienced God’s provision, assistance, guidance, direction and revelation. During this time the prophetic commission of 1980 penetrated with a bigger sense of perspective to me.”

“At 10h00 11th of January 1984 I experienced an intervention of God. While the anointing of the Holy Spirit came over me, I received in my spirit a word: “EKD” – Evangelistic Kindred Discipleship. I immediately took note paper from my shirt pocket and jotted it down. The presence of God was so intense that my supervisor several yards from me, fell on his knees in public and came to repentance.”

“I intensely experienced that this would be the nature and content of my future ministry. The note that I made, had only one intention – equipping and again equipping and accompanying preparation. All was rather vague and unclear to me, however, but for the umpteenth time in my life, I just believed and availed myself for it. I discussed it with the then Head Secretary, Dr. Jannie Langerman and with my district chairman – Pastor Bertie Wort. Not one of the leadership viewed it as any problem and encouraged me to be obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

“During the time of this revelation, there was still not a complete surrender with me. The Landmann family on my mother’s side was utterly loyal by nature. You do not easily change your church. For me it was an immense challenge to resign from the AFM. When I was approached by national leadership to minister to a failing congregation as interim pastor in the east rand, I grabbed the invitation with enthusiasm. This congregation was certainly on the decline, the service in the middle of the week had died down. The R10, 000 debt on their overdraft facility had to be subsidized by the district board. On Sunday’s, there were only about twelve people in the church and there was not even a parsonage.”

“Within three months, however, God again proved himself powerfully, twenty-four souls came to repentance and were baptized. The subsidy was retracted. All church debt of about R15, 000 was paid. The R10, 000 overdraft was cleared and attendance on Sunday exceeded the eighty marks. I bought a house on my own, which served as a parsonage. We started a congregation choir and with attitude experienced a flow of revival. During a personnel hour of prayer, the Lord gave me instruction prophetically to implement the “CHRIST METHOD OF DISCIPLESHIP”. Without understanding it in any way, I focused on that. I served in this congregation since June 1986 up until the 10th of April 1988.”

“On Tuesday morning the 5th of April 1988 when I walked into the church building to conduct the personnel prayer meeting, the Holy Spirit inspired in me a new melody. I went to the piano and without looking for a single note or word, the melody and the accompanying lyrics, spontaneously flowed:

He is Lord 
He is Lord

Gives me His guidance,
Will that I follow Him,

Hear Him call, hear Him call, 
Come and follow me,

Hear Him call
And surrender
yourself to Him now.”

“I did not immediately come to the deeper meaning of these words and grasp the understanding in regards to the prophecy by J.G. Henning from 1980. Without knowing what to expect, I sang this song with full surrender. The following weekend the district chairman phoned and notified me that on Monday morning, 11th of April, 1988, there would be a call meeting. Sunday, the 10th of April 1988, I was in the pulpit and experienced how God once again spoke to all of us very clearly. Monday, on the request of the district chairman did not attend the call meeting. I had no doubt what the outcome of the meeting would be. So, it was with a shock that I received a phone call from the district chairman around 22h00 as he shared with me that a pastor from the West-Transvaal was called for the position.”

“I did not receive a letter from the church Secretary, there was no visitation, neither any of the officials informed me to let me know I had been discharged and I could not understand it. I therefore received a last check of R228.00. However, I did not link this event to the song I received on the 5th of April, 1988.”

“The following day, it was my birthday and some of the personnel tried to encourage me by inviting me for a dinner. Babsie Buys was also there. She came to conversion from Spiritism under my ministry. It was her habit to call me “Pa” (Dad). During the dinner she ranted at me: “How long does the Lord need to speak to dad? God gave dad a mandate to begin EKD. When will dad be obedient? I looked at her and in a non-chalant fashion and said to her: “Then we begin now” – knowing very little what was waiting for me next day.”

“On Wednesday, the 13th of April, 1988, there was a knock on my door and I opened it. There were forty-three people from the congregation standing in front of me which desired to speak to me. With resolution they shared with me that they were not in agreement with what had happened and that they had signed a request which they gave to the district chairman. I told them that I would immediately call the district chairman. I phoned the district chairman and clarified with what a predicament I found myself in; that there were forty-five people in my house sitting that renounced to go back to the congregation. Furthermore, I gave him the assurance that I was in no way giving rise to this situation. He asked me to use my influence to bring them to other insights. Until it turned out that my attempt was fruitless, I notified him accordingly and I would accommodate them for an interim period, with the hope that they could return to the AFM at any given time.”

“This was the beginning of EKD, and for the first time, although and still not knowing where I was heading, we began courses to equip leadership.”