Unshakable faith & resilience: Ps John & Joy Torrens

Written by: Gillian Fraser
Article source: JOY! Magazine

In the dynamic landscape of South Africa’s Christian ministry, the remarkable journey of pastors John and Joy Torrens shines as a testament to unwavering faith, resilience, and the power of miracles. In an exclusive interview, these beloved pastors open their hearts to share the extraordinary story of their lives, their ministry, and the profound impact of their mentors. As influential leaders of Durban Christian Centre (DCC) and stalwarts of the local church community, John and Joy have experienced incredible growth, overcome significant challenges, and witnessed the hand of God in their lives and ministry. Join us as we delve into their inspiring journey, exploring the pressures they faced, the foundations of DCC’s DNA, and the invaluable lessons they have learnt along the way. Prepare to be encouraged and uplifted as we glean wisdom from the lives of these remarkable servants of God.

QUESTIONS FOR JOHN:

Q. You entered a prominent ministry family when you married Joy. How did you cope with the pressure and expectations that were placed upon you for ministry?
In all honesty, there was really never any pressure or expectations that were placed on me. If there was, I was never aware of them. From the moment I got saved, which was 14 November 1982, I was very much involved in the church, volunteering my services in the music team as the drummer and involved every Thursday night in a Life Group. I did all the “spiritual growth” foundational classes and, about a year or so later, I registered part-time for some night Bible College classes. By the time Joy and I started dating, I was already in my second year of B. Pharm studies, studying to become a pharmacist. But I guess deep down I always knew that there was the call of God upon my life and that one day I would be leaving my pharmacy career for good. Having said that, my time with the family invariably revolved around ministry talk. I mean it was impossible to be in the company of Ps Fred Roberts and not end up talking about church and apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Anybody who knew Ps Fred knew about his passion for the local church and to win the lost at any cost. I vividly remember the day when my wife and I finally went into full time ministry. Ps Fred looked at us with a smile on his face and said, “What took you so long?”

Q. DCC has seen immense growth over the last few decades, reaching millions of lives. What do you attribute this to?
Very simply, about a man and his wife who simply heard and obeyed God. I asked Ps Fred this very question one day and this is what he said to me, “We were at the right place at the right time and were just desperate and hungry for God to move in our lives.” Back in the late 70s, there was a phenomenal move of God amongst the Roman Catholics in Durban and surrounding areas. God was using a priest in a nearby monastery and people were getting healed, delivered, and set free. The Lord had told Ps Fred to start a church that would be a house of prayer for all nations, and so he did. They started with seven people in his lounge, praying, fasting, and seeking the Lord. In 1979, Ps Fred had his first meeting in the Playhouse Theatre downtown Durban – God moved sovereignly and mightily in that meeting. A little boy who had been born with polio was miraculously healed, so much so that the newspapers carried the report of his amazing healing and this story spread like wildfire throughout the city. That probably was the launching pad that set this ministry into motion.

Q. How did you transition the church when you took over in 2010. Was it difficult for some to accept new leadership?
With much prayer and fasting! Any transition or change that happens is never easy. But what made it so much easier for us was that we had the full support and backing from Ps Fred and Nel Roberts. There were many times where I had to overcome my own fears and doubts, especially when you have to step into the “shoes” of someone like Ps Fred. I remember the one day in my prayer time with the Lord, I was wrestling with this very thing and I said, “Lord, how do I step into Ps Fred’s shoes?”

The Lord spoke to me and said, “I never called you into ministry to walk in somebody else’s shoes. I called you into this ministry to walk in your own shoes.” I learnt there and then that when God calls you, He calls you to be who you are and to step into that particular office that He has assigned for you. That particular office has an anointing attached to it that will release everything that you will need to execute the plans and purposes of God.

Q. What is the DNA of DCC?
Besides our mission and vision, we have a set of eight core values that probably best define who we are and what it is that we embrace. Out of those eight that make up the DNA of DCC, there are two that really stand out and that essentially are the backbone of this ministry. The first is having the God-kind of faith (Ps Fred and Nel were greatly influenced by the faith teaching and ministry of the late Dr Kenneth E. Hagin Sr), and second, the fact that we serve a God of signs, wonders, and miracles. So we’re a faith-speaking, faith-building church that believes that the God we serve is a God of miracles.

On the 7th June 2016, the newly-built DCC Jesus Dome was devastated by a fire.

Q. How did the devastating fire on 7 June 2016, shape your church and your personal faith?
First, it wasn’t just the fire, but rather a succession of gut wrenching things that happened that basically were instrumental in birthing our new building and reshaping our faith. First it was the fire, then a 15 months later it was the hurricane that tore the tent that was loaned to us to pieces, and two months later Ps Fred went on to be with the Lord. So it was literally one thing after the next. Then came the huge build and the pressure from literally having to start from scratch. Out of all of these challenges though, I think the biggest one to adjust to was when Ps Fred died. It was the first time that I literally felt the “weight” of this ministry and the faith that was required to run the ministry successfully. I felt like Jacob who crossed over the ford of Jabbok and wrestled with the angel of the Lord until he got his breakthrough.

The newly rebuilt DCC Jesus Dome. There have been three awards accrued as a result of this magnificent building.

Q. Tell us more about the rebuilding of the Jesus Dome and some miracles around this
When we sat with the architects, the first question they asked us was, “So what is your budget?” Joy and I looked at each and together both said, “Budget?” In all the years that we were with Ps Fred and Nel, we never once heard them mention the word “budget”. They just simply believed God for whatever amount was required to do the job. So we told the architect we had no budget and to just simply build the building that we believed God was telling us to build. Needless to say, the reaction on their faces was priceless! We felt the Lord’s directive to build a church that would first honour the Lord, second honour Ps Fred and Nel, and third a church that would belong to the people and that would still be architecturally relevant 20 years into the future. When we approached one of the major well-known building contractors, the amazing thing was that they never asked us for a bank guarantee for the full amount. They knew how much we had in the bank, which was just over a third of the total amount given to us by the architects, and knowing full that we had insufficient funds, they went ahead and started building. We started the build and ended it. Three months later we were under lockdown due to the Covid pandemic. From the moment the contractors came onto our land to start the build to the moment they handed the keys over to us, everything was done with such professionalism and excellence. Needless to say, there were three awards that were accrued as a result of this magnificent building. Still today, when I stand up on that stage, I often find myself asking, “Is this really true, is this building really ours?” My wife and I both know one thing, this had nothing to do with us and EVERYTHING to do with God!

Q. Why do you believe mentors are so important to one’s journey?
I believe it’s not so much because of who they are, but because of what they carry. Ps Fred and Nel were not only my father and mother in law, but they were my pastors, my spiritual parents, and I will forever be grateful for what they imparted. My advice today to youngsters who are looking for mentors is simply this, find someone who carries something heavenly and who actually lives it out. There are many so-called mentors out there today who can talk the talk but unfortunately cannot walk the walk, and sadly have no fruits to show for it. Ps Fred and Nel were very real people. They carried the supernatural upon their lives, but were actually also very down to earth, real people. They believed in us, even when we didn’t have the faith to believe in ourselves.

Q. Who are some of your mentors / role models?
My greatest mentor and role model is, of course, Jesus; but it was also Ps Fred and Nel. However, there have been many people who have had a major impact on my life, some of whom have gone on to be with the Lord: Apostle Theo and Bev Wolmarans, Dr Rodney Howard-Browne, Dr Bill Winston, Dr Bill Hamon, Dr Dick Mills, Dr Kenneth E. Hagin Sr, Dr Oral Roberts, Ps Charles Capps, Dr Rod Parsley, Dr Lester Sumrall, Dr TL Osborne, and Ps Jentezen Franklin.

Q. Apart from keeping spiritually fit, you have also been known to like CrossFit! Why do you believe that it is so important to remain healthy and physically active?
Simply because you are what you eat. It’s only when you get older that you begin to see the negative effects that bad eating habits and not exercising have on your body. As you get older, it’s the quality of life that you live that becomes very important. I had always been relatively fit and healthy for the most part of my life. However, when I went full time into ministry, because of the demands, I didn’t have the time to train. When that stopped, my eating also went out the window. By the time I reached 32 years of age, I had developed all kinds of medical problems. I was grossly overweight and my health was deteriorating rapidly. Every medical check-up resulted in more and more medication. As a pharmacist, I knew what these medications were doing to my body and it was there and then that I knew I had to do something quickly. And so I did. I trained and changed my eating habits and, within a period of two years, I was completely off all my medication. It was during this time that a very good friend of mine, Apostle Allan Bagg, introduced me to CrossFit. The rest is history.

Q. What encouragement would you like to share with our readers?
Two things really, number one is to never ever give up. No matter what you are going through, we never quit, we never back down, and we never ever give up. And number two is that all things are possible to those who believe. We can only do so much, which is great and wonderful, but remember that we serve a God of miracles and what is impossible with man is always possible with God. I refuse to allow the natural and all that I see and hear in the physical realm to stop me from believing and receiving what God has available for me in the realm of the supernatural. If it works for me, it will work for you too!

John and Joy with their children: Nathan and his wife Yvonne (left), and Rebekah (right).

QUESTIONS FOR JOY:

Q. You have been a “pastor’s kid” for decades. How have you stayed grounded in your faith for all these years?
Well, that’s an interesting question. I was a pastor’s kid for decades, and now I’m a pastor’s wife and we have raised two pastor’s kids. I often joke and say that I’ve been in church for 58 years and nine months. It’s not easy being a pastor’s kid, and it’s not easy being a pastor’s wife. It’s challenging raising kids while being in full time ministry, so I’ve got both perspectives. You can be raised in a Christian home and not be a Christian at all. One thing that I realised from a young age is that man cannot exist without God. I stayed grounded in my faith because I knew it was something that I needed to do for myself. My parents set an example for me to see first-hand just how vital it is to have a relationship with God. When I saw them going through trials and hardships, what did they do? They turned to God. Now fast forward 40 years and I’m going through trials and hardships, what do I do? I pray, because that’s the only thing I know how to do, and God has never let me down.

“Ps Fred and Nel were very real people. They carried the supernatural upon their lives, but were actually also very down-to-earth, real people. They believed in us, even when we didn’t have the faith to believe in ourselves.”

Q. What legacy have your parents left that you wish to continue?
The legacy that my parents left was a legacy of faith, “With God, all things are possible”, “Doubt your doubts, but never God”, and “Believe and trust in God’s Word for yourself”. I love the scripture in Psalm 37:25 – I was young and now I’m old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken, and this has certainly been true in my life and in my children’s lives, and for anyone who believes.

Q. Tell us a bit more about DCC
We have two satellite churches in KZN which we oversee, one in Phoenix and the other in Hillcrest. We have a Bible Institute and other in-house discipleship training courses. “Divorce Care”, “Grief Share”, and “Project Exodus” – which helps those struggling with addictions. We have a trained counselling prayer line where people can phone during the day. We have a fully-accredited ISASA school, with children from grade RRR to Grade 12. We have an outreach ministry into government hospitals called “Baby Love in Motion” where we supply destitute young mothers with supplies. We support the “Hillcrest Aids Centre” with finances and supplies. There are many other special community upliftment events that we also carry out during the year.

Q. Many pastoral couples struggle with marriage and family troubles due to the demands of ministry. You and John have been married for 33 years. How have you maintained a healthy marriage?
John and I dated for 8 years before we got married, so we have been together for 41 years. Like any marriage, no marriage is perfect, but we are friends before we are anything else. I always joke and call John my boyfriend. We prioritise marriage and family above all else. We keep the ministry the ministry, and our home is for our family only. God first, family second, and then the church and ministry – we communicated this to our kids and proved it with our actions. I think when people get this order wrong, they struggle with unnecessary problems.

Q. What message or encouragement would you like to share with our readers?
We only have one life to live so keep believing, keep loving, keep trusting, keep trying, and keep growing.

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Date published: 16/06/2023

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