About Us
We believe that God has called us to be the House of God and the Gateway to Heaven. A place where His Children may find eternal life and worship Him in Spirit and Truth.
We yearn for living communion with Christ through His Word and Prayer.
Our quest is to remain Doctrinally Sound yet Culturally Relevant in a lost and dying world.
Our endeavours are to fulfil the Great Commandment and Great Commission that Christ gave His Church. Consequently, we have made the Great Commission our Mission and the Great Commandment our Passion.
We offer opportunities for Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship and Evangelism to members of our Community.
Our Senior Pastor
Rev Joseph Paul Daniel serves as the Senior Pastor of Gateway Christian Family Church. He is a pharmacist who left the profession and went on to become the Founder and President of an international ministry with a large church in Cape Town and a number of church’s worldwide. He also founded a Bible School that graduated students from several nations which led to the establishment of a Leadership Institute that trained leaders to take the Way and Will of God into all life. After a ten-year sabbatical and a season of brokenness, healing and restoration, he has returned to ministry in response to the clear call of God for his return. This call was attested to by several other senior ministers of God in South Africa and abroad. Rev Daniel serves as an ordained minister of Christian Family Church International.
Ministry References & Endorsements
In 1988 we laid hands on Reverend Joseph Paul Daniel and sent him to Cape Town to plant a church, which eventually became a large international ministry. Under his leadership, this ministry became one of the greatest ministries God has ever raised up in South Africa. During his years at the helm, the apostolic office and anointing became evident. I give full credit to my son in the Lord for his faithfulness, commitment and obedience to God. Only eternity will reveal the true fruit of his work! I’m thrilled that after a leave of absence from the ministry, he launched “Gateway Christian Family Church”. I wholeheartedly endorse and support him in this new venture and am fully persuaded that the good work which God began in him will be completed to His glory and honour. He is more than qualified, by God’s grace, to finish his race in Jesus' name, to God’s glory. Pastor Daniel has been my greatest joy and given me many reasons to be proud of him as a spiritual son.
Dr Henry Wolmarans, PhD; D.Min
I thank God for the day that Reverend Joseph Paul Daniel got “injected” into my life. His teachings, heart and soul have changed my life, perceptions and my views on the true meaning of grace, restoration and humility forever. He is a living example of the Power and the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that is able to restore and re-establish any soul. The story of Saul of Tarsus, becoming Paul the Apostle, rings a very familiar tone. Pastor Daniel possesses a deep knowledge of the Word of God and adopts an uncompromising stance when preaching the Gospel. Never in all my years, of listening to him, have I ever heard him preach at the cost of truth. He is a true man of God, a humble teacher of God’s Word.
Ruan Malan, CEO - Kineto Information Technology
I met Reverend Joseph Paul Daniel a number of years ago during a joint venture in Christ-Centred higher education. The calling on his life was undeniable. We quickly became friends based on a mutual love for God, His Word and His people. Hearing the news that the Lord had called Pastor Daniel back into full time ministry, after more than a decade of absence is not only a victory for him personally, but for the whole body of Christ. As a spiritual father, I believe the best of his ministry years are yet to come; raising up spiritual sons and daughters not only in church, but also in all walks of society. It is a privilege to know him and serve alongside him in the Kingdom!
Marcel Hattingh, Director – City Changers Institute
Reverend Joseph Paul Daniel is a dear friend and man of God who has been formed and shaped by the Lord. He is one of the greatest voices in my life. He is submitted to the hand of God and, as a result, carries a purity of the anointing like few others. It is my honour to endorse him and his dear wife as true people of God. I find Pastor Daniel to be a humble man, having a flow of wisdom and experience that is truly remarkable. I am blessed by God to have the honour of knowing this dear couple and I am looking forward to see how eternity will be impacted through their lives.
Dr. Hermann Strydom, Living Grace Community Church
It gives me great pleasure to endorse Reverend Joseph Paul Daniel, a minister of the Gospel who is deeply committed and driven to see lives changed by the Word of God. He teaches Biblical Truth with unparalleled expository and teaching skill. His knowledge of the Word, coupled with a sound Biblical Worldview make him a great mentor to others. He pioneered and still runs one of the finest Bible Schools in South Africa. His teachings have impacted the lives of thousands of Christians. It is a privilege to be associated with him.
Erin Georgiou, JOY! Magazine
Reverend Joseph Paul Daniel is truly a Spiritual father in South Africa. He understands the call and has the heart of a true father. He is a good friend and mentor with so much wisdom and understanding. To sit under his counsel is a great blessing. His heart is open to the Pastors in this country and he is strict on principals. He is a great man of God, possesses a powerful Apostolic anointing and is filled with love and understanding. We, as a ministry, honour this General in the spirit.
Dr Marius Higgins, Marius Higgins Ministries International
As a young church leader in Pretoria, I was invited to a SYMSA event hosted by Reverend Joseph Paul Daniel. That, I can unequivocally say, transformed my life. I am forever indebted to having had the privilege of being challenged then to position our church and ministry as an instrument of Grace within the community. He has undoubtedly led the charge in our nation in stimulating the understanding of the Kingdom mandate through the local church.
Alan Platt, founder of Doxa Deo Churches
In the year of 2012, God gave me a prophetic dream concerning Reverend Joseph Paul Daniel. Through that dream, the Lord called me to support and encourage him back into full-time ministry. The dream proved to be a confirmation to what God was already doing in his life at that time. There is no doubt in my mind that Paul is called and anointed by God into the five-fold ministry.
Andreas Kyriacou, Alpha & Omega Christian Fellowship
Our Theological Distinctives
We identify as an Evangelical Reformed Fellowship, subscribing to the Westminster Standards as a faithful and robust articulation of the Doctrines of Grace and the historic Christian faith.
While we hold Believer’s Baptism and Child Dedication as our normative practice, we maintain respect for the Covenantal Theology underlying Infant Baptism and extend fellowship to those who conscientiously hold to it.
Our worship is Charismatic in expression, affirming the continuation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, sovereignly distributed by the Spirit Himself 1 Cor. 12:4–11 and subject to the Authority of Scripture.
We affirm that the Holy Spirit continues to build and empower Christ’s Church through His Gifts and Callings. In all things, we seek to hold Grace and Truth in unity with the Body of Christ, across traditions.
Statement of Faith
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in their original writing are fully inspired by God and accept them as the supreme and final authority for faith and life.
We believe that in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, God has revealed Himself and given us an authoritative disclosure of His character and will.
We believe in the sovereignty of the one God, eternally existing in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that human beings, though created in the image of God, are sinful and guilty and lost without Christ, and that this truth is a necessary preliminary to the Gospel.
We believe that Jesus Christ, as begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, is true God and true man.
We believe that Jesus Christ, as God incarnate, is unique and sinless.
We believe that on the cross Jesus Christ became sin for us, was judged by God and died in our place.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus, His ascension into Heaven, and His present ministry as our High Priest and advocate with the Father.
We believe that the Jesus of history and the Christ of Glory are the same Person.
We believe, because of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that God freely forgives those who are brought to repentance and faith in His Son.
We believe that all who are justified by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.
We believe (i) in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, by which believers are empowered and equipped for service, (ii) in the gifts and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, and (iii) in the God-given ministries of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher.
We believe in the resurrection both of the just and the unjust, the eternal blessedness of the redeemed, and the eternal damnation of those who have rejected God's offer of salvation in Jesus Christ.
We believe that the one true and universal Church consists of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit; that the local church should be the expression of the one true and universal Church and therefore that the new birth and personal confession of faith in Christ are essentials of Church membership.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ appointed the two sacraments of baptism in water and the Lord's supper, to be observed as acts of obedience and as perpetual witnesses to the Christian faith; that baptism is the immersion of the believer in water as confession of identification with Christ in His burial and resurrection, and that the Lord's Supper is the partaking of the emblems which symbolize the broken body and shed blood of Christ, in remembrance of His sacrificial death until He comes.
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory to judge the living and the dead.
Manifesto
We believe that the biblical Gospel is God's enduring message to our world, and we determine to defend, proclaim and embody it.
We believe that God is calling the whole Church to take the whole Gospel to the whole world, and so with each generation we resolve to give ourselves to this task with fresh determination in fulfillment of the Great Commission. We long to see all Christians trained for this task.
We believe that other religions and ideologies are not alternative paths to God, and that human spirituality, if unredeemed by Christ, does not lead to God but to judgment and damnation, for Christ is the only way.
We believe that the Holy Spirit's witness to Christ is indispensable to evangelism, and that without His supernatural work neither new birth nor new life is possible.
We believe that the gifts of the Spirit are distributed to all God's people, and that the partnership of men and women in evangelism and ministry must be welcomed for the common good.
We believe that spiritual warfare demands spiritual weapons, and that we must both preach the Word in the power of the Spirit and pray constantly in order that we may enter into Christ's victory over the principalities and powers of evil.
We believe that we must turn outward to our local community in evangelistic witness and in compassionate service.
We believe that our proclamation of the Gospel must be exemplified in a life of holiness and love otherwise our testimony loses credibility.
We believe we must demonstrate God's love visibly by caring for those who are deprived of justice, dignity, food and shelter.
We believe that the proclamation of God's Kingdom of justice and peace demands the denunciation of all injustice and oppression, both personal and structural, and we will not shrink from this prophetic witness.
We believe that we who claim to be members of the Body of Christ must transcend within our fellowship the barriers of race, gender and class.
We believe that it is our duty to study the society in which we live in order to understand its structures, values and needs, and to develop appropriate strategies for evangelism, missions and prophetic witness.
We believe that there is an urgent need for us to engage in evangelism and social action in co-operation with other churches, mission agencies and Christian organizations, and we repudiate competition.
We affirm our solidarity with those who suffer for the Gospel, and will seek both to prepare ourselves for the same possibility, and to work for religious and political freedom everywhere.
Core Values
In Our Relationship With God
We value the Lordship of Jesus Christ and growing in Christ-like character and leadership as essential to the fulfillment of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
We value God and expressing His Father-heart through the principles of fathering, belonging, inheritance, calling and spiritual family.
We value being a Spirit-filled community that honours the ministry of the Holy Spirit in His gifts, anointing and callings.
We value living Biblical Christianity in purity, holiness, simplicity, truth, faith, love and prayer as foundational to all our endeavours.
We value being God-governed individuals and the privilege of worshiping and enjoying Him for eternity.
In Our Relationship With Our Families
We value the God-given institution of marriage as a sacred and enduring covenant between a husband and wife that is to model the love of Christ for His Church.
We value Biblical courtship as foundational to marriage, our calling to defend and protect God’s marriage design and to minister to those who suffer the consequences of its brokenness.
We value the createdness of humanity as intentionally male and female to bring complementary sexuality to relationships, as a gift to be offered back to God in marriage, or celibacy, in devotion to Christ.
We value our children as a precious blessing and heritage from the Lord and our parental responsibility to raise and prepare them for a life of service to Christ and humanity.
We value a multi-generational vision and our joint labours in building a Christian heritage for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
In Our Relationship With One Another
We value genuine Christian love in caring relationships as foundational to our fellowship as believers.
We value the dignity of being created equal in God’s image and so honour and respect each other with decorum, dignity, graciousness and courtesy.
We value confidentiality, rather than secrecy, in keeping our relationships clean, loving, merciful and forgiving.
We value leadership through sacrificial serving and excellence in ministry.
We value the fathering of the saints and nurturing responsible leadership.
In Our Relationship With Our Church
We value the assembling of ourselves together to take communion, worship, fellowship and to hear God’s Word.
We value unity and being of one accord for it is there that God commands His blessings.
We value Biblical authority, responsibility and accountability in authentic relationships that reflect love, mercy, grace, openness, honesty and integrity.
We value community as members of one another in loving relationships where vulnerability, accountability, correction and restoration are a part of our daily lives.
We value the worship of God with our substance, in tithes and offerings, to the fulfillment of His plan and purposes in our generation.
In Our Relationship With The Wider Body of Christ
We value the extended Christian family and being in unity with our brethren in the greater body of Christ.
We value strengthening the Body of Christ through missions and church planting in partnering with other Church and Christian organizations.
We value the transformation of our communities, cities and nations in the redemptive callings they have through the unity of Christ’s body.
In Our Relationship With Broader Society
We value the sanctity of all human life, from conception, to be created in the image of God, to be of inestimable worth, and our call to defend and protect it.
We value the God-given institutions of Family, Church and State and their biblical mandate to serve mankind and so prayfully submit to them in obedience to Christ.
We value righteousness, justice, peace and joy as the foundations of Christ’s Kingdom.
We value being culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure in the Christian virtues of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and integrity in all our dealings with our society.