Konrad Schäfer
Pastor Konrad
I was born in Germany in 1965. I grew up in Germany and South Africa (childhood years) before moving to the UK in 1987. While living and working in Birmingham, I came to know Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. Since that time my desire has been to serve God and to bring people to Him. I joined a local branch of the Church of God of Prophecy in Aston, Birmingham, where I met wife Sandra. Shortly after getting married we moved to Germany to support a newly established church fellowship. There I served under the leadership of Bishop C. Endecott in various capacities, including 4 years in the role of assistant pastor. During this time our son Kilan was born. We returned to Birmingham and eventually moved to Mansfield in 2004 after I was appointed as pastor of the Mansfield Christian Community Centre.
My vision for the church is to be an effective witness in the local community, a fellowship of believers with a passion for worshipping God and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. I believe that God wants people of every social and cultural background, of every age, and of every level of spiritual maturity to be able to find a home in His church and to discover His purpose for their lives. For this reason, the Mansfield Christian Community Centre offers a wide range of activities and opportunities for personal growth and leadership development. I also have a passion for working together with other churches and Christian organisations, locally and beyond, because I believe that Christian unity is at the very centre of God’s heart.
Apart from my enthusiasm for God’s Word and His work, I have a love for cooking and for languages. I am a qualified chef (C&G) and have a Master of Arts degree in translation studies (German/English/Spanish). Before moving to Mansfield, I spent 4 years teaching at the University of Birmingham’s German Studies department. I have studied theology to Certificate Level through the Spurgeon’s College online programme. As well as pastoring the local church together with my wife Sandra, I serve as Presiding Bishop for Region 5 of the Church of God of Prophecy UK (Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire) and as chair of Mansfield Street Pastors. Sandra and I are both active street pastors, and Sandra currently chairs Churches Together in Mansfield.