A Ministry for Healthy Congregations
Kokerboom Namibia is a congregational consultation and development ministry of the Dutch Reformed Church in Namibia, led by Dr. Zack Pienaar.
Dr. Pienaar is a Namibian practical theologian, church consultant and congregational development leader committed to helping smaller congregations become healthier, more discerning and more faithful in their own context.
Established in 2024, Kokerboom serves local congregations, pastors, church councils and church leaders through a guided process of listening, theological reflection, honest conversation and practical accompaniment.
Our focus is especially on smaller congregations. We believe small churches are beautiful, not because they are without challenges, but because they often carry the church’s faithfulness in deeply human, local and relational ways.
A small congregation is not a failed version of a large church. It is a community of faith, placed by God in a specific place, entrusted with memory, relationships, wisdom, gifts and calling.
Kokerboom does not begin with what a congregation lacks.
We begin by listening for what God has already entrusted to it.
Event schedule
Annual "Small Churches Are Beautiful" Conference
Building relationships for mission and congregational renewal
In September, Dr Zack Pienaar will visit the Netherlands to meet with the Verburg Charity Foundation and two missionary organisations within the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.
He will meet with the GZB — Gereformeerde Zendingsbond, a Reformed missionary organisation committed to supporting churches and Christian communities, as well as the IZB — Inwendige Zendingsbond, which works alongside local congregations in the Netherlands.
The visit will create space to introduce Kokerboom’s ministry, strengthen relationships and explore opportunities for mutual learning and partnership. These conversations will focus on congregational health, mission and the faithful accompaniment of local churches as they discern their calling within changing communities.
Dr Zack Pienaar will also visit Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Protestant Theological University (PThU) in Utrecht.
Thoughts for Congregations Seeking Renewal
Small churches are often spoken about as if they are a problem to solve.
A healthy congregation is not simply a busy congregation.
The church does not have a mission because it is trying to stay alive.
