The Reverend Farren Watt (@farren.watt) has welcomed many into her home and ministry on her TikTok account.
A minister at the Dutch Reformed Church in Lambert’s Bay, Watt is originally from Springbok in Namaqualand.
The native Afrikaans speaker is known for sharing vlogs from her daily life and inspiring her followers on her journey. Watt started sharing videos of her preaching and the work she does in the church, including youth evenings, the annual church bazaar and church council meetings.
She is surprised at how well her videos have done on the app.
“TikTok is an English platform and all my videos are in Afrikaans. I didn’t think people would want to know what goes on in my life.”
The 26-year-old minister said her congregation loves her TikTok videos.
“They support me 100% and always share in my success and the fun I have on TikTok. That’s why you will see congregation members and members of the church council in my videos.”
She hope to keep the momentum and her TikTok flock growing.
“I want my account to grow and always be a safe space for many. I want them to feel welcomed and I want to keep having fun.”
Watt said she wants others to know that they are endlessly loved by God.
“Regardless of your race, gender or sexuality, you are always welcome in the house of the Lord, especially where I serve.”
Her advice for anyone considering preaching is to always be considerate of others.
“Don’t influence others with your personal agenda, and use the word of God responsibly.”
This week, Watt released her line of merchandise, Geite, named after her signature ending in her videos.
“You never know what might happen. I started making TikTok videos and today I have my own merchandise. Just do it!”
Keaton Ghall (@keatonghall) is a stay at home dad and an export management student at IMM Graduate School and is married to Reverend Angelique Ghall.
Keaton started his account on TikTok as a way for him and his wife to share their "Kom Ons Koffie" content from Facebook. In these videos, he and his wife talk about their everyday lives.
“We wanted to share our understanding of what God is revealing to us through scripture, and talk to people about it,” Keaton said.
He added: “Even if you only see me in a video, it’s content derived from conversations we had together.”
Angelique is a minister at the Dutch Reformed Church in Vanrhynsdorp. She said she was not very active on social media, and having to adapt to online church was a big adjustment for her.
“It was mind-blowing to see how many people interacted with our content. I still find it amazing that despite physical distance, we can all still stay connected through sharing our experiences online,” she said.
Keaton added: “I didn’t know that people would find a liking to what we had to say, it was a surprise.”
Farren and Angelique became friends when they studied at Stellenbosch University. Although a few years apart, the pair now belong to the same presbytery.
Angelique said her congregation was taken aback by her activity on TikTok.
“I am not a person who is very active on social media, but the people who comment and interact on our content are not from where we stay.”
Keaton said his advice to people is to remember that you only die once, but you live every day.
“Stop making a fuss about the death day, but celebrate each day. It is a gift and it is grace. We still have a chance with every day that we live, so make the most of it.”
Angelique added: “I will encourage any person to be true to who God created you to be. We live in a society where people try to box you in. You were not created to fit in.”