By Gustav Krös
30/09/2025
Dear Friends and Supporters of INcontext
On 19 August, we posted a quote from me that talked about embracing every season in your life. It said “One’s life consists of a sequence of seasons. You therefore know that you are always on a journey through one season to the next. To make it as smooth a journey as possible, you firstly need to be able to identify the changing of season. Secondly, you need to close off your current season with gratitude for all the good you experienced in it, especially the things you can’t carry with you into the new season. And thirdly, you need to embrace the new season wholeheartedly, no matter the uncertainties it might hold, trusting God every step of the way.”
This is a principle that I have lived by for many years, and I have also shared it with many people who were struggling to say goodbye to the old and to embrace the new. When I shared this quote, though, it was as part of my own processing of drawing one season to a close and preparing to embrace a new season.
Yes, I would like to share with you that the Lord has called an end to my season at INcontext, and I must admit that it has come much sooner than I expected.
Back in November 2018, as I was in process of taking over the leadership of INcontext, I was invited to attend a “young leader” gathering in Cyprus. One of the lessons we were taught at the gathering was that we will only be the leader of our respective organisations for a specific season, and that only God knows how long our season of leadership will be. Just because we are young doesn’t mean we will be kept within our position of leadership until we reach retirement age. We were told that we should always lead with this reality at the back of our mind. If we did this, it would have a great effect on the health of our organisation and would also help us deal with the reality if we felt the Lord calling an end to our season of leadership.
I have thus led with this reality the whole time and have also communicated it with our team on a regular basis, especially with those whose seasons had ended with the ministry. I would tell them that none of us knows how long our season with INcontext will be when we step into it. The only thing that matters is that we must be obedient when we feel the Lord calling an end to our season.
Despite all this, it still caught me by surprise when I felt the Lord telling me that my season at INcontext was coming to an end. If you had told me during May this year that my season at INcontext was drawing to a close, I would not have believed you. But the Lord works in mysterious ways.
The Lord started leading me in this direction at the beginning of June and slowly but surely, He led me and Hanlie further along the way. As part of the process, I spoke to the leadership of INcontext and to those people who have been fulfilling a mentorship role in my life, and their wisdom and support were a great blessing as I dealt with this reality. I would thus like to assure you that this has not been a rash decision, but rather a process of more than three months. I can thus share with peace in my heart and mind that I have completed the role that the Lord called me to fulfil at INcontext, that He has completed what He wanted to teach me during my season at INcontext, and that He is guiding us as a family into a new season.
What exactly this new season will entail is something He is still revealing to us, but we feel we need to step out onto the water and trust that He will show the way. We are thus content to wait for Him to reveal His plans according to His perfect timing.
My stepping out of the position of director at INcontext not only ushers in a new season for our lives as a family, but also automatically ushers in a new season for the organisation. The remarkable thing is that as I shared my heart regarding this matter with Lebo and Gigi, who share in leadership with me, we were all amazed to hear that the Lord had been communicating the same thing to both of them.
It is thus a unique situation, that the Lord has called all three of us to finish our time with the organisation simultaneously. It is therefore truly a new season for INcontext, and to lead the organisation into this new season, the INcontext board has appointed Pieter Potgieter, who serves on the board, as interim director. For the remainder of the year, I will therefore hand over the stewardship of the organisation to Pieter and will officially close my season at INcontext in December, when our office closes for the summer holidays.
I truly stand grateful before the Lord for the season that He has given me at INcontext, first as project manager and then as director. I am grateful for everything that He has taught me during this time and especially for all the amazing people I have had the privilege to meet and build relationships with during this time.
There is certainly a lot that I will miss, like writing the monthly “Just a Minute”, but at the same time there is an overwhelming excitement in my heart for what the Lord has in store for us as a family in this new season.
As I sign off my last “Just a Minute”, I pray that the Lord will bless you on your journey with Him, that the Lord will bless INcontext in this new season, and that He will bless Pieter as he steers the organisation into this new season.
Amen
A WORD FROM THE BOARD OF INCONTEXT
Dear friends, partners, missionaries and supporters of INcontext. I greet you all in the wonderful Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
On 4 September 2025, the director, Gustav Krös, along with the two OC’s, Gigi Kotze and Lebo Magugu, announced that they would be finishing their season at INcontext at the end of the year, following God’s leading and personal circumstances. Their departure, together with Sharon and Lauren going on maternity leave, brings about a significant change in the life of the ministry. The board recognises the challenges this creates, but also trusts that God will continue to guide INcontext into the next season with His provision and faithfulness.
In the days thereafter, the Spirit of the Lord shone a ray of hope into our hearts. In our quiet times and at our next meeting the Lord spoke to us clearly that this is not the end of the ministry, but merely a time of transition and a new season dawning. The board appointed Pieter Potgieter, one of our board members, as interim director. Together with the board, Pieter will do a thorough assessment of the current stance of the ministry and see what is needed to build a healthy future for the ministry.
Pieter is a businessman from Namibia, currently staying in Swakopmund. He is also part time involved in mission work among the San people through Degnos in the Northeast of Namibia. He has been a friend and supporter of INcontext for many years and has a passion to see the vision of the ministry flourish.
We are deeply thankful for the years of committed service the three outgoing pillars, Gustav, Gigi and Lebo invested into the ministry. Everyone brought their unique giftings to the table and joined hands to serve the body of Christ and the kingdom of God in a beautiful way. It is our prayer that the Lord will lead and bless each of them in the new season of their lives, with their families.
We are stirred in our spirits with the realisation that the Lord is not finished with INcontext. We foresee that the Lord will be calling new members to run with the baton and make an authentic difference in a broken world. We want to work hard to revive the travel department to reach the people in need, to encourage our mission friends in the field and to bring the heroes of faith out to share their testimonies.
The vision remains: Serving the Body of Christ by providing a Christian perspective on global news to encourage strategic mission involvement. We want to run with this vision afresh by visiting the broken places on earth. We want to expose a wounded world crying out for Christ and for the body of Christ to help where the real needs are. We want to be a bridge for people to visit the places where God is powerfully at work right now and where humble faithful heroes of faith could be met for the formation of a deeper walk with the Lord.
The board confirms that INcontext will be Kingdom focussed and not tread on politically biased territory. Furthermore, we are not a prophetic end time ministry, but a bridge between the hotspot areas in the world and the body of Christ to tread over.
INcontext has a vital part to play on the global front,
by investigating the places where God is currently at work,
by interpreting crisis situations as kingdom opportunities,
by informing the bigger Christian community about real people with real needs,
by involving ordinary people who can make a lasting difference for the kingdom of God.
Please pray with us for the new season of INcontext –
for faith to run with the Lord
for wisdom to understand His plan
for discernment to hear Him clearly
for hearts to be stirred for His course
for unity to serve as a family
for courage to follow Him boldly
for a broken world to be reached
for His Name to be glorified in all.
Yours faithfully in Christ,
Carel Smith
Chair ICI Board
A WORD FROM THE NEW INTERIM DIRECTOR
Dear friends and colleagues,
My name is Pieter Potgieter, and it is my privilege to introduce myself to you. I was born and raised in Namibia.
As a Namibian citizen, my roots in this land have shaped my outlook, my values, and my deep passion to serve the body of Christ.
My journey with INcontext International began in 2018, when I was first introduced to the vision and calling of the organization. I was deeply moved by the way INcontext seeks to equip and mobilize the global body of Christ to respond to world events. This vision led me to travel to Lebanon, where I became involved in a project. Although the work was unfortunately halted by the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, the experience strengthened my resolve to remain connected to the mission of INcontext.
Alongside this, I have also been actively engaged in Degnos, a missionary organization working among the San communities in Namibia. Through Degnos, I have been involved in social development initiatives, supporting both spiritual leadership and practical community projects. This work has deepened my understanding of the connection between faith and community transformation, which I believe strongly aligns with the vision of INcontext.
In January 2025, I was humbled to join the Board of INcontext International, and through new developments within the organization, I have now stepped into the role of Interim Director. This is both a responsibility and a calling that I embrace with faith, commitment, and humility.
I believe with all my heart that the church is called not to remain passive bystanders but to become active participants in what God is doing in the world today. With the grace of the Lord, the support of our team, and the unity of the wider body of Christ, I am confident that we can continue to make a meaningful impact together.
I look forward to connecting with many of you, walking this journey in openness, and remaining sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
In His service,
Pieter Potgieter
Interim Director
INcontext International
