The visionary of the ministry

It all began in 1996, when Philip Banda answered God's call and devoted himself fully to ministry in Lusaka, Zambia. This formative period prepared him for a wider mission: four years later, in 2000, he founded Impact For Christ Ministries in South Africa. The journey began modestly, with just ten members gathered around him — a starting point that stands in sharp contrast to the international reach the ministry would later achieve.

In his personal life, Philip Banda is married to Tersia Banda, and the couple have two children, Elisha and Daniel.

Philip Banda’s ministry is distinguished by the breadth and depth of his biblical teaching. Over the years, he has explored the lives of many Old Testament figures — Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Esau, Moses and King David — while also addressing practical aspects of everyday Christian life. His conviction is summed up in a phrase that has become one of his most frequently quoted sayings: “Do not look at your challenges — you will rise above them!”

Today, this teaching reaches far beyond the walls of the church through a range of channels: live services, Impact Television Network (ITVN), a webstream service, CD and DVD recordings, the magazine ECHOES of God, and several books, such as Christianity is Irresistible.

Impact For Christ Ministries extends beyond Sunday worship. Around Philip Banda, an organisation with a wide range of ministries has taken shape: a Bible training college (IFCBTC) that trains and graduates its students, ministries dedicated to children and young people, a Christian bookshop founded in 2001 to nurture believers’ spiritual lives, and charitable initiatives focused on social action. These are complemented by daily television programming — the morning programme “Rise and Shine”, broadcast from Monday to Saturday — a weekly prayer line available every Saturday, and pilgrimages to the Holy Land, such as the one planned for September 2026.

Since its beginnings in South Africa, IFCM has spread across several continents. The movement now has active branches in Johannesburg and Durban in South Africa, Kinshasa and Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lusaka and Chipata in Zambia — the very country where Philip Banda’s initial calling began — and Bujumbura in Burundi. The ministry has also crossed the borders of the African continent to establish itself in Europe: the Paris branch, in Villiers-sur-Marne, was founded in 2018, inspired by a vision received directly through an encounter with the Prophet. The Belgian branch is also expected to become operational soon.

Philip Banda’s journey has also been marked by a major health ordeal, which he publicly shared as a testimony of faith. It began in May 2020: an abnormal PSA test result led to an MRI that revealed cancer cells localised in the prostate. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. A series of procedures followed — shoulder surgery related to an earlier accident, then cancer treatment followed by radiotherapy that continued until January 2021. Throughout the rest of 2021, his test results returned to normal.

The ordeal resumed in February 2022, when he suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest at home and regained consciousness after approximately ten minutes without a pulse or breathing — an episode he attributes to God’s grace. Stomach surgery followed soon afterwards, with a complication narrowly avoided. Just a few days later, he travelled to Kinshasa for a crusade. In August 2022, an intestinal obstruction led to further operations, and cancer cells were detected in his lymph nodes. He underwent chemotherapy from July to November 2022 without the usual side effects — neither nausea nor hair loss. A final scan in February 2023 showed no further cancer activity.

From this experience, Philip Banda draws several convictions that he now shares in his teaching: a trial is an invitation to overcome it, rather than an inevitable fate to endure; constantly speaking about one’s difficulties to everyone can create more problems without bringing a solution; whatever God allows has a way through; faith must grow precisely in the midst of a trial, rather than despite it; and living in hope is already living as an overcomer.

Today, Impact For Christ Ministries continues to grow under Philip Banda’s leadership, guided by a vision that reaches beyond national and cultural borders. Although no official statistics provide a precise count of the total number of believers reached by this ministry worldwide, its presence across several continents and the consistency of its teaching, including through adversity, bear witness to a ministry built to endure.