I was born in Pietermaritzburg on the 11th October 1996. On the 20th I was born again through the waters of Holy Baptism in the Kirchdorf congregation. In this washing of renewal and regeneration (Ti 3), the Holy Spirit wrote my name into the Book of Life: Philip Jürgen Wortmann. There He made me a happy and undeserving member of the New Covenant in Christ’s blood (Lk 22).
I was raised in the Faith through confirmation classes in Kirchdorf, whilst attending services regularly in the Our Saviour congregation. Due to their commitment to God’s Word, both my parents and the pastors that presided over my spiritual formation led me to aspire to the office of God’s ministry (1Tim 3). Following this calling, I enrolled at the University of Pretoria for a BA in 2014, directly after completing my Matric at the Wartburg-Kirchdorf School.
I completed my BA (majoring in Biblical Hebrew and Greek, as well as Latin) in 2017, and used it to apply for Theological training at the Seminary in Oberursel, Germany. There I completed the first half of my training by February 2020—just in time for the CoVID 19 era to dawn—plunging the latter half of my studies into a tumultuous world of online interactions. I completed a longer-than-usual diaconical practical in Newcastle at St. Martin’s Village during 2021, as my visa for Germany had expired during the Lockdown. In Newcastle I had time to “touch grass”, and reflect on my life. During the time required for reapplication, I attended a semester’s worth of classes in Leipzig, but online. During the second half of 2021 I was able to return to Germany, and studied in Leipzig for another three semesters; this time in person. From there I returned to Oberursel to complete my Theological training at the beginning of 2025.
I completed my Vicarage in the Newcastle congregation under Pastor Thomas Beneke in April 2026, completing my 2nd Theological Exam shortly thereafter with the assignment of researching the topic of Church Discipline.