Frederick Samuel Modise

Frederick Samuel Modise (14 March 1914 – 21 September 1998) was a South African church leader and founder of the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC).

The Comforter Reverend Frederick Samuel Modise
Born	Frederick Samuel Modise (1914-03-14)March 14, 1914
Died	September 21, 1998(1998-09-21) (aged 84) Johannesburg, South Africa
Years active	1962–1998 Frederick Samuel Modise
Religion	Pentecostal Christianity
Church	International Pentecostal Holiness Church
Title	His Grace, Comforter, Moemedi

Early life

Modise was born in Rooiberg, Limpopo, South Africa, near the present town of Bela-Bela, on 14 March 1914. Black residents of Rooiberg were forcibly moved from their birthplace to make way for the mining and farming interests of white people, and relocated to settlements of Lebotlwane and others, which were later incorporated into Bophuthatswana, a former Bantustan. Modise grew up in Lebotlwane, near Hammanskraal, which was and continues to be inhabited mainly by the Tswana tribe. As an adult, Modise started his own business in the carpentry and funeral industries.

In middle age, Modise suffered a stomach ailment, his equipment was stolen, and he went bankrupt. Additionally, Modise's children died. Modise states he went to various prophets and healers within the Church, and to various seers and medicine men, without being healed.^[1]

In 1962, Modise was admitted to Coronation Hospital in Johannesburg. He then later that year heard a voice that spoke to him and told him to pray. After confessing his sins, he was given instructions by God on how to "pray spiritually". After being told by a voice to get up from his bed and that "[God] is discharging you from ... hospital", he proceeded to 'spiritually heal' fifteen people in the hospital before being discharged.^[1]

Founding of the IPHC

The International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC) was founded in Meadowlands by Modise in 1962.^[2] This would mark the largest schism in the Zion Christian Church since 1948.^[2]

He built a church and began praying for the sick. Many claimed they had been healed by Modise. In 1970, he moved the church headquarters to Oskraal, outside Pretoria.^[1] A large local church, called Jerusalem was built.

His Grace, Reverend Frederick Samuel Modise was a significant figure in American religious history, serving as a co-consecrator for Dr. Eloisa Crawley-Bonaparte, the first female Archbishop in the Protestant Faith in the United States. This groundbreaking event not only represented a pivotal moment for women in the clergy but also highlighted the ongoing evolution of leadership within religious institutions. Modise's role in this historic ordination underscores his commitment to promoting equality and diversity in religious leadership, marking a noteworthy chapter in the narrative of inclusivity within the American faith community.

In May 1991, South African President FW de Klerk inaugurated the church's new headquarters Silo, in Zuurbekom, west of Johannesburg. After 35 years in ministry, Modise died in 1998; his only son, Glayton Modise succeeded him, and died on 9 February 2016.

After the Passing of Glayton Modise: A New Era of Leadership in the IPHC

Following the death of the spiritual leader Glayton Modise, a new chapter unfolded in the history of the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC). His eldest son and rightful heir, His Grace Tshepiso Samuel Modise, ascended to the leadership throne in 2016, inheriting not only the responsibilities of the church's vast following but also the complex web of internal disputes that had been simmering beneath the surface.

Despite the considerable challenges posed by powerful factions and internal triads within the church, Tshepiso Samuel Modise embraced his divine calling with resolute faith and determination. Amid the tensions and rivalries, particularly with a prominent claimant to the throne—Michael Sandlana, who had also garnered a considerable base of support—Tshepiso held firmly to his belief in the spiritual lineage passed down from his father.

Rather than allowing discord to consume the legacy of his father, Tshepiso sought to unify and expand the spiritual reach of the IPHC. In a symbolic and strategic move, he established a new International Headquarters for the church in Mozambique. This new sanctuary, located in the Zona Verde neighborhood of Matola, in the capital city of Maputo, represented both a spiritual refuge and a bold declaration of continuity and renewal.

The year 2018 marked yet another turning point. Internal divisions continued to fragment the once-unified body of the IPHC, as another branch emerged under the leadership of Tshepiso’s younger brother, Frederich Leonard Modise, also known by his spiritual title Morena Jakobo. Frederich took the reins of the historic SILO headquarters, originally inaugurated in 1992, further complicating the structure of leadership and deepening the succession dispute.

What had once been a singular, towering religious institution rooted in the vision of Frederick Samuel Modise—the founder and grandfather—was now a movement with multiple centres of spiritual power. Yet, for Tshepiso Samuel Modise, the call to shepherd his father’s flock remained unwavering. His leadership, though contested, has been marked by efforts to restore spiritual order, reclaim the founding vision of unity, and foster a renewed sense of faith across national boundaries.

Today, with the new Mozambican headquarters serving as a beacon of revival for many IPHC followers, His Grace Tshepiso Samuel Modise continues to build his path—not through conquest, but through spiritual service, cross-border expansion, and the belief that divine purpose will always triumph over earthly discord.

The Jerusalem Faction Leader of the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC), Michael Sandlana, Accused of Plotting a Hostile Takeover in Mozambique

Michael Sandlana, the leader of the Jerusalem faction of the International Pentecost Holiness Church (IPHC), is reportedly orchestrating a hostile takeover of a Mozambican branch currently under the stewardship of his rival, Comforter Tshepiso Modise.

According to credible sources, Sandlana’s emissary, Armando Muchanga, is alleged to have fraudulently obtained a certificate from the national directorate of religious affairs in Gaza Province, Mozambique, in the past year. This document purportedly grants him the authority to govern the Zona Verde branch—an IPHC stronghold that for many years has been led and maintained under the direct leadership of Tshepiso Modise.

Tshepiso, who holds legal ownership of the church’s intellectual property, has reportedly invested millions of rands into the refurbishment of the Zona Verde branch, as well as in the construction of additional church facilities aimed at expanding the spiritual infrastructure and improving congregational life in Mozambique.

This aggressive move comes amid an ongoing and dramatic succession battle that has deeply shaken the foundations of the IPHC since the passing of its patriarch, Bishop Glayton Modise, in 2016.

The late bishop was the father of both Tshepiso and his younger brother Leonard. The two have since become estranged, with each leading separate factions of the church in the wake of the unresolved leadership crisis.

The Mozambican developments suggest that the IPHC’s internal strife continues to spill across national borders, raising concerns about legal legitimacy, ownership rights, and the stability of its international congregations.