Large(ish) Church Leaders Gathering
On Tuesday morning, Alan flew to Christchurch on the invitation of the leaders of some of the larger churches of the Anglican Church in New Zealand. While not an exhaustive gathering of those leading such churches, and definitely a group we are not a part of because of our size, the invitation was extended based on the immense ministry work of Taradale Anglican and due to the strategic developments that are being undertaken in our parish.
In all, 12 leaders from across the country were present. Those 12 key leaders represented congregations that make up around 60-70% of worshipping Anglicans in Tikanga Pakeha. Many already knew one another from other gatherings and conferences, but this time together was different. It began with deeply personal and vulnerable times of sharing that spoke of the beauty, the challenges, the costs and the possibilities of the ministry of the Anglican Church. Across all of the stories, there was a common theme of price - relational, material and spiritual - but a price that was worth it because of the other common theme - transformation. In the sharing, a clear picture was shown that would otherwise only have been seen as pieces of a puzzle, a picture that showed God at work in renewing the Anglican Church from within. There was a heartening correlation of passion, story and signs. There was a commitment to one another in our shared ministries. And there was a dedication that where there is overlap and possibility, we must do this together rather than apart.
For Alan, this was a time of great encouragement. While there are always ministry relationships and partnerships, the sense of a tribe to which one could belong and who have a shared vision of what God is doing in the Anglican Church is precisely what is needed in a time where the narratives of the wider dioceses and churches are decline and diminishment, this is a group that knows another story and is ready to give everything to be a part of God's plan for renewal. As we begin the season of Lent, a calling we encourage you to consider picking up is one of intercession and prayer. A core part of those being intercession for those that God is calling to faith and that the church may meet them in that journey. The other being a prayer for those on the front line of the ministry of the church and who are tasked with leading through a time of great uncertainty and a great movement of God for the church to take a new direction.
Our hope is that this gathering is the beginning of new and growing links and collaboration between the churches represented, allowing us all to speak life into one another's ministries and from their new life into the Anglican Church across the nation.
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