The pivotal gathering for the future of the church in Melbourne - TM's Pastors & Leaders' Consultation "OUR CITY- OUR GENERATION-GOD'S HEART" happened on 1st April. There were about 200 pastors, leaders and practitioners who attended the conference, and many more bought the research reports since the consultation.
The day started off with the presentation of the compilation of the data through the "ALL MELBOURNE MATTERS" research, which gives a picture of the Church in Melbourne that has never been available before. The picture reveals the strengths of the Church, the great range of resources and the vital support provided for the people across Melbourne by local churches, Christian welfare agencies, Christian schools, health care and chaplaincies in many sectors of society. Although there are some encouraging aspects, the statistics and the current trends are a shock. The good news is the reports provide a basis for developing effective and strategic plans for collaborative and intentional mission and ministry to reverse these trends.
The KEY TOPICS of this consultation included: (1)Reaching Local Cities Together, (2)The Power of Praying Together, (3) Organic Church Growth incl. Discipleship, (4) Leadership Formation, (5) The City really needs the Church and (6) A snapshot of Y-Generation. These workshops all aim to facilitate a practical response to the picture of the Church revealed in the research statistics. Stories and ideas for some potential missional responses and resources for the Church at citywide, community and local church level were given in conjuction with the research reports.
Click here to order your own copies of the Research Project Reports Online.
THE FOLLOWINGS ARE SOME THE COMMENTS ON THE RESPONSE SHEETS FROM THE DAY:
Most significant feature of the consultation for you?
- The interest of so many pastors & leaders who desire to see the vision for Melbourne, fulfilled.
- The understanding that this affects the whole church and it takes the whole church to respond effectively. Unity is clearly difficult but necessary.
- Building up a prayer movement.
- The passion for God and His mission was so evident, esp. from Rob -that was inspiring & encouraging & trumped everything else.
- Confronting us with a clear picture of the need to reach Melbourne and the inadequate response we’ve had so far.
- The bringing together of so many passionate people with a heart of the wellbeing of Melbourne.
- The high value content and evangelistic passion evident in all the participants. Today was well above average in all aspects.
- Confronting research. Great messages from practitioners.
- The importance of the task before us. The only choice is to work together.
- Getting the greater vision for transforming the city.
- I’m 26. Was well impacted by the lack of young people/leaders. Really felt appreciative of the way the information was presented in an overview – not too much detail. The encouragement from the fact that even though we are not doing enough IT CAN BE DONE!
- Leaders from many churches gathered together as one church.
What is your reaction? What do you think God is saying to His Church?
- “Wake up” If you will listen to me, be humbled and are willing to lay down your lives, you can see my church renewed.
- Simplify, connect, act together, discipleship for every person, empower leaders especially young people, think and vision as the Church in the city and share resources
To understand who the Church is intended to reach and to engage in His mission -focused outwards. - He desires us to unite and move outside the Church in to the community.
- Connectedness, reconciliation, prayer focused relational focus will bring people into the kingdom.
- Seek His will, unite to do His will in your geographic area.
- The need to regain and reach out to the younger generation. The GenY material was excellent.
- The harvest is plentiful. The labourers are not united enough.
- “See how you can collaborate as distinct churches – in unity, harmony and trust – to accomplish this task.”
- I do believe that what we learn and know about God should not just be to make us feel better and happier but should flow out to those around us. God has been challenging me this year but also today to get out of my house and meet the people who don’t know Christ. WE ARE RELEVANT THROUGH RELATIONSHIP.
- Humble yourselves. Slow down and listen for my leading. Work together in unity.
We don’t need more think-ers, strategists etc but we need praying thinkers, praying strategists etc. - What is ACTS church ?– Apostles + Church->Transforming Society.
- Call to unity/cooperation in mission.
- Be of one mind; one purpose; one vision as we serve one God.
- it is important to pray and for that prayer to lead to fruit which changes people and changes communities. It is important to deconstruct today’s idols.
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1 comment:
The oft repeated line "unity is key" is a feature of these comments. And it's true - we need to be united to function as a healthy body. The analogy is not just a convenient form of metaphor, Christ needs a body that He can control and lead to do the work He needs to do for His Father. We are that body. And just like Paul said, every part of the body is vital to the function of the whole. However, we don't have to look too hard to see that certain parts of the body are disdainful of other parts, seeing them as dishonourable, or unimportant, or even dysfunctional. I'm going out on a limb here and naming some of those prouder parts, The Anglican and Catholic church hierarchies, the Uniting Church in general, the ACC leadership. All people in these areas of Christ's body are guilty of the sin of pride, of unforgiveness, of judgementalism. Paul told us to think of others as better than ourselves, to not allow ourselves to fall into the nasty habit of thinking everyone outside our own little group is wrong. I would rather name those people I listed above as cliques rather than parts of the Body of Christ.
Instead of being interested in promoting your own little empires, Archbishops, Presidents, Moderators and High Church attenders, you should get down off your pedestals and get real. It is Jesus you should be promoting, His children you should be leading back to the Father. Your success as the Leader of anything will hold little sway when you meet Jesus Himself. Like he told us, when did you feed the starving or clothe the naked? When did you last think about how the lives of the lost can be saved, not in terms of bums on seats but in terms of genuinely improving the lot of those who don't know Jesus?
Forgive me for my tirade, but the reason I am so accusatory is because I see people in churches everywhere following your example, and you're not following His. Doing church right just isn't going to cut it, folks. Loving people the way Jesus did is just the beginning of what is required, but you don't even seem to start there.
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