The church is God’s gift to the world in the time between
Christ’s ascension and his coming again.
God has entrusted the church with the task of making the good news of
Jesus Christ known to all people and in doing this to make the reality of his
new creation known in this world and at this time. Therefore it is essential that the church
continues to grow in health so that it may fulfil the plan that God has
entrusted to it. We all know how
ineffective we become when we are sick.
Depending on our illness we can be prevented from doing the things that
we like to do, want to do and need to do.
Yet when we are in the best of health we have energy, stamina, an
inspiring outlook and the capacity to do so much. The same is true for the church. So we undertake surveys like this as a
check-up to measure our health and identify the factors that are preventing us
from being all that God wants and to highlight where we are strong and healthy
and can therefore celebrate where we are doing what God has called us to
do. There is much to celebrate in this
latest survey.
The survey indicates that overall health of our congregation
has improved substantially. The
atmosphere of our congregation is more optimistic. We recognise this through a clear belief that
God wants our church to grow, through knowing the value of our service in the
church, through believing that God will work more powerfully in our church in
the future and having a greater shared commitment to the purpose that we are
working toward as a church.
The survey also reflects specific areas in which we are
growing. Many people are experiencing
the blessing of being part of an Explore Group.
They are finding relevant discussions, opportunities to share deeply and
assistance in integrating their faith into their daily lives. We need to acknowledge the work of Nathan
Robertson in leading our Explore Group ministry, also, the leaders and members
of our groups who are developing a firm spiritual foundation for their lives
and our church. Please don’t forget that
there is always an opportunity for you to join an Explore Group if you’re not
yet in one.
We are also growing in our awareness and compassion for
pre-Christians. More people are praying
for people they know, intentionally deepening their relationships and finding
new ways to share faith. Thank you to
those who have increased their commitment to Christ’s great commission.
Our new purpose has provided a clearer direction into the
future and this is reflected in the survey.
Our purpose puts before us a clear indication that God wants us to be a
disciple forming community and that his desire for each of us is to grow as his
disciples. Thank you to Peter Cranna and
the members of the Future Directions Group for their contributions in 2011 to
develop our purpose.
The health of our church has grown because specific people
have committed themselves to leadership in this congregation in specific
areas. My thanks go to the Church
Council and Elders who prayerfully and diligently offer leadership in our
congregation and to each member of the congregation who responds to God’s
leading in their life to grow in their discipleship. In coming weeks I’ll continue to share with
you other results from this survey.
David Fender
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