ANIMATING COMMUNITIES OF HOPE & COMPASSION Part One Dr Andrew - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ANIMATING ‘COMMUNITIES OF HOPE & COMPASSION’

Part One Dr Andrew Menzies Download audio at churchesofchrist.org.au

MATTHEW 9:35-38

‘Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a

• shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The

harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”’

AUSTRALIAN CENSUS: PERCENTAGE GROWTH IN RELIGIOUS GROUPS 2006-2011

ABS 2011 CENSUS - GONE MISSING

CHURCH GROWTH

There is only one category of Christian church/denomination that is growing (immigrant churches) Every other category is:

In decline In plateau

IMAGE OF PROFESSIONS – CLERGY

1996: 59% of population rate high for ethics and honesty 2016: 35% of population rate high for ethics and honesty

• Source: Roy Morgan Research, Image of Professions Survey (2016)

“Given the steady fifty-year decline in church attendance, it’s not hard to find people who can tell you why they stopped going to church. Nor, these days, is to hard to find younger people who have never been churchgoers and can’t imagine taking it up.”

• Hugh Mackay Beyond Belief

PROFOUND IMPACT OF MIGRATION

 Twice as many immigrants attend church than other

Australians



29% immigrants attend monthly or more



15% of other Australians attend monthly

 41% of all monthly attenders aged between 18 and 65

are immigrants!

 Lack of immigrants have a great impact on rate of

decline in Anglican, Presbyterian and Uniting churches

 Immigrants are the major cause of growth in other

denominations.

WHY DO MIGRANTS ATTEND?

 Looking for community in Australia  Shared language  Shared values  Confirms identity



Identity of many migrants in ethnicity which is tied to certain religious groups



Sense of duty to attend

OUR CONTEXT

• Children may be born into a church community … but as

they grow into adults, they realise that can make their own decisions about involvement and identity: the vast majority leave in teenage and young adult years.

• Young families don’t generally return to church life when

children arrive.

• Involvement in a religious community has shifted from a

matter of duty to a matter of motivation.

• 300,000 to 500,000 Australians aged between 10-34

moved to ‘no religion’ between 2006 and 2011

• The average age of a church attendee is 53.
• A quarter of church attendees are older than 70.

SUMMARY

Either Jesus was joking about the harvest or he didn’t expect it of us in 2017 in Australia or we are doing something dreadfully wrong. If we were farmers and these statistics were our harvest, year upon year, we would lose the farm.

SUMMARY

Either Jesus was joking about the harvest or he didn’t mean it for us in 2017 in Australia or we are doing something dreadfully wrong. If we were farmers and these statistics were our harvest, year upon year, we would lose the farm. The only way we could continue farming would be through:

• A thorough root and branch assessment of what is fruitful and

what is not fruitful

• A reflective and intentional return to core purpose
• A creative and adaptive investigation (with a plan) for the

purpose of reaping a harvest

• Focused recruitment and development of capable people into

areas of strength

LUKE 13:18-19

‘Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”’

LESSONS FROM BASE ECCLESIAL COMMUNITIES

• 1. Churches should give ministry back

to ordinary people.

LESSONS FROM BASE ECCLESIAL COMMUNITIES

• 1. Churches should give ministry back

to ordinary people.

• 2. The work of the Spirit cannot be tied

down in church hierarchy and structure.

LESSONS FROM BASE ECCLESIAL COMMUNITIES

• 1. Churches should give ministry back

to ordinary people.

• 2. The work of the Spirit cannot be tied

down in church hierarchy and structure.

• 3. Disciples are best formed through

regular practices combined with immersion in the local community.

LESSONS FROM BASE ECCLESIAL COMMUNITIES

• 1. Churches should give ministry back to
• rdinary people.
• 2. The work of the Spirit cannot be tied

down in church hierarchy and structure.

• 3. Disciples are best formed through

regular practices combined with immersion in the local community.

• 4. The current model of local

congregation is not God’s only model for church and has never been.

LESSONS FROM BASE ECCLESIAL COMMUNITIES

1. Churches should give ministry back to ordinary people. 2. The work of the Spirit cannot be tied down in church hierarchy and structure. 3. Disciples are best formed through regular practices combined with immersion in the local community. 4. The current model of local congregation is not God’s

• nly model for church and has never been.

5. The current model of congregational church with a minister is limited in its ability at mission.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS…

• What is your reaction to the data presented?
• Where are vital signs of life and ‘harvest’ in your

community?

• Are there any examples that come to mind where you

see ‘mustard seeds’ of the Kingdom growing in your church or local community? How can they be resourced, released and multiplied? ‘Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”’ (Lk 13:18-19)

ANIMATING ‘COMMUNITIES OF HOPE & COMPASSION’

Part Two Dr Andrew Menzies Download audio at churchesofchrist.org.au

DISTRIBUTED NETWORK

HUB & SPOKES STRUCTURE

Ea Early C Church Structure: Distributed network Leadership gifts employed (Eph 4:11-13): Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor & Teacher. Elders & Deacons in Nodes (Networks?) Expressions of Ekklesia: House churches (nodes) City wide churches (networks of nodes) Inter-city church networks (universal)

EARLY CHURCH LIFE & MISSION

• Nodes (house churches) were very aware of local situation and

need

• Mission responses came from nodes (sometimes resourced

through relational networks)

• Discipleship and formation occurred in nodes (occasionally with

resource from more experienced people)

• Breaking Bread was central and done regularly, over a meal and

accompanied by prayer, worship, fellowship and Bible

• Nodes accessed help from their relational network when needed
• Leadership and authority was relational, not institutional

(distributed network)

• Nodes grew virally and organically (often in secret)
• Baptisms were testimony of a transformation

Early Ch Church Structure: Distributed network Leadership gifts employed (Eph 4:11- 13): A, P, E, P & T. Elders & Deacons in Nodes (Networks?) Expressions of Ekklesia: House churches (Nodes) City wide (Networks of Nodes) Inter-city church networks (Universal) Pres esen ent C Church ch Hub & Spokes P & T Minister and Elders control church Local Congregations Denominations Councils and Credal

MODERN CHURCH LIFE AND MISSION

Mission is usually run as an optional program Mission

Spokes often require permission from the hub before taking initiative (disincentive and disempowered) Hub often comes up with a program and expects the spokes to carry it

• ut (disconnection and disruption)

The major concern of the hub is alignment

Discipleship and formation are increasingly missed or optional Breaking Bread is often a small part of a busy worship service Regular attendance is now anything more than once a month Leadership and authority are institutionally and structurally empowered (hub & spokes) Growth is usually via transfers (if there is any growth) Baptisms are generally biological

FROM NODES TO CONGREGATIONS

HALO ESPRESSO, SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Early Ch Church Structure: Distributed network Leadership gifts employed (Eph 4:11- 13): A, P, E, P & T. Elders & Deacons in Nodes (Networks?) Expressions of Ekklesia: House churches (Nodes) City wide (Networks of Nodes) Inter-city church networks (Universal) Pres esen ent C Church ch Hub & Spokes P & T Minister and Elders control church Local Congregations Denominations Councils and Credal

Early C y Chur urch Structure: Distributed network Leadership gifts employed (Eph 4:11-13): A, P, E, P & T. Elders & Deacons in Nodes (Networks?) Expressions of Ekklesia: House churches (Nodes) City wide (Networks of Nodes) Inter-city church networks (Universal) Pres resent ent C Churc rch Hub & Spokes P & T Minister and Elders control church Local Congregations Denominations Councils and Credal Futur ure C Chur urch Distributed network A, P, E, P & T. Elders & Deacons in Nodes & Networks Ministers = All disciples Nodes Networks of Nodes (formerly congregations) Network of networks (eg. CCVT) Mission focused networks (Universal

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

• What is you response to the

material presented in this session?

• Are there nodes that you could

activate, resource, motivate in your network? How?

• What changes does this require for

paid church staff PD’s?