Highlights from the AGM

Last Sunday we held the 2023 Church AGM. Here are a few highlights from the Minister’s Report.  

A New Vision and Ministry Plan 

According to the Harvard Business Review, organisations without a clear, articulated and known Vision and Mission can function but will float around looking for somewhere to go. I think this describes us at this point in time. We have a clear Mission Statement - a statement that describes what business we are in (and what it isn’t) both now and projecting into the future. The Mission Statement is the answer to the questions, what are you doing? 

What are we doing? We are building Wholehearted Disciples of Jesus. That’s clear. 

By contrast a Vision Statement describes what an organisation wishes to be like in some years’ time. It answers the question, why are we doing our mission. It’s usually drawn up in an effort to take the thinking beyond day-to-day activity in a clear, memorable way. Our Vision Statement is: [empty field].

In the remainder of this year we are going to be initiating a process that will help us all be clear on an answer to that question this time next year. We will then be able to map out a Ministry Plan so we know where we intend to go and then begin to ask some questions about our physical infrastructure. The staff and Wardens have been whispering about such questions for some years but it is now time to stop whispering.   

Mission 

Last year I noted this concern: we attract lots of Christians because of our outstanding Children and youth programs, worship and size. But the number of unbelievers we are connecting with appears to have dropped. There appear to be less invited to church, less in Christianity Explored and less stories of people becoming Christians. Covid made all this hard but over the last year, convicted by a weakness in us and the gospel need, we decided to seize the moment. 

We decided that we could not and should not simply rest upon transfer growth. We decided to pursue Kingdom growth. And this is why, as we have been saying, Mission now sits at the heartbeat of our church program and calendar. Not because it is my hobbyhorse or because Elliot is the most persuasive of the M Directors (although he may be) but because people are going to hell and we have the words of eternal life and this has been an area of weakness for us for decades. So we are working to ensure Mission gets to the centre of your attention again this year. I hope we have all been engaging with ShareLife Listen and that there are people you are praying for regularly that they may come to know the Lord Jesus.  

I am also thankful for the rejuvenation of our Mission portfolio after the retirement of so many of our mission partners. The addition of Rebekah last year has been a great boon for our support of mission, theological education and for modelling the place of women in ministry. Today I am pleased to announce that we will be launching a new Mission Partnership soon with the Tylers. Matt and Ellen Tyler will be moving to Vanuatu with their three young children later this year when they complete Bible translation training in Melbourne. They are prayerfully hoping to partner with local Christians in translating the Bible into some of Vanuatu’s many minority languages. Through translation work they hope to disciple and train locals in faithfully understanding and applying the Bible both now and for the future. This is a great work and one you will hear more and more of in the months ahead - thanks be to God.   

Election Results

Wardens: Ross Bowden, William Hood

Parish Council: Sarah Abraham, Susan Beattie, Peter Chitty, James Clifton, Ros Hinchliffe, Michael Hung

Nominators: Lee Carter, Janet Currer, Peter Mayrick, Robert Tong, Charlie Wye

Synod Representatives: Anna Richardson, Mark Streeter