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Developing Leaders in Contemporary Culture

It was a joy to meet together as Auckland Leaders last week on Thursday 9 June to discuss 'Developing Leaders in Contemporary Culture'.  Visiting speaker Dr Darrell Bock led the conversation, followed by a Q&A format. Two topics were explored: Community Life—How to Help Get People Back to Church; and Christian Sexuality—How to Help People Journey in Their Faith. When sharing his thoughts on people coming back to church, Dr Bock said “check your community’s tone. Is it i...

Q&A with Haare Kutia

By Prayer Coordinator Jackie Millar One of the perks of my role is that I meet passionately prayerful people from across our group of churches, across New Zealand. Haare Kutia from Tāmaki Community Church in Auckland is one of those unique individuals who leave you feeling totally inspired. I asked Haare about her passion for prayer and community.  Haare, you tell me a little bit more about what you do at Tāmaki Community Church (TCC) as well as these two passions in your life&m...

Connecting Young Families

Leanne Brown from Crossroads Church in Palmerston North recently reflected on the number of families with young children who she hadn’t seen for a while. She writes: “I see a handful of families at church on Sunday mornings and I try and message families as regularly as I can by text. But I wondered how else can I facilitate connection? “I counted over 20 young babies or toddlers in our church family, and was keen to focus on helping these families connect with church and wi...

Recalibrating

We are in a season of reconnecting and rebuilding as churches.Leaders are re-evaluating and reconsidering plans and projects. Some leaders hope to resurrect programs that were on hold due to COVID.Leadership teams are recalibrating. In the midst of this, church life can feel tender, fragile, and hopeful all at the same time. In 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Paul seeks to recalibrate the Corinthian Church around two realities. The first: God’s resurrection life comes through the wor...

Churches and Camps working together

CCCNZ Ambassador Mark Grace...

Saying what matters

As Paul faces the end of his life in a cell in Rome, he writes to Timothy who has been pastoring in Ephesus for the past four years.With the time he has left, Paul focuses on saying what needs to be said; on saying what really matters. "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others". 2 Timothy 2:2 The things you’ve heard about Jesus in the presence of the many and the mu...

Truth in the Trial

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything".  - James 1:2-4 With the ability to gather back together in large groups, the situation might feel better and also harder at the same time. There are gospel opportunities everywhere we look. At the same time we can, as a ...

When Support Ministries Partner with Churches

Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador It has been encouraging to hear the stories of the gospel going out in word and deed, in and through the churches.  I was encouraged to hear from Ian McBride from The Orchard Church in Te Puke. Ian mentioned the partnership between Word of Life and the church family, which saw the Youth Reachout Roadtrip from Word of Life assist in a weeklong children’s outreach holiday programme in the school holidays.It was a...

Worth it

Paul knows.He knows he's at the end of his life. Paul writes 2 Timothy from the dank confines of his cell in Rome. Timothy has ministered to the church in Ephesus for four years.Timothy’s facing an increasing array of personal, practical, and political challenges. Into this confronting and challenging moment, Paul writes words of clarity and comfort. "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point ...

Doable hard vs Destructive hard

"Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia".  Corinthians 2:12-13 Paul has gone from Ephesus to Troas to preach the gospel. Paul affirms the Lord opened the door for him, and people are responding to the gospel, in droves! We’ve arrived at a place where the lifting ...

On the edge of Easter

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."- 2 Corinthians 5:21 We are on the edge of Easter.We are on the edge of reflecting on what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit did for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus.It is unfathomable to me that the God of the universe, made him (Jesus) who had no sin, to be sin for us. He did this so we might become the righteousness of God.I’m awestruck at the grace of God in li...

Cross-shaped ministry

This ministry moment feels like getting to the end of a marathon, only to find the starting line of the next marathon at your feet!Leaders are tired, fatigued, burdened. On top of this, the course for this second marathon is barely visible. Despite our sense of the 'unprecedented', it's worth being reminded that ministry in the 21st century looks a lot like ministry in the 1st century! "For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. ...

Caring for Children and Families in Isolation

Many families in isolation are looking for activities to keep busy while isolating. The team at Onslow Community Church in Wellington are creating “Iso packs” to support church and community families in isolation. Heather Rhodes Robinson writes: “We have an amazing lady on our pastoral care team who has organised a freezer full of meals for church and community households who are isolating. Our Kids' Ministry team are doing packs for our families that go alongside ...

Prayer Day at Tasman Church

Greig Caigou, pastor at Tasman Church, writes: “A day devoted to prayer was called for recently at our Tasman fellowship. While prayer is important for several reasons in communing with our God, we wanted to be diligent and intentional to gather in collective prayer for our community.  "As we are currently meeting in small groups on Sunday, each group was encouraged to opt for a different time so that we could 'cover the day' in prayer... starting a...

A Prayer For Ukraine

Geoff Stark, WestChurch Our Father in heaven, the author of peace, shown most fully by sending your son Jesus Christ as your human representation and to take our sins by his death on a cross, and so to bring us into a peaceful relationship with you. Father as we look into our own ancestry, we see aggression and conflict. When we look into our own hearts, we are aware of lines we draw that stepping over would make us aggressive and angry. Lord help us to be truly love peace. Sovereign God who rai...

A Prayer For Our Church Leaders

Robert Mitchell, Tasman ChurchMy Father, I give thanks first for past leaders who were faithful to Your calling in using the gifts of grace You gave them, to bear testimony of Christ in the places You put them. I thank you also for today’s leaders, whether a leader of few or a leader of many; whether a leader in the church or a leader in the community; for they are a blessing as they demonstrate faith, wisdom, humility, care, patience and perseverance to those they lead. I ask that You comfort...

Missing the point

Luke 22:7-28 It’s the last supper. The hour is now. The climax of Jesus’ life and work is at hand. The central events of history are happening.  Jesus gathers those closest to him to share the deepest of realities. He is going to suffer. His body and blood are going to be poured out. The result: an argument erupts. It’s not about Jesus. It’s not about his death. It’s about them. It’s about their status. It’s about their significance. It’s a...

Stop doing, keep doing, and start doing

In Revelation 2-4 Jesus takes stock of the seven churches and makes an overall assessment of where each church is at.The assessment shows them what to stop doing, keep doing, and start doing. What they choose to do will depend on how clearly and seriously they see the glorious and risen Lord Jesus. His purity and power. His greatness and holiness. His hold over history. His grace and truth. Their fidelity and faithfulness will be shaped by their focus. Are they...

Our refuge is our resurrected Saviour

Emma and I are reading and praying through the Psalms. This morning it was Psalm 31. David’s external world is crashing in on him. He speaks of a city under siege. He speaks of enemies, the contempt of neighbours, and the dread of friends. He speaks of people crossing the street to avoid him, of traps set for him and of terror on every side. His physical and spiritual worlds are in turmoil. He speaks of anguish that is ageing him, afflictions that weaken his body, accusations th...

Rebuilding, a lesson from Ezra

In Ezra 3:7-13 the people of God go back to the future. After exile, and after returning to the land they rebuild the temple.Before the end of this year, it's plausible that we, as church families, will go back to the future.We will have the opportunity to return and rebuild our gatherings and life together as local churches.What can we learn from Ezra 3?  It’ll be the same but differentThe people of God rebuild God’s temple. It’s the same. It’s God’s temple.&n...

Christian Leadership in a time of dissension

The Church in Ephesus is a mess.False teachers and teaching are wreaking havoc.False teachers focus on feathering their own platforms, power, and wealth in the process. Relationships are at breaking point. What does Christian Leadership involve in a time of dissension? Look with me through 1 Timothy 6:11-21It involves being reminded who we are and whose we are as leaders. Christian leadership in a time of dissension involves: Fleeing the noise (6:11)In 1 Timothy 6:4-5 Christi...

Remember

Paul remembers. He and Barnabas are being sent. Sent to the Gentiles. Sent to preach the gospel. Sent by the apostles.What’s the one thing they are asked to do? What’s the one thing they are charged with? What’s the one thing they should remember?  In Galatians 2:10, Paul recounts,  “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along”.'They' being James, Peter, and John, asking that Paul, in the preaching ...

Declaring Christ Crucified

"But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict". - 1 Thessalonians 2:2 It’s AD 51, churches from Judea to Thessalonica are riven, ravaged, and rattled. Across 2000km it feels like every church is roiled, there’s rumblings… it’s likely hot heads want retribution.At the centre of it is the reviled Apostle Paul and his apo...

God is

The Thessalonians are suffering.Paul and the apostolic team are being persecuted.The Judean churches are being brutalised. The churches in Macedonia and Achaia are being terrorised to the point of destitution.The external pressure on the Thessalonians is immense. The internal pressure within the church from false prophets, and idle and disruptive believers is almost as painful. The conflict is real. Into this powder keg the Apostle Paul shows us Christian Leade...

Standing at the centre

Ephesians Chapter 2:11-22 invites me, a Gentile, to remember where we were and reminds us where we are.  Where we were: "...remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world." (v 12). We were separate from God, excluded, without hope, foreigners, without God in the world. Where we are: "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, ...