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The Greatest Saviour!

Every year we ask churches how they’re reaching out to their community with the good news about Jesus. It’s always encouraging to see and hear what different churches in all parts of Aotearoa, New Zealand, are up to.  “Christmas provides great opportunities to connect with people,” says Pete Rhodes-Robinson from Onslow Community Church, “…and it is a one of the key cogs in our strategy to engage with our local community.” Every year they put Christmas lights up on the chu...

Jesus Immanuel

This Christmas I am moved to tears by the depths of the grace of God shown to me in Jesus Christ. When I reflect on Jesus’ whakapapa, when I reflect on the spread of the gospel over these islands over the past 200 years, when I dwell on the reality that—under God’s good hand—all of this is part of the fabric of my coming to faith in Christ, I am blown away. As I’ve meditated on Matthew chapters 1 and 2 in the lead up to Christmas, God’s Grace to us ...

Sharing the story of Jesus this Christmas

Every year we ask churches: How are you reaching out to your community with the good news about Jesus this Christmas? Each year it’s a great opportunity to get some great ideas and be encouraged about how people are seeking creative ways to share the gospel with their community.  Steve Shirley, Equipping Pastor at Heretaunga Christian Centre in Upper Hutt, shares how their church is reaching out to the wider community this year:  “We’ve got a three-fold approach this year, beginn...

Sharing a Vision

Prayerfully considering an overall church vision, and how all the ministry areas of the church are working together towards a common goal, can be an incredibly helpful tool in uniting an intergenerational church to reach their community. Mark Herring is the Under-20s Pastor at Rosedale Bible Chapel in Invercargill, and for the past year he and the other elders have been seeking God’s direction for their church: “Our aim is to prayerfully consider who we are reaching and why, we fee...

Celebrating 25 Years in Christian Camping!

This year Paul and Jocelyn Shutte celebrate 25 years managing Teapot Valley Christian Camp just south of Nelson.  Current and past staff, board members, trustees, family, friends and the wider Christian Camping family joined together at a surprise celebration dinner on 3 November to congratulate Paul and Jocelyn for their commitment, perseverance, and Christian service to the Christian Camping ministry at Teapot Valley. Paul and Jocelyn were presented with a ‘memories book’ of contribut...

Auckland Prayer Gathering

What a joy to pray with over 70 people representing 18 churches around Auckland on Sunday night! Such a privilege to hear people pray in different languages, an expression of Auckland's diversity and vibrant multi-cultural community. Thanks to LifeChurch Manuwera for hosting, photo cred: Deitrah Chang....

A new facility to train and equip young leaders

Woodend Christian Camp in Canterbury celebrated the official opening of their new training facility on Saturday 2 November.  The new building sleeps 26 and includes a lounge and dining area, kitchen and full disability access. The vision is for this facility to provide a place for leadership training, says Woodend Christian Camp board member Peter van’t Wout: “This is the fruition of a vision we’ve had for a long time, a place to train people up and equip young people for the Lord’s...

Church Planting Conversations

From CCCNZ Ambassador, Mark Grace It was great to have church planting team members from Putaruru Gospel Chapel, The Orchard Te Puke, Clark Road Chapel (Whangarei) and the Tutukaka Coast, Redeemer Church Tauranga, Manurewa, and Raleigh Street Christian Centre (Cambridge) join us at various points in the day for conversation, prayer and planning in Tauranga yesterday. ...

Our God who sees

By CCCNZ Prayer Enabler Jackie MillarEverywhere I turn lately, it seems as if the Lord is showing me aspects of his praying Church and it has encouraged me immensely. It seems he is stirring many others as well, not just in CCCNZ circles, but in the church across New Zealand, Australia and beyond. There is a renewed call to pray, a stirring within the hearts of the Church to turn to him and seek him with repentant and humble hearts.   In New Zealand, I am hearing about more a...

Five reasons pastors and church leaders should consider coaching

Coaching is not a term we often hear in church circles. We’re familiar with ‘mentoring’ and ‘discipleship’ – but ‘coaching’ is largely a foreign concept for New Zealand church leaders. We think of sports-teams being coached, business owners being coached, actors being coached – but we never think of pastors being coached. However, over the past few years, we’ve discovered the impact coaching can have on pastors, elders and church leaders – which is why CCCNZ has quietly tra...

Seeing God's provision in church administration

Danielle Diprose, CCCNZ National AdministratorIt was a real honour to be able to sit down recently with a number of people who faithfully serve their local churches in the area of finances and to hear the joys and challenges of this area of church administration. To see how God has shown up time and time again in providing the resources for his people in his church was by far the highlight of the sessions. God doesn’t need our resources – but he does desire our obedience. As we discussed and...

Lakeland Park celebrates 60 years

Remembering God’s faithfulness was the highlight of the Lakeland Park Christian Camp 60th celebration held over October 5-6.  The event was held to commemorate 60 years since the first trust was formed and the first Rally camps were held at the campsite in Kelvin Heights, Queenstown—in what would now be considered quite primitive conditions.  The celebration included a function and meal on the Saturday night and a celebration church service on Sunday morning, followed by a...

Somebody's Watching

Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. (1 Timothy 4:15b-16) Being in leadership can sometimes be described as being "under a magnifying glass and inside a goldfish bowl."  It can feel like a goldfish bowl because everyone can see your life. There is no hiding. When we fail, people notice. When ou...

Youth pastors: Things you can do to make the most of term four

By CCCNZ Youth Enabler Murray BrownI've always enjoyed the fourth term. Sure, there is still the tiredness one feels from a busy year and programming can be a little disjointed as exam pressure hits and young people's attendance decreases while stress levels increase, yet for me, it was frequently the least stressful term of the year with no camps or major projects.That doesn't mean however that it's not an important term. There are plenty of things to reflect on and do. Here are three suggestio...

Healing From Trauma

Sue Taylor has been working in the counselling space since 1994, specialising in trauma recovery as an ACC Sensitive Claims Registered therapist and as a trainer with CPS training (now Child Matters). From 2005-2018 Sue worked in Cambodia (12 years) and in Kolkata, India (1 year) with survivors of serious human rights abuses such as human trafficking and sexual assault. Since 2010 Sue has been involved in writing curriculums and delivering training in the field of Trauma Informed Care. She has p...

What Next? Preparing young adults to leave home

By Nick Goodwin...

Is it worth investing in children and family ministries?

'Children should be seen and not heard.''The most important people to serve on a Sunday are adults.''We have hardly any children in our congregation--what's the point?' These are deliberately confronting statements, but consider how each of them might hold a grain of truth in your church or context.  Jesus showed that children are valued and significant members of our faith communities. The key reason we should nurture them and welcome them in our churches is because Jesus sa...

Let's Pray: Making time for prayer amongst the busyness

National Prayer Coordinator Jackie Millar...

Jesus: Our living hope in changing times

By Chris Thomas...

A Gospel-shaped attitude to immigration

By Chris Northcott...

A Season of Equipping

Have you heard about the 3TRUSTS Scholarships on offer to help you or people from your church develop and grow in your faith through ministry training (formal and informal)? We caught up with Joshua Irving from Auckland Bible Church to hear more about how he is spending a season being equipped to serve the Church in a variety of ways:  "To see the gospel being shared across these islands is my impetus for choosing to study theology. I was led and discipled as a young believer thro...

Who's NOT in your church?

"As we looked around our churches, my friend Victor and I asked ourselves some simple questions: Who’s NOT here? Why are they not here? What can we do about it? "We realised that the gospel never changes, the good news of Jesus is the same today as it has always been. But how we present the gospel, how we package it – that has to change.  "I realised that not everybody walks into church and feels comfortable. What we wear, what we say, the “Christian” words we use can leave people f...

Meet Julie: new CCCNZ Children and Family Ministries Enabler

We're excited to introduce our new National Children and Families Ministry Enabler Julie McKinnon. Julie has been involved in children and families ministry for over a decade, employed at Hillcrest Chapel in Waikato as Children's Ministries Coordinator for the past eight years. She is married to Jason and they have four daughters. We had a chat with her about what she's looking forward to in her new role:    "I didn't grow up in a Christian family, and my desire to give famil...

Helping young leaders realise their God-given gifts

We've had a great time hosting young people and their leaders from around the country at our FIRST Training events.  FIRST Training is a leadership event for 16-18 year olds and their youth leaders.  One of the best parts about FIRST Training has been seeing the delight in youth and leaders as young people discover the unique ways God has gifted them and how he might calling them to use these gifts to lead others in the church.  Hear from Tāmaki Community Church Youth L...

2020 Applications are now open for Eden Christian Hostel

It’s dinner time at Eden Christian Hostel and sitting around tables are dozens of university students, devouring plates of freshly-made lasagna. Chatting amongst them are hostel managers Stuart and Dianne Turner, who put together the meal. But it’s not only the student’s bellies they are looking after - the couple are helping ease the transition from home life to university living. For the past 55 years, Eden Christian Hostel, in Auckland, has been the home to the first year of university....