A sneak peek

In the last two posts I introduced you to our strategy for the next 5 years.

Here it is at its simplest:

In 2025 we will be taking the grace and truth of Jesus deeper into the heart of our church, and further into our community and beyond. 

I want to begin to show you the nuts and bolts of how, and where, we will do this.

There are six aspirational themes that captured many of the ideas that have been raised over the last 18 months. Below you will find a summary of each of these themes and some very broad aims.

For each of these themes we have very concrete goals, tactics and measurements to help bring these aspirations to reality.

1. GOSPEL

We see a church that is rooted in and delights in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We see a church where the gospel is preached every week and every person is nurtured in the grace of the gospel and equipped to know, love and share the gospel.

We will commit to:

• teaching the ‘whole counsel of God’ as revealed in the Scriptures

• preaching the gospel every week

• consistent standard of preaching that reflects our understanding of the grace and truth of Jesus

• creating church services that give people a rich experience of the gospel

• helping one another apply the gospel to our hearts

2. OUTREACH

We see a church that is a city on a hill and a church that takes seriously Jesus’ command to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’.

As a church we will:

• explore new justice ministries and strengthen current ones

• develop our ‘public face’—be known in the community and be a place people are drawn to

• innovate/create new outreach opportunities, particularly opportunities that meet felt needs in the community

• desire to grow numerically, primarily through conversion growth

• understand where we are (i.e. a concern for contextualising the gospel)

• plan and pray for outreach to be a central part of our church’s life and activity.

3. LEADERSHIP

We see a church that has diverse, self-sustaining leadership pathways. A place where people’s gifts are identified and encouraged for the good of the body.

We will aim to:

• recruit, resource and release leaders who lead like Jesus

• raise up leaders who reflect our church and our area

• nurture and develop our leaders

• develop new layers of leadership

• have sustainable leadership pathways

4. COMMUNITY

We see a prayerful community that is dependent on God. We see a church community that is hospitable, warm, welcoming and always caring. A community that is richly diverse where women and men, young and old, and all cultures share rich fellowship.

We would like to see:

• a diverse community made up of all ages and all backgrounds

• a place where intergenerational discipleship is fostered

• a commitment to establish systems of pastoral care that ensures everyone is known and loved and has a strong sense of belonging

• small groups multiplied and equipped to shepherd and disciple one another

• people enfolded into our church community through planning and prayer

5. GENEROSITY

We see a church birthed through the generosity of Jesus. We see a church that has richly benefited from the gospel generosity of others and desires to be a conduit of that blessing to others.

We desire to:

• wholeheartedly serve our church community

• think generously of one another and act generously toward one another

• send staff and members to less resourced areas

• send financial support to mission partners

• send members into the harvest field.

6. STEWARDSHIP

We see a church that faithfully and fruitfully stewards its resources for the benefit of others. We see a church committed to developing our property, increasing its capacity for ministry and strengthening our systems of governance.

We would like to:

• create inviting, welcoming, safe spaces for all people

• take care of the property we have and improve it where possible to meet the demands of ministry

• continue to value and deepen systems of administration (PC, wardens, safe ministry)

You’ve probably heard it said many times that ‘talk is cheap.’ And churches, it seems, are often prone to dreaming big and executing poorly. As mentioned above, these goals are very broad. The particular shape they take will be teased out in the coming weeks as we present concrete goals, tactics and measurements for each of these.

Like deconstructing a coffee...

A little while ago I heard the ridiculous story of someone who ordered a flat white in a Melbourne cafe. They received their coffee in three beakers, each containing a different element of their little old flat white. The barista was trying to highlight the significance of each element. What have we come to?!….There’s a place for deconstructing things but it ain’t coffee.

Today I want to deconstruct that statement I introduced to you last week.

IN 2025 WE WILL BE TAKING THE GRACE AND TRUTH OF JESUS DEEPER INTO THE HEART OF OUR CHURCH, AND FURTHER INTO OUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND.

This statement needs to be unpacked a little as each word communicates something of value to our church.

In 2025 we will be taking …

This may sound a little presumptuous but it communicates something important about our church. There’s a desire for our church to be active in mission. Throughout this process people have expressed clear ideas for our church to be innovating new ways of being a church on mission together. This too is part of our spiritual heritage.

At our first workshop in 2019 we looked at our congregational identity (you can read more about that here).

One of the hallmarks of Anglican Evangelicalism has been what historian David Bebbington calls activism. Bebbington notes that historically in evangelical movements there has been an expectation that spiritual transformation would be seen in individuals and society at large. This has led to the development of mission agencies and also a strong concern for justice.

Under God we plan to be active, to be taking new ground for the kingdom of God. There’s no reason to be shy about this.

Grace and truth

These two things ground our understanding of the gospel. The word gospel is a little elusive and can mean different things to different people. By emphasising the grace and truth of Jesus we remember the timeless, unique truth of God as revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As the church of God, we are commanded to uphold this truth. As Paul wrote to Timothy: 

… if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Timothy 3.15)

At the same time we remember that in the gospel of Jesus Christ, God has lavished his grace upon us.

As a church we are unashamedly convinced that the grace and truth of Jesus Christ is relevant and necessary for all people and all of life. That is, we want our teaching and discipleship to be soaked in the grace of God. Imagine a church that is addicted to the grace of God in such a way that it fuels our ongoing sanctification:

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. (Titus 2.11–12)

Of Jesus Christ

These are easily the three most important words in our mission statement. It is by his grace and his truth that we live and move and have our being as a church. The ultimate sphere in which we operate is Jesus himself.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2.19–22)

He is the rock upon which we are built, the source of our spiritual and numerical growth, and in him alone we experience the power of God’s personal presence.

We are unashamedly a Jesus-centred church because we are firmly convinced that in Christ Jesus God has reconciled us to himself, and shown himself to be a God for all people.

Into the heart

The first place we are seeking to take the gospel to is our own hearts. The Scriptures consistently speak of the need for change to begin in the human heart, the engine room of the entire self. Take Psalm 51 as an example: David has catastrophically sinned. He’s committed adultery and has been complicit in the murder of his lover’s husband. He’s in a world of trouble, yet he identifies that the root of the problem lies within him. Notice how, for David, the change begins in his heart.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51.10–17)

We want to see the reign of God’s kingdom increased. This begins in our hearts. Better doctrine or passionate preaching alone are not sufficient to produce the change we need. True and lasting change happens when the gospel of Jesus is applied by the power of the Holy Spirit to the depths of the human heart.

Our church

We desire to see the reign of God extended within our church. God not only brought his church to life, but has throughout the ages, sustained and nourished it with the grace and truth of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul’s is an Anglican Church which is part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. We are the precious body and bride from whom Christ died. Rightly therefore, one of the more pressing themes that has come up has been our need to deepen elements of our church life. This deepening is not separate to the idea of heart transformation but builds upon it. There are many elements of our church life that are doing well. We’ve seen significant growth and exciting new ministries have begun. But in all of it there’s a sense that we need to nurture these ministries, and one another, more and more.

Our community

We are committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ in our community, the parish of Canterbury and Hurlstone Park. This is our mission field. The reality is that we are the only evangelical, multiethnic church in a parish that could house 35,000 people by 2030. We are committed to seeing the grace and truth of Jesus taken further into this community. This will require us to be innovative in the ways that we reach out to others.

And beyond

One of the unique aspects of St Paul’s congregational identity is that our church has, for a long time, seen itself as a “sending church”. On the stained glass in the church building is an image of three boats representing Paul’s three missionary journeys. It is a visual reminder that our congregation has benefited from the missionary endeavours of others and is committed to reciprocating that. Recently, St Paul’s has sent people into the mission field, like the Webbs serving in Broome, the Bennett’s in South Sudan and Sally to the Middle East.

This period of discernment has highlighted people’s desire for us to continue to send gospel-takers beyond our local parish.

This also includes a desire to be a conduit of blessing to less resourced areas of our city. We joyfully imagine the difference we could make to a small, less resourced church by sending people, money and prayers to help them make and mature disciples of Jesus in their own area.

Going further and going deeper: this is what the next five years, God willing, will be all about.

Like simmering lamb shanks

For the last two months the staff team, parish council and I have been working at synthesizing all of the information we have gathered from the congregation during this period of discernment.

This has been a lot like simmering down a slow cooked meal. Just about my favorite thing to eat are slow cooked lamb shanks. This whole process has reminded me of simmering down all of those ingredients into something that I want to eat.

We started by looking at the hundreds of ideas that were generated from the congregation. We then simmered these down into desires we could hear people voicing.

This is what we heard:
There’s a desire for St Paul’s to develop and strengthen sustainable ministry and to reorient the way we see ourselves. We are no longer a ‘small, less resourced church’ but we want to retain our uniqueness as a congregation. At the same time there’s a desire to work hard in developing our leaders for sustainable, fruitful ministry. There’s a strong desire for our church community to grow in spiritual maturity and for our community to be diverse. We want our church to reflect our area and we want our fellowship to have intentional moments of intergenerational discipleship. There’s also a desire for our property and systems to be strengthened and improved.

This is what we are trying to capture by emphasising going deeper. 

There’s also a desire at St Paul’s for our church to be outward looking with ‘something always on the go’. There is a sense in which congregation members want our church to ‘genuinely be a church for all people.’

There’s a strong desire for growth in character, but also for people to be converted and join us. So there is a desire for us to be looking for new ways to reach out to our area with the gospel in word and deed. There’s a desire for our church to be generous with our prayers and our finances, to be a sending church.

This is what we are trying to capture by emphasising going further. 

Going with the simmering analogy a little more we then brought these desires down into a statement that is trying to capture the mood, and at the same time inspire us for the next season of our church life. Here’s what we came up with:

In 2025 we will be taking the grace and truth of Jesus deeper into the heart of our church, and further into our community and beyond.

Each of those words is very important and communicates something of the values our church holds dear. In the next post I’ll begin to deconstruct that sentence.

Where are we going part 2

Two weeks ago we ran another workshop in this period of discernment. We looked at two questions: what do you want St Paul’s to look like in 5 years? how should we function in the meantime?

Last Wed I posted the ideas that were generated in answer to that first question. You can find them here.

Below you will find a list of ideas that people came up with in answer to that second question - how should we function in the meantime?

Creating systems and structures to support growth

Upgrade capacity and accessibility of church (building projects)

Culture of training up leaders

Put on a female staff worker/women’s worker

Filling out ‘unseen’ ministry (resourcing current ministries i.e. creche for Mums biblestudy)

Embracing failure in light of God’s sovereignty 

Talk more about the Lord - create a culture where we can say ‘I’ve heard from everyone what they love about Jesus.’

A church that embraces service, and has all kinds of opportunity for all kinds of people to serve

Structured training and discipleship (i.e. adult Sunday school.)

Sharing gifts - 100% of Christians in church serving in a way that matches their gifts and stretches them

PRAY

Intentionally encouraging mentorship/intergenerational discipleship 

Embracing and reaching the different communities we’re a part of

Equipping the people of St Pauls to live out faith beyond Sunday

A growth mindset - constantly looking to ‘what’s next’ - looking to future/plans

Continue to think into and practice outreach

Intentionality about maintaining community feel

Flexibility in willing to try lots of new things

Humility in being willing to learn from other ministries and churches

Willing to take risks

Intentionality about intergenerational relationships (mentorships, 1to1’s, discipleship)

Where are we going?

Last week we ran another workshop as part of our period of discernment. This was an exciting moment as it’s really where the rubber hits the road. We are now entering a phase where we are looking to the future and asking big questions: where would you like to see St Paul’s in 5 years? And how do you think we should function in the meantime?

Below is a list of answers that people shared to that first question: where would you like to see St Paul’s in 5 years?

I’ll post the answers to the second question tomorrow and then begin sharing some reflections.

100 youth in youth group, a growing K/Y ministry

Strong, homegrown, diverse, lay leadership

Fostering ongoing trust & connection in community

Meeting real felt need in community (i.e. loneliness in older people.)

Being relevant and attractional to our community (i.e. community garden)

Opportunities for all Christians to grow and serve

Keep gospel preaching

Growth: in godliness, numbers, support of missionaries, sending, physical space

Rich in diversity

Good processes and procedures that match out growth

Keep the community feel

Growth coming from new Christians, not just transfer

People with disabilities find home here (i.e. accessible building)

Not ‘silo-ing’ church services (i.e. cross-service small groups.)

Intenionality between generations and services (sharing life and faith together)

Large fringe of people who are invited to be a part of church life. Connected because they feel safe, and a genuinely attractive community

Well-known in community (brand awareness.)

Bless another church in need (i.e. send a staff member, financial support etc.)

5pm has outgrown the old church building

All services richly diverse in background and generations (i.e. 5pm doesn’t become the ‘young people service.’

Innovative mission/connecting to community (i.e. tours and hospitality towards heritage society.)

Culture of progress over perfection (expecting excellence, but giving grace. A culture of feedback/training.)

Growing compassion and justice ministries - understanding and meeting community need

Why Anglican?

A few weeks ago a survey was sent out to our congregation following on this workshop. One of the questions asked was ‘Is Anglicanism important to you? Why/why not?’

It has been fantastic to read through people’s replies to that question.

I think it’s fair to say that for many people there’s a confusion about what relevance Anglicanism has for our church practice today.

This post will look at the roots of Anglicanism and the next post will look at 4 classic hallmarks of evangelical Anglicanism that still give shape to our worship today.

What Anglicanism isn’t

Despite what’s commonly said, the Anglican Church didn’t begin so that King Henry VIII could get a divorce. He used an already established movement for political gain. The Anglican Church began because a great movement of the Spirit was sweeping across Europe. This movement had 3 aspects to it.

What Anglicanism is

1. Protestant

As the name suggests this was a protest movement directed at what many saw as gross errors in the teaching of the 16th Century Roman Catholic Church, particularly the selling of indulgences and the authority of the Pope. The selling of indulgences involved paying money to priests to pray for dead.

2. Reformed

This protest movement was seeking to reform the church back to its biblical roots. The reformation was widespread and tapped into grassroots concerns with the above mentioned teachings of the church.

There are 3 key leaders within this movement that helped give shape to Anglicanism, even as we know it today.

Martin Luther - The man who in 1517 famously nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. The trigger for this act of protest was the selling of indulgences. However, Martin Luther’s influence on Anglicanism was really his insistence that justification (God’s act of declaring a sinner righteous before him) was by God’s grace alone through faith alone. That is, no one could be made righteous before God by any work other than God’s grace.

You can see this in Article XI of the 39 Articles (see below):

XI. Of the Justification of Man. We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only, is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.

John Calvin - John Calvin was a French theologian and pastor based in Geneva and was hugely significant as a leader of the reformation movement. Calvin’s chief influence to the reformation was his insistence on the sovereignty of God, particularly in the way salvation played out. This is seen in a number of the articles of religion found in the Anglican book of Common Prayer.

XVII. Of Predestination and Election.
Predestination to Life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by his counsel secret to us, to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, as vessels made to honour. Wherefore, they which be endued with so excellent a benefit of God, be called according to God's purpose by his Spirit working in due season: they through Grace obey the calling: they be justified freely: they be made sons of God by adoption: they be made like the image of his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ: they walk religiously in good works, and at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting felicity.

Thomas Cranmer - Cranmer was the most significant leader of the reformation in England. He served as Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of King Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I, who had him put to death. Cranmer represented a middle way between Luther and Calvin. His theological convictions were shaped by both men but were toned down a little.

His contribution to the Anglican Church was immense. He led the establishment of the church of England as independent of the authority of the Pope.

One of his lasting legacies was the production of the Book of Common Prayer and the 39 Articles of Religion. The book of Common of Prayer was designed to give a reformed shape to Anglican Worship. While we don’t hold the prayer book in our hands during our church service today our worship services still maintain a prayer book shape to them.

3. Evangelical.

Evangelical has become a funny word that means different things to different people. At the end of the day though the word simply means ‘of the gospel.’ These days it’s not a given that being an Anglican means you’re also an evangelical but when you study the protestant and reformed roots of the Anglican Church it’s hard not to see an evangelical shape to its convictions.

There are 4 classic hallmarks of evangelicalism…but we’ll look at these in the next post.

Ripples

Drop a pebble into a calm pond and watch what happens. Ripples drift out from the point of entry to all areas of the pond. When events happen in the life of a congregation they too have a rippling effect - sometimes for generations to come. In this post, as we continue to reflect on the who are we question, we’re going to look at some of the ripples that are the result of historical circumstances at St Paul’s.

For better and for worse events that have happened in our history continue to give shape to who we are today. 

Gospel generosity

One of the more beautiful threads we can trace throughout the history of St Paul’s is that of gospel generosity. In the 1850’s Canterbury local Sophia Ives Campbell donated a large portion of land and nearly 2000 pounds to build the Edmund Blacket designed Church building. Not only that she also had the foresight to set up a fund to ensure future rectors would have their stipend paid for years to come.

 At other times people left bequests to the congregation which enabled much needed repairs to the property to be done. In the 2000’s a large bequest was received, part of which went into developing the main hall so that in future years it would be able to meet the needs of a growing congregation. 

Over the last 3 years we have again benefited from the gospel generosity of other Christians. New partnerships have been established with other parishes and individuals. Financially, this has enabled us to put on a F/T senior minister for the first time in nearly 15 years, and a F/T assistant minister. We also received a 2 year grant to fund a 2 day-a-week children’s minister. From next year we will receive a significant grant which enables us to employ a F/T kids and youth minister. 

Relational breakdown

Ponds are not always peaceful and calm. One of the threads that has run through our history is that of relational breakdown. During the time of the second rector, Rev. James Carter there were a series of relational breakdowns between himself and the congregation. At one point he had been given leave for 3 1/2 years from the bishop but still would insist on being involved in services. During Carter’s time at St Paul’s tension arose between the parish and the broader diocese. Carter, and others, felt as though the parish was being squeezed out as other Anglican parishes were formed in nearby areas. 

In more recent years further tension was evident during a trialing period with an exceptionally long gap between rectors. As one long-term member of St Paul’s commented ‘it felt like we were forgotten about and that people were resigned to the fact that St Paul’s would die.’ 

Lack of sustained evangelical ministry

For much of St Paul’s history the church was shaped by a middle-to-high form of Anglican worship. Not always, but at times, this particular expression of Anglicanism, with its high value on the worship experience often neglected an outward concern expressed in mission. What we’ll see in the next post is that one of the classic hallmarks of evangelical Anglican churches is a high value placed on conversion. 

When you trace the threads of St Paul’s history it becomes clear that evangelism (one of the hallmarks of evangelicalism) happened, but in fits and bursts. Incredibly rarely in the history of St Paul’s was this a focus from one rector to the next. 

In the late 20’s and early 30’s there was a small window where 2 evangelical rectors followed one another. But for most of St Paul’s history this wasn’t the case. 

It’s fair to say that its only since 2009 that there has been a sustained focus on evangelism and discipleship. It was during Campbell King’s time (2009-2015) that St Paul’s moved away from its middle-high Anglican form of worship. The fruit of that period is still obvious as a number of our current congregation members were personally led to Christ by Campbell King.

Resilience 

In light of the many and recurring challenges St Paul’s has faced you can see that there’s a kind of resilience about this place. As one long-term parishoner described to me once ‘this is the church that cannot die.’ Of course this is more than sheer resilience.

The congregation is a living, breathing reminder that God will keep his promises and grow his church. As Jesus promised Peter: ‘I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it’ (Matthew 16.18).

In the next post we’ll look at how Anglicanism has shaped our identity

Why a period of discernment?

Let me tell you what usually happens in church land around this time of year (Oct -Nov). The ministry team begins to look to the year ahead and feels a certain kind of pressure to have some word or direction for the coming year. 

They might spend some time off-site in prayerful reflection, they might even consult a number of key leaders within their church to get their input. Then something is written up and distributed to the congregation that keeps people busy for the next 12 months or so.

There’s a problem here. 

Congregational input and the opportunity to imagine at what might be has been short circuited.

I know this problem all too well because I’ve made this mistake a bunch of times. Feeling the pressure to have some kind of plan or strategy to make disciples of Jesus that feels fresh and inspiring and to do that in short period of time.

If I’m rolling out this idea 3 months out from the end of the year I think more often than not I will make one of two mistakes.

First, I’ll rely on what I know and have experienced before. It could be something that has kind of worked and seemed to go relatively ok so I stick with it for a little while longer. 

Or, being stuck for ideas I’m tempted to look at what’s worked in other places. A simple copy and paste procedure.

Not even the most naturally intuitive leader is going to realistically have time to listen to, and work with the people they are called to shepherd and together come up with something that people will actually buy into. 

More often than not I suspect people’s interest might be piqued for a while before their eyes glass over and they yawn at yet another vision statement being rolled out with some variation on what it means to glorify God, or make disciples together. 

This is a problem because so much more could be done. Short circuiting a formation period prevents genuine congregational buy-in and gives no time to think creatively and imaginatively about what could happen. 

At St Paul’s our period of discernment is about not doing this. But instead giving space for a congregational conversation and time to imagine what could be. 

Its all about one church family coming together to discern from the Lord, in submission to the scriptures and in prayerful obedience what we hope St Paul’s will look like in 2025. 

Practically this will involve us reflecting on 4 questions:

Who are we?

Where are we?

How do we need to behave?

What do we hope to look like in 2025?

The next post will look at why this first question is the most important one we’ll consider.