Tag: Pastors Muster

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ReCharge NEWS July 2023

26th July 2023 | ReCharge News

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    NCLS Webinar for Leaders

    Thriving and Resilient Leadership, 11am and 7.30pm Wednesday 2 August 2023

    NCLSLeadershipWebinar, 2nd August 2023
    WEBINAR FREE TICKET

    NCLS Research presents a webinar on “Thriving and Resilient Leadership: Latest findings and reflections on resilience, fulfilment and thriving in church leadership post-COVID”.

    This webinar explores how Australian church leaders are coping, and what factors contribute to their resilience. Findings are based on the results from the 2021-22 NCLS Leader Survey by NCLS Research.

    You will discover:

    • What does thriving look like and what is burnout?
    • How has it changed in Australian church leadership over the past five years? Are current practices sustainable?
    • What are the personal foundations contributing to resilience and sustainable leadership?
    • Practical ministry implications: Case studies and guiding principles for leaders.

    Speakers

    Sam Sterland, Senior Researcher of NCLS Research, will present research findings on leader wellbeing and resilience, and responses to COVID-19.

    Guest speaker Tim Dyer will provide his reflections on the implications of these findings for ministry and mission.

    Youth Alive Undivided

    NORTH: 6pm 18th August | NW: 6pm 19th August | SOUTH: 6pm 25th August

    BOOK NOW
    VOLUNTEER

    In August, Youth Alive are running “Undivided” – three regional youth gatherings. They would love to invite your youth ministry and young people!

    Youth Alive’s mission is to reach young people with the message of Jesus. They believe these events will see youth ministries united, faith ignited, momentum gained, and young people respond to the Gospel!

    Outreach events are a great way to unite young people, reach youth, and share the truth of Jesus. At every one of these events attendees will be invited to a local church or youth ministry as a next step of faith. They would like to partner with you to help reach the next generation.

    The Youth Alive team are building volunteer teams for each of these events. If you would like to volunteer, please click the button, below.

    Winter Heartlands

    EH Heartlands News - EmpowHer

    Heartlands, the quarterly e-news for women, was released last Friday 14th July.
    There’s lots of good reading here >

    Day of Courage well-grounded

    Day of Courage Registrations are OPEN
    Sat 18th November, ALL WOMEN WELCOME!

    Australian Baptist Women ends
    Find out what happened, and what happens next.

    Heart of God-square

    Being Transformed
    Tuning into the heart of God. By Jenna Blackwell.

    Villain-Origin Story
    Or testimony in-the-making? By Maddie Mandall

    SUBSCRIBE TO HEARTLANDS

    Pastors’ and Families’ Muster

    11th-13th July, Devonport

    The July 2023 Muster was held at Oldaker Christian Church in Devonport. Here, pastors and their families found a comfortable space which was suitable for music ministry, teaching, eating and a great children’s program.

    During the Muster, guest speaker Bree Mills explained her work around the idea of “micro-church”. This included how we might better disciple people, by adding small faith-based communities to our local church contexts. Read Bree’s article about Missional Leadership >

    Wednesday afternoon free-time, brought several families together as they headed up to Leven Canyon to enjoy a bushwalk, and one another’s company.

    Thanks must go to Jenna Blackwell for organising the Muster; Bree Mills for coming from Melbourne to speak; Bryce Roberts and Nicole Mayall for caring for the children; and David Pearson and Oldaker Christian Church for their excellent hospitality!

    L to R: Bree Mills; Worship team; Leven Canyon walk; Everyone; Michael Henderson; Bryce and Nic are thanked.

    Some Impressions of the Muster

    • Putting missional intent into all my “activities” can transform them.
    • Great connection and relationship.
    • The overall highlight for me was being with other pastors and families and having a chance to share life.
    • Be Discipling.
    • Motivation to support pioneers and keep them linked onto and supported by the church.
    • Being Together, kids and all. To be intentional Living in the tension of a ‘hybrid’ model.
    • Good tools with implementation guidance with safeguards are always welcome.

    EmpowHer Day of Courage

    Registrations now open!

    On Saturday 18th November, all women are welcome to attend the Day of Courage at Riverlands Longford. The speaker is Karen Wilson, President Baptist World Alliance Women, and CEO of the Gobal Leadership Network Australia. She will explore the topic of being well-grounded.

    Already there is interest across the state, from a broad cross-section of the community. This will be a special day – not to be missed! Postcards are now available to invite your friends and family. If you cannot see them at your church, contact empowher@tasbaptist.org.au.

    Registration covers morning tea, lunch and all materials.

    EARLYBIRD: $45/person – Until 30th August
    FULL PRICE: $55/person – From 31st August

    INFO/REGISTER HERE
    Day of Courage 2023, register now

    SparkLit Awards Night

    Thursday 31st August

    The 2023 Australian Christian Book of the Year, Young Australian Christian Writer and Australian Christian Teen Writer Awards will be announced and prizes presented during this year’s SparkLit Awards Night on Thursday 31 August. Join in online to celebrate the courage and endeavour of Australian Christian writers! 

    Register now to receive the livestream link (free of charge) to watch the in-person event at St Alfred’s Anglican Church, Blackburn North.

    The Australian Christian Literature Awards encourage Christian writing and publishing that helps people discover Jesus in a way that is authentic and culturally meaningful. The SparkLit Awards recognise and encourage excellence in Australian Christian writing and publishing.

    Intergenerate Conference 2023

    9am-4:30pm, Friday 18th August

    There is a great national conference coming to Hobart (via satellite). This year the theme is: A Gospel for all Ages.

    The conference comes highly recommended by Anthea Maynard (City Baptist, Launceston):

    “I have been part of the national intergenerational resourcing group for a number of years. The speakers are excellent and have practical and thoughtful ways to explore intergenerational faith formation and community engagement. “

    Find out more at the Intergenerate Facebook page >

    Intergenerate - a Gospel for all ages

    NCLS Update

    Checking-in on your church’s health

    Did you know you don’t need to wait five years for the next National Church Life Survey to listen to your church?

    The Church Life Survey, by NCLS Research, is one of the church survey tools available to local churches and can be done anytime. It is an opportunity to check-in regularly and receive updated feedback and insights into church health and vitality, including your congregation’s experience of church life, discernments for the future and willingness to be involved.

    Both paper and online survey options are offered, with a quick turnaround of results. After completion of the Survey, churches will receive a Church Life Profile that provides insights into the life and experiences of church attenders and provide indicators of church health and vitality which can inform and equip future directions for ministry and mission.

    For more information, please visit ncls.org.au/churchlifesurveys

    NCLS Survey - Listen to your church attenders at any time

    Hold Fast Outreach

    The Point are hosting a 25-day Texan Partnership Mission

    Hold Fast Outreach at The Point, ReCharge News July 2023

    Four Texans have arrived in Beauty Point, three of whom have partnered with the church ten times in the last 14 years! The outreach began on 23rd June, and will continue through until 19th July.

    There will be a number of events ranging from Men’s, Women’s, and Kid’s outreach events, including a holiday club and basketball clinic. there will also be Bible studies and several family events.

    CONTACT Rachelle Hawkins for more info on 0409 272 877. 
    DOWNLOAD the brochure, which includes a short bio on the Texans.

    All are welcome to come and be part of it!

    School Chaplains

    Positions Vacant with Scripture Union Tas

    Provide emotional, social, and spiritual support to school communities…

    Scripture Union has multiple chaplaincy positions available across Tasmania. Chaplains provide emotional, social, spiritual, and often practical support to school communities. They are in the prevention and support business: helping students find a better way to deal with issues ranging from family breakdown, loneliness, depression and anxiety.

    SU Chaplaincy models the compassion and unconditional love demonstrated and taught by Jesus, as recorded in the Bible. Chaplains will be sensitive to, respectful of, and available to all regardless of beliefs or religious affiliations. All SU Chaplaincy staff and volunteers are champion a child-safe culture, and commit to the highest standards of safety and care in their work with children, young people and families.

    See positions available in Tasmania >

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    June/July 2023

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    ReCharge News July 2023

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    Missional Leadership

    Bree Mills Missional Leadership

    reImagine Church

    Leadership For a Changing World

    At the July 2023 Pastors and Families Muster guest speaker Bree Mills spoke about her work and research with micro churches, and what it means to be a missional leader.

    Leadership in churches is evolving in response to an increasingly complex world. Traditional leadership models, including corporate strategies, are revealing their limitations. While we might be growing resistant to the term “missional” from overuse, missional leadership is gaining traction in academic and practical ministry contexts, demonstrating it has some valuable insights to offer to our current circumstances.

    What is missional leadership?

    Missional leadership reframes a leader’s role by shifting from organizational leadership to participating in the broader mission of God.

    It directs our attention away from budgets and buildings, and towards observing and engaging in God’s work around us. According to Nelus Niemandt, missional leadership involves the “the Spirit-led transformation of people and institutions by means of meaningful relationship to participate in the mission of God.”[1]

    This approach not only models the leadership of Jesus, it resonates with the aspirations of young leaders who seek to make purposeful impacts in their world.

    In my opinion, there are five elements of missional leadership:

    1. It is Spirit-Led

    “Missional” often spurs images of something action-orientated. Yet, missional leadership is primarily fuelled by a deep abiding in Jesus (John 15). This deep connection shapes, empowers, and directs the missional engagement.

    To participate in the mission of God we must first know him deeply, seek to discern where is already at work, and then engage in ways he leads us to.

    2. IT is change-orientated

    It is all about transformation. We are constantly desiring to change and to grow as disciples of Jesus, to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.

    Not only should we desire this for ourselves, but for our churches and our communities. We are invited to be agents of His change in our community, working for His justice and mercy as we abide in Him (Micah 6:8).

    3. IT is both individual and communal

    This style of leadership is not for the individual superhero wanting to make a name for themselves. Missional leadership thrives in collaborative teams, driving transformation in individuals and institutions.

    It recognises that the church can change and has continued to change throughout the centuries. Missional leadership is concerned with the interplay of both people and institutions.

    4. IT prioritises people over programs

    Programs do not bring about life change, people do. Missional leadership prioritizes authentic relationships over mere programs. It acknowledges that people drive genuine life change rather than initiatives.

    Programs support relationships but they don’t take the place of them.

    Missional leadership prioritizes authentic relationships over mere programs
    5. IT results in purpose-driven action

    Missional leadership helps people to participate in the mission of God in tangible ways. Not just by praying for or paying for someone else somewhere else, but by engaging in small ways in the here and now. This style of leadership believes God calls every person to be a missionary where they live, work and play.

    Every person is gifted and skilled for the work God has prepared for them to do (Eph 2:10), missional leadership release people into that purpose. 

    A redefinition

    Missional leadership helpfully redefines church leadership, emphasizing a Spirit-led approach, openness to change, the value of relationships, and the empowerment of individuals to fulfill their purpose in God’s mission.

    By embracing these principles, we can navigate the complexities of our changing world and foster vibrant, impactful communities of faith.

    Bree Mills is an ordained Anglican minister and doctoral student in the area of Missional Leadership, focusing on innovative leadership in the Australian context. Until the end of 2020, she was Senior Associate Minister at Glen Waverley Anglican Church, Melbourne. Now, along with her husband and kids, they are part of a new micro church network church plant and lead a community called The Village. She loves to read, wakeboard, and go for long walks in new places, preferably near the ocean!
    bree@micromovements.com.au

    [1] C. J. P. Niemandt, “Discerning Spirituality for Missional Leaders,” in Leading in a VUCA World: Integrating Leadership, Discernment and Spirituality ed. J. Kok and S. C. van den Heuvel (Switzerland: Springer Open, 2019).

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     Missional Leadership

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    Deep Thought March 2023

    Being Family Together

    Deep Thought – A bi-monthly feature in reCharge

    Being Family Together

    Dr Christa L. McKirland is a lecturer at Carey Baptist College, Auckland, and spoke at the recent Tasmanian Baptist Pastors’ Muster in Hobart.

    In the past few weeks, I’ve had the joy and privilege of speaking at three different conferences across this amazing country. The content of those talks was also hard-hitting and in many ways, controversial.

    Having never visited Australia before, I wasn’t sure how those talks were going to land, but as I prepare for my flight home to Aotearoa with my family, I returned encouraged.

    Faith and passion

    Speakers at the No Limits Conference

    Starting at the No Limits conference hosted by Baptist Women of the Pacific, I had a chance to hang out and learn from sisters from all over this hemisphere. Intentionally hosted in Brisbane, the only state where Baptists don’t ordain women, I was inspired by the faith and passion of women who are hungry for depth in our teaching and to live without limits, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This was a sacred space and deeply encouraged me.

    I was inspired by the faith and passion of women who are hungry for depth in our teaching

    My family and I next travelled to Melbourne, and then on to Tassie, where I had a chance to speak on women’s roles in the church, as well as ways to engage the LGBTQIA+ community with a heart toward unity within our diversity of views.

    What struck me, especially with the amount of discussion time we had at the two-day Muster in Tassie, was how important these conversations are to have—out loud, and with those who disagree with each other.

    Tas Baptists Pastors Muster Feb 2023 - Being Family Together
    Some of the attendees at the Pastors and Leaders Muster, Hobart. 20-21 Feb, 2023

    Today’s challenge

    I believe we are part of the church because of our belief in the resurrection of the God-human, Jesus Christ. But beyond that, our being in the same family is not based on our same beliefs. Instead, it is based on our sharing the same Spirit of adoption—the Spirit of adoption given to us because of the death and resurrection of our firstborn brother Jesus.

    However, resisting echo-chambers is a massive challenge in our day. It would be much easier to stick with people who agree with us. With those who hold to the same interpretations of Scripture, who vote the way we do, and who fear the same things we do. But that is not what it means to be the church.

    The church is the “gift of the given other” (to quote Tom Greggs from his Dogmatic Ecclesiology). How we treat the gift of the given other is a testament to the Gospel. And I truly felt like we experienced a taste of valuing that gift at these two conferences. The bravery of folks to show up knowing that we were not all on the same page. The willingness to sit in discomfort. The openness to hearing other views.

    The bravery of folks to show up knowing that we were not all on the same page. The willingness to sit in discomfort. The openness to hearing other views.

    Being family together

    These are some of the muscles we need to develop if we are truly going to be family together. If we are to be known by our love for other another (John 13:35), a great way to test this is loving those with whom we (even vehemently) disagree.

    By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

    John 13:35 (NIV)

    That way of loving does not simply mean “speaking the truth” as we understand it—but forfeiting our priority of being right over being family.

    I hope these experiences can become more common across our churches not only in this hemisphere, but globally.

    Christa McKirland, originally from the US, studied her Doctorate at St Andrews University in Scotland, and has lectured at Carey College since 2020. She now calls New Zealand/Aotearoa her home, along with husband Matt and their two children.

    More Deep Thought

    The Change Makers by Melissa Lipsett, BWA
    The Sound of Silence by Denise Stephenson
    A Change in Thinking for Changing Times by Laurie Rowston
    Courage to Make a Difference by Mark Wilson
    Just Mercy by Michael Henderson

    Read ReCharge

    February/March 2023

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    Being Family Together