Postkiwi Duncan Macleod

I spent this afternoon with leaders from Northside Uniting Church in Mackay. This church talk about themselves as ‘a great place for a fresh start’. Together we looked at missional membership/partnership, small groups, stewardship and generational values.

The conversation on stewardship flowed out of our consideration of the church as a supportive environment for disciples living out a ‘rule of life’. Here’s some of the clues we developed together…

Make a connection between our relationship with God, blessing and our approach to giving.

We noted that this approach can be abused, particularly if people are promised material wealth if they give at a certain rate. We noted that we are ‘blessed to be a blessing’. The blessing we receive is a quality of life, a generous spirit connected with a joyful life. Following Jesus may in fact lead us to making do with less rather than accumulating more possessions.

Major on relationships rather than possessions.

We have the capacity to equip people to focus their lives on sharing their assets rather than acquiring more.

Appeal to the giving nature of parenting - the basis of family life

Provide a range of opportunities and models of generous living

We talked about the possibilities for people from different age groups to tell their stories. This could include the stories of countercultural revolutionaries like John Williams, a retired minister in the group who has lived simply all his life. We can tell the stories of ’small people’ - people too humble to ‘blow their own trumpet’.

Tell the stories of changed lives

We recognised that people give to people. There is an infectious sense of excitement that arises when we see evidence of changed lives. We’re not just talking about people ‘out in the community’. We need to know that being a missional member of this church makes a difference and equips us to develop a radical everyday discipleship. We need to tell the mission stories of the congregation.

Be honest and transparent about the costs of being a church

We talked about the running costs of maintaining buildings and employing staff. This is not the major focus of our talk. But we frame these as a part of the cost of, as a missional community, joining Jesus wherever he leads us. “Where is Jesus in your community? Where will He be in 15 years time? What cost are we prepared to pay to join him there?”

Ian Wilson, minister at Northside (pictured right), is committed to growing in his ministry. He’s a constant learner and loves inviting others to join him in that learning. That made this afternoon an excellent experience as we made connections together. We’ve agreed to get his email working and make his PowerPoint preparation more efficient.