Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

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<typohead type="4">Is valet parking the secret to church growth? </typohead>

A ministry colleague was telling me recently about a book he had been reading. The author had suggested that the typical door steward or welcome team model employed by most churches does not go far enough. His contention was that people actually start to formulate an opinion as they approach the church and park their car. My colleague was thinking of initiating his suggestion of deploying a welcome team in the car park at his own church. It is probably a good idea especially if it prevents cars being nicked.

For me, this conversation sparked thoughts about the Missiological model that undergirds this thinking. It is often referred to as “cathedral” or “centripetal” mission. The logic suggests that, just as in medieval times, the Christian church is still at the centre of the community. When the early missionaries and ministers arrived in a new place, they usually selected a prominent place to site the church building, which was often a cathedral. The layout of Christchurch is an obvious example of this practice. The cathedral is where most people gathered. They also used to walk to church (as worshippers still do in many countries today) so it had to be central. Quite obviously the building of suburban churches came about when urban sprawl meant that walking to the centre was no longer reasonable. Dunedin illustrates this very well.

If this is still our model of mission, then our primary task is, as the author suggests, to welcome people in. The assumption is that they are strangers coming to our place. It is popular these days to add the words “community centre” to Church names or to amend them to “christian centre”. These are modern expressions of this logic that people will be attracted or move towards the centre.

I often reflect on the validity of this model, especially in the light of Jesus’ parable about the great banquet (Luke 14:15ff). You know the story well. The feast was by all accounts a very good marketing tool. Many people were invited. When they did not turn up, the master sent a taxi to pick them up. Despite all these efforts to welcome in the “obvious” people (our members?), they all had different excuses about why they could not attend. In his anger, the Master sent his staff out to gather the uninvited. When they were not sufficient to fill the hall, he flung them out again instructing them to go even further out into “the country lanes”, to find the people and carry them in.

It would seem from this parable that the concept of welcoming people into a centre is not wrong. However, that in itself does not seem to be enough. This parable suggests that the welcoming needs to be preceded by a centrifugal “flinging out” of the workers from the centre. Those who otherwise would not have been welcome need to be found and given directions so that they can find the car park.

<typohead type="4">Flung out across the globe </typohead>

We received a lot of helpful feedback on our last Gazette. It seems that people really appreciated the stories about Kiwi Presbyterians who are serving overseas. People were encouraged to hear “that we still do this sort of thing”. One of our ministry students, Michelle Shin wrote a very good reflective piece on her return from Zambia. Andrew Johnstone wrote a powerful piece for Fuel, our national youth ministry magazine about life in NZ after a year in Zambia. You can find links to both at:
http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/?id=1983  

Teresa Curran is currently experiencing working amongst the poverty-stricken of Cape Town, South Africa as part of her year Training in Mission (TIM) sponsored by CWM. Her reflections are heartbreaking. You will find a link to these on the GMO front page http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/?id=21  

Anna Gray, daughter of Rev Richard & Helen Gray of St Stephens, Timaru, intends to head for South Africa in July. Anna intends to serve as an international volunteer at the Love of Christ Ministries (TLC), which cares for abandoned and neglected babies until they are adopted. Anna still requires sponsorship to cover the expenses she will incur during the nine months she is there. You can support Anna by making a donation through the Global Mission Office.

<typohead type="4">Fair Trade </typohead>

If the issues surrounding globalisation and the exploitation of workers, as well as the challenges facing the governments of developed nations to respond positively, are your thing, then you can find links to petitions and other information from the Global Mission Office front page.

<typohead type="4">HIV/AIDS </typohead>

I just have to keep beating this drum. We offer a link on our front page to a useful monthly AIDS Prayer Diary provided by GAPP (Global AIDS Prayer Partnership).

<typohead type="4">Tsunami </typohead>

The recent earthquake in the same region alerted the world to how the communities devastated by the tsunami continue to suffer. Take a moment to read the very informative reports provided by our partner church, the Church of North India posted on the tsunami section of our front page: http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/?id=21. And don’t forget to make a donation to our Disaster Relief Fund so we can enable them to continue this difficult task. Find us on the web

As this is the last time a printed version of Bush Telegraph will be circulated, the GMO will be relying more and more on the website to disseminate information. It is a great tool that we are able to update daily.

Check out our pages at:
http://www.presbyterian.org.nz/?id=21 

However, if you or your members are still not on our mailing list and would like to receive a printed copy of our Global Mission Gazette, please contact us and we will gladly add your name to our list. Email globalmissiongazette(at)xtra.co.nz with your details.