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Presbyterian minister takes uniting role
Becoming the new Executive Officer of the Uniting Congregations of Aotearoa New Zealand was not a matter of the Rev Peter MacKenzie accepting a position; it was a matter of him honouring a call to the role. “The opportunity was there and I felt called to tackle the job. I feel like it was right place, right time for me.”
Peter was attracted to the Uniting Congregations as part of the ecumenical journey. “Uniting Congregatiions offer breadth and depth. You find some Uniting churches are more Presbyterian and some more Methodist. There is range and diversity, much the same as the Presbyterian Church itself, which has diversity.”
Peter says his role is essentially that of a communicator. “A large part of my work is to act as a facilitator of conversation between Church partners, regional and local. I’m here to get people talking to each other, whether the issues be complex, exciting or just plain difficult.”
His main challenge will be, he suspects, “the need to find a space. As our partner Churches redefine themselves, the economic strains on the denominations make conversation more difficult. I foresee finding ways to help start those conversations.”
Strong communication skills are essential for the role and Peter’s qualifications include being a Presbyterian minister with a Masters degree in organisational psychology. “My training helps me to not make value judgements; the emphasis is on analysis rather than evaluation.”
The first six months of his role will be a time to “take the lie of the land and find out who needs to talk more to whom.”
The future of the Uniting Church in New Zealand is difficult to define, says Peter. “I believe the Uniting Church has a future but I’m not sure what form that will take. The Church is at a critical point of defining relationships with our denominational partners. The partners are not talking as well as they could be at this time, so there is a need to work harder to get them around the table together.”
Uniting churches are showing growth and promise, he says. “In Kapiti, we have an example of a successful Uniting church that is working in the community and connecting with people to make positive difference in lives, which is key to ministry. The Uniting Church has many exciting projects. A new Southern joint regional committee covering Southland and Otago is showing promise and we should see it develop. Throughout New Zealand, we are realising our regions need to be larger so that is something we will pursue.”
By Angela Singer