Te Amorangi ki mua; ko te hapai o ki muri. This Maori proverb (Let the message of God come first, the enhancement will follow) is an apt description of the Amorangi ministry within Te Aka Puaho (the Maori synod).
Of the original group of Amorangi ministers, only two remain alive today: Jim Hunter and Rangi Rakuraku, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Rangi and Jim would not have envisioned the challenges and developments that Amorangi ministry would experience during its 29-year history.
The geographical areas of Te Aka Puaho pastorates are quite large in comparison with most Presbyterian Church parishes. The Amorangi minister was to be an assistant minister, who helped the full-time minister (Amorangi means “the bringer of good tidings”). Over a period of time, retirement and death took their toll on the ranks of full-time ministers, so that today most parishes within Te Aka Puaho are staffed only by Amorangi ministers. Some Amorangi are sole charge in their parish, while others have formed Amorangi ministry teams. No matter which way we look at it, this leadership model has to be working, because many parishes are starting to show signs of flourishing.
Parishes were encouraged to nominate long-serving elders to train. These elders were offered an intensive training course of two to three weekends over the course of six months, focussing on the sacraments, with their home parish as their placement field. Once these studies were completed, the Amorangi were ordained and inducted into their home parish; an internship of some sorts (sorry Knox, we thought of it first!). To financially support themselves, they would work for a living like everyone else, and parishes would give them some financial assistance if needed. Sounds good, but when you are required to take time off work to answer a call, what do you do when your employer says, “choose between your ministry and your employment”? Well, the fact is that under pressure from employers, some have indeed put their ministry first, walking out of their jobs. Some have chosen part-time employment so as not to affect the time they give to their ministry, while others live on some form of government benefit.
Financial support is the sad part of Amorangi ministry. Knox students are fully funded by the Church, while the Amorangi training is not. The cost involved in training an Amorangi minister amounts to over $4000. To lessen the expense borne by the students, innovative cost-saving methods are found, and grants are often successfully applied for. If one student receives a grant, they often share this with their colleagues. As the Maori proverb says, “my food basket and your food basket and we will feast together”. This keeps the costs down to about $1000 per student. A late Amorangi minister once remarked on the lack of financial support to Amorangi ministry saying, “the pay is not that great but the retirement plan is out of this world!”
In the programme’s lifetime, 29 men and 16 women have been ordained Amorangi ministers, with three of them being non-Maori. Any notions that Amorangi is for Maori only have been proved wrong; to qualify one has only to belong to a parish of Te Aka Puaho, regardless of culture or gender. This was seriously challenged when a non-Te Aka Puaho parish within the Presbyterian Church asked if one of their Maori members could become an Amorangi minister. Creative solutions were found around the rule book, and this person is now exercising a wonderful ministry in the King County. Seriously, what is wrong with Amorangi ministers serving in non-Te Aka Puaho parishes of our Church? Where there is a parish that has a high population of Maori, could an Amorangi minister be positioned there to work with that particular parish, helping them to develop their mission to Maori while also working with that particular Maori community? Mission context must inform our ministry.
Presbyterianism has a major emphasis on Christian education, and Amorangi ministry is included in this. The short intensive Amorangi course has now developed into an 18-month programme consisting of 500 hours of taught classes and 500 hours of practicals. Lecturers from the Knox Centre are also lecturers at the Amorangi weekends, as well as many friends from throughout the wider Church. The emphasis on education does not stop there, as some of our Amorangi have a range of University degrees, including Masters degrees, while another is planning PhD studies. Having a University degree is fast becoming the norm for an Amorangi. Those who do not have University degrees are now actively pursuing their degrees in theology via the long–distance programmes offered by Otago University. This has to be positive, and the Moderator the Right Rev Dr Graham Redding must be acknowledged for encouraging this.
What I find really exciting in this development is that Amorangi ministry has become inter-generational. By this I mean that in 2008, three sons from the original class of Amorangi ministers 29 years ago followed the path blazed by their parents and became Amorangi. This year, it has become three-generational, with one of the students having his father and grandfather as previous Amorangi ministers. The Amorangi ministry has truly taken root within Te Aka Puaho.
In July, the Amorangi students and ministers hosted students and staff of the Knox Centre. This was truly a special time, and along with the upcoming covenant between Knox and Te Aka Puaho, this brings the two closer in a mutually supportive relationship. During their stay at Ohope marae, the Knox Centre was given a brief glimpse into Amorangi ministry and I can tell you it was an extra special time and an honour to witness these ministers in action. Today we have 24 Amorangi ministers operating in 12 pastorates. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
The Rev Wayne Te Kaawa is Te Ahorangi of Te Wananga a Rangi and minister of Putauaki Maori Pastorate.