Whanaungatanga: Our commitment as a Church
The 2025 General Assembly agreed to a simple but significant commitment: we will grow and deepen whanaungatanga (relationship).
- Whanaungatanga is the deep bond that grows through shared experiences, mutual care, and working together, and gives us a strong sense of belonging and unity.
- Whanaungatanga means showing up for one another, building trust, listening well, and choosing connection over isolation. It reflects who we are as the Body of Christ. It reflects whose we are.
This commitment is deliberately not another strategy document or a top-down plan. It is a shared way of being the Church. We are not being asked to become something unfamiliar. We already know this way of being the Church. We see it wherever we support each other across cultures and generations. We see it wherever we tell the truth in love and listen for God’s voice.
Download our new resource Metaphors for Whanaungatanga and put our deeper commitment into practice
We encourage you to make use of our new resource “Metaphors for Whanaungatanga” discussion guide. Slowing down to listen together is part of the being the Church in this deeper way. This resource can be used by any group in the Church – perhaps as a way to run a discussion at the start of a meeting, as a retreat, as a study series during Lent.
Click here to download and print the discussion guide.
Feedback
The Te Kāhui Whanaungatanga workgroup would love your feedback on any aspect of how we grow and deepen whanaungatanga. Please email Convenor Rev Allister Lane here.
Read more about the Te Kāhui Whanaungatanga Workgroup (formerly Te Haere Tonu) here.