mgpcpastor's blog

Begin rant.
I know saying the Presbyterian Church of Australia doesn’t have enough committees is like saying a hospital needs more germs, but hear me out.
Tuesday afternoon/evening I attended what would have been the meeting of the national Church Planting / Church Growth committee. Except that committee doesn’t exist.
Instead, the leaders of the state church committees who have something close to the purpose of planting/growing churches (who may be in Sydney for other meetings) gather together for what Bruce Meller charmingly refers to as a ‘colloquium’.
It is a privilege to sit in on this meeting and hear about the vision and skill which these folk coordinate for the cause of the Gospel.
The growth of team ministries, the renewal of older churches the beginning of new works are all exciting and encouraging stories to hear.
So, what’s the problem, you say?
If these folk are doing this and getting together informally to swap notes, why do we need another committee?
Well, for one thing, it means that the Presbyterian Church of Australia has no proactive coordinated plan for church planting and church growth.
Up until two or three years ago the fact that Australia’s fifth largest city, with a population of over one million people had one more or less viable Presbyterian church and a handful of non-self supporting ones. If any of our major state churches had a city of one million and lacked a robust work there they’d be appalled and would be putting resources into growing something as a priority. But without a national focus the only way they know is if some noisy guy keeps yapping on and on and on about it. And then, if that need does touch hearts and minds they still have to defend the deployment of resources outside their own state borders to grow a church in another part of Australia.
The formation of a national body is an assertion that we have a priority to see the Gospel spread across the nation. As I say in other contexts, it means that having an interest in church planting in another state is not a ‘second mile activity’ which can be indulged when you think there’s enough churches planted in your own state.
It also means that we believe that we need to know what’s happening in other places so we can learn, encourage and exchange resources and knowledge.
Not just informally, but intentionally and purposefully.
It also means that when a region have been getting it wrong (for a long time) that there’s a venue in which their strategies and priorities can be questioned with sensitivity and mutual respect. Not just when they ask for help, which is usually a long time after the rot has set in.
Presently, through the vision of our present moderator general, David Jones, we have a ‘moderator general’s church planting task-force’. We’ve personally (South Australia) benefited from the work of this group and anticipate Gospel fruit for its labours. But I believe David would be grieved if the existence of such a body was simply viewed as an indulgence for the present moderator general to pursue ‘his thing’.
It is a reproach to the Presbyterian Church of Australia that David observed this absence in our missional focus.

Parochialism has a place during football season, state of origin or the cricket.
But not when it comes to the Kingdom of God.

The call to plant and grow churches across Australia deserves more priority in our denomination, our local churches and amongst our membership than an informal gathering once (or twice) a year.
Ask why there’s no national church planting/growth body and when the time comes support its establishment.
If you have no interest in seeing churches planted around Australia support it anyway.
I promise the new committee won’t come and bother you.

End rant.