September 2006: Let's move with God and be transforming

Are we a spiritual or a secular church?

Does poor spiritual health lead to the death of a congregation?
Is your congregation afflicted by the "spirit virus"?
Has your congregation been spirituality transformed - transformed to being a different church to its history?
Has your congregation grown at the same rate as your surrounding community?

These questions and many more should be asked as we approach the first anniversary of the New South Wales Synod's Vision Statement - how the Uniting Church in Australia can be an emerging 21st century church, "moving with God, transforming communities".

To be seen as a movement of faith sharers, actively present wherever people gather in the community, is the vision of the New South Wales Synod.
Has your congregation addressed its ministry and mission for the 21st century?
Do you have a clearly defined and well articulated vision in your mission plan?

Are you on the way to being church differently?

Our 2006 Synod's theme is our vision statement of "Moving with God, transforming communities". The 2006 Assembly theme of "God's Word, God's World" is all about faith sharing: bringing God's Word into God's world for all to know that Christianity provides the answers to the meaning of life and there is no better coach, mentor, companion and soul mate than God in Jesus Christ.

We need to develop a sense of urgency, create a "spirit virus" of epidemic proportions, and be spiritually transformed now as later will be too late.

We must engage God to transform us, individually as well as congregationally, if we are going to transform communities. We must be transformed from the secular or self-pastoring "club" church into a spiritual church spreading the "spirit virus" wherever we share our Christian faith, God's Word, in God's world.

God is not like a contained mystical and alive being who we let go from our church buildings at our whim and pleasure, for God cannot be incarcerated.
How can we transform the institutional church into a movement of passionate, spirited and spirit led faith sharers?

There are two easy ways: starting a small group or embarking on a spiritual discipline for yourself. I favour both, as the "and" decision is superior to the "and/or" decision. "And" allows you to design your own spiritual disciplinary process of Bible study, prayer and reflection, as well as utilise a small group for practising your faith sharing so that you achieve the confidence to be an effective disciple of Jesus or local missionary for Jesus as you move about the community.

I strongly commend the Synod's Board of Mission initiative called the "U Turn Project" as an ideal part of your congregation's mission plan. The transformational impact of small groups will see many congregations do a "U Turn" from decline as a secular church to rebirth as a spiritual church.

Do not be seduced into the common culture of many congregations that sit on their hands, pastoring to each other only, because the good Lord will provide!

Yes, our Lord will provide, but what can also be provided is the desire of your congregation to grow beyond its existing membership by being carriers of the spirit virus, infecting the community at large by sharing God's reconciling, unconditional love for all humanity.

As we reflect on the first anniversary of "Moving with God, transforming communities", what is your congregation's score out of five?

Are you a "0" because you have not done a thing to share your faith outside your congregation's membership?

Or is it a "3" because your mission plan is successfully under way?

Or is it a "5" because your congregation's regular attendance growth exceeds that of your local geographical community (real growth)?

The church will die if it is not a spirited, Spirit-led, spiritual movement of transformed, transforming faith sharers.

Let me know the verdict for your congregation, because I want to share the stories of successful, emerging congregations as I move around the Synod.