We now entering the final five weeks of the course. We have seen something of Presbyterian origins and how the Reformed tradition became global as part of migration and mission. We have looked at how the Presbyterian Church developed in New Zealand as one of the Settler expressions of Christianity, and then one involved also with Maori, national and global issues.
Our overarching theme now shifts from "Towards a global tradition" to "Diversity and Renewal". In the last five sections of the course over this term we will look at Leadership, the Sacraments, Worship, Change and Mission.
Those experiences, and the contribution of changing cultural values and intellectual traditions, have led to a situation where we seek to discern the good diversity of God's gifts and human cultures, and the bad diversity of sin. It may be more important to provide space for different understandings of truth than to force uniformity, but we are also concerned about where truth lies in a pluralistic world, and how a marginalised church can be renewed in mission.
This week we look at leadership and think about ways in which particular patterns of organization and leadership help and hinder mission.
It is not just in Christianity that there is discussion about how much an effective group / organisation / society / movement depends on personal factors, especially among leaders, and how much it depends on the culture and structure of the group.
Christians are concerned for spirituality and character in themselves and their church leaders. We pay attention to how organisation can help or hinder people to worship and live more effectively. Presbyterians have inherited certain ways of organising church. In a time of change when rule books may be more out of step with reality than usual, it is important to have some idea of the principles behind it all as we participate in decisions about the shape of the future.
There are three readings in section 11 of the Reader, and online there is a paper of mine Lay Leadership and Ministry and the Future of Reformed Christianity in the West. I don't pretend it is an easy read, but I was wrestling with the question of whether the idea of organisation as a form of language and one the church needs to learn to speak if it is to be able to communicate as well as with the difficulties people have with the term lay.
Question for discussion:
What is the key leadership issue for your congregation today and what are the options?
Some ideas
Links
Training for Ministry in the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa NZ