38th Synod - Daily Summary: Saturday 17th May | See, I am doing a new thing

MORNING WORSHIP + BIBLE STUDY – Ps Alex Stark

Our first full day of Synod began, as always, with worship and bible study. Ps Alex Staff of Newlife Brisbane brought a word around the day’s theme of ‘See I am doing a new thing’. He challenged us to acknowledge the danger of spiritual nostalgia in holding us back. With Isaiah 43:16-19 as the backdrop, Ps Alex pointed out the contrast of the testimony of what God had done – making land through the waters – with the promise of streams in the desert, showing God is not tied to method.

Ps Alex went on to call us to counter our own half-hearted religiosity and ask ourselves if we had slipped into the mode of ‘professional Christians’, reminding us that God wants our hearts and has done everything possible to do that.

GENERAL BUSINESS, BALLOTS OPEN + YARNING CIRCLES

General business began with the opening of ballots and a report from the Moderator-Elect Candidature Group, brought to us by ex-Moderator Rev Andrew Gunton and Colleen Geyer. Discerning a call to stand for a second term as Moderator, Rev Bruce Moore. In the evening, Rev Bruce Moore was announced as Moderator for a second term, accepting the result with thanksgiving for the trust of the Synod, and reaffirming his commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord.

The Facilitation Team Leader Rev David Busch brought a report from the team, outlining feedback and questions from the Yarning Circles on the three general proposals. The Synod was broadly supportive of each proposal, recognising the future focus of the proposals and the Spirit’s call towards growth and renewal of the Church in Queensland.

Both “General Proposal 1: Renewal and Growth Shared Ambition and Strategic Foundations” and “General Proposal 2: Church Planting, Re-Planting & Revitalisation Strategy” passed by consensus.

UAICC REPORT

Kym Korbe, Executive Officer Covenanting and UAICC, brought the report from the Queensland Regional Council of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, Muth Arrak. The Covenanting Steering Group have developed the “Walking Together Toolkit” - a tool for congregations and presbyteries to begin to engage with our Covenant with First Peoples. The toolkit is an important step in our covenanting journey. Rev Aunty Roberta Stanley, Chair of Muth Arrak, shared her heart for reconciliation and covenant, for us to continue to listen and learn from each other.

NORMAN AND MARY MILLAR LECTURE

This year’s Norman and Mary Millar Lecture was brought to us by Rev Canon David Male, Co-Director of Vision and Strategy for the Church of England. Rev Male’s experience in church planting and strategy has seen the Church of England experience significant transformation over the past decade. As with the 37th Synod, the session was in two parts – the formal lecture followed by a Q&A hosted by Rev Michael Hands. You can watch the full lecture and Q+A here.

Rev Male’s lecture was entitled “Renewal – God’s invitation to reimagine church”, acknowledging the tiredness and disillusionment of those in church, but also recognising the possibility and the trends into the future. He challenged us around four key areas and actions, with the following points made:

Reorientate

- Why are we here? The church is Gods gift to the world.

- Post-secular society

- COVID forced a confrontation with mortality

- There is currently a “quiet revival” underway, seeing a demographic shift in people engaged in church, faith and spirituality – the religious tide is coming back in

- Re-enchantment is a key factor in this return

- Wonder, mystery and awe is what people are looking for

- People are looking for something transcendent

Remove

- John 12:23-26 – there are some ways where we must die to live

- There is only one qualification for resurrection – death

- Sometimes we feel death is a failure, rather than seeing it as an opening to a way of new life

- “Are there structures and patterns that enable that basic event of encounter happen again and again? If not, the church has become something very different from where it started – Archbishop Rowan Williams”

Reimagine

- Acts 10 – Peter and Cornelius – Luke spends far longer on this story than on Paul’s conversion. It is a hinge moment in the early church

- God has no favourites

- Both Cornelius and Peter were praying for this story to happen

- Leadership in a liminal space – when things are uncertain – is moving to not knowing, attending what is in front, submitting and releasing

Reshape

- A call to be radical – a return to our roots. Radical means to return to foundations

- If the Church of England can reshape itself there is hope for the Uniting Church

- Reshape to be a Jesus Christ shaped church

- A church of missionary disciples

- A church where mixed ecology is the norm

- A church which is younger and more diverse

Rev Male emphasised the need to be comprehensive – the Church of England’s approach as an example has been national. The bold revitalisation has taken time and required perseverance, but it is working. Ultimately, though, this is personal – individuals and families finding faith in Jesus Christ.

In closing, Rev Male issued us a challenge – do we really believe this? Not belief in an intellectual or cognitive sense, but belief as an act of the will that is a decision to do something.

Rev Michael Hands invited several members of Synod, in addition to Rev Male, who have been involved in planting or revitalising churches to the stage for a Q&A.

MODERATOR-ELECT RESULT + THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION – Rev Emma Nicholls

The Queensland Synod has re-elected Moderator Rev Bruce Moore for a second term. Ex-Moderator Andrew Gunton announced the result, leading us in prayer for the Moderator, his wife and family, and us as a church.

Rev Emma Nicholls brought us a theological reflection, asking us to consider two questions in groups with those around us: what have we seen, heard or experienced today, and what might God be calling us to do about it?