Dear Friends,
We want to be a Growing Christian Community Devoted to Maturing in Jesus for the Glory of God. This vision we adopted last year has been guiding our decision making over the last 9 months as we reshape our ministry. We have expanded our Growth Group program to provide more opportunities for spiritual growth and more effective pastoral care. We have started new ministries to reach parts of our community we have neglected. We have employed Mick Bullen to focus on Mission. And now is the time to hire again.
Mark Schroder became the Broughton Anglican College Chaplain at the end of 2015 and we have been working towards replacing him over the last 6 months. Not that you can replace someone with Mark’s skills, but we will try!
We have decided to focus on hiring a person with specialist skills in Children’s Ministry. Over the last ten years there has been a lot of research around how churches keep growing. The four key strategy areas identified have been:
- Recapture the focus on growing transformed disciple, making disciples
- Strategic integration of newcomers into the church community
- Addressing the transition, retention and relocation of Christians
- Building effective children and youth ministries
As we analyse our church, it is in the area of Children’s Ministry that we are doing the least effective work. Our Kids’ Church leaders are working hard – they are exceptional – but in the 0-12yr age bracket we are lacking an effective integrated ministry focussed on reaching and growing children in their faith and transitioning them to youth group.
Our goal for this new position is that we might create enormous and effective inflows to Youth Group where children are able to continue to mature in their faith.
For further insight into the way we think about Children’s and Youth Ministry, you may wish to have a read of this paper that helpfully captures much of my thinking.
http://www.effectiveministry.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Yth-and-Chns-Paper-revised-ed.pdf
The youth minister who had the greatest influence on my ministry thinking often said, if you get your Crèche and Kids Ministry right, you will have an awesome youth group and a growing church. The research and evidence indicate that he was right.
Please pray for wisdom as we seek the right person to join our team and catch the vision for the children of Campbelltown.
Thanks for your partnership in Christ
Nigel