Reflections
“Can church decline be reversed in the West? That depends on whether we can recover our confidence in the message that has been entrusted to us,” says The Rev’d Charlie Lacey from St Andrew’s, Springfield
Resources & Research
“Some of my clearest early memories of church involve the songs I sung as a child, and music is such a fun and effective way to let God’s word ‘dwell richly’ in us. Therefore, as I started my internship at St Bart’s in 2023, I was excited that one of my areas of focus was to foster the growth of generational diversity in the music team — to get young people involved,” says Diana Wong from Resource Church St Bart’s, Toowoomba
Three of our clergy share insights and learnings from their participation in the HeartEdge movement, including on a series of seminars currently being held online that are centred around the four C’s of commerce, culture, congregation and compassion
“I’ve been a church leader for nearly 50 years and I’ve never seen anything like this! The opportunities and the challenges are greater than they have ever been,” says The Ven. Bob Jackson from the Church of England
“It seems to me that one invitation could be to explore or re-engage with some of the practices that have always been part of being Christian, but which have been neglected over recent years,” says Bishop Jeremy Greaves
“It is natural for people who have been going to their church for a long time and formed many friendships to think that it is a warm and welcoming place; however, we must put ourselves in the shoes of the newcomer to really evaluate our level of hospitality,” says Dr Stephen Harrison
The presence of leaders (both lay and ordained) who can innovate, envision and motivate people was one of the common factors for church growth identified in The Church of England’s research, ‘From Anecdote to Evidence’, says Executive Director of PMC Dr Stephen Harrison
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