Colourful Dreamer

As we face an uncertain future, we want to explore the place of St John’s in: ·       Supporting young people as leaders in mission, ·       Training leaders to help us into ongoing change ·       Placing of a high priority on mission among children, young people, young adults and families There’s a difference between St John’s College being relevant for the Church as it is and St John’s being relevant for the Church as it needs to become. We believe in and experience a God of mission. This is not a God who is overly concerned with the status quo or the survival of our churches. We believe that young people have a key role in helping us in our journey towards this future. -         This new world is the world they have grown up in. -         They are not as shaped by church as it has been up to this point -  ...

Our future leaders need to be equipped to lead through change. And more than that: they need to lead our church into the ‘unknown’. Into places for which, at present, there are no road maps or text books, no papers or classes, no star-charts, no GPS, no ipod apps. And it’s not ‘unknown’ because we’re too lazy to sit down and figure out where we are headed. The world is changing and changing fast and we’re quickly being left far behind. There is an understanding in schools that 90% of the jobs for which students are being educated don’t yet exist and that in some degree programmes half of what you learn in your first year will be irrelevant by your third. At present we are equipping people for a mission field that no longer exists; for a ministry paradigm that is no longer working. We need resourceful leaders who can develop new ideas and inspire in new and creative ways; leaders who can take risks and think outside the box; leaders who are intuitive, who see opportunitie...

Recently, well in June, there was a hui (Forum) to discuss the future of our theological college. Our Youth Commission was invited to be part of that. We worked hard to talk about where we saw the church going, and where youth ministry sat within that. I am going to put up the transcripts of the presentations we made. I look forward to some feedback. Some of my thoughts on this hui can be found here. 1.       HARD MISSIONAL EDGE Some might say that we too often train people for the church as it is, rather than the church it will become. This can be seen in that many of our congregations in this country are aging, struggling to engage with the wider community, and too often focused on survival rather than mission. The world we live in is vastly and quickly changing. We believe in and experience a God of mission. This is not a God who is overly concerned with the status quo or the survival of our churches. ...

I have been reading the Government green paper " Every child thrives, belongs and achieves. " which outlines ways in which the government and government agencies, communities and iwi can engage with and create an environment in which vulnerable children are able to thrive, belong and achieve. It made me think about church. I wondered we live out the priority for children and young people. I wondered what would happen if bishops used the mechanisms available to them to set out the responsibilities for ministry with children and young people in their oversight of clergy and their annual expectations of parishes. What would it mean to set out requirements of clergy and parishes which are then reported on annually? How do we ensure ongoing research and evaluation to identify how current and future church practices effect and engage with children and young people? I have been sitting in a Ministry Council meeting where each Diocese reported under a number of headings i...

This was a gathering of 16 people from 14 different Provinces within the Anglican Communion. A further 7 people from 6 Provinces (and one of the ACC youth reps) were unable to attend due to lack of finance to attend, inability to gain an entry visa, or difficulty in taking time off work. Given the difficult times we live in both for the Communion and economically, this showed that interest in the work of this Network is still strong, and we continue to fulfil a vital role in encouraging those working with young people at the Provincial level, and in advocating for youth ministry and those who work with them across the Communion. It was a privilege to be present, both representing youth ministry in this Province, and as one of the organising group. It was inspiring to meet people from around the world who share our passion for youth ministry, getting to know them, learning from them, and to be able to offer what we have learnt from doing youth work in our context. We are one o...

At the recent meeting of Anglican Provincial Youth Officers in Hong Kong we worked on a new edition for Buenas Nuevas, the journal of the International Anglican Youth Network. As a taster, here is one of the articles that will come out in this next edition. Moving youth ministry from being apriority to being part of the fabric of who we are? Over recent years many dioceses and provinces within the Communion have made ministry to and among young people a priority. A lot has been written about the importance of youth ministry. Youth policies have been approved by synods with acclamation. Bishops have spoken enthusiastically about youth ministry, sometimes beginning their Synod report with this good news. Other provinces have affirmed the priority of funding youth ministry initiatives and the importance of engaging those under 25 with the gospel and Anglican tradition. At the recent meeting of Provincial Youth Officers in Hong Kong there was a lot of good news on this front. B...