Article: Good governance and mission

Good Governance and Mission

Sometimes in the church and Christian circles, governance as seen as a nuisance to mission and ministry, instead of being supportive to the mission and ministry God has given us.   This arises because of a misunderstanding of what good governance is about. 

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to limit governance to simply making good financial decisions and making sure that we are meeting all our legal obligations.   Good governance for ministry and mission is more than that.   In fact, just focussing on the financial and legal matters when it comes to governance may actually lead to bad governance.   Why?  Because a key to good governance is ensuring we are focussed on living out why we actually exist.   In a practical sense this means focussing on our objectives, mission and strategic directions as a church or ministry of the church.  Our response to our financial and legal obligations should always be based on why we exist, assisting us to live out our objectives and mission in the environment God has called us to.    

As a result of Covid we have seen good and not so good governance in churches and other organisations.  Covid brought about a number of rules and restrictions for us as church.  Legally we can’t avoid these rules.  Many of the rules and restrictions were brought in to help and care for the community.   

Some churches and organisations applied these rules without considering their mission and objectives.  People relating to such organisations had a sense that all the organisation cared about was keeping out of trouble.  The attitude appeared to be here are the rules, you must do this or that, its not our fault but the governments.  In many cases there was a sense of coldness with little love or care for others.   Other churches and organisations gave some more thought to how they applied the rules and restrictions in the light of their mission and objectives.   Many of them encouraged their community to see how these rules were in place to care for and love others.  They went out of their way to greet people in a welcoming and encouraging way.  They made it easy for people to comply with the rules.  They considered the diverse opinions of their community.  They explored other ways they could serve and care for people and keep engaged with people, considering the restrictions and rules in place.  This later group was not just focussed on their legal obligations, but more importantly on the community God has placed around them to serve.    They were not just concerned about not getting in trouble, but their main focus was on living out who had God called them to be. 

So how might we develop a more missional approach to governance?

1.     Focus continually on who God has called us to be and what has God called us to do. 
2. .    Know our mission, objectives and strategic directions, and view everything through these.
3. .    Spend a significant time at each meeting in listening to God, reflecting on and sharing what God says and prayer.
4. .   Reflect on who has God placed in your organisation’s life to serve and share the Gospel with. 

2.       Understand the financial and legal responsibilities you have, then shape your response to these based on your objectives and mission.   Think about how your response can reflect your mission, objectives and strategic direction.    This may take time, prayer and much discussion. 

Pastor Richard Schwedes

Assistant Bishop LCA NSW and ACT

 This article appeared originally in The Contact magazine - LCA NSW and ACT District 

  

Book: It takes a church to baptize

Scot McKight's book it takes a church to baptize, unpacks the issues of baptism that have divided Protestant Christianity.  McKnight a lecturer at a Baptist Seminary, and an ordained Anglican explores how infant baptism is theological, biblical, historical and personal.   He answers many questions people have about Infant baptism in this book, It takes a church to baptize.

This book will be helpful in responding to people who struggle with Infant Baptism.

About the book

The issue of baptism has troubled Protestants for centuries. Should infants be baptized before their faith is conscious, or does God command the baptism of babies whose parents have been baptized?

Popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight makes a biblical case for infant baptism, exploring its history, meaning, and practice and showing that infant baptism is the most historic Christian way of forming children into the faith. He explains that the church's practice of infant baptism developed straight from the Bible and argues that it must begin with the family and then extend to the church. Baptism is not just an individual profession of faith: it takes a family and a church community to nurture a child into faith over time. 

McKnight explains infant baptism for readers coming from a tradition that baptizes adults only, and he counters criticisms that fail to consider the role of families in the formation of faith. 

Editorial Reviews

"As someone who grew up Baptist and has wrestled deeply with questions about infant baptism, I wish I could have read this book years ago. McKnight has given the church an enduring gift--a book that is theologically rich, serious, and steeped in tradition yet accessible and readable. As a mother of young children and as a priest, I will put this book in the hands of many a friend and parishioner. If you are a parent deciding whether to baptize infant children, this book is essential reading."
--Tish Harrison Warren, priest in the ACNA, co-associate rector (Church of the Ascension Pittsburgh), and author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

"Able, strong, wise, and biblically and theologically rich. There are a great number of confusions and misunderstandings about infant baptism that Scot thoughtfully clarifies. So even if you don't end up being convinced, you will know why people like Scot (and me) think it is a practice essential for proper Christian discipleship."
--Mark Galli, editor in chief, Christianity Today

"A cogent apology for the sacrament of infant baptism. McKnight, a New Testament scholar, writes in a comfortable and non-academic style that his readers will surely appreciate."
--Kathryn Greene-McCreight, Episcopal priest and author of Darkness Is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness

"McKnight provides a controversial though ultimately compelling case for infant baptism. It is not just the who and how of baptism that he tackles; the genius of this book is that McKnight elegantly explains what baptism is even about, what it means, what it does for the recipient, and why it really does take a church to baptize a child. This book could change your whole view of conversion, faith, family, children's ministry, and the church!"
--Michael F. Bird, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

"The most compelling case for infant baptism available today. Not content to sprinkle with prooftexts, McKnight immerses his reader in the biblical, historical, and sacramental theology of this ancient Christian practice, and seals it with a testimony of how his mind was changed."
--Joel Scandrett, Robert E. Webber Center, Trinity School for Ministry

Book: Gasping for Breath

 Gasping for Breath: Inviting God's Spirit Into Your Overwhelmed Life

If you're a mom or a dad trying to juggle work with childcare and homeschooling, a business or ministry leader adjusting on the fly to a rapidly changing and unprecedented landscape, or a young man or woman grappling with relationships, technology, schooling, and jobs in a virtual world, you’ll find yourself gasping for breath at some point. We all do.

If you’re wondering what it takes to endure when you’ve personally hit the wall, to stay in something and work through the challenges that try to hold you back when you can no longer breathe, this book may be for you.

Gasping for Breath is an invitation to learn how to breathe in the life-giving breath of God’s Spirit and become fully alive. God is breathing His life into men and women, renewing and restoring and recreating. Right here. Right now. He can do it for you. Take a deep breath, and let’s get started!

Book: Lutheran Toolkit

 Lutheran Toolkit

The "Lutheran" in the title doesn't mean The Lutheran Toolkit is just for Lutherans. It's about a Lutheran witness for the whole church and for all sinners with ears to hear. It's a slender book about the big theological ideas the evangelical reformers of the 16th century used as a lens for understanding God's work in Christ.

Starting with Philip Melanchthon's 1530 Augsburg Confession, which was drafted to defend the preaching and teaching of Luther and his colleagues, Ken Sundet Jones sees its primary themes as a set of tools that God uses to build faith in us. He takes the reader beyond scholarly analysis and historical explanations and uses his own experience as a college professor, parish pastor, and sinner looking for mercy, to discover God's handiwork in our lives.

Each chapter takes as its starting point one of the foundational ideas presented to the Holy Roman Emperor and representatives of the church, including Sin, God hidden and revealed, justification, ministry, the Christian life, the church, sacraments, and vocation. These are not simply theological categories for scholars to debate or historians to recount. They're the lived experience of the faithful from the first believers, to big thinkers like Augustine and Luther, to people in the pews, at the supper table, in their careers, and at their deathbeds throughout the ages.

The tools in this kit continually point to Jesus as the one who promises mercy and abundant life - and who has the power to deliver them. This is a word for those who've not yet heard it and for those who desperately need to hear it again.

2021 Lenten Devotions: Bearing the Cross

 Sydney Lutheran Church's Lenten Devotions, Bearing the Cross invites people to journey with Jesus in bearing the Cross of Faith for 15 minutes (or less) a day.

You can either watch the Lenten Devotions online or download a written devotion.   

They are available at:  https://sydney.lutheran.org.au/midweek-lenten-devotions-bearing-the-cross/