Frequently Asked Questions
Why are we making these changes?
In some sense these changes have been forced upon us. Winston Hills Anglican Church will no longer have access to classrooms for the use of Sunday School from the end of this year. Despite searching, we could not find a suitable alternative location for this congregation to meet in. This impacts not only Winston Hills at the present but our desire to plant more churches in the future as part of our 2020 Vision.
At the same time as needing to reintegrate Winston Hills, we have been presented with the opportunity to make other changes to our whole church to see it strengthened and equipped to pursue growth.
Reconfiguring into 3 new strong congregations meeting at 9, 1045 and 6 means a number of exciting opportunities to grow the gospel:
- increased diversity in our congregations
- strength in numbers
- greater sense of serving one another and sharing the load
- simplifying and streamlining structures
- team pastoring
Why change the way we do Sunday kids’ ministry?
We’re really keen to have space in our building for 9am church to fit new people, and still have room to grow, as God gathers people into his kingdom. This means we need to have children in their Bible teaching programs from the beginning of church. This will also help us to establish two morning churches that meet at family friendly times (ie 9 and 1045), with enough time in between for the transition.
As it turns out, this is not a new arrangement in Northmead’s history; in the past this has been the practice at our morning church and the time is right for us to do this again. We are still committed to outstanding children’s ministry lead by well trained and godly leaders under the guidance and leadership of Jacquie Sperinck. We are also really keen to continue to have children involved in different ways in our church with Family church (kids in for the whole of church) happening once a term and each kids’ ministry group also presenting in church once a term.
We’ll be promoting family interaction through lots of time to hang together after church and things like family fun nights and weekends away.
How will morning tea work?
When 9am church finishes, parents will head straight across to the Ministry Centre and outdoor area to sign their kids out from the programs. Everyone else will follow them over for morning tea in the Ministry Centre and outside area.
9am church will be able to stay and chat and mingle and enjoy food and fellowship together.
1045 will enter church through the breezeway/foyer and be able to sign their children into kids’ programme in the back hall straight away.
The renovations to the Ministry Centre will make this arrangement even better, especially providing more sound proofing for the church while morning tea takes place.
What about parking?
This will definitely require some patience, generosity and creativity. We know we don’t have heaps of convenient parking but there’s a few things we can do together.
1. Leave the parking right outside church for newcomers and the less mobile.
2. Be prepared to walk a little further and park around the corner
3. We plan to park some cars, up to 6 or 7, in the front yard of the rectory, and explore how to get some cars in the front of the office on Lombard St.
4. Consider car pooling or offer your friends a lift to church
Why one music team in morning?
One of the exciting opportunities these changes bring is to share resources and share the load of ministry and serving. In particular we’re keen to explore having one band serve us in the morning and help us to sing God’s praises across both congregations.
Having one band means we don’t need to have rehearsal, set up or sound check between 9 and 1045 and so we can have the times closer together and provide two great options for families to join.
Having one band means we don’t need to have rehearsal, set up or sound check between 9 and 1045 and so we can have the times closer together and provide two great options for families to join.
It also means we can work together to have an even better music ministry as we share God’s word with one another in song and delight in our glorious God.
How will intergenerational engagement work?
Just being together in the same congregation and not separated by meeting time etc. will give us a great sense of unity in the gospel across different social groupings. As each congregation invests in helping people belong to Christ and one another a lot of our efforts will be across ages and stages. We’re looking forward to more chances to see the Biblical model of mature Christians discipling younger believers take shape.
Ministries such as Gospel Teams, Men’s and Women’s events, as well as serving together in church on Sundays, will help people from different backgrounds to interact together. As our new congregations become more established we hope to develop more strategies to ensure everyone is included and welcomed as part of the body of Christ.
Why is there no congregation for me?
Church is created by God’s word drawing people to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and uniting us together in one Spirit. Church is people gathered together. So everyone is welcome and we want everyone to belong.
At the same time we want to offer different targeted ministries like children’s programs, youth studies, and mid week Gospel Teams. Our theory is that when we try to make something aim for everyone, we usually hit no one. So that’s why each of our Sunday gatherings will have a discernible character and flavour, with a clear sense of how we’re reaching out to those in our community. But we’re confident that in our new arrangement there will definitely be a place for you to belong and grow and we’d love to help you discover where that is.
What opportunities will I have to serve?
The foundation of all Christian service is love. God has shown his love to us through the sacrifice of his Son and he calls us to a life of selfless service of one another. Christian service begins with a heart that is wholeheartedly devoted to God and so filled with the desire to be a blessing to God’s people.
Shaped by God’s love and service of us, Christian service revolves primarily around the sharing of God’s word with one another. 1 Corinthians 12 describes church as one body made up of many parts that serve one another. The next chapter, 13, shows us how love is the superior to all things. Then in chapter 14 we see that proclaiming God’s word is in fact the most loving thing we can do in church, because it builds and strengthens the church as the body of Christ. This proclamation takes many forms: it can be reading the Bible, sharing a testimony or preaching from up front; or it can be our conversations with one another after church where we keep thinking about the sermon and wrestling together with what it means to trust the Lord Jesus.
We’ll also be announcing soon our new leadership and serving structure which will provide all our members with a whole bunch of opportunities to serve the Lord and use their gifts, not just on Sundays but in a variety of ministry opportunities during the week.
Why move 11 to 1045?
Our plan is to have two consolidated morning churches that appeal to families and people of all ages. We have thought hard about what times would work best to achieve these aims and responded to feedback from people.
We initially thought we would have 9.15 and 11 times, but interacting with people has helped us to see that it would be more advantageous to keep a 9am church and move 11 to 1045 to make it that little bit easier for families to come along.
Why move 645 to 6?
As we hope to expand the age range of 645 to encourage both younger and older members, we felt that 6pm would make it possible for families with teenage kids to come along, as well as workers.
The time also make it easier for us to have more meals together and times of fellowship after church.
Will I be welcomed and included in the new church?
Regardless of the time, shape and aim of a congregation, this question can only be answered when God’s Spirit works in the hearts of selfish sinners to cause us to love him more than ourselves and put others above our own needs.
None of us are perfect and we keep struggling with this, but God is powerful and his gospel is mighty to transform, so our prayer is that he will grow us in love and maturity and that we will be united in the truth. We’re confident in God’s grace that he can use our new congregational setup to help people feel more connected to him and to one another through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
How can I help make the changes go smoothly?
These changes will only work if God blesses them and everyone pulls together, united in love and purpose. We’re all partners in the gospel together!
Very simply the best ways to make things go as well as possible are firstly to pray and ask that God would do his powerful work of saving and transforming and gathering people through the death and resurrection of Jess Christ our Lord. Secondly as we keep encouraging each other with God’s life giving word and reminding each other of what Christ has done for us on the cross, and what glory will be revealed when he returns, then these changes will be seen in their eternal context.
Thirdly let’s keep investing in each other and in relationships that are filled with grace, patience and a sacrificial heart. If we are all there for each other and bearing one another’s burdens, making sure no one gets left behind then our church will grow stronger no matter what challenges we face.
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